腾达(Tenda)是一家中国公司，总部位于中国(China)深圳(Shenzhen)，拥有非常庞大的实体店。他们为消费者和企业销售网络设备，并且他们拥有一些可以用金钱购买的最实惠的无线路由器。我们收到了用于测试他们最近的一款型号：腾达 AC9(Tenda AC9)。这是一款AC1200 WiFi 路由器(AC1200 WiFi router)，价格非常激进，无线输出(wireless output)速度惊人。但它是否提供了优质的网络体验？阅读此评论以了解：
腾达 AC9 AC1200 开箱
腾达AC9 AC1200(Tenda AC9 AC1200)包装在一个好看的盒子里，以黑色和橙色为主色调。它的顶部有一张无线路由器的图片，以及它最重要的功能。(wireless router)
在背面，您可以看到与属于同一设备系列的其他腾达(Tenda)路由器的比较，以及该型号与其他型号之间的主要区别。我们发现有趣且令人耳目一新的是，腾达(Tenda)在传达其路由器的功能、优势和合适的使用选项方面做得很好。此外，我们惊讶地看到腾达(Tenda)承诺这款非常实惠的路由器可以管理您网络上的 200 台设备。对于如此实惠的路由器来说，这是很多的，我们决定在本次审查的稍后部分对这一声明进行测试。
拆开包装，盒子里面有：路由器、路由器支架、电源适配器(power adapter)、网线(network cable)、安装指南(installation guide)、保修单等。没有包含支持光盘(support disc)，但这并不是必需的。
腾达AC9提供的开箱体验快速、无痛、愉快。此外，包装还包括您期望从无线路由器获得的所有基本元素。(The unboxing experience offered by Tenda AC9 is quick, painless and pleasant. Also, the packaging includes all the basic elements you would expect from a wireless router.)
硬件规格和设计
Tenda AC9 AC1200是一款包含Broadcom ARM Cortex-A7 处理器(Broadcom ARM Cortex-A7 processor)的路由器。但是，制造商并未说明它包含哪些特定的SoC（片上系统(System)）。我们在社交媒体和他们的支持电子邮件中向(support e-mail)腾达(Tenda)询问了此事，到目前为止我们还没有收到任何答复。但是，我们确实在网上找到了一些猜测，认为这款路由器使用的是运行频率为 900 MHz的(MHz)Broadcom BCM43217 SoC。这可能是真的，也可能不是。此外，腾达 AC9(Tenda AC9)拥有 128MB 的DDR3 内存(DDR3 RAM)。没有关于固件可用存储空间的官方数据。(storage space)
标准方面，腾达AC9(Tenda AC9)兼容所有主流无线(mainstream wireless)标准，包括802.11ac和802.11n。它是一个双频无线网络(band wireless network)， 2.4 GHz 频率(GHz frequency)的总最大带宽为 300 Mbps，5 GHz 频率(GHz frequency)的总带宽为867 Mbps。这意味着总共 1167 Mbps。官方规格中还不清楚的另一个方面是这款路由器是否提供 2x2 MU-MIMO，正如我们在一些在线论坛上看到的那样。但是，考虑到我们在测试时获得的真实性能，这种猜测可能是正确的。
Tenda AC9只能垂直安装在包装中的支架上。除了垂直安装外，没有其他系统可以将其安装在墙上或放置。但是，这款路由器的设计相当令人愉悦，我们认为大多数用户会认为它谨慎且美观。
当你打开它时，你会注意到它总共有 10 个LED(LEDs)，指示有用的东西，例如：路由器是否通电，哪些LAN端口在工作，是否连接到互联网，两个无线频率中的哪个工作，是否启用WPS以及是否正在使用USB 端口。(USB port)
背面有一个用于将路由器连接到互联网的以太网端口和四个用于(Ethernet port)连接计算机和设备的千兆以太网端口。(Gigabit Ethernet)还有电源插孔(power jack)、WPS 按钮(WPS button)、用于启用或禁用WiFi 信号(WiFi signal)广播的按钮、重置(Reset)插孔和 USB 2.0 端口。
腾达 AC9(Tenda AC9)的尺寸为 8.9 x 7.07 x 3.02 英寸或 226 x 179.5 x 76.6 毫米（宽x 深(x depth) x 高(x height)）。它也很轻，只有 0.94 磅或 420 克。
如果您想阅读这款路由器的官方规格，请访问此页面：腾达 AC9 规格(Tenda AC9 Specifications)。
设置和使用腾达 AC9 AC1200(Tenda AC9 AC1200)
安装腾达 AC9 路由器(Tenda AC9 router)时，您首先注意到的一件事是，与其他路由器相比，它的电源线(power cable)相当短。你需要把它放在靠近电源插座(power outlet)的地方。完成后，您可以启动配置向导(configuration wizard)。选择您使用的互联网连接类型并输入连接详细信息（如有必要）。然后，系统会询问您有关无线设置的信息。有一个奇怪的设置显示“将登录密码设置为与 WiFi 密码相同”。("Set up the login password to the same as the WiFi password.")为管理路由器设置与无线网络访问(wireless network access)相同的密码是一个很大的安全风险(security risk)我们强烈建议您永远不要这样做。
