Senao ECB-3220 Indoor Wireless Bridge/Client Router/AP/Repeater - Review

[Doomer D. Great]

Review: Senao ECB-3220 Indoor Wireless Bridge/Client Router/AP/Repeater
By: Hassan "Doomer" Gulzar

The last Wireless APs (Access Points) I'll be reviewing is from the well known (to many) SENAO Networks, Inc. I must say that though they had the biggest box, their ECB-3220 turned out to be something I wasn't expecting within the heat of the competition the AirLive's duo, WN-5000R and WL-5450AP had already created.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• Contents
• Specifications
• Review
• Testing
• Conclusion

Introduction:
Straight from the official website: "The Wireless High Power and High Gain Bridge/ Client Router/ Access Point / Repeater operates seamlessly in the 2.4 GHz frequency spectrum supporting the 802.11b (2.4GHz, 11Mbps) and the newer, faster 802.11g (2.4GHz, 54Mbps) wireless standards. It's the best way to add wireless capability to your existing wired network, or to add bandwidth to your wireless installation."

Now, in short the ECB-3220 does what the WN-5000R and WL-5450AP can do but, I must say that I don't agree with the "...It's the best way to add wireless capability to your existing wired network, or to add bandwidth to your wireless installation..." part. This deice compared to the others is quite crippled when it comes to features. I'll proceed with the review and explain why it is so.

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Contents:

• ECB-3220
• 1 x Detachable Antenna
• Power Adopter
• 1 x CAT5 UTP Cable
• Quick Start Guide
• CD

Like the power adopter for the WL-5450AP, ECS-3220 also comes with a massive heavy power adopter. Quite useless as this time around, the power adopter is almost as big as the small device!

The antenna supplied seems much sturdy and heavy-duty if compared to the other two. However, only after the test, we may find if it's up to the mark.

Figure: The !$#@$%#$! Adopter and an antenna!

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Specifications:
Now, let us focus on the capabilities of the ECB-3220...

Figure: Specification Table

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Review:

Figure: The ECB-3220

The ECB-3220 is compliant with the 802.11g and 802.11b standard making it compatible with most wireless devices today. On the back side of ECB-3220, you’ll find one WAN port and... Well... that's about it! Apart from this LAN/WAN port, there is the usual Power input and the tiny Reset button. There is the usual mount-point for the antenna.

Now, with just one port and no switch functionality, the expand you network concept dies a horrible death here. Yes, the ECB-3220 is a pure Wireless AP with no added switch feature but this is considered as a limitation. The single LAN port is first used to configure the ECB-3220 and then is used just to supply with internet/intranet juice to the wireless audience only.

Figure: The Rear Side

The front side has three LEDs for representation of device status. The LAN and WLAN LED blink for no apparent reason as there is just one port in the rear so my guess is that the LAN LED represents I/O on the port while the WLAN relate to the Wireless activity.

Figure: The Front Side

The ECB-3220 with its blue translucent front-end does look a bit weird: it allows you to see the lame circuit board within. The device is almost weightless so be careful with it if placed within reach. The on board management interface is somewhat cruel but as a number of features worth looking at.

Figure: Operation Modes

The ECB-3220 has three different modes of operation: Bridge, Bridge Router, and AP! We'll probably use AP mode as other two doesn't make any sense with just one LAN port.

Figure: LAN Interface

Very typical LAN interface setup options with a basic DHCP setup as well.

Figure: Wireless Settings

Not much to highlight here... just your basic wireless settings.

Figure: Wireless Advanced Settings

Now here is a screen with something interesting and massively confusing at the same time. I tried to max out the output level but unfortunately I don't know what High means in dB.

Figure: Wireless Security Settings

In terms of security options, you'll find everything here offered by the other two Wireless APs; although represented in a non-user-friendly manner.

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Testing:
As with the other two Wireless AP reviews, there is no certified benchmarking when it comes to Wireless Networking as every office or home has a different environment i.e. placement of AP, position of clients, other APs in range, electricity cables and other noise. I will just place the AP in my room, use a laptop with a built-in wireless solution, and move around the floor to get some idea. Here is the range distribution legend:

• Zone A: 6 Meter
• Zone B: 10 Meter
• Zone C: 15 Meter
• Zone D: 22 Meter

A and B are on the same floor with obstacles commonly found in office i.e. dividers, cabinets, glass walls. C is one floor (~10 Meter) below and with more obstacles. D is two floors below (~20 Meter) outside the building on the pavement.

Figure: RSSI Measurement

Working on 802.11g I started the same testing routine hoping to see a trend. What I did saw was that after three or four devices connected to the ECB-3220, it randomly rebooted every now and then. I have highlighted such reboots in the RSSI image above. A and B were OK if compared to the other results though there was a drop in B and there was a clear lack of bandwidth even though the laptop reported excellent connectivity. At C, I got major transfer issues and was limited to basic tasks only and at D, I felt no difference from C except that I was just connected and that's all.

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Conclusion:
All in all, the ECB-3220 is my least preferred device when contrasted against WN-5000R or WL-5450AP. From feature-set to looks, the AirLive devices are better than ECB-3220.

I couldn't get a fix on the price of ECB-3220 as there seems to be a branding confusion going on at the moment... another firm EnGenius is also selling ECB-3220 and the mentioned price is quite high (120 US$). In my opinion, ECB-3220 should sell for less than 4000 PKR being a dedicated short-ranged Wireless AP.

I'd like to thank Senao on behalf of WCCFTech for providing us with the sample.

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