Wireless Access Comparisons

This episode is about Small Office/Home Office Wireless Access Points. I’ve had a very small network here at the house for the 5.5 years my name was on the property title. My Motorola (whatever) router has been good for the most part. I know I tried to change the password to no avail. Could not get into the “brain” to accomplish this. Evidently I didn’t “document” the details properly. I know Matt M. will like that after last week’s fiasco. Don’t even go there right! Well, as they say - today is another day.

I’m researching SO/HO access points and found this article on CRN and once again found it to be of interest. Should have had this knowledge before I purchased my “stuff” for the house. I know the article is about routers, but the security aspect of it is of most importance. I particularly like the Cisco RV110W Wireless-N VPN Firewall on Amazon for $51.95. I like all the extra “goodies” that my router doesn’t have.

I'm going to cut the article and give the linke instead.

Lynn, Samara. "The Top Wireless Routers for the SOHO." PCMAG. 20 Feb. 2014. Web. 07 Feb. 2016. <http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2453646,00.asp>.

So back to access points; Kristen Bent has a “slide show comparing the bestselling access points.

Here are the Top Three Sellers.

3. EnGenius

NPD listed long-range wireless specialist EnGenius Technologies as the No. 3 best-selling AP vendor in 2013, accounting for 5.5 percent of AP units shipped.

EnGenius in January introduced its EAP900H, a dual-band indoor AP the company says is capable of getting a signal through walls, ceilings, floors and pretty much any other type of structure in its way. That feature, EnGenius says, makes the EAP900H ideal for hotels, hospitals, universities and other multibuilding environments. The device also is designed to support large file transfers and HD media streaming, allowing users to watch videos or share documents, no matter how far they roam.

2. Aruba Networks

Aruba Networks was the runner-up on NPD's list, with its APs representing 13.8 percent of the total units shipped last year. It's a jump up for Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Aruba, which last year accounted for 10.7 percent, according to NPD's data.

Aruba made several updates to its AP lineup in 2013, many of them with partners in mind. In addition to the launch of its new 802.11ac 220 Series of APs, Aruba introduced Aruba Central, a cloud-based management platform that lets solution providers manage customers' wireless infrastructures, including APs, as a service.

And guess who made the #1 seller…

1. Cisco

Despite growing competition from smaller Wi-Fi specialists, Cisco maintained the top spot on NPD's list, with its APs accounting for 36.8 percent of the total units shipped. The networking giant did, however, lose a few percentage points compared to 2012, when it accounted for 39.5 percent, according to NPD.

Cisco has a long lineup of APs, including the newly launched Aironet 700W series, which provides integrated wired and wireless support. Cisco last year also leveraged the Wi-Fi technology it gained through its Meraki acquisition to create a new cloud-based management platform and dashboard for partners.

Again the link gives the full information if you are interested.

Bent, Kristin. "The Top 10 Best-Selling Access Points By Brand." CRN. Web. 07 Feb. 2016. <http://www.crn.com/slide-shows/networking/300071855/the-top-10-best-selling-access-points-by-brand.htm>.

OK, it is now two hours later. I have been comparing the specs on three devices,

• EnGenius EAP9550 Wireless N 300Mbps Access Point / Universal Repeater with Smoke Detector Design & 802.3af PoE ($215.86 on Amazon)

• ARUBA AP-70 ACCESS POINT ($125. Amazon)

• Cisco Aironet 700W series

and I have finally come to the conclusion that a person can compare apples to oranges all day long and when it comes right down to the nitty-gritty; to were the rubber meets the road; Eric Geier in his article “Super-fast Wi-Fi: Cisco, Ubiquiti Access points top out at nearly 400Mps” makes sense. He states that after all the testing:

“My recommendation if you're picking between these two access points would be to use Ubiquiti for small or midsized networks and Cisco for larger enterprise networks.”

"Super-fast Wi-Fi: Cisco, Ubiquiti Access Points Top out at Nearly 400Mbps." Network World. Web. 07 Feb. 2016. <http://www.networkworld.com/article/2169800/wireless/super-fast-wi-fi--cisco--ubiquiti-access-points-top-out-at-nearly-400mbps.html>.

I tend to agree with Eric, and I believe we have discussed this in class as well. Buying the best usually involves:

• a mid-range price

• look for the speed in Mps

• watch for compatibility with the rest of your network

• compatibility with your computer

As for a number one pick for my device, I have to choose the Cisco RV110W Wireless-N VPN Firewall because of all the extra goodies it has that my current device is lacking. Features like firewall, Wireless Distribution System, well, check it out for yourself:

Features: The key selling point for the RV110W is its built-in support for a VPN server. Remote workers can use the RV110W's VPN to connect and access office printers, databases, and applications as if they were physically in the office. Deploying VPN usually means investing in a more expensive router or other specialized hardware, so getting a VPN router for $99 or less is quite a bargain.

As a VPN server, RV110W supports both PPTP and QuickVPN. PPTP is the easier connection protocol as it is supported by Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and even iOS devices. The App Store has PPTP clients for Apple's iPads and iPhones.

"Cisco Aironet 700W Series Access Point Data Sheet." Cisco. Web. 07 Feb. 2016. <http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/wireless/aironet-700-series/data_sheet_c78-728968.html>.

Now I need three deployment scenarios that would work for my choice.

1. One would be a new setup when my house sells and I make the big move up to the “East side”. When my business gets going, I would feel much more secure with the newer technology.

2. The Humane Society could use this in the concrete block hallway they have. This device can be used as a signal extender, and push the signal back to the exit door.

3. This device can be configured as a remote access virtual private network (VPN) server using Server Manager, the Add Roles Wizard, and the Routing and Remote Access Server Setup Wizard. After you finish configuring a basic remote access VPN server, you can perform additional configuration tasks, depending on the way you want to use the remote access VPN server.

However, I highly recommend reading and fully understanding the following article from Micro Soft before attempting this. It gives a lot of good information for things to watch out for.

"Configure a Remote Access VPN Server." Configure a Remote Access VPN Server. Web. 07 Feb. 2016. <https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc725734(v=ws.10).aspx>.

Well, I hope this gives you some good ideas and was helpful. Catch ya next time.