Here are some impressions after installing version 4.11.1 beta (directly from 4.9.1 without a reset—essentially the worst-case scenario) and adding a second Flint2 in a mesh configuration, bought specifically for the occasion, running the same 4.11.1 firmware, but this time with a factory reset.
These impressions mainly concern the mesh system, as I haven't really touched the rest (no VLANs, and just a few tests with the new network quality monitoring system, which I'm currently keeping disabled). To be clear, this is a Wi-Fi mesh setup, and I'm comparing it to the Fritz 7530 + 2400 system I was using previously for Wi-Fi alongside the single Flint2 to ensure mesh coverage, especially at the edges of the house (a clunky solution, but ultimately the most functional among those I tried).
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Creating the mesh network is very, very simple. You set the mesh node to listen mode from the mesh menu, start the search on the main router, and in a relatively short time, it detects the node and syncs the settings. From that moment on, most settings on the node disappear.
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Network stability and recovery speed after powering off the node seemed good. I'd say that over about 16 hours, I haven't noticed any drops, and browsing seems smooth. With the various "pre-mesh" modes I had tried, it was quite a disaster (I'm referring to repeater and WDS modes, not AP, on various repeater devices—specifically a Marble that I returned and a TP-Link running OpenWrt that I have at home and normally use for other things).
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Speed is good, though perhaps I expected a bit more. The node connects to the router at around 1,600 Mbps (compared to roughly 800 Mbps on the Fritz mesh, which was about 1 meter closer to its master), while the actual speed via Speedtest tops out around 350 Mbps (tested with my Samsung A56; I might try again with my wife's S25 FE, which has faster Wi-Fi), compared to about 120 Mbps on the Fritz from a similar position. I was hoping to reach around 500 Mbps, but 350 Mbps is already more than enough.
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Mesh network quality in terms of Fast Roaming and similar features: Moving around the house with my phone, I noticed zero issues. When I reach areas where the main router had really low coverage, the phone is already connected to the mesh node—something that happened with the Fritz system, but was quite problematic before without mesh (WDS, repeater mode, etc.). From this perspective, my house is a bit tricky. It's around 120–130 sq meters (commercial space), and a single Flint2 in its forced position (non-central) covers ALMOST everything. Without Fast Roaming or "mesh" protocols, devices desperately tend to stick to the main node, and the house isn't big enough to "force" a node switch due to a complete loss of signal.
I'm noticing a certain tendency among stationary devices (in-wall Shellys, Google Home, Tuya lights, etc.) to remain connected to the main node (which was the first one I turned on) compared to what the Fritz system used to do. Right now, after about 16 hours of continuous runtime, I have around ten devices on the mesh node and the rest on the main router. Some switched to the mesh node only after a reboot, while a few stayed on the main router even after rebooting, despite the mesh node definitely being closer and having a stronger signal. One device is even located beyond the mesh node (Router ------ Mesh -- Device), yet it desperately stays connected to the router. I know this is normal in mesh networks and I'm not worried about it, but I thought I'd note it down. After a while (even a few days), Fritz would usually end up with about 20 devices on the mesh node, so let's see how things shift over time.
A few things I DON'T like or that need improvement:
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Once mesh is enabled on the node, virtually all options disappear. I hadn't linked it to GoodCloud before putting it into mesh mode, and now I simply DON'T have the option to do so. From what I've seen, I would need to unbind it from the mesh, set up the connection to GoodCloud, and rebuild the network. That would work, but I'd never be able to disable it afterward. Not ideal—the option should be preserved. And judging by how it looks, that's not the only option disappearing that might come in handy.
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Let me manage the mesh node's IP! In practice, when you add it, it forcibly grabs a random DHCP address and sticks with it, but I can't assign a static IP on the node or set up a reservation on the master router. As a result, my mesh node now sits on a .121 address that makes no sense, while the rest of my network is divided into logical blocks, and network devices (managed switches, old Fritz devices, etc.) live on low addresses (from .2 to .19). I have no way to reassign this one. At least let me set a standard DHCP reservation if I really have to use DHCP!
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Information regarding the mesh node is quite sparse. Displaying at least the connection speed between the two devices in the mesh menu should be the bare minimum. Fritz has a graphical topology view of the network (Master – Mesh Nodes – End Devices and where they are connected) that tells you the link speed and connection layout at a glance, which would be nice to see replicated. In the client menu, you can see which node each device is connected to and theoretically the speed (though I have HW acceleration enabled, so that data isn't accurate, but it's a different metric than link speed anyway). However, to check the link speed between the Master and nodes, I have to open LuCI!
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At the moment, the bandwidth doesn't seem to run at 160 MHz on the node (whereas it does on the master). On the master, I have 160 MHz properly configured, whereas in the 5 GHz network settings for the mesh node, it displays 80 MHz (greyed out, so read-only)—though I'm not sure if it's just a UI bug. The phone I used for testing doesn't support 160 MHz, so I'll need to test one with support (my wife's S25 FE again) as soon as I have time.
Overall, I'm satisfied for now, and I think I'll sell the remaining Fritz gear!