Part 1 of our AirCube article can be found here
One of the best features about the new aircube is the interface. On Facebook and other places the aircube has been criticized for it’s lack of features. I believe this is where the simple interface really makes the unit shine. One thing many people don’t realize is your typical home router really doesn’t have a true firewall. Most routers have features that are firewall like. Most “firewalls” are security by obscurity. The ability to close off ports is a by-product of a nat router.
Setup was very easy. I downloaded the ap, scanned the QR code, and then went into the phones wifi and connected to the AirCube wifi. Once I plugged it into my home router I was online.
One of the first things I always do when testing a new device is upgrade the firmware, unless I have a specific firmware version for whatever reason. Upgrading the firmware on the unit was very easy. I like the fact you can see the changelog notes with a single click.
Once upgraded the simplicity of the setup really shines through. By default, the AirCube is in an access point mode. This is probably the default mode which will be the most beneficial for the ISPs out there. I will explain why in a little bit.
The interface speaks for itself, I could go through screen by screen and spoon feed you the very simple setup screens, but you would get bored very quickly. It is truly a very minimalist product and interface.
One of the coolest features I like about this product is the scan feature. For some reason the way it is presented on screen resonates with me. It makes seeing the frequencies in use handy. While not a chart or graph, it still accomplishes the same function.
I know this little product has received some ripping from operators on various groups and forums. However, I think it fills a very basic need. That need is an easy to configure device which allows devices to access the Internet. Nat firewalls can be done by the provider, and the user never has to touch them. This is a trend many operators are headed toward anyway. Let the provider manage the endpoint for the customer. The customer ends up calling the ISP to do port forwarding or if they have a virus anyway. If the customer wants to add things in the house, it should be simple, and not add extra layers of NAT and firewall rules. This is a perfect fit for the Cube. So don’t dismiss it because it doesn’t have all the fancy features some router have. Save that for other product lines that you, as the ISP, can manage.
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