Question 1

Is port forwarding supported?  is ddns supported

Accepted Answer

The units I purchased (Nov. 2018) support port forwarding and uPNP.  They do not support DDNS.  There is no newer firmware, and no USB port.  I'm pretty sure these are the same units being shipped today.

A few things to consider:

These units were designed by Plume and are managed with a special version of the Plume app.   However, you cannot call Plume for support (they will send you to Samsung), and Samsung SmartThings support knows next to nothing about them (as of July 2020).  They will not take Plume firmware updates, because they've been modified for the SmartThings hub functionality, and Samsung has not updated the WiFi software on them since October of 2018 (they have updated the Hub software many times, which happens automatically).

They don't have many other customization features that you would expect from a typical WiFi router, either.  They are very much 'plug and play' devices for people that just want stuff to work, and they do well at that.

If you want more functionality (as I did), you can put them in 'bridge mode', which disables the router, firewall, and DHCP functions, and then did all the fancy stuff with a typical WiFi router and firewall (you could use your old WiFi router with the WiFi disabled); the pods are then strictly for the WiFi part of the setup - set the SSID and password on them, and you are done.  Just don't forget that your cable modem and router/firewall are also potential performance bottlenecks separate from the WiFi.

The basic 'mesh' functionality is automatic, works well, and is seamless.  It will significantly improve coverage in your home without any extra work.  But for the best performance, there is definitely a benefit in running an Ethernet cable to each device back to your router or cable modem (whether in bridge mode or not).  This avoids multiple WiFi hops and reduces WiFi spectrum congestion.  It requires no configuration change, they figure it out among themselves.  If you can do this, there is one other thing that you might find convenient, and that is to run PoE (Power over Ethernet) and get rid of the power supply - nice if you have them stuck on the ceiling.  This is not a function of the pod, but you need a PoE switch or PoE power injectors on one end, and then a PoE adapter to plug in to the pod end (a little split cable thingy converting from Ethernet in to Ethernet out + power out).  That's more than most people will bother with, but it does work.

The 'SmartHub' function will be taken on by the first one plugged in when you originally connect them, and this particular device will remain the hub forever, so if that one is unplugged, one of the others will not take over that job unless you reset them all.

All in all, they have worked well for me (I'm a network and security engineer) with over 50 WiFi devices running, and individual WiFi nodes getting SpeedTest numbers of over 500Mbps down (my base XFinity service is 720 Mbps down,  faster than most WiFi devices). Just don't ask Samsung SmartThings support too many questions (Like a) why does the app always tell me my network is down, when the app is clearly running over it?  Or b) why do they still have 1.5 year old code when I get messages that they have auto-updated regularly?)  Such questions will just confuse them - they really don't know, and they will take 1-2 weeks for them to say that they don't know.

(Answers:  a) because the app doesn't understand bridge mode - I tried it and told them; and b) they only update the hub firmware, not the Plume firmware - support didn't even know there WERE two different pieces of firmware until I gave them the two version #s).

Question 2

Ok, so i am dumb- i have a wireless router (not a samsung) am i wrong in thinking that this will work with it? do i need a samsung router?

Accepted Answer

As long as your router also has an ethernet port. This is to replace your wifi network. For instance, I have a cable modem with two ethernet ports and a wifi network. I disabled the wifi on my cable modem and plugged this Samsung into the ethernet port. Then changed all my devices to attach to the new wifi network provided by this device. I could have probably just used the same SSID for the new network and not require changing any of the other devices but decided to create a new one.

Question 3

Can this work without Ethernet wire plugged in, if the main hub has Ethernet wire plugged in itself?

Accepted Answer

Short answer - Yes. 
Long answer - Yes, but the other unit must be within wifi range of the main hub.  If the second hub is not within range to receive a stronger enough wifi signal then you must wire the second unit as well.   Using wifi and if you use more than two hubs, the second hub can be used as a repeater to provide a strong wifi signal to the third hub.

Question 4

is this te 3rd Gen hub?

Accepted Answer

This hub is not a3rd gen hub. It’s a 2 gen hub. The 3rd gen hub does not hook to your Ethernet on your modem

ASIN	B07FCRCD93
Antenna Location	Home
Antenna Type	Fixed
Best Sellers Rank	#95,504 in Computers & Accessories ( See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories ) #697 in Whole Home & Mesh Wi-Fi Systems
Brand	Samsung
Built-In Media	Adapter, LAN cable, Quick Start Guide, Router
Color	White
Compatible Devices	Smartphone
Connectivity Protocol	wi-fi
Connectivity Range	1500 Square Feet
Connectivity Technology	Wi-Fi
Control Method	App
Controller Type	amazon_alexa, google_assistant, smartthings, vera
Coverage	1500 square feet
Customer Reviews	4.2 out of 5 stars 619 Reviews
Data Transfer Rate	1300 Megabits Per Second
Frequency	5 GHz
Frequency Band Class	Single-Band
Global Trade Identification Number	00887276268354
Has Internet Connectivity	Yes
Has Security Updates	Yes
Is Modem Compatible	No
Item Type Name	Mesh Router
Item Weight	0.46 Pounds
Manufacturer	Samsung HI
Maximum Upstream Data Transfer Rate	650 Megabits Per Second
Mfr Part Number	ET-WV525BWEGUS
Model Name	SmartThings Wi-Fi
Model Number	ET-WV525BWEGUS
Number of Antennas	7
Number of Ports	2
Operating System	Android 5.0::iOS 10
Other Special Features of the Product	WPS
RAM Memory Installed	512 MB
Router Firewall Security Level	High
Router Network Type	mesh
Security Protocol	WPA2-PSK, WPA3
Smart Home Compatibility	Smart Home Compatible
Special Feature	WPS
UPC	887276275345 887276268354
Unit Count	1.0 Count
Voltage	240 Volts
Warranty Description	1 year manufacturer
Wi-Fi Generation	Wi-Fi 5
Wireless Communication Standard	Bluetooth
Wireless Compability	Bluetooth

Samsung ET-WV525BWEGUS SmartThings Wi-Fi Mesh Router, White

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