So Mikrotik has a very cheap hAP Lite coming out. \u00a0 This is a 4 port, 2.4 b\/g\/n router\/access point which retails for $21.95. Baltic networks has pre-orders for $18.95.<\/p>\n
Why should you deploy this little gem and how? We have found over the years routers account for more than half of the support issues. In some networks this number is closer to 80-90%. Whether it be a substandard router, one with out of date firmware, or poor placement by the customer.<\/p>\n
Deployment of the hAP lite can be approached in one of two ways. \u00a0Both ways accomplish the same goal for the ISP. That goal is to have a device to test from that closely duplicates\u00a0what the customer would see. Sure you can run tests from most modern wireless CPE, but it’s not the same as running tests m the\u00a0customer side of the POE.<\/p>\n
Many ISPs are offering a managed router service to their customers. \u00a0Some charge a nominal monthly fee, while others include it in the service. \u00a0This is a pretty straightforward thing. \u00a0The customer DMARC becomes the wireless router. \u00a0The ISP sets it up, does firmware updates, and generally takes care of it should there be issues. \u00a0The managed router can be an additional revenue stream in addition to providing a better customer experience. \u00a0Having a solid router that has been professionally setup by the ISP is a huge benefit to both the provider and the customer. \u00a0We will get into this a little later.<\/p>\n
Second option lends itself better to a product such as the hAP lite. With the relative cheap cost you can install one as a “modem” if the customer chooses their own router option. \u00a0The actual method of setup can vary depending on your network philosophy. \u00a0You can simply bridge all the ports together and pass the data through like a switch. \u00a0The only difference is you add a “management ip” to the bridge interface on your network. This way you can reach it. \u00a0Another popular method, especially if you are running PPPoE or other radius methods, is to make the “modem” the PPPoE client. \u00a0This removes some of the burden from the wireless CPE onto something a little more powerful. \u00a0 There are definite design considerations and cons for this setup. \u00a0We will go into those in a future article. But for now let’s just assume the hAP is just a managed switch you can access.<\/p>\n
So what are the benefits of adding one of these cheap devices?
\n-You can run pings and traceroutes from the device. \u00a0This is helpful if a customer says they can’t reach a certain web-site.
\n-Capacity is becoming a larger and larger issue in the connected home. \u00a0iPads, gaming consoles, tvs, and even appliances are all sharing bandwidth. \u00a0If you are managing the customer router you can see the number of connected devices and do things like Torch to see what they are doing. If a customer calls and says its slow, being able to tell them that little Billy is downloading 4 megs a second on a device called “Billy’s xbox” can help a customer. It could also lead to an upsell.
\n-Wireless issues are another huge benefit. \u00a0If the customer bought their own router and stuck it in the basement and now their internet is slow you have a couple of tricks to troubleshoot without a truck roll. \u00a0If the hAP is in bridge mode simply enable the wireless, setup an SSID for the customer to test with and away you go. \u00a0This could uncover issues in the house, issues with their router, or it might even point to a problem on your side.
\n-Physical issues and ID10T errors can be quickly diagnosed. \u00a0If you can’t reach your device it’s either off or a cabling issue. \u00a0If you can reach the hAP and the port has errors it could be cabling or POE.<\/p>\n