I recently had occasion to buy external WiFi gateway equipment as my cable modem doesn’t support WiFi when multiple Static IPs are configured, for some reason.
First off, I tried a TPLink device – just a cheap one, which looked to have some useful features. Yes, it sort of worked. But for in my configuration, I just could not get it to function properly as a private NAT network within my public one. Next, I tried a Google Nest WiFi. Not a bad piece of kit. However, I wasn’t happy with the speed and reliability of the device. So, I opted to return that to Google for a refund. My search eventually took me back to TPLink, whereupon I made a discovery. That being the TPLink M1300. Like the Google device, these things provide Meshed WiFi. However, the performance of them in terms of both speed and reliability is simply not comparable to the Google Meshed WiFi system. The Deco M1300 gives me a staggering 2700MB/ps, with a staggering 7000 square feet coverage. I decided I may as well do this properly. So, I bought 4 of the little beasts. Having placed them strategically around my home, I downloaded the app which you need to configure them. The iOS app, at first, appeared to be very inaccessible. The Android app, on the other hand, proved to be a very different story. I worked through the configuration of the main device, and then simply added the other three by telling the main device where they are located, and at what elevation. Then, I updated the firmware in all 4 devices, which was a one-step procedure. When all was done, I opted to put the system through it’s paces. The performance, even at the far extremes of it’s coverage, was staggering. I paid a visit to my sister’s house, which is about 500 meters down the road from here. I was still able to use my phone on my own WiFi network without any sign of drop-out or loss of signal. In fact, the signal was almost three quarters full, and as I say, it worked perfectly. These Deco devices by far out-perform the Google Nest WiFi, and it’s no surprise that public sector organisations are using them over here for public WiFi. Indeed, my local library’s public network uses them, as does our local academic network which covers schools, colleges and universities around the country. I wish I’d discovered these earlier because they give me one other important advantage. Each device has 2 GigaNet LAN or WAN ports. You configure one of them on the master device to handle your Internet throughput, and the others are yours to use locally. So, I now have 2 available lAN ports in each of the slave devices, and one on the Master. This in itself is a terrific advantage to me personally. It doesn’t stop there. These devices have a dynamic firewall, and frequently updated anti-virus and intruder detection systems. That in itself is far from unique, of course. Many routers and hubs now offer those services. All the same, it’s nice to know that, should any device on the local network become infected, it is immediately blacklisted until I am able to address the problem. That obviously prevents the infection from spreading, and saves work. As luck would have it, I have one of my niece’s machines here to sort out. It’s riddled with viruses, she’s obviously been rather careless. However, it did present me with an opportunity to test the responsiveness of the routers to the presence of an infected device. As soon as I booted Windows, and it went live on my network, the Deco pushed a notification to both my iPhone and my Android tablet, and the infected computer was automatically prohibited from using either the LAN or the WAN connections. So, all in all, I am impressed. These devices are tricky-band transceivers. They use the standard 2.4 and 5GHz bands for network traffic, and the third band is used for communications between the meshed devices on the network. As I said, I have 4 of them placed around my house. Two of them are at the front, and two at the rear. Coverage is universally excellent, and the guest networks also work well. Devices on the guest networks cannot, of course, access LAN devices on the main networks. So that’s great for when I get company. Anyway, all in all, I’m very impressed and pleased with these little things. They don’t look at all like a conventional router. They are circular in shape, and measure about 4 inches wide, and about half an inch deep. They can be self-standing, supported in custom stands or wall-mounted. The additional mounting kits are an optional extra. But they’re cheap enough, so when possible I will acquire some of those so that I can locate the devices more discretely and conveniently. Anyway, there we go. Just a few rambling thoughts, for whatever interest they may be. Cheers. Gordon. ------------------------------ This post, like all posts to the Techno Chat E-Mail group has been scanned by our server-side antivirus/malware solution. This should not, however, be viewed as a substitution for your own security strategy. We assume no culpability whatever, implicit or otherwise, for any compromise to your systems as a result of opening any post to this group. Suffice it to say that we remain vigilant within the boundaries of reason. We strongly urge you to do likewise! You have been warned!!! You can find an RSS listing of all posts to this group at: <https://mail.mac-access.net:7025/list/techno-chat@techno-chat.net> or at: <https://www.mail-archive.com/search?l=all&q=techno-chat@techno-chat.net> To encourage your friends to join this group, first accept our thanks for spreading the word. Then, have them send a message to the list processing engine at: <techno-chat-j...@techno-chat.net> To toggle on/off Digest (batch) mode for this group, please send a blank message to: <techno-chat-dig...@techno-chat.net> To leave the group, please send a blank message to: <techno-chat-le...@techno-chat.net>. To contact the support address for this group, please write to: supp...@techno-chat.net> ------------------------------
