AmpliFi Alien EU router now available!
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Euhm, in the EU shop, they are in stock now
https://eu.store.ui.com/collections/amplifi/products/amplifi-alien-router
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@Stu It is indeed back in stock now (at least it was the last time I checked).
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So is this presumed difference between the US and EU versions software or hardware based?
Hi @Ali-Hadi - AmpliFi has been unwilling to provide a clear definitive answer regarding the nature of the differences
From the comments they have made, I would say yes there is a hardware change, but unless someone is willing to dissect an EU Alien or locate teardown pictures the details are not clear
We know from the FCC images that the NA Alien hardware has 4 radios and 12 antenna ports, with the 802.11ac radio and 4 ports being on a modular, removable PCB on the backside of the main board
AmpliFi have stated that this 'additional' 802.11ac radio has been removed from the EU model, which would make sense to remove cost if it isn't needed for 'compatibility only' reasons any longer
But AmpliFi have also stated that the EU model is still 12 ports + 16 stream capable
So, did they replace the 802.11ac radio module with an additional 802.11ax radio module, or did they change the 802.11ax radio configuration on the main PCB and add the additional 4 antenna ports there?
No way to know without looking inside (anyone have access to an x-ray?), but I would personally speculate on the latter main PCB change as it would be the lower cost option
Also if it is software driven, is there a reason why the US firmware could not be installed on the EU version if it is the same hardware?
I would assume there is a hardware change as noted above
But AmpliFi did some unusual things in the NA Alien model firmware and I wouldn't be surprised if the EU model has not yet exposed its full capabilities yet either
The NA Alien has the 5GHz WiFi-6 band limited to the 5.8 GHz sub-band only and we still cannot manually select the channel
Is it only limited to 5.8 GHz by the firmware, or is there an antenna impedance / radio filter hardware limitation?
We don't actually knowAnd the NA Alien additional 5GHz WiFi-5 radio is limited to the 5.2 GHz sub-band, although it looks like a generic module, so this is likely a firmware limitation only, but it could be hardware limited
AmpliFi always downplayed the relevance of this additional WiFI-5 radio saying it should only ever be enabled for compatibility reasons, but many users found alternative uses for it, some dense WiFi locations need it if the 5.8 GHz sub-band is congested, and later firmware releases enabled it by default on mesh points to help alleviate bandwidth issues
On the EU model, instead of separating the 5.2 & 5.8 GHz sub-bands into different WiFi standards, they refer to is as "Full Band Wi-Fi 6" which covers the whole of the 5GHz spectrum and helps to avoid confusion with Wi-Fi 6E which is generally using the term "Tri-Band" to represent Wi-Fi 6 routers utilizing the 2.4, 5.x & 6 GHz spectrum
What is important to know for the EU Alien model is that it can do simultaneous communication in the 5.2 & 5.8 GHz sub-bands, even if that functionality has not been fully exposed by the firmware yet
On multiple occasions AmpliFi has stated that the EU Alien is still a 12 pol antenna, 16 stream capable "Full Band Wi-Fi 6" device
That strongly implies what the hardware is capable of, and makes sense for how it would evolve from the NA Alien model, just wish they would officially communicate the spec and put the discussion to rest...
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The alien is just missing a 160mhz option which is a tad confusing.
Hi @Edward-Dolezal - the Ubiquiti U6-Pro AP certification was recently updated and includes 160 MHz, so it seems like they are making progress on implementation, which gives some hope they may still get 160 MHz channel widths working on earlier devices like the Alien
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AFi-ALN-R-US and AFi-ALN-US has 3 radios.
-First works in 5 GHz WiFi6 high band radio (channels 149-161). It supports 8 spatial streams.
-Second works in 5 GHz WiFi5 low band (channels 36-48). It supports 4 spatial streams.
-Third radio works in 2.4 GHz WiFi6 and supports 4 spatial streams.AFi-ALN-R-EU and AFi-ALN-EU has 2 radios.
-First radio works in 5 GHz full band WiFi6 (channels 36-48, 149-161). It supports 8 spatial streams.
-Second works in 2.4 GHz WiFi6 and supports 4 spatial streams.*In Europe channels 149-161 are allowed only with 25 mW power so they are not available for customers right now.
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Quick question - I see this on the specification for the Alien on EU Store ,
Supported Data Rates
802.11ax: (Backbone) 4800 Mpbs Router-Mesh Connection
802.11ax: (Available to Clients) 4800 Mbps + 1148 MbpsCan someone confirm if this means that the backbone is independent of what is available to clients ?
Also would that mean it has a dedicated backhaul for meshpoint connectivity ?