但是，即使您不勾选此设置，腾达 AC9(Tenda AC9)也会将路由器的管理员密码(admin password)设置为与您的无线访问密码(access password)相同。因此，一旦完成设置向导(setup wizard)，您应该立即更改路由器的管理员密码(admin password)。转到“System Settings -> Login Password"并为您的路由器设置与无线网络(wireless network)不同的密码。
让您印象深刻的另一个方面是用户界面看起来过时并且使用由非母语人士明确编写的英语。(English)英语(English)不太好的人会犯很多错别字和错误。用户界面很简单，分为逻辑部分。大多数用户在找到他们需要的东西时应该没有问题。但是，它缺少任何形式的内置帮助(Help)系统。因此，如果您需要了解某个设置的作用，您需要从腾达的网站(Tenda's website)下载用户手册。
用户界面(user interface)仅提供三种语言，您可以在下面看到。
不幸的是，并非所有用户界面元素都完全翻译成英文(English)。例如，固件升级(firmware upgrade)的发行说明以似乎中文的形式共享。如果你真的想知道固件升级(firmware upgrade)是做什么的，你需要查看腾达AC9的支持页面(support page for Tenda AC9)。
在高级设置方面，你得到你想要的一切。知识渊博的用户可以配置有关此路由器工作原理的所有内容。不过，初学者会有不同的体验：基础设置很容易配置，但高级设置需要更多信息和帮助文档(information and help documentation)，而用户界面中缺少这些信息。
在深入研究腾达 AC9(Tenda AC9)的所有设置时，我们注意到它的自动维护“功能”，默认情况下，每晚凌晨 3 点重启路由器。一些用户可能对此有疑问，即使重新启动只需两分钟。腾达(Tenda)表示，此功能可帮助您“维护路由器”和“提高性能”。
完成路由器配置后，开始将无线设备连接到网络。我们可以毫无问题地加入各种小工具，包括智能手机、平板电脑、笔记本电脑、智能插头、无线打印机、无线相机和游戏机。您获得的速度往往非常好，接近您从更优质的无线路由器获得的速度。然而，有一个重要的警告：腾达(Tenda)声称它可以处理 20 台设备是不正确的。我们有一台台式电脑通过(desktop computer)以太网电缆(Ethernet cable)连接到路由器，在某个时候，我们从GOG Galaxy下载了游戏The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt（类似Steam 的服务(Steam-like service)）。下载非常大（38 GB），在我们启动它几秒钟后，我们的无线网络(wireless network)崩溃了。我们无法将任何设备连接到无线网络，除了我们的(wireless network)台式计算机(desktop computer)之外，所有其他设备的互联网都停止工作，我们甚至无法访问路由器上的管理用户界面。我们必须等到下载完成，这样我们的网络才能恢复正常运行。Tenda AC9无法处理来自 Internet 的快速、大量下载，但仍能提供正常工作的无线网络(working wireless network). 我们多年来一直在审查无线路由器，并且我们没有遇到其他品牌的路由器的这个问题。要解决这个问题，您必须花时间设置带宽控制限制，因为没有可依赖的 QoS（服务质量）特性。(QoS (Quality of Service))
腾达还提供适用于Android和iOS的移动应用程序，非常适合帮助您通过智能手机管理路由器。我们惊喜地发现它的响应速度如此之快，我们更喜欢使用它而不是管理Tenda AC9的 Web 界面。只要您连接到无线网络(wireless network)，此应用程序就可以让您配置有关路由器的所有内容。
腾达 AC9 的速度以及腾达 WiFi 移动应用程序的响应速度和易用性给我们留下了深刻的印象。但是，也存在一些负面影响，例如用户界面中的翻译不完整、拼写错误、没有内置帮助文档、缺乏多语言支持以及关于该路由器可以处理多少设备的虚假声明。如果您以非常快的速度从 Internet 下载一个大文件，您的整个无线网络可能会在下载期间出现故障。(We are impressed by the speed delivered by the Tenda AC9 and by the responsiveness and ease of use of the Tenda WiFi mobile app. However, there are also negatives such as incomplete translations in the user interface, typos and mistakes, no built-in Help documentation, lacking multi-lingual support and false claims about how many devices this router can handle. If you download a large file from the internet, at a very fast speed, your entire wireless network can go down for the duration of that download.)
