Hands-On Review: AirLive N.Power – Modest in Appearance, Rich in Features

Author

Oik Yusuf Araya

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Networking

October 11, 2011

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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.

IMG 2411 R — The N.Power with antenna attached

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.

AirLive N.Power 1311940299739 R — Operation mode can be selected via the Wireless Setting menu.

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.

AirLive N.Power 1311940034860 R — AirLive N.Power provides various internet connection types.

AirLive N.Power 1311940218557 R — With URL filtering, users can easily block access to certain websites. You can also block specific IP or MAC addresses.

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.

AirLive N.Power 1311940172698 R — FTP server configuration enables users to access storage medias currently plugged into the USB 2.0 ports. The settings are made in this sub-menu.

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.

AirLive N.Power 1311940291723 R — The “Wireless Settings menu displays only a few selectable options, but the “setup” buttons will take you further to more advanced configurations.

AirLive N.Power 1311940299726 R — The N.Power supports up to four SSIDs for your wireless network. These SSIDs can be configured through the “Setup” button located next to the “Multiple SSID”option;.

AirLive N.Power 1311940299732 R — Security options for each SSID can also be configured independently by clicking the setup button next to the “Wireless Security” menu. N. Power allows each SSID to have its own security configuration.

AirLive N.Power 1312271790009 NEW R — Access to each SSID is configured in this sub-menu. Adjustment can be done using the MAC address of the device connected to the N. Power.

AirLive N.Power 1312271869053 NEW R — Bandwidth for each connected device can be configured in the "Bandwidth Control" sub-menu.

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.