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EnGenius has developed a whole family of cloud-enabled products that can be deployed and managed ... [+] remotely, offering big savings over conventional networks.

Running a business of any size without a fast and reliable internet service, with a rock-solid wired and wireless network, is as unthinkable as trying to get by without an electricity or mains water supply. The internet and a seamless connection to it are vital to all businesses and its the reason why a consumer-grade wireless router is no longer adequate for anything but freelance home workers. And if a business has more than one location, its going to need a secure a robust network that offers employees, customers and visitors easy-to-use and reliable network access.

This month Im taking a look at a cloud-based method of rolling out and maintaining a wireless network across an office or a series of locations without the need to send out technicians to set up the network or maintain it. Imagine being able to mail a wireless access point or a router to a new office and all the employees need to do is plug the device into the network and within minutes the business has a fully functioning and secure wireless network that can be managed and maintained from anywhere in the world. Networking is often a dry subject, but I hope this introduction will give a more digestible take on why cloud-based network management is essential to modern businesses.

Ive looked at EnGenius networking products before, but this is the first time Ive taken an in-depth look at the companys cloud-enabled network management equipment. Thanks to some clever software and state-of-the-art network engineering, EnGenius now offers affordable cloud-based wireless networking solutions that can be set-up and managed by almost anyone with a modicum of IT capability.

The EnGenius ECW230 wireless access point is an industrial-strength device for mounting on office ... [+] ceilings or walls and provides a strong and scalable Wi-Fi network for offices, factories or workshops.

The two products Im looking at in this feature are the EnGenius cloud-enabled ECS1112FP network switch and the ECW230 Wi-Fi access point. Both have been designed so that the software that controls who can access the devices and how they work is all set up and stored on a server in the cloud. This means that any authorized administrator can gain access to the devices and reconfigure them from anywhere in the world using the EnGenius cloud management. And with a cloud-enabled network management system, all potential users can be pre-enrolled into a companys network so that no matter where they roam around a businesss factories, workshops or stores, the user gets automatically logged into the company network and individual locations can even have mesh networks set up to provide seamless Wi-Fi coverage over an entire location. Even better, users can have access withdrawn so that when someone leaves employment their access to the companys network can be revoked easily across the entire corporate estate.

The beauty of having cloud-based network management is that every piece of kit on the corporate networked is tagged and monitored, and this means that unauthorized devices that could be a security risk cant be plugged in and used without authorization. The more you think about the concept, the more logical and attractive it appears.

The first of the two items Im reviewing here is the EnGenius ECS1112FP network switch. This is an intelligent cloud-enabled switch that resembles a traditional professional Ethernet hub. This is the kind of device that sits in a network cabinet and forms the backbone of a small office network. The ECS1112FP is a PoE switch, which means that as well as routing data, it can also supply 12v of power over an Ethernet cable. This means you just need to feed a cable from the switch to a wireless access point, video camera or almost any PoE device and the data and power are taken care of. Theres a total budget of 152W of power to share out over the PoE ports.

This cloud-enabled managed network switch is the EnGenius ECS1112FP and offers eight gigabit ... [+] Ethernet ports, plus two uplink ports and two fiber connections.

The use of PoE means that wireless access points or other devices like IP cameras, VoIP phones, etc can be provided with their own remote power source that can be adjusted and set to meet a companys power budget, something thats essential for any business trying to reduce its carbon footprint. Youve probably seen wireless access points located high up on walls or ceilings in offices or factories. The high positioning gives better wireless coverage, uninterrupted by any masses that might cause signal problems or blockages, but those are places where there arent always power outlets. PoE means that just isnt a problem.

The ECS1112FP switch is housed in a blue metal case and is supplied with a couple of metal brackets that enable it to be installed in a standard networking cabinet. The power supply is built into the switch and a cooling fan regulates the temperature inside the switch box and stops it from overheating. On the front of the box are eight 100/1000T Ethernet ports plus a console port for connecting the switch to a controlling computer.

The ECS1112FP switch offers Layer 2+ features that reduce multicasting traffic, speed up port blocking and port forwarding, and increase bandwidth via load balancing. Layer 2 can also be used to control bandwidth in areas where more or less data capacity is needed, such as reception areas or conference rooms.

