Most likely it was cost reduction to meet competitors. The router needs to do more work handing packets than just store and forward (which is basically all the

Most likely it was cost reduction to meet competitors. The router needs to do more work handing packets than just store and forward (which is basically all the mesh nodes have to do with packets). The D-Link Covr series and the Amplifi are probably the best direct competitors for this. Neither require a cloud subscription to work either. Both have "tri-band" which basically just means they actually have a dedicated radio to use as a backhaul (which this doesn't). The Covr is ~$200 for 2 units and Amplifi is about ~$340 for three units so this is more expensive already than either of what I think of as its direct competitors. The only "feature" that this has the others don't is Google Assistant and in my book the lack of it is a win. I've personally used the Covr mesh nodes and they're pretty solid and easy to use.