First-time wireless users are in for a treat! TP-Link is introducing an outdoor wireless solution that can be structured to fit budget-focused, performance-based deployments and its simplicity makes it perfect for those new to this arena. The TP-Link Pharos range of wireless devices has been described as polished and mature given the affordable price point. Feature-rich menus, solid build quality and top-notch wireless performance position this range competitively in the market.

“The solution is extremely easy to configure, deploy and manage and has a compact form factor and simple design,” comments MiRO product manager, Charl Ducray. “It also offers third party interoperability with 802.11n devices.

Our technical specialist and ICT trainer, Gerhard Janse van Rensburg, was asked to test and review this new solution and he highlighted some of the aspects that stood out for him, one of which was Pharos MAXtream. All Pharos wireless radios use the TP-Link proprietary MAXtream protocol and MAXtream is based off time division multiple access (TDMA) as opposed to carrier send multiple access (CSMA), found in regular 802.11n wireless solutions. “This improves channel efficiency, latency, as well as throughput,” says van Rensburg. “TDMA-based wireless communication improves performance, especially in dense point-to-multi-point (PTMP) environments.

“I also found the Pharos interface simple and pleasant to navigate around. Options and settings are easy to find and logically placed. Changing settings felt snappy and there was hardly any time between changes and provisioning. The quick setup menus, in particular, impressed me because they were useful and intuitive with no unnecessary settings being tweaked and no important settings omitted. “All of the hardware I tested felt solid and well put together. The design is simple and non-intrusive and the units are reasonably compact in both physical and shipping dimensions.”

Complete your wireless solution with Pharos Control,  a management platform for all TP-Link Pharos solutions which allows for central management as well as making changes and performing firmware upgrades. Van Rensburg says he found the software as easy to use and intuitive as the WebUI of the equipment. “Setup was a breeze and it is compatible with both Linux and Windows operating systems. You can do everything from changing device addresses to bulk upgrading firmware across hundreds of units from a single panel, which is very impressive for an entry-level wireless solution. The range also features 6KV Lightning protection as well as 15KV ESD cable surge protection, both vital given South Africa’s high lightning rates and unstable power supply,” concludes van Rensburg. Click here to find out how to log into TP-Link’s CPE Management Page.

Get in touch with our team for expert advice on how you can build a high-performance wireless network with TP-links’s enterprise-level hardware!