APPro 2405 WISP Access Point

APPro2405 is a device based on RealTek 8186 chipset and an extended version of APPro54G - a specialized Linux distribution that offers wide range of features that are essential for wireless network builders.

APPro 2405 includes all important tools needed for configuration, administration, and diagnostics of computer networks. Thanks to Linux system, the firmware offers much better functionality (bandwidth management, port filtering, firewall, NAT) than typical solutions. This software is intended for WISP providers that need both an efficient base station, and a flexible client device.

Hardware

• RTL8186 CPU, 2 MB Flash, 16 MB SDRAM;
• PoE port that enables powering the device directly from Ethernet cable;
• heat sink on CPU that improves hardware's reliability;
• 5 Ethernet ports (4×LAN, 1×WAN/PoE) ensure flexibility;
• external antenna connector (RP-SMA);
• internal antenna that works together with an external one (useful in Repeater mode);
• power supply: 9 V, 800 mA.

Software

• Linux kernel v. 2.4.18;
• Busybox v. 1.0.0;
• Iptables v. 1.2.9 (MASQUERADE, SNAT, DNAT, MAC, TTL, iplimit, IPP2P);
• Iproute2 (HTB, WRR, PRIO, ESFQ);
• traceroute, ping, arping, tcpdump, and nslookup tools;
• Bash-compatible shell (for SSH/Telnet);
• available gcc compiler for custom enhancements;

Features

• AP, AP+WDS, APC, bridge, multipoint bridge, and repeater operating modes;
• device does not masks MAC addresses (is transparent) when connected to MikroTik and Ubiquiti base stations;
• full WLAN/LAN routing in any configuration;
• NAT and DHCP available on WLAN or LAN;
• hardware-assisted NAT that allows routing/translation performance up to 50 Mbit/s;
• ethernet ports can be configured both as LAN or WAN;
• MAC address cloning available on each interface;
• adjustment of device's sensitivity and independent power settings for CCK (802.11b) and OFDM (802.11g) modulation;
• packet aggregation in bridge mode;
• traffic filtering between clients (Intra BSS Traffic);
• 'network neighborhood' filtering: RPC, etc. (NETBIOS Filtering);
• broadcast traffic filtering;
• selectable transmission speeds (Tx Operation Rate);
• watchdog that restarts device in case of lost connectivity;
• automatic device restart at specified intervals;
• PPPoE support (client available on WLAN and WAN, as well as Relay feature for connecting multiple PPPoE clients behind the device);
• PPPoE client compatible with MikroTik systems - pap, chap, mschap, and mschapv2 are supported;
• new, easy to use Web interface that speeds-up configuration of DHCP server, Traffic Manager and many other features.

Network performance data (UDP traffic, packet size=1500 bytes)

Routing performance:

• 58 Mbit/s (hardware NAT - max throughput);
• 40 Mbit/s (hardware NAT, 32 entries in TFM, QoS, P2P filter, virus filter - max load).

Bridge performance: up to 60 Mbit/s;

Wireless performance:

• up to 25 Mbit/s (AP/APC);
• up to 20 Mbit/s (WDS).

Bandwidth management

• QoS that takes full advantage of Linux capabilities;
• flexible Traffic Manager that can limit not only a bandwidth, but also number of connections and packets per second for selected hosts, or host groups;
• traffic priorities;
• ability of limiting total number of packets per second flowing through the device, so the AP can be protected against overloading by P2P, VoIP or traffic generated by viruses or other malicious software;
• ability of limiting combined traffic flowing through the device for bandwidth management optimizations;
• automatic, based on link speed, selection of queue algorithm;
• traffic filtering for addresses without assigned bandwidth;
• transfer statistics for each rule in Traffic Manager table.

Security

• static ARP table based on DHCP settings;
• extended firewall with NAT;
• traffic filtering for unauthorized IP addresses;
• traffic filtering on selected port ranges;
• P2P traffic filtering;
• Windows' network neighborhood filtering;
• filtering of known ports employed by viruses and trojans;
• filtering of all incoming connections;
• filtering of all traffic other than Web browsing and e-mail;
• port forwarding;
• DMZ feature (forwarding of all ports to selected IP address);
• static ARP combined with filtering of incorrect IP/MAC address pairs limits amount of network abuses.

Flexibility

• 10 configuration presets for typical most common applications; the settings include correct network addressing, DHCP, and Traffic Manager;
• device management via WWW, FTP, SSH or Telnet;
• possibility of central configuration management via FTP, Telnet, or SSH;
• custom rules for QoS, NAT, firewall, and routing configuration;
• ability to install custom software and scripts in /usr/local directory;
• saving configuration, system files and user scripts in flash memory.

Monitoring of device operation

• device is compatible with SNMP-based tools used for network monitoring and statistics generation (e.g. Dude MT);
• extended status information: Active Clients, DHCP Clients, Connection Tracking;
• extended wireless scan features (Site Survey);
• combined traffic statistics are written to Flash memory, so it is possible to access archived data.