At the rear of the EnGenius ECS1112FP, there's just a power socket and a fan to keep the interior ... [+] temperature of the device cool.

For businesses that need even higher speeds than gigabit Ethernet can provide, the ECS1112FP includes two high-speed 10 Gbps SFP+ dual-speed uplink ports for wired networks that go beyond the speeds and limitations imposed by conventional Ethernet cabling. With high-speed gigabit fiber, businesses can reduce network congestion issues with more consistent and uninterrupted data flows where its needed. Additionally, there are two further Ethernet uplink ports.

Security is a major issue in these times of industrial espionage, hacking and intellectual property theft. The ECS1112FP switch uses 802.1X port-based client authentication with dynamic VLAN and security through a RADIUS server. What this means is that network administrators can easily control who gets to use the corporate network via Access Control Lists (ACLs). These lists are used to decide who gets access to the network and when they can access the network. Access can be restricted to certain times and areas, plus traffic on the network can be screened for unauthorized MAC or IP addresses. A guest VLAN (virtual local area network) can be set up to give controlled and limited Internet access for visitors, customers or guests while also keeping the main network totally secure. Other data on show in the software dashboard shows the number of clients accessing the network in real-time, plus the most popular access points being used and which SSIDs are most popular. The software even makes it possible to draw a physical map showing the topography of the network and where hardware devices are positioned.

The cloud-based network management dashboard provided by EnGenius enables complete control and ... [+] monitor of an entire network wherever it happens to be. Firmware upgrades or security changes can be applied from anywhere.

One of the major advantages of using cloud-enabled network management is that hardware can be inducted into the corporate network by being enrolled as a piece of network inventory. This means administrators can pre-configure wireless access points before mailing them out to branch offices or other locations. Then, all that needs to be done is for the devices to be plugged in and theyre instantly recognized by the corporate network and begin working immediately without the need for a technician to visit the premises. Any changes or reconfiguration of any cloud-enabled hardware on the network can easily be made from anywhere in the world. Whats more, important firmware upgrades or changes to an entire network or subset of devices can be applied in one batch rollout. Just imagine how much carbon could be saved by not having to investigate faults or reconfigure access points and other network equipment that may be scattered across the globe.

The ECS1112FP is a self-contained unit and includes embedded cloud management software plus a browser-based interface if the user doesnt want to use cloud management. For all its advanced capabilities, the switch is a small and unobtrusive device using a standard kettle lead to power it and a constant fan to regulate the temperature. The fan is quite noisy, and for that reason, the switch ideally needs to be housed in a network cabinet. The EnGenius range of network switches is scalable and larger models are available for more coping with more users or devices. Thats probably the chief advantage of switching to cloud-enabled network management. Everything is stored in the cloud and if there should be a catastrophic failure or incident in the main IT center, it wouldnt affect the corporate network overall as they management and configuration for the network are stored offsite on a cloud server.

The dashboard of the EnGenius cloud-based management software enables individual devices on the ... [+] network to be monitored and updated.

Now, for those who may be wondering about the security implications of entrusting an entire corporate networks management on servers in the hands of a third party, Im assured that no data from the client network ever passes through the cloud server. Theres been a lot of unease lately about Chinese technology, particularly from the likes of Huawei, which might have made some companies and governments uneasy about entrusting any part of their networks to an outside source. As already mentioned, cloud management and data transmission are firewalled from each other and theres never any situation where security could be compromised in this way. Also, users have full control over the management of the network and that set up can be securely deleted remotely by the network administrator at any time.

Next, we come to the new EnGenius cloud-enabled wireless access point designed to be used alongside the EnGenius ECS1112FP switch. The ECW230 wireless access point uses the latest 802.11ax Wi-Fi standard, also known as Wi-Fi 6. This new standard offers faster throughput speeds and a more robust signal, which means fewer dead zones in an office or factory. Wi-Fi 6 also has better beamforming which means it can focus wireless signals directly on client devices with far greater accuracy. Its like using a laser-guided missile to deliver wireless rather than a bazooka.

