Computer Accessory Reviews — WiFi — 28 July 2012
Wireless routers have come a long way since they first appeared on the scene. Those
who have no memories of the countless hours spent getting one to properly sync
up with the modem and create a usable home network — consider yourself lucky.
Since then, wireless routers have increased their abilities — adding features to make
setting them up easier and allowing you to “tweak” how they work. But the most single
important function of a wireless router is to provide a signal that “reaches” where you want
to use it. That’s certainly the case with the EnGenius X-TRA RANGE ESR750H Dual Concurrent
Wireless Media Router.
Now the EnGenius X-TRA RANGE ESR750H Dual Concurrent Wireless Media Router
— or ESR750H for short — is fairly unassuming. It’s not shaped like a pyramid or
a rocket ship and at first glance appears the same as many of its competitors. But two
things say that there’s something different going on: the first being that there are dual anten-
nas to use for sending the signal, and the second being that “X-TRA RANGE” is in the name.
The front of the ESR750H has a series of informational LEDs and a control nub. At the
extreme left is the WPS/Reset button: holding it down for around 5 seconds activates the
WIFI Protected Setup that does an auto-pairing with those other devices utilizing the same
technology. Holding it down for around 10 seconds does the same activation, only in this case
on the higher 5 GHz waveband (as opposed to the 2.4). The LEDs to the right provide a visual
indicator that the power is active, as well as the status of the
wired/wireless network.
No surprises on the back either — it’s a fairly straightforward
series of inputs (4) for wired Ethernet cables, a mains power
rocker switch and input for the AC, along with the input for
the modem. At either end are screw on connectors for the dual
antennas. The one thing that stands out is the USB port — un-
like the very old days where this was used for firmware updates,
here it is the portal for providing Samba, NetUSB and shAIR
connectivity for those device on the network. Since “Media” is in
the router’s name, lets cover this right now.
NetUSB works by making a PC think the USB device is connected to it — while it is actually
connected to the ESR750H. A device driver might need to be installed (this depends on the
device), but in general the procedure for getting this up and running is straightforward. In
a somewhat but not exactly the same fashion, you can connect a printer or a scanner to the
ESR750H and access it from the PC.
EnGenius X-Tra Range ESR750H
Dual Concurrent Wireless Media Router Review
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