Luma WiFi Reviews

Sick and tired of poor WiFi signal when you need it the most ? Luma WiFi claims to be an intelligent solution for your network setup at home or anywhere else you need a strong WiFi signal.

Luma – A New Way of Thinking About WiFi

Luma WiFi is a gadget that uses the technology of mesh network to help you achieve the strongest WiFi signal. The product was launched by the Luma company, which was founded in 2014 by Paul Judge and Mike Van Bruinisse. They had previously worked together at Pure Wire and CipherTrust and decided to set up a new company with the purpose of manufacturing and selling WiFi routers after they reached the mutual conclusion that WiFi signals are usually very weak in private homes, and also because they felt the need for more network security.

Up until this date, the Luma company has received approximately $22 million in funds alone, provided by companies and personalities such as: Amazon (Alexa fund), Yahoo chairman Maynard Webb, former CMO of Beats by Dr Dre, Omar Johnson and the CEO of San Francisco 49ers, Jed York.

How Does It Work?

Coming back to the Luma WiFi product, this gadget garnered attention from some tech geeks as it was told that it is very easy to set up and uses the latest technology, called mesh network (will talk more about it later on).

Luma WiFi claims to provide the fastest internet speed you will ever reach with any other device, in a package that is easy to install and use, even by the members of your family. Their biggest bet is on the mesh technology, which up until recently, it was only used in big companies, due to the cost that implied the use of it.

Besides the things we already mentioned, Luma WiFi comes with other possible benefits such as: parental control that includes time restriction option as well as restricting access for some users of your choice. You also can pause the internet connexion in the entire house if you feel like it; you get to control your device through a dedicated application which you can download from the App store for iOs devices like the iPhone, iPad, etc, and also from Google Play Store for all Android devices; you get a built-in protection against hackers, and finally you will also be able to see who is using your network and even the content a certain user is watching on the same bandwidth.

Basically, Luma WiFi is claiming to offer you a fast, secure internet with a very easy setup and use by anyone who is not exactly a tech nerd. This is because of the ‘’surround WiFi’’ that Luma guarantees you ‘’experience the fastest home internet anywhere. Let’s be honest now. You are probably wondering, if there aren’t any similar products on the market that promise to deliver the exact same things and features similar specs like the Luma WiFi does? And if that is so, what makes the Luma WiFi different and convince you to buy their product and not others? Let’s find out, shall we?

In order to determine whether or not Luma WiFi is superior to other similar devices on the market, we have to understand how does their system work, so that they can boldly claim to provide the fastest internet speed.

First of all, the Luma Wifi device comes in an octangular shape-like module, having 4’’ in height, 4.6’’ in width and 1’’ in thickness. On the back of the device there are two ethernet ports, one for WAN and the other for LAN, alongside a USB 2 port, which can be used to extend the numbers, if desired and needed.

The Luma WiFi module has a quad-core processor, a simultaneous dual band of two different frequencies, such as 2.4GHz and 5GHz, A LED in three colours which is shaped like a ring on the front, and also Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.

The instructions say that in order for you to set up a Luma WiFi device, you have to plug a module into your modem, so that it can gain access to your internet connexion. It is important to keep in mind that Luma is only meant to replace your router, and not your internet modem as well. After having connected the first module (because you’ll need more), the other devices will connect automatically, without you doing any extra special setting. So far, it sounds easy and it lives up to what they advertise regarding the easy setup.

Remember we specified that you’ll need more than just one Luma WiFi module? The exact number is three, as per the company’s instructions. This is for you to benefit from the mesh network technology we already mentioned a couple of times at the beginning of this article. Don’t  worry if you’re not exactly sure how to set this mesh or ‘’surrounding’’ network, because Luma WiFi has a smart setup that is meant to do it for you. The smart setup shows you exactly where each module should go, so that you can obtain the strongest internet signal, as well as how to optimize your network, in case you also have problems with that.

You can do all of the above with the dedicated app alone, and nothing else. After the setup is complete, Luma Wifi will identify the type of device you are using to access the internet, and its intelligent network optimization will help reduce the obstacles, such as walls, in order for the internet speed to be as fast as possible.