安全是腾达的一个问题
虽然腾达(Tenda)提供了性能非常好的硬件，但它在(performing hardware)软件方面(software side)有几个缺点。最大的问题是其固件和移动应用程序的安全性。首先(First)，将路由器的管理密码设置为与您的无线密码(wireless password)相同存在安全风险(security risk)。想象一下，您提供无线密码(wireless password)的人能够管理您的整个家庭网络(home network)及其工作方式。此外，破解您的无线密码(wireless password)的人会立即访问路由器和您的整个网络。
另一个问题是腾达AC9(Tenda AC9)没有可以更改名称的管理员用户。(administrator user)您可以个性化的只是管理员密码(admin password)，而不是管理员用户(admin user)的名称。同样(Again)，由于需要知道的变量更少，这使您的路由器更容易被黑客入侵。我们在Digital Citizen所做的其中一件事是更改管理员用户(admin user)的名称和密码，这样其他人就更难弄清楚如何登录路由器。
此外，在登录路由器时，您输入管理员密码(admin password)。输入密码时会显示密码。只有在您完成输入后才会对其进行加扰。
另一个问题是您无法将访客 WiFi 网络(Guest WiFi network)设置为将访客与网络的其余部分隔离开来。一旦访客加入您的无线网络(wireless network)，他或她还可以查看和访问网络中所有设备和计算机共享的内容。这违背了为您的客人提供单独无线网络的目的。(wireless network)
Tenda WiFi 移动(Tenda WiFi mobile)应用程序也存在一些问题。其中最大的是它为您提供了创建Tenda 帐户(Tenda account)的选项，以便您可以从任何地方访问您的路由器。不幸的是，该帐户是在一些奇怪的服务器上创建的，只有知道IP 地址(IP address)才能访问该服务器。使用普通网站无法访问您的腾达账户。(Tenda account)此外，除了您的标准密码外， (standard password)Tenda 帐户(Tenda account)不受两步验证或其他额外安全措施的保护。
唯一“好的一面”是，当我们审查这款路由器时，腾达在线(Tenda online)帐户并没有真正起作用，您无法使用它从任何地方访问您的路由器。这样，如果有人入侵了您的Tenda 帐户(Tenda account)，它就无法入侵您的网络。至少在未实施此远程管理功能(management feature)时不会，即使应用程序另有说明。
在设备种类繁多的智能家居时代，安全应该是无线路由器制造商的首要任务。不幸的是，腾达并非如此。(In the era of smart homes with many diverse devices, security should be a top priority for manufacturers of wireless routers. Unfortunately this is not the case with Tenda.)
转到本评论的第二页，查看我们的性能测量、这款路由器的优缺点以及我们的最终结论。
Reviewing the Tenda AC9 AC1200 wireless router - A rough diamond!
Tenda is a chinese company, baѕed in Shenzhen, Chіna, with a very large physical presence. Thеy sell networkіng equipment for both consumers and businesseѕ and they have some of the most affordable wireless rоuters that money can buy. We received for testing one of their recent models: Tenda AC9. It is an AC1200 WiFi router with very aggressive pricing and surprisingly fast wirelеss output. But does it offer a qυality networking experience? Read this review to find out:
Unboxing the Tenda AC9 AC1200
Tenda AC9 AC1200 is packaged in a good looking box that uses black and orange as its main colors. It features a picture of the wireless router on the top, alongside its most important features.
