Edimax是一家以价格实惠的网络设备而闻名的公司。他们构建各种设备：从无线路由器到范围扩展器(range extender)、网络交换机和网络摄像机。我们有机会测试了我们的第一款Edimax 设备(Edimax device)- 一款经济实惠的范围扩展器(range extender)：Edimax N300 Smart Wi-Fi，型号(model number) EW-7438RPn Air。我们测试了大约一周，进行了大量测量，今天我们准备分享我们的结论。
拆箱Edimax N300 智能 Wi-Fi 扩展器(Edimax N300 Smart Wi-Fi Extender)
如果您查看Edimax 网站(Edimax website)，您会注意到他们所有的现代增程器名称中都有 N300。更准确地说，我们测试了EW-7438RPn Air 型号(EW-7438RPn Air model)。您可以在下图中看到它的包装。
在包装盒内，您会找到范围扩展器、带有用户手册和多语言(range extender)设置指南(setup guide)的迷你光盘，以及一张卡片，其中包含有关如何在一侧访问设备的详细信息以及适用于 Android的EdiRange应用程序的二维码和 iOS。
如您所见，此范围扩展器(range extender)是一款紧凑型设备。它的一侧有一个WPS 按钮(WPS button)，顶部有一个 LED，它会根据设备的运行情况改变颜色。
硬件规格
Edimax N300 智能 Wi-Fi 扩展器(Edimax N300 Smart Wi-Fi Extender)是一款单频段范围扩展器(band range extender)，支持 2.4 Ghz 无线(Ghz wireless)频率。它支持现代 802.11n 无线网络标准。如前所述，它支持 WPS，并带有两个内置天线。
在软件方面，它提供了适用于Android 和 iOS的(Android and iOS)EdiRange应用程序，允许用户在其覆盖区域(coverage area)内远程控制该设备。
你可以在这里(here)找到它的全套规格。
设置和使用Edimax N300 智能 Wi-Fi 扩展器(Edimax N300 Smart Wi-Fi Extender)
下面是我们如何设置测试公寓的图表。(test apartment)这是一个相当大的公寓，如果你没有很好的路由器，无线覆盖(wireless coverage)在远离它的厨房或中等阳台等房间会变得相当弱。(medium balcony)你可以看到我们把路由器放在客厅里(living room)，把增程器(range extender)放在走廊里。我们使用的路由器是华硕RT-AC56U(ASUS RT-AC56U)。
设置此范围扩展器(range extender)的方法有很多，它们都记录在其包装中提供的用户手册中。最快的是使用路由器和范围扩展器上的(range extender)WPS功能。
将范围扩展器(range extender)连接到无线网络(wireless network)后，您应该开始设置它。此设备上的库存固件是(stock firmware)1.14 版(version 1.14)。在测试此设备之前，我们阅读了一些用户评论，有些人说他们的库存固件(stock firmware)存在问题。我们升级到可供下载的最新版本（1.17），一切顺利。我们建议您也这样做。
此设备上的固件有 15 种语言版本，您可以在下面看到。
正如您在我们的屏幕截图中看到的那样，Edimax提供的固件相当基本，看起来并不十分优雅。但是，它确实提供了对您期望的配置选项的访问，并且设置对任何人来说都不是一项复杂的任务。
我们注意到的唯一缺点是范围扩展器(range extender)在每次更改其配置时都需要重新启动。第一次设置时，这可能会令人沮丧。
增程器(range extender)顶部的LED根据(LED)其状态显示颜色。此外，每种颜色都可以一直亮着或闪烁。
以下是每种颜色的含义：
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红色(Red)——如果红灯常亮，设备断开；如果红灯闪烁，则设备正在启动。
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绿色(Green)- 亮起时，表示 Edimax N300 已通过 WPS 成功连接到无线网络。当它闪烁时，表示 WPS 连接正在进行中。
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蓝色(Blue)- 当它打开时，表示 Edimax N300 具有良好的信号强度可以使用。当它闪烁时，表示信号强度相当平均。
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琥珀色(Amber)- 此颜色仅在闪烁时使用，它表示您放置范围扩展器的区域的无线信号强度较差。您应该考虑将其移动到另一个位置以获得更好的结果。
我们已将不同类型的设备连接到范围扩展器(range extender)提供的无线网络(wireless network)，我们没有遇到任何问题。此外，我们能够使用家庭组等网络功能，并(Homegroup)能够通过网络共享和下载文件(share and download files)。
Reviewing Edimax N300 - An Affordable Wi-Fi Range Extender
Edimax is a company thаt's knоwn for its affordable networking devicеs. They buіld all kinds of devices: from wireless rоuters to range extenders, nеtwork switches and network cameras. We had the chаnсe to test oυr first Edimax device - an affordable range extender: Edimax N300 Smart Wi-Fi, model number EW-7438RPn Air. We tested for about a week, made lots of measurements and today we are ready to share our сonclυѕions.