Luma WiFi technology also claims to help you be secured against unwanted guests that might want to connect to your network without your permission. It also work as an anti-virus kind of, as you will receive notifications if any web page or file you are trying to download contains potential malware. And this is without having the need of installing an antivirus software in advance anymore. The antivirus feature is pretty cool actually, because acquiring an extra software to do this job also means spending more money, and we all know how ‘’efficient’’ the free antivirus softwares are.

As we already mentioned earlier in this article, Luma WiFi lets you see who is using your network, how much of it they are consuming (GB) and also what type of content they are watching as well (the latter is only in the case you are really interested in that kind of stuff). It is entirely up to you to decide whether you would want to restrict, add or revoke the access at your network to other people.

As for the parental control, you can set it up, so that your children can view a certain type of content on the internet, by rating it in a tv-style with G, PG, PG-13, etc. This is actually a very handy feature as well, because we don’t want our children to have access at a certain content that is not suitable for their age.

You can set up the Luma Wifi modules so that each member of your family, or close friends can have their own account. Don’t worry, because the parental control feature is still working, even though your children each have their own account. You are still in charge of deciding what can they watch, if you want to, of course.

Another thing that you might be concerned about is how your data is being dealt with by these Luma modules. The Luma company itself claims that there is nothing to worry about. They collect personal data from customers for the sole purpose of generating reports and provide information about instant activity. You can easily configure the amount of data that will be stored up to one month.

Enough with the mistery already! We have mentioned the term mesh network a few times now, so you must be wondering what really is this, unless you already knew or you just secretly looked it up on google. A mesh network basically divides the connexion among different modules, so that they can communicate with one another.

For a better understanding, in contrast, a traditional WiFi network functions by using the so-called hot spots, which are in fact access points. The traditional network needs many access point to function, and these hot spots give out signals that are used by our devices to connect to the internet, for example smartphones, tablets, laptops, smart tvs, etc. A mesh network will always provide stronger signal as opposed to a traditional one, just because of the setup and how the modules communicate among them to transfer data.

Cost And Return Policy

We have mentioned about the existence of similar product with the Luma WiFi on the market, but what we did not mention was the price at which Luma Wifi is available for purchase, so here it is: one device is priced at $149, but $199 retail, and three devices cost $299, but retail price is $499. Obviously, you will have to buy three Luma WiFi devices in order to set up the mesh network and benefit from maximum speed when surfing the world wide web. The stated prices were available at the time of launching. They may have suffered modifications in time, so be sure to check on their official website before the actual purchase.

When you order your own Luma WiFi device or bundle of devices, you also get in your package the following items: ethernet cable, a power adapter and a quick start guide.

There is also the possibility where, let’s say, you are not content with your purchase and would like to return the product and eventually get a refund. In this case, you must know that you have two options: you either cancel your order before it even reaches your door, or you can return it within 15 days of receiving the package. Whichever the case may be, it also important to note that every Luma WiFi device comes with a one-year warranty. For the refund part, you have to call their customer service at 800-684-LUMA.

In the final part, we will discuss whether or not Luma WiFi is worth your money or not. If we were to refer at other products on the market, similar to this one, they are in general priced a bit higher. From a perspective of a person who is not very technology-friendly, but loves the benefits from it, Luma WiFi delivers exactly what it says: a simple set up where you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home with the members of your family. However, if you are a real tech geek and crave after the lastest technology and as much customization as possible, we mean the kind that you can do for yourself, like experimenting with substances in the science lab, then maybe this product isn’t for you. Maybe you will get bored by its simplicity and the fact that it almost does all by itself.

Reviews for the Luma WiFi are mixed, with people very content by what it does, and other people that just simply cannot understand it, so they just assume that it doesn’t deliver at all. Others claim that the WiFi signal isn’t at all improved as opposed to using their own routers. Again, interned speed that comes from your internet provider also plays a huge role in all this. No matter the mesh technology, if there is no bandwith to work with, then speed cannot be improved at all, or it is improved so little, that you barely notice it and basically make no difference with or without a Luma in your house.

For all the people out there who like to experiment with new technology, this may be a good opportunity, especially if it has a decent price for what claims it can offer. Otherwise, you can be well on your way with using your classic network setup, eventhough you can never enjoy internet at its full potential, like some lucky countries on this planet do, just because of their network infrastructure, which in this case, there is nothing we can do about it.