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HI @UI-AmpliFi - thank you for the clarification, but you are also contradicting yourself
You previously posted earlier in this thread that the EU version "It supports full 16 spatial streams!"
https://community.amplifi.com/topic/3606/amplifi-alien-eu-router-now-available/66You also previously confirmed that the EU version "It is a 12 polarity antenna! 16 spatial stream are supported by the EU version."
https://community.amplifi.com/topic/3653/my-experience-with-the-alien-beta-router-the-good-and-the-bad-fixable-bugs/15So are you fully utilizing the 12 polarity antenna or not on the EU version?
The EU Store product specification states for the antenna "Internal Dual-Band Metal Stamp with 12 Polarity" so...If the EU version is nothing more then the US version with the 802.11AC radio module removed, and no other hardware changes, please state it
But the EU store Data Sheet states the processor is a "Quad-Core Cortex A53 at 2 GHz" versus the US model's "2.2 GHz 64-Bit Quad-Core CPU" - did you change the processor spec?
Something is also strange for me at least in that the US AmpliFi website Alien page that I am being served has reverted back to claiming 12 spatial streams (was 16 streams) and now removes any mention of the WiFi-5 radio - is this indicative of a change to the US model?
Everything is making a little more sense, and I won't argue if you want to call a 2 chip Qualcomm radio just a singular radio vs dual aggregated radios, but it just would have been nice to have the accurate story up front when we were specifically trying to get clarity
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Please accept our apologies for making a mistake previously stating that the AFi-ALN-EU model has 16 spatial streams, it is 12 spatial streams.
AFi-ALN-EU and AFi-ALN-US have the same CPU and information will be updated soon.
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@UI-AmpliFi Thanks for trying to clarify but what does that difference between the US and the EU versions mean in real terms as in the real-life functionality of the router? Is the EU version slower? Does it allow less connected devices or simultaneous connections to stream at a slower speed than the US version? Does it have a lesser WiFi radio range? Does it lose out in terms of backhaul capabilities? Apologies for not being too technical when it comes to these specs but really keen to know what losing that third radio really mean in plain English.
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I can’t read US EU anymore.
I get today two Alien in Germany. And it’s amazing with the iPhone 700 Mbit/s up and down. And 500 Mbit/s up and down on the other side of our 100 sqm Appartement with stone walls.
Best gimmick I don’t know before. Icons for every network device.
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@MGEquinox That is very good to hear. What version have you got?
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@Ali-Hadi the normal New EU Version.
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Better late than never! Hopefully mine arrives tomorrow. Looking forward to getting it setup and then taking a hammer to my old Netgear
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Are you able to confirm what the australian alien will be ? Triband or dual band
Like in australia we have triband routers all over the place
I don’t understand why they would not release it triband like usa!
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Ordered Wednesday, arrived Thursday! (UK)
Finally have 3 Alien units replacing 5 Amplifi HD Units but now with much better throughput
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@Ahmad-Ki Going by the current logic: US=Tri-band > EU=Dual-band > OZ=Single-band.
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@Ali-Hadi we have triband routers from all manufacturers
Even the latest wifi 6e router ax11000 will come to australia after december
And here ubiquiti cant even regulate the router and sell it
Something dodgy going on from ubiquiti
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@Ali-Hadi I got my Aliens (I bought two) on Friday. I have placed the Aliens in the same planced like my old TP-LINKs (AD7200 as main router on the groundfloor and AC1750 Wifi range extender on the upstairs), I set up a MESH and I'm disappointed
Amplifi routers work worse than TP-LINK ones. I expected a huge improvement comparing to TP-LINKs after I watched many reviews US guys on youtube. Even when we assume that hardware is the same for US and EU version we have to take into account that houses in EU are built of brick and concrete. In my house a thickness of the concrete ceiling is approx 40 cm (16 inches).
Moreover there are many missing settings available in mobile app or via website. I can't check a firewall status what is important when you use a public IP.
Ok, I like Aplifi Alien design and a few interesing features, it works fine as single router, but in my house a transfer speeds on upstairs were significantly decreased.
I hope a new firmware will bring some improvements in range and more settings.
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Just finished installing the Alien EU. A subtle degree of better performance than its predecessor my AmpliFi HD router but really disappointing WiFi range so far as my well-positioned AmpliFi HD and only one mesh point extender managed to cover a bigger area up to my garage that the Alien can now unfortunately never reach. I could also mesh my old AmpliFi to the new Alien as a third party router but could not connect the two via ethernet and they could only talk to each other wirelessly which is really really poor. Will keep on tinkering to see if I can improve things.
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Ended up with this setup of a pseudo-mesh:
ISPs Modem/Router >>> Alien in Bridge Mode >>> AmpliFi router also in Bridge Mode (connected to ISP router via a home plug) on the other side of the house. Apart from some handoff glitches between the Alien/AmpliFi, this seems to be the best setup after trying so many different options. I can absolutely confirm that despite its power, the Alien EU can in no way provide anywhere near the coverage of my AmpliFi HD kit with the hops created by its mesh points. If range is your aim rather than only pure speed, then I would definitely say stick with the AmpliFi Kit.