Another benefit offered by 802.11ax has improved levels of power efficiency, which can add up to big savings when used across a large corporate network where there may be many hundreds of wireless access points in use. Wi-Fi power requirements are also one of the reasons smartphone batteries need to be recharged so often. Wireless networks create significant battery drain on a phone but Wi-Fi 6 is much better at enabling client devices to power down or sleep their wireless circuits rather than insisting they are always on. To take full advantage of the new power-saving features, users do need to use a device that supports the new 802.11ax standard, but Wi-Fi 6 is beginning to roll out widely and will be ubiquitous in a year or two. Power reduction across networks will help tech-reliant companies to reduce their carbon footprint considerably.

The new ECW230 wireless access point is 802.11ax standard and this means it can transmit at much ... [+] higher speeds to more devices at the same time. The unit has beamforming antennas that direct signals to the client devices. The 802.11ax standard is also more power-efficient.

The EnGenius ECW230 wireless access point is a square and unobtrusive white device with rounded corners and a small strip of LED status lights showing network activity. As well as being able to be powered via a PoE switch, the ECW230 can also take a regular 12v 2A power brick to power it independently or if its working without an Ethernet cable on a mesh network. Setting up the access point is virtually automatic if using EnGenius cloud-enabled network management software, which is accessible via almost any web browser. For those who dont want to use the cloud management function, there is also an embedded software interface in the access point that can be accessed using a regular desktop or laptop computer. Frankly, Im not sure why youd want to do that as once youve tried managing a network using cloud management, theres no going back as it makes things so much easier.

It took me about 30 minutes to set up the switch and access point but some of that time involved me learning to use the cloud system and enrolling both the switch and the access point as inventory on the cloud system. Once Id done that, I was able to set up everything I needed to do via my iMac. I could easily add users to the network with their own secure password, and I was also able to set up a quarantined guest network for visitors that kept my home network secure and protected my data and other devices such as music players, TVs and even printers, secure from snoopers or unauthorized access. It's possible to have up to three SSID networks on the one access point which can be sandboxed off into VLANs.

The cloud-based network management gives an instant view of the network or it can be viewed by ... [+] locations with maps to show the physical location of devices.

The speed of the EnGenius ECW230 access point is nothing short of blistering, even with non-802.11ax devices. For the first time, I was able to get the maximum speed from my Internet connection that was exactly the same speed and with similar throughput as an Ethernet cable going directly into my router. Currently, my home mesh network tops out at 61 Mbps on the 2.4/5 GHz network, but with the EnGenius ECW230 access point, I was getting wireless speeds of up to 79 Mbps, which is the fastest wireless speed Ive ever had, even when using my router-modems built-in wireless function.

Verdict:For any business that has more than one physical location, cloud-based network management is a no brainer. Using the EnGenius ECW230 and ECS1112FP switch I was able to set up and deploy and optimize a network in less than an hour. The system even offers the ability to create mesh networks, setup Access Control Lists, shape data traffic, and monitor who is using the network and to restrict access if thats required. For example, you could block access to Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter completely or decide only to give users access during lunch breaks. That policy could then be rolled out across an entire corporate network with the press of a button.

The use of the new faster 802.11ax Wi-Fi standard is most definitely the way ahead with advantages for power consumption, increased data throughput and stronger wireless signals that can reach more places in an office or factory. The combination of the 802.11ax standard, ease of deployment and the simplicity of cloud-based network management makes life so much easier for administrators and offers many more benefits over conventional network management. The technology is even within the reach of smaller companies thanks to the keen pricing on the EnGenius kit. With cloud-enabled networking EnGenius has created a robust and secure network management system thats relatively easy for non-specialist IT workers to deploy and manage, without needing advanced network training.

Pricing:

More info: https://www.engeniustech.com

Because the EnGenius ECW230 is powered via Ethernet, it can be placed almost anywhere that an ... [+] Ethernet cable can reach without the need for a regular power supply.

Read more:
EnGenius Cloud-Based Management For Networks Could Save You A Heap Of Time, Money And Carbon - Forbes