Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've been using this unit as an "AP Client" (wireless bridge to connect my ethernet (no-wifi) computers to my wireless LAN). I paid about $40 for this unit which is significantly less than competing products with similar capabilities. Setup with connection to my existing Wireless-N router using WPA security was very easy and the unit initially was reliable and performed very well. Like any other home network equipment it is left "on" 24/7 and it never gets hot etc. So far, so good.
After having the unit in service for several weeks without incident, my ISP had an outage with all internet connectivity failing. After my ISP restored service, I noticed that the AP671W was not providing connectivity to the rest of my now-functional wireless network. I was also unable to access the AP671W's built-in web interface to check things out. Re-powering the unit did not help and switching the radio off and on did not work either. Eventually, I had to resort to a factory reset and run the Airlink EZWizard.exe setup program to reconfigure the unit. Fortunately, that is actually a fairly simple process and does not take too long. Also fortunate that I did not have to physically connect the AP671W to my WiFi router as described in the instructions - the unit was able to find my WiFi router and re-establish a connection once I provided the correct network settings and WPA passphrase. This has now happened to me three times and is always triggered by my main WiFi losing WAN connectivity or getting reset. I now keep the AP671W EZWizard.exe program on my local hard disk so I don't have to dig out the CD next time I lose connectivity as it will inevitably be needed again.
I visited the AirLink web site looking for any available firmware updates.... there were none. This is my first Airlink product and so this did not leave me with a good impression. I suppose it's possible that I have a one-off defect in my particular unit but that seems unlikely and since it generally works and I can fix it when this issue occurs, trying to get a replacement is more trouble than it's worth (since I purchased over the internet). I'm using it primarily in my home office so fortunately I'm the only one impacted when problems arise (since I'm the only one in the house who can fix it).
So, the bottom line is that it's a pretty good unit, costing about half (or less) than products with similar capabilities. When it loses its connection the fix is pretty easy (for me at least) but could be a problem for those less technically inclined.
Finally, I should stress that I have only used this unit in "AP Client" mode (connect ethernet devices to wifi LAN). There are five other modes that the unit operates in (Access Point, Universal Repeater, Point-to-Point Bridge, Point-to-Multi-Point Bridge, and WDS Bridge) and these may or may not experience the same problem.
Click Here to see more reviews about: AirLink 101 AP671W 300Mbps 802.11n Wireless LAN Access Point and 5-Port Switch
The AP671W is an Access Point, Universal Repeater, AP Client (Wireless Bridge), Point to Point, Point to Multi-Point Bridge and WDS Bridge in one sleek device. It's designed for those who want to add wireless capability to a wired network or extend the range of wireless networks! This Wireless N 300 is equipped with a 5-port 10/100 Mbps switch and delivers fast data rate of up to 300 Mbps! Two 3 dBi antennas provide longer distance and wider coverage! Plus, you'll get superior security protection with WPA2, WPA and WEP encryption!
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