On the back, you get to see a comparison with other Tenda routers that are part of the same family of devices, and the main differences between this model and the others. What we found interesting and refreshingly positive is that Tenda does a good job at communicating the features, the benefits and the suitable usage options of its routers. Also, we were surprised to see that Tenda promises that this very affordable router can manage up two twenty devices on your network. For a router this affordable, this is a lot so and we decided to put this statement to the test, later in this review.
When you unpack everything, inside the box you will find the following: the router, a stand for the router, the power adapter, a network cable, the installation guide, the warranty and other leaflets. There is no support disc included but that is not really necessary.
The unboxing experience offered by Tenda AC9 is quick, painless and pleasant. Also, the packaging includes all the basic elements you would expect from a wireless router.
Hardware specifications and design
Tenda AC9 AC1200 is a router that includes a Broadcom ARM Cortex-A7 processor. However, the manufacturer does not say which specific SoC (System on a Chip) it includes. We asked Tenda about it both on social media and on their support e-mail and we have received no answer so far. However, we did find some speculation online that this router uses a Broadcom BCM43217 SoC running at 900 MHz. This may or may not be true. Also, Tenda AC9 has 128MB of DDR3 RAM. There is no official data about the storage space available for the firmware.
In terms of standards, Tenda AC9 works with all mainstream wireless standards, including 802.11ac and 802.11n. It is a dual band wireless network with a total maximum bandwidth of 300 Mbps for the 2.4 GHz frequency and 867 Mbps for the 5 GHz frequency. This means a total of 1167 Mbps. Another aspect that is not clear from the official specifications is whether this router offers 2x2 MU-MIMO, as we have seen speculated on some online forums. However, considering the real-life performance that we obtained when testing it, this speculation might be true.
Tenda AC9 can only be mounted vertically, on the stand that it is included in the packaging. There's no system for mounting it on walls or placing it other than vertically. However, the design of this router is rather pleasant and we think that most users will consider it discreet and good looking.
When you turn it on, you notice that it has a total of 10 LEDs, indicating useful things like: whether the router is powered on, which LAN ports are working, whether it is connected to the internet, which of the two wireless frequencies is working, if WPS is enabled and whether the USB port is being used.
On the back you have one Ethernet port for the connection of the router to the internet and four Gigabit Ethernet ports for connecting your computers and devices. There is also the power jack, the WPS button, a button for enabling or disabling the broadcasting of the WiFi signal, a Reset jack and a USB 2.0 port.
Tenda AC9 has a size of 8.9 x 7.07 x 3.02 inches or 226 x 179.5 x 76.6 mm in terms of width x depth x height. It is also very light, at 0.94 lb or 420 grams.
If you want to read the official specifications of this router, go to this page: Tenda AC9 Specifications.
Setting up and using the Tenda AC9 AC1200
One of the first things you notice when installing the Tenda AC9 router is that its power cable is rather short compared to that of other routers. You need to place it somewhere close to the power outlet. Once that is done, you can start the configuration wizard. Select the type of internet connection that you use and enter the connection details (if necessary). Then, you are asked about the wireless settings. There is one weird setting that says "Set up the login password to the same as the WiFi password." Setting the same password for administering the router as for your wireless network access is a big security risk and we highly recommend that you never do that.
However, even if you do not check this setting, Tenda AC9 sets your router's admin password the same as your wireless access password anyway. Therefore, as soon as you finish the setup wizard, you should immediately change the admin password for your router. Go to "System Settings -> Login Password" and set a different password for your router than for your wireless network.
Another aspect that strikes you is that the user interface looks dated and uses English that's clearly written by a non-native speaker. There are many typos and mistakes that are made by someone with a not-so-great command of English. The user interface is simple and split into logical sections. Most users should have no issue in finding what they need. However, it lacks any form of built-in Help system. Therefore, if you need to understand what a certain setting does, you need to download the user manual from Tenda's website.
The user interface is available in only three languages, which you can see below.
