Hands-On Review: AirLive N.Power – Modest in Appearance, Rich in Features
AirLive N.Power: In Use
Now it’s time for the N.Power to see some real action. To begin using this router, we attached the external antenna to its appropriate connector on the back.
After installing the antenna and turning the router on, we ran Airlive’s web-based management application. AirLive provides four different operation modes for N. Power: Router, AP, Client, and WDS Bridge. The “Router” mode is the default selection.
First, we will see what the N.Power is capable of when switched to its default “Router” mode. As the name suggests, in this mode, N.Power operates like an ordinary network router. The “Internet Settings” menu can be selected, allowing its user to make adjustments to both basic and advanced settings, including WAN configuration.
Other settings, such as DMZ, DDNS, and Static Routing configurations, are also available under the “Internet Settings” menu. Airlive also equips the N. Power with integrated FTP Server that you can use to access storage media plugged into the USB 2.0 ports.
The “Wireless Settings” sub-menu provides ample wireless configuration options. Despite the varying parameters, Airlive manages to maintain an easily-to-use interface. Options are grouped together according to their functions, making them easy to find.
Two interesting additions to N.Power are the “Regulatory Domain” and “Tx Output Power” configuration options. The former is used to limit the wireless network configurations on the N.Power so that they fall within the standards in various regions of the world. “Tx Output Power” is used to adjust how much power is supplied for N.Power’s signal transmission. The maximum amount of power is, of course, limited according to the regulations set in “Regulatory Domain.”
The next menu, “System Configuration”, contains basic network configurations, including static IP address, system clock, security options, as well as back up and firmware update options.