Unboxing the Edimax N300 Smart Wi-Fi Extender
If you look on the Edimax website you will notice that all their modern range extenders have N300 in their name. To be more exact, we have tested EW-7438RPn Air model. You can see its packaging in the picture below.
Inside the box you will find the range extender, a mini-disc with the user manual and the setup guide in multiple languages, plus a card with details about how to access the device on one side and with QR codes for the EdiRange app for Android and iOS.
As you can see, this range extender is a compact device. It has a WPS button on one side and a LED on top, which changes its color depending on what is going on with the device.
Hardware Specifications
Edimax N300 Smart Wi-Fi Extender is a single band range extender with support for the 2.4 Ghz wireless frequency. It supports the modern 802.11n wireless networking standard. As mentioned before it has WPS support and it comes with two internal antennas.
In terms of software, it offers the EdiRange app for Android and iOS which allows users to remote control this device when they are in its coverage area.
You can find its full set of specifications here.
Setting Up & Using the Edimax N300 Smart Wi-Fi Extender
Below you have a diagram of how our test apartment is set up. It is a reasonably large apartment and, if you don't have very good router, the wireless coverage can get rather weak in rooms like the kitchen or the medium balcony which are far away from it. You can see that we have placed the router in the living room and the range extender in the hallway. The router that we used is ASUS RT-AC56U.
There are many ways for setting up this range extender and they are all documented in the user manual that's provided in its packaging. The fastest is to use the WPS feature on your router and the range extender.
Once you connect the range extender to your wireless network, you should start setting it up. The stock firmware on this device was version 1.14. We read several user reviews before testing this device and some said that they had issues with the stock firmware. We upgraded to the latest version that was available for download (1.17) and everything went smoothly. We recommend that you do the same.
The firmware on this device is available in 15 languages, which you can see below.
As you can see in our screenshots, the firmware offered by Edimax is rather basic and not exactly elegant looking. However, it does offer access to the configuration options you would expect and setting things up is not a complicated task for anyone.
The only downside we noticed is that the range extender requires a restart each time you change its configuration. This might be frustrating the first time you set it up.
The LED on top of the range extender is colored depending on its status. Also, each color can be always on or flashing.
Here's what each color means:
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Red - if the red light is always on, the device is disconnected; if the red light flashes, the device is starting up.
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Green - when it is on, it means that Edimax N300 has successfully connected to the wireless network through WPS. When it is flashing, it means that the WPS connection is in progress.
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Blue - when it is on, it means that Edimax N300 has a good signal strength to work with. When it is flashing, it means that the signal strength is rather average.
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Amber - this color is used only when flashing and it signals that you have poor wireless signal strength in the area where you have placed the range extender. You should consider moving it to another location in order to get better results.
We have connected different types of devices to the wireless network provided by the range extender and we did not encounter any issues. Also, we were able to use networking features like the Homegroup and be able to share and download files over the network.
