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Hawking Hi-Gain Wireless-N Dual Radio Smart Repeater by Hawking Technology
Digital Photo Product DetailsManufacturer: Hawking Technology Audio: English (Original Language) Format: CD-ROM Model: HW2R1 Product features: - Connect and Repeat any 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Network
- Provide Wireless Internet Access to hard to Reach Locations
- Eliminate Wireless Dead Spots within your Home or Office
- Upgradable Dedicated Internet Connection Antenna allows for Long Range Wi-Fi Internet Connections
- Instantly Share and Redistribute a Wi-Fi Internet Connection
Accessories:
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Hawking Hi-Gain Wireless-N Dual Radio Smart RepeaterCustomer Review: Works well for my Motorhome Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this to install in my motorhome. Most campgrounds these days advertise WiFi, but in my experience the coverage (signal strength) is really unpredictable. In addition, my family uses iPhones and iPads, which have somewhat smaller and less sensitive WiFi antennas than a typical laptop. So the idea here is to install this unit into the motorhome, and repeat the campground signal at a much higher strength for our use.
The installation was easy - the unit has a 12v power brick, so I just cut the "brick" off and tapped into the motorhome wiring (with a fuse and switch). I mounted the unit high in a cabinet near the rear of the motorhome (away from metal, yet still centrally located).
A critical question for me was whether I could configure this entirely through my iPad, using the web interface. I'm happy to say that it works great. I had no trouble connecting to my home (password protected) Wifi, and setting up a motorhome-only protected Wifi bubble. I could also easily connect to at least 10 other open WiFi networks in my neighborhood -- a few that were at least several hundred yards away. The setup wizard worked well for me -- it scans for available signals, and reports their signal strength and whether they are open or protected. You select your desired signal and click "connect" and off you go. There are plenty of more advanced settings to play with, but so far I've been pretty happy with the basic setup.
One word of caution, though it might be obvious: you will take a speed hit by using the repeater. This makes sense - the packets have to be transmitted through two separate wireless signal schemes, each with their own overhead, etc. I did some speed testing using my home network: connecting directly was a 15Mbps link; through the repeater it dropped to 6Mbs. It is certainly usable, but slower. So my plan is to only use the repeater when we cannot connect directly to the campground's local WiFi via our iPads and iPhones. I suspect that this will be quite often, however, and therefore I think this was a good addition to my motorhome gadgetry.
Description of Hawking Hi-Gain Wireless-N Dual Radio Smart RepeaterThe Hi-Gain Wireless-N Dual Radio Smart Repeater is an advanced Wi-Fi connectivity solution that receives the signal of any 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi network and rebroadcasts it locally within your home or office. The HW2R1 is the flagship product for Hawking?s award-winning line of Hi-Gain Wi-Fi Range Extending products. Using two isolated Wi-Fi radios, the HW2R1 connects to your desired wireless Internet connection, such as a local Wi-Fi hot spot, neighborhood wireless network or office network and repeats the signal via a dedicated 300Mbps 802.11n Wi-Fi radio locally. With 3 upgradable Hi-Gain 3dbi omni-directional antennas (1 dedicated for receiving wireless signals and 2 dedicated for rebroadcasting wireless signals within your home or office) the HW2R1 can be outfitted with Hawking Hi-Gain antennas to boost the connection range with outside wireless networks as well as locally within your home or office. The HW2R1 is ideal for Wi-Fi connections to marine docks, RV parks, adjacent offices and homes with Wi-Fi networks or any other source for wireless internet connection. In addition, the HW2R1 provides security and functionality via a full featured firewall and router. The versatility of the Hi-Gain Smart Repeater makes it the perfect solution for any wireless application.
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