One of the fun part when attending a WLPC is that at times you end up winning some cool gear from the vendors. This year during the 2023 WLPC, I ended up winning a Netgear WAX625 access point.
Two different ways to manage it:
- Local management
- Use Netgear Insights via web or app
After signing up for the Insight Pro account I went through a process to add an Organization. Once the organization creation is done it gave me an option to add locations. This can be a manual or automated process. I choose the automated option to see what it looks like.
Creating an SSID:
Once all the sites were created, adding an SSID needed a little figuring out. From the Summary screen, click on Wireless and then Settings.
From the “Settings” screen I was able to add a new SSID. I feel this process of creating an SSID can be improved.
One of the things I had a little issue was when choosing/adding a custom VLAN for the SSID.
After clicking on “Add Custom VLAN” I was able to add the VLAN ID, but I was not able to change the VLAN Name.
I ran into a similar issue under Management VLAN settings; following screen allowed me to add the VLAN number but I was not able to change the name.
Creating a VLAN:
What I found out the best way to Edit/Add VLANs was from the locations settings. I had to click on the little building in the circle, clicking on the name of the location redirects to the location summary screen.
From this screen I was able to add a VLAN and include it’s name and description. After adding this information I was presented with other options like apply it to ports and policies and SSID. I think this was a bit confusing because I was simply wanting to add a VLAN and I did not see my SSID under the Wireless Options. I chose to simply skip everything and save it. I get the flow, but in my opinion it can be refined a little bit.
Power and Rate Selection:
I did not see any option to reduce the power levels but the rate selection did allow me to trim down some legacy rates.
Choosing High Density will trim down rates from 6 Mbps in 5 GHz and DSSS rates in 2.4 GHz to 24 Mbps as a Minimum Basic Rate. However the Transmit power level always stays at 23 dBm.
Claiming/Adding an AP – Insight App:
Access points can be added/claimed using the web. I wanted to try it using the phone app. It was a simple process, allowed me to use a QR code on the AP and watch the progress as the AP went through the firmware upgrade, reboots etc.
Final Thoughts:
- Decent web interface but requires some improvements and better flow for provisioning and configuration options.
- Should be able to setup min/max power values
- Phone app is decent for claiming access points and monitoring
- Overall, a really good SMB solution for a quick full stack deployment.