Derrick
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A complete, long-range WLAN environment in a box
At first, I was certain that the Air Live AirMax5 was just another outdoor CPE, but it is actually a little bit more than that. Okay, it is an outdoor CPE, which, as you probably know, is a combined, all-in-one, long-range Wireless LAN solution. Simply attach to an outdoor pole, do the necessary configuration and you have WLAN for (according to the manufacturer’s claims) up to 20km. Not that a 5GHz signal of such strength is legal without the necessary licensing of course, unless you happen to have 20km of property that doesn’t cross a public road. Still, that doesn’t stop all of us from making use of such things; or at least testing them out. For the sake of science, of course.
Back to the AirMax unit. It manages these distances thanks largely to a built-in 14dBi patch antenna, which can be further boosted by the addition of a high-gain antenna via the R-SMA port, which can be polarised vertically or horizontally, with a system of four LEDs assisting you in aligning the antenna itself. Without an extra antenna, only one cable needs to be plugged into the unit, with power coming over the same RJ-45 line as data, thanks to the included PoE converter. To get to the port, you slide the entire unit from its sturdy plastic casing, which is secured by screws on either side. This also makes maintenance easier according to Air Live, but I for one felt a bit uneasy having to move about and expose all the electronics just to get to the RJ-45 jack.
The actual management software has apparently been much improved, although in honesty, I’ve never looked at previous versions of AirMax hardware. The new interface is very user friendly and easily comprehensible. And it gives you a lot of options. Starting with the main function you’re configuring the CPE for – standalone AP, AP router, WISP Router, Client or Bridge - the AirMax provides menus customised for the chosen setup. The administrator can then establish multiple SSIDs for running various WLANs on the one device, which is nice, and even allocate throughput on a per-connection basis to enable multiple ‘levels’ of subscriber under differing payment plans, for instance.
The Atheros radio itself operates on 802.11a and can provide additional speed through Super-A and Turbo-A modes, effectively doubling the speed of the WLAN to 108Mbps. Of course, you do need client hardware to match this bespoke standard. Affixed to my external TV antenna pole, the AirMax5 performed well. I didn’t manage the claimed 30km range, but at just on 15km, I could still see my configured WLAN from a client MacBook, and still received good signal strength and throughput. And, should you really need more, you could always attach your preferred brand of high-gain antenna to the unit via the R-SMA connector.
All the configurability options of the AirMax make it ideal as a platform for providing a charged, multi-layer WISP service. Just make sure you get a spectrum licence first.
At first, I was certain that the Air Live AirMax5 was just another outdoor CPE, but it is actually a little bit more than that. Okay, it is an outdoor CPE, which, as you probably know, is a combined, all-in-one, long-range Wireless LAN solution. Simply attach to an outdoor pole, do the necessary configuration and you have WLAN for (according to the manufacturer’s claims) up to 20km. Not that a 5GHz signal of such strength is legal without the necessary licensing of course, unless you happen to have 20km of property that doesn’t cross a public road. Still, that doesn’t stop all of us from making use of such things; or at least testing them out. For the sake of science, of course.
Back to the AirMax unit. It manages these distances thanks largely to a built-in 14dBi patch antenna, which can be further boosted by the addition of a high-gain antenna via the R-SMA port, which can be polarised vertically or horizontally, with a system of four LEDs assisting you in aligning the antenna itself. Without an extra antenna, only one cable needs to be plugged into the unit, with power coming over the same RJ-45 line as data, thanks to the included PoE converter. To get to the port, you slide the entire unit from its sturdy plastic casing, which is secured by screws on either side. This also makes maintenance easier according to Air Live, but I for one felt a bit uneasy having to move about and expose all the electronics just to get to the RJ-45 jack.
The actual management software has apparently been much improved, although in honesty, I’ve never looked at previous versions of AirMax hardware. The new interface is very user friendly and easily comprehensible. And it gives you a lot of options. Starting with the main function you’re configuring the CPE for – standalone AP, AP router, WISP Router, Client or Bridge - the AirMax provides menus customised for the chosen setup. The administrator can then establish multiple SSIDs for running various WLANs on the one device, which is nice, and even allocate throughput on a per-connection basis to enable multiple ‘levels’ of subscriber under differing payment plans, for instance.
The Atheros radio itself operates on 802.11a and can provide additional speed through Super-A and Turbo-A modes, effectively doubling the speed of the WLAN to 108Mbps. Of course, you do need client hardware to match this bespoke standard. Affixed to my external TV antenna pole, the AirMax5 performed well. I didn’t manage the claimed 30km range, but at just on 15km, I could still see my configured WLAN from a client MacBook, and still received good signal strength and throughput. And, should you really need more, you could always attach your preferred brand of high-gain antenna to the unit via the R-SMA connector.
All the configurability options of the AirMax make it ideal as a platform for providing a charged, multi-layer WISP service. Just make sure you get a spectrum licence first.