EnGenius ESG510 Review: A Reliable non-Wi-Fi Cloud-Managed Firewall Router

Believe it or not, the EnGenius ESG510 is only the second non-Wi-Fi router I've reviewed on this website. And like the Firewalla Gold, it's a niche device designed for savvy/advanced users with a wired environment.

A Wi-Fi router is a standard router with a built-in standard access point in the same hardware box.

The hardware is Wi-Fi-ready, however. It includes a Multi-Gig 2.5GBASE-T PoE+ port best used for a Wi-Fi access point. I'll emphasize that this router is not for everyone, and at the current street price of $600, it's not affordable enough for anyone to try it out on a whim.

Here's the bottom line: For a wired home or office where the Internet drop is not near the center—the case of many homes, unfortunately—the EnGenius ESG510 can be a sensible buy. It has Multi-Gig, security, routing, and VPN in a compact box.

So, if you want to build a serious Wi-Fi network using access points, consider this EnGenius ESG510 today.

EnGenius ESG510: A simple yet sophisticated cloud-managed router

The EnGenius ESG510 is a rectangular box looking like a standard 8-or-fewer-port Multi-Gig switch. And with four Multi-Gig ports, it's actually similar to a switch.

What makes it decidedly different is that its first port (label WAN1) is the designated default WAN port. Additionally, the second port (WAN2/P3) can work either as a LAN or a second WAN in case of a Dual-WAN setup. After that, the other two are LANs, of which the last one (P1) also supports the PoE+ standard (802.3at).

There's also a USB port (WWAN) to host an optional backup cellular connection and a legacy console management port which likely will never be used.

The table below shows the EnGenius ESG510's hardware specifications.

EnGenius ESG510: Hardware specifications

	EnGenius ESG510 Cloud Managed Firewall Router
Processing Power	1.6GHz Quad-Core CPU, 4GB RAM, 8GB Flash
Multi-Gig port	2x 2.5GBASE-T WAN/LAN 1x 2.5GBASE-T LAN 1x 2.5GBBASE-T PoE+ LAN
Gigabit Ports	None
Console Port	1
Max Internet Speed	2.5Gbps
Dual-WAN	Yes (load-balancing or failover)
USB Port	1x WWAN (cellular backup)
Routing Features	WAN load balancing with WRR Networking Features Static Route Multiple WANs USB Cellular User Authentication PPPoE VLAN Tagging Captive Portal Custom Splash Page Dynamic Routing Bandwidth Limit Traffic Load Balancing DHCP client/server/relay Dynamic DNS support
Firewall Feautres	Stateful Packet Inspection Policy Rules Port Forwarding 1:1 NAT Allow Inbound Services
VPN Features	Site-to-Site VPN Client VPN Policy-based VPN IPsec NAT traversal (NAT-T) Dead Peer Detection (DPD) Auto-VPN Connection Auto NAT traversal
Dimensions	Width: 8.27" (210 mm) Length: 7.07" (179.5 mm) Length: 7.07" (179.5 mm) Height: 1.38" (35 mm)
Weight	2.14 lbs (.97 kg)
Operating Temperature	32°F to 104°F (0°C to 40°C)
Power Input	110 - 240 V
Power Consumption (per 24 hours)	≈ 230 Wh
Local Web Interface	Yes (limited)
Online Portal	Yes (EnGenious login required)
Warranty	two years
US MSRP	$599

Limited local web user interface

The EnGenius ESG510 works right out of the box via its default setting if you only want a simple network. It's preconfigured as a simple router with default standard settings.

The hardware setup is simple. Here's how:

Connect the router's default WAN port (WAN1) to an Internet source, such as a modem or a Fiber-optic ONT. Plug it into power, and mission accomplished!

Now you can add up to three wired devices to the router, one of which can be a PoE device or a switch to host more clients. And that's all there is to do to get your network up and running.

In this case, the router has a local web user interface accessible via its default IP address, 192.168.66.1, with admin as the default username and password.

Unfortunately, you can't do much with this interface. There's no way to change even the simplest settings, such as the router's DHCP function. All you can do is configure the WAN connection(s) between a few common options—PPoE, Dynamic or static IP, etc.—and upgrade the router's firmware.

So to make the router worth the hefty cost, you must use it via EnGenius's Cloud portal, which enables you to customize it to the max.

EnGenius Cloud is a must-use

It's straightforward to register the EnGenius ESG510 with an EnGenious Cloud account—the same account you'd use if you have other EnGenious Cloud-managed devices, such as the ECW336 access point.

During the testing, I used the ECW336 with the ESG510, and the two worked well together.

All you have to do is create a free account at cloud.engenius.ai, sign in, and enter the router's serial number in the Inventory & License section.

Alternatively, you can do that via the Cloud-to-Go mobile app, which makes the process as simple as using the phone's camera to scan the QR code under the router.

After that, restart the router manually—this is a must-do step—and it'll immediately become available via the web address above.

I had an existing EnGenious Cloud account, and it took me less than 10 minutes to get the router up and running with the ECW336 AP.

EnGenious Cloud has two access levels, Basic vs. Pro. The former is free and generally has what most homes or office needs, whereas the latter requires licensing fees which vary depending on the situation.

No matter which tier you use, EnGenious Cloud offers access to all of the router's settings and features, which include standard features (such as Dynamic DNS, port-forwarding, VPN), and more.

It's worth noting, though, that while the functions and settings of the ESG510 are similar to that of most standard routers, its interface is a bit different since it's made for advanced users. That's the case with all business hardware. There might be a bit of a learning curve.

Still, the idea behind the Cloud portal is convenience. You can manage multiple devices and even organizations in one place. For example, you can easily use two EnGenius ESG510 units for two locations, link them via VPN (or not), and then manage both in the same account.

In return, your devices are always connected to EnGenius, which incurs inherent privacy risks. Here's EnGenious's Privacy Policy.

EnGenius ESG510: Detail photos

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EnGenius ESG510: Reliable and fast Mulit-Gig performance

I used most of the ESG510's features and settings applicable for a standalone office (or a home), and all worked as intended. There were no surprises.

Additionally, I tried it with a few PoE access points, including EnGenious's own ECW336, and they all worked well. The ECW336 was the best option, however, since it's part of the company's Cloud-Managed family. The two proved to be excellent pairs, delivering a fast and reliable wired/Wi-Fi network.

Over more than a week of real-world usage, I ran into no issue with the router. The hardware remained cool, by the way, and seemed to have no internal fan—it was completely silent.

In terms of throughput, as a 2.5GBASE-T device, the EnGenius ESG510 had the fastest sustained rates compared with all routers and switches of the same grade—the first I've seen. All other Multi-Gig routers I've tested sustained slower than switches of the same speed grade.

Conclusion

Again, the EnGenius ESG510 is not a router for everyone. However, it'll make an excellent buy if you:

• are looking for a non-Wi-Fi router,
• don't mind the required online account,
• consider yourself an advanced user, and
• want to build a Multi-Gig wired or Wi-Fi network via switches or PoE access points.

It's a big if, and that's the point. This is a niche piece of hardware that, when applicable, will work out great. Evaluate your situation and maybe consider one today.