Unfortunately, not all user interface elements are translated fully into English. For example, the release notes for firmware upgrades are shared in what seems to be Chinese. If you really want to know what a firmware upgrade does, you need to check the support page for Tenda AC9.
In terms of advanced settings, you get everything you want. Knowledgeable users can configure everything about how this router works. Beginners though, will have a mixed experience: the basics are easy to configure but the advanced settings need more information and help documentation and that is missing from the user interface.
While delving through all settings for the Tenda AC9, we noticed its automatic maintenance "feature" which, by default, reboots the router every night at 3 AM. Some users might have an issue with that, even though the reboot takes just two minutes. Tenda says that this feature helps you "maintain your router" and "improve performance."
Once you are done configuring the router, start connecting your wireless devices to the network. We had no issues joining all kinds of gadgets, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, smart plugs, wireless printers, wireless cameras and gaming consoles. The speed you get tends to be very good, close to what you get from more premium wireless routers. However, there is one important caveat: Tenda's claim that it can handle 20 devices is not true. We had one desktop computer connected to the router with an Ethernet cable and, at some point, we downloaded the game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt from GOG Galaxy (a Steam-like service). The download is very large (38 GB) and seconds after we started it, our wireless network collapsed. We could not connect any device to the wireless network, the internet stopped working for all other devices except our desktop computer and we could not even access the administration user interface on the router. We had to wait until the download was finished, so that our network could get back to being functional. Tenda AC9 cannot handle fast, large downloads from the internet and still provide a working wireless network. We have been reviewing wireless routers for many years and we did not encounter this issue with routers from other brands. To solve this problem, you must spend time setting bandwidth control limits, because there is no QoS (Quality of Service) feature to rely on.
Tenda also offers a mobile app for Android and iOS which is very good at helping you manage your router from a smartphone. We were pleasantly surprised to see how responsive it is and we enjoyed using it more than the web interface for administering the Tenda AC9. This app allows you to configure everything about the router, as long as you are connected to your wireless network.
We are impressed by the speed delivered by the Tenda AC9 and by the responsiveness and ease of use of the Tenda WiFi mobile app. However, there are also negatives such as incomplete translations in the user interface, typos and mistakes, no built-in Help documentation, lacking multi-lingual support and false claims about how many devices this router can handle. If you download a large file from the internet, at a very fast speed, your entire wireless network can go down for the duration of that download.
Security is an issue for Tenda
While Tenda offers very good performing hardware, it has several downsides on the software side of things. The biggest issue is with the security of its firmware and mobile app. First of all, setting the administrative password for the router the same as your wireless password is a security risk. Imagine the people whom you give your wireless password being able to administer your entire home network and the way it works. Also, someone who hacks your wireless password, immediately gets access to the router and your entire network.
Another issue is that Tenda AC9 does not have an administrator user whose name can be changed. All you can personalize is the admin password, not the name of the admin user. Again, this makes your router easier to hack, due to fewer variables that need to be known. One of the things we do here at Digital Citizen is change both the name of the admin user and its password, so that it is harder for someone else to figure out how to login on the router.
Also, when logging in to the router, you type the admin password. The password is shown while you type it. It is scrambled only after you finish typing it.
Another issue is that you cannot set the Guest WiFi network to isolate guests from the rest of your network. Once a guest joins your wireless network, he or she can also view and access what is shared by all the devices and computers in your network. This defeats the purpose of having a separate wireless network for your guests.
The Tenda WiFi mobile app also has a few issues. The biggest of them is that it offers you the option of creating a Tenda account so that you can access your router from anywhere. Unfortunately, the account is created on some weird server that can be accessed only if you know the IP address. There is no way to access your Tenda account using a normal website. Also, the Tenda account is not protected with two-step verification or other additional security measures except your standard password.
The only "good side" is that, when we reviewed this router, the Tenda online account did not really work and you could not use it to access your router from anywhere. This way, if someone does hack your Tenda account, it cannot hack your network. At least not while this remote management feature is not implemented, even if the app says otherwise.
In the era of smart homes with many diverse devices, security should be a top priority for manufacturers of wireless routers. Unfortunately this is not the case with Tenda.
Go to the second page of this review to see our performance measurements, the pros and cons of this router and our final verdict.
