MBReviews is an independent hardware testing website with a special focus on the Wi-Fi and networking equipment.
I’m Mark B, and I do the testing and writing behind the site.
MBReviews has covered a fairly wide range of consumer technology over the years, and those older reviews remain available in the archive. Today, however, most of my work is concentrated on wireless routers, wireless access points, mesh systems, switches and the technologies surrounding them.
Testing instead of repeating specifications
A router review isn’t particularly useful if it just repeats what’s printed on the box.
I want to know what the hardware actually does. And that means testing the wireless throughput at different distances and, most important, based on the signal conditions, watching how performance changes over time, measuring latency under multiple simultaneous workloads, testing different bands and channel widths, while also examining technologies such as MLO when the hardware supports them.
In most cases, I also open the device and look at the hardware itself. The aim is not to produce a single benchmark number, it’s to understand where a device performs well, where it struggles and what changes once the network becomes more complicated than one laptop sitting next to a router.
The MBReviews Test Lab
A growing part of MBReviews is the Test Lab.
Instead of hiding hundreds of measurements inside static charts, the test results are being moved into the Test Explorer so readers can inspect the underlying data directly, change test conditions and compare compatible devices. The written review still matters: data needs interpretation. But the measurements should be available separately from my conclusions.
Independence and affiliate links
MBReviews contains affiliate links on some pages. If you purchase something through one of those links, the site may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Of course, the affiliate relationships do not determine the outcome of a test or the conclusions of a review.
Almost all networking devices were bought by me, so yeah, that’s as independent as it gets even if it makes my wallet cry.
Updates and corrections
It’s very important to understand that the networking hardware changes after launch. if I tested version 1.0 and years later, it’s v2.5, then the testing may not reflect the current situation. Also, the firmware gets updated, features appear late, drivers change, so, sometimes a test simply needs to be repeated.
When that materially changes the results, I may update the review or run additional tests. Significant changes are reflected in the article’s modification date. If you find an error in a review or believe something should be tested differently, get in touch. Good measurements are more useful than pretending the first result can never be wrong.
