Firmware

This section relates to the firmware of the WN-300ARM-VPN and its initial setup. A well functioning router and ADSL modem are the most important part of any network, as everything else depends on the uptime of such devices. The experience starts, when setting up the unit for the first time and AirLive has done an excellent job. The interface does not look like much and is very simple - but it works extremely well. I have setup numerous routers, ADSL and cable modems in the past and I was rather worried how the WN-300ARM-VPN would fare. This was especially interesting, as the unit is not only a VPN router, but also an ADSL+ modem, which replaces the unit of my ISP.

Initial ADSL Modem Setup

As I mentioned before, the steps through the intial setup wizard do not have any eye candy like other units. These pages are actually quite technical and offer no down-to-earth explanations of the various acronyms and terms . This will make it hard for beginners to know what to choose at each stage to get things working, but if you do not know these aspects, you would most likely not replace your ADSL modem of your ISP by yourself. This would be like taking out the engine on your muscle car and replacing it yourself - without the proper know-how. The lack of helpful information is really the only downside of the setup process and took me about 10 minutes, as I had to figure out what settings my ISP has used at one point through trial & error. But I have been using the entire AirLive based network for the last couple of weeks and it works flawlessly - no matter if I have my PC, the Macbook, the HTPC or the Xbox 360 connected. All of these devices utilize the 802.11n standard.

AirLive WN-300ARM-VPN Router Firmware

The next aspect of the Router is its firmware and the offered feature set. The same cosmetical and informative downsides of the intial setup apply here as well. You will find a wealth of options and settings from multiple ISP setup, VPN tunnels, IPSec, DDNS and multiple wireless network setups to name a few. During the last few weeks of usage, I did not notice any unusual hick-ups, crashes or instabilities with any of the connected devices. Applications which open a multitude of simultaneous connections also work without any problems. Feel free to click trough the gallery above for all the various sections of the WN-300ARM-VPN router. The strong points of this unit are certainly the VPN capability, the small business feature set usually not found on units intended for home use and the fact that AirLive has merged both the ADSL modem and an 802.11n based VPN router into a single, powerful and reliable device.

Software

The software section focuses on the application and drives included with both the WN-5000PCI and the WN-200USB 802.11n wifi adapters. We will also be using this section to outline the performance of these and a general range test. I live in an old building with 3m/10 feet ceilings, constructed of mainly bricks & wood. Thus my reception should be better than for those living in a building constructed of steel mesh and concrete.

Installation of the drives and application goes well in both Windows Vista and Windows 7. The only downside I noticed during the extended period of use is the slow initial connect to the wireless network when using the AirLive software. This is simply due to the fact that the device waits for the application to autoload on startup before attempting a connection.


The software allows you to access a wealth of information and allows you to save profiles for various networks. While such a software gives you much better access to all types of information when compared to the built-in variant from Windows, it adds another layer between the OS and the network. This means that you will have to wait for the software to load up after booting, so that it connects you to your network, which in turn may force you to wait a few seconds before you are actually online.