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€Wireless extenders are a dime a dozen, but the TAP-EX stands out in one area: raw power. This unassuming little piece of networking hardware pumps out 800 mW of signal amplifying juice. Read on as we put it through the paces and determine if that’s worth the price of admission.

€无线扩展器一角钱，但是TAP-EX在一个领域表现突出：原始功率。 这个不起眼的网络硬件小部件可抽出800 mW的信号放大汁。 阅读我们逐步介绍的内容，并确定是否值得入场。

什么是TAP-EX？ (What is The TAP-EX?)

The TAP-EX is a Wi-Fi range extender from Amped Wireless with a tabletop form factor vaguely reminiscent of a digital picture frame. The device includes a stand (as well as mounting holes if you wish to wall mount it), a detachable external antenna, and a low-voltage power adapter. The TAP-EX retails for $119.99.

TAP-EX是Amped Wireless的Wi-Fi范围扩展器，其台式外形隐约让人联想到数码相框。 该设备包括一个支架(如果需要壁挂安装，还包括安装Kong)，一个可拆卸的外部天线和一个低压电源适配器。 TAP-EX 零售价为119.99美元 。

The primary interface for the device is the centrally located touch screen. The device includes a tiny stylus (stowed away in the upper left corner of the device body) for users that find the small touch screen difficult to use with their fingertip.

设备的主要界面是位于中央的触摸屏。 该设备包括一个纤巧的手写笔(存放在设备机身的左上角)，供用户发现难以用指尖使用的小型触摸屏。

The main function of the TAP-EX is repeating and amplifying your existing 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network. To this end the device includes an array of Wi-Fi radio chips that boast an impressive 800 mW worth of output. To put that in perspective the FCC limit for home Wi-Fi devices is 1000 mW and the majority of routers only use 50-100 mW.

TAP-EX的主要功能是重复和放大您现有的2.4GHz Wi-Fi网络。 为此，该设备包括一系列Wi-Fi无线电芯片，其输出功率高达800 mW。 从角度来看，家用Wi-Fi设备的FCC限制为1000 mW，大多数路由器仅使用50-100 mW。

In addition to the primary function of network extension, the TAP-EX also has three ports: one USB port and two Ethernet ports. The USB port allows for a USB flash or disk drive to be mounted as a network storage device and the Ethernet ports turn the TAP-EX into a network bridge so you can connect Ethernet-only devices to your wireless network.

除了网络扩展的主要功能外，TAP-EX还具有三个端口：一个USB端口和两个以太网端口。 USB端口允许将USB闪存或磁盘驱动器安装为网络存储设备，而以太网端口将TAP-EX变成网桥，因此您可以将仅以太网设备连接到无线网络。

如何设置？ (How Do I Set It Up?)

Setting up the TAP-EX is trivially easy. Unpack the device, attach the antenna (per the instructions attach or remove the antenna only when the device is powered off), attach the stand, plug it in, and get ready to do some simple configuration.

设置TAP-EX非常容易。 打开设备包装，连接天线(按照说明操作，仅在设备关闭电源时才安装或卸下天线)，连接支架，将其插入电源，并准备进行一些简单的配置。

After an initial scan to find local Wi-Fi nodes, select the network you wish to connect to. You can create a new network or clone the existing network settings. If you create a new network it will have a unique SSID different from your old network and a separate password. If you clone your existing network the TAP-EX will have the same SSID and password as your existing Wi-Fi network.

进行初始扫描以找到本地Wi-Fi节点后，选择要连接的网络。 您可以创建一个新网络或克隆现有网络设置。 如果您创建一个新网络，它将具有一个与旧网络不同的唯一SSID和一个单独的密码。 如果克隆现有网络，则TAP-EX将具有与现有Wi-Fi网络相同的SSID和密码。

Be forewarned that some devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.) handle multi-node identical-SSID networks very poorly. While cloning the SSID works in most cases (and provides a seamless user experience under ideal circumstances) some devices just freak out and can’t handle jumping from one node to another properly. If you experience issues with dropped connections and you’ve used the clone-network function you’ll want to run the setup process again and create a unique SSID just for the TAP-EX.

请注意，某些设备(智能手机，平板电脑等)处理多节点相同SSID网络的性能非常差。 虽然克隆SSID在大多数情况下都可以工作(并且在理想情况下可以提供无缝的用户体验)，但某些设备却吓坏了，无法正确处理从一个节点到另一个节点的跳转。 如果遇到连接断开的问题，并且使用了克隆网络功能，则需要再次运行设置过程，并为TAP-EX创建唯一的SSID。

After linking the TAP-EX to your local Wi-Fi network (by either cloning or assigning a new SSID and password to the TAP-EX) there are no other configuration requirements if your goal is simply extending your network or bridging Ethernet devices. Place the device in a central location in your house (or next to the Ethernet-enabled device you wish to bridge to the wireless network) and you’re all done.

将TAP-EX链接到您的本地Wi-Fi网络后(通过克隆或为TAP-EX分配新的SSID和密码)，如果您的目标只是扩展网络或桥接以太网设备，则没有其他配置要求。 将设备放置在房屋的中央位置(或要桥接到无线网络的支持以太网的设备旁边)，一切就完成了。

Under the settings menu, accessed from the dashboard touch screen or via web browser on a Wi-Fi connected device (navigate to http://10.0.0.22 while connected to the TAP-EX’s SSID), you’ll find simple menus for additional settings. Here you can assign a workgroup and name to the attached USB drive, set up an access schedule, adjust the output power, and lock the touch screen with a PIN to restrict access to the TAP-EX.

在设置菜单下，可通过仪表板触摸屏或通过Wi-Fi连接设备上的网络浏览器访问(在连接到TAP-EX的SSID时导航至http://10.0.0.22)，您会发现简单的菜单，可用于设置。 在这里，您可以为连接的USB驱动器分配工作组和名称，设置访问时间表，调整输出功率，并使用PIN锁定触摸屏以限制对TAP-EX的访问。

它如何执行？ (How Does It Perform?)

The TAP-EX has, as you would imagine given the sheer output power, a phenomenal range. During our tests we could surf the web on our mobile devices down the street and certainly all around our home and yard without issue. Solid coverage within a 150 foot umbrella of the base station shouldn’t be a problem in most environments.

就像您想像的那样，TAP-EX的输出功率惊人，范围惊人。 在测试过程中，我们可以在街上，当然也可以在整个家中和院子中的移动设备上上网，而不会出现问题。 在大多数环境中，基站150英尺长的雨伞内的固体覆盖物应该不是问题。

The most significant limitation of the TAP-EX is definitely not raw power, but that it is limited to the 2.4GHz band. If you’re in a congested area (lots of neighbors with Wi-Fi that bleeds over into your home or apartment, 2.4GHz cordless phones, baby monitors, etc.) the performance on the 2.4GHz band will suffer and even a powerful extender like the TAP-EX will suffer along with it.

TAP-EX的最大限制绝对不是原始功率，而是仅限于2.4GHz频段。 如果您处在拥挤的区域(许多邻居的Wi-Fi会渗入您的房屋或公寓，2.4GHz无绳电话，婴儿监视器等)，那么2.4GHz频段的性能将受到影响，甚至扩展器也将功能强大就像TAP-EX一样会遭受损失。

Nonetheless, our speed tests with the TAP-EX were promising. Within the home on the ground floor (where the TAP-EX was centrally located for testing) we had consistent speeds around 65 Mbps. Outside the home roaming around the yard and up and down the street in front the throughput fell until, around 150 feet from the unit we could only pull down 1.5 Mbps. While that’s a terrible throughput for a wired broadband connection it’s not so terrible for a device on the fringe edge of a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi extender; we could still casually browse the web without issue.

尽管如此，我们使用TAP-EX进行的速度测试还是有希望的。 在底层的家庭中(TAP-EX集中放置在此处进行测试)，我们的速度始终保持在65 Mbps左右。 在院子里四处走动以及在前面的街道上上下走动的房屋外，吞吐量一直下降，直到距离设备约150英尺为止，我们只能拉低1.5 Mbps。 虽然对于有线宽带连接来说这是一个可怕的吞吐量，但对于2.4GHz Wi-Fi扩展器边缘的设备而言却并不那么糟糕。 我们仍然可以随便浏览网页而不会出现问题。

好的，坏的和判决 (The Good, The Bad, and The Verdict)

After speed testing the device, roaming about, and taking the extended features for a spin, what do we have to say about the TAP-EX?

在对设备进行速度测试，漫游并扩展其功能之后，关于TAP-EX，我们要说些什么？

善良 (The Good)

• Touch screen, despