Motorola, often known for cable modems, today unveiled its first Wi-Fi 7 device at CES 2026: the Motorola MNQ1525. You can use a single unit as a standalone router, or pair multiple units to form a mesh network.
If that sounds easy, that’s the idea behind the hardware. And simplicity is also what the MNQ1525 offers in its hardware specs compared to other Wi-Fi 7 mesh systems: it’s modest.
Motorola MNQ1525: Affordable, potentially user-friendly, reliable, and smart
Out of the box, the Motorola MNQ1525 comes with what I’d call the “single-slot toaster” design. It’s a slender rectangular box made to sit on a surface.
On the back, it comes with a single 2.5Gbps WAN port and two Gigabit ports. The lack of a second 2.5Gbps port means gigabit is the fastest wired connection you’ll get.
On the inside, the router comes with matching modest Wi-Fi specs. It’s a BE3600 device that features dual-band (2.5GHz and 5GHz) with up to 3600Mbps of combined bandwidth. If that rings a bell, the ZenWiFi BD4 and TP-Link Archer BE230 share similar Wi-Fi specs.
Simple mesh setup, app-operated
As mentioned, you can use a single Motorola MNQ1525 unit as a standalone router, which provides enough coverage for a small home. Those living in a large property can scale up the coverage by getting an additional unit.
In this case, according to Motoroal, the router’s “Easy Mesh” feature is available via a sync button on the back. To be clear, however, the hardware doesn’t support the Wi-Fi EasyMesh standard, as is the case with many TP-Link Archer routers. The point is that the new mesh router won’t work with hardware from any other vendor to form a system.
For management, Mototala told me that the Motorola MNQ1525 uses the Motorola Sync+ mobile app (available for Android and iOS), which includes parental controls and default settings. Users can optionally choose the premium level ($9.99/month or $90/year) for real-time threat protection, content filtering, device-level profiles, and more.
What’s most interesting is that Motorola told me the Motorola MNQ1525 can handle AI tasks within itself, or “Edge AI”, to deliver smooth performance and adequate protection.
In any case, it’s worth noting that the new router is fully app-operated, via a vendor-connected account, and has no web-based user interface. As with many other mesh systems, such as eero or TP-Link’s Deco, you’ll need a live Internet connection to set it up and manage it.
Linking your router to a third party involves inherent privacy risks. On this front, Motorola told me it doesn’t collect any information from users other than MAC addresses and serial numbers for technical purposes. Most activities, including online protection or parental control, take place within the router itself.
Availability and pricing
The Motorola MNQ1525 is available now and costs $129.99 per unit. It’s one of the most affordable ways to get Wi-Fi 7 in your home, with the option to scale up coverage.
In all, the new dual-band mesh router seems interesting enough. If you want something new for your home network, consider one today. Otherwise, I’m in the process of taking a few units out for a real-world spin. Check back soon for its full review.
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