It’s Finally here… AirLive Multi-Functional 3G router (Part 1)

“To go with 3G or not to go with 3G”, that is the questions I had been asked a lot lately by friends, customers and just about everyone I know.  Many of them are thinking of switching to 3G Internet services at their home.

Well, we will need to realize that 3G Internet is no longer use only on the road.  Using 3G Internet at home has its advantages.  Firstly, 3G connections are improving, bringing them close to the performance of some ADSL services.  Secondly, you do not need to place your router close to the ADSL (or cable) socket – you can place it anywhere that will provide the best coverage.  When you are out, simply bring along your 3G modem and you can carry your Internet with you.  You do not need 2 subscriptions.  And for those areas with unstable ADSL connections, 3G acts as a perfect back up to your Internet connection.

The downside to a 3G connection is that you only get 1 SIM card (and a modem), thus you are not able to share your connection.

Which is why AirLive Air3G is such a highly anticipated product.  Not only does it allow you to share your 3G with Single Stream 802.11n coverage, it is also a high power router and a hotspot authentication device.  Basically you get 3 devices for the price of a normal router.

This week, we will take a look at one of the function – 3G/WAN backup.  As mentioned, 3G Internet is a perfect backup to your ADSL (or cable) connection.  Admittedly, most 3G routers allow you to choose WAN or 3G services but most of the routers currently in the market require you to do the switch manually.

AirLive Air3G smart backup system (well, I did wrote about smarter strategies, read it here) lets you do that without the need of your interventions.  For a start, you can set your primary (or preferred) connection to be either WAN (ADSL or cable) or 3G connection.  When your primary connection is down, Air3G will automatically switch to your secondary connection.  But wait, that is not all.

Now, the smart thing to do when implementing a backup connection is not to go on an “Unlimited plan”.  You only want to pay for what you used.  You want to use as little of your secondary connection as possible and switch back to your primary connection when the service resume.  Unfortunately, as far as I know, all the 3G routers currently in the market require you to do the switching manually.  AirLive Air3G is the first 3G router in the market that provides automatic connection recovery.  Air3G will automatically switch back to your primary connection when the service is resumed and all these processes are done in the background without you even notice it.

Next issue we will look at the other 2 important aspects of AirLive Air3G –
1 watt high power router and hotspot authentication mode.

Author: William Ko
Email: marketing@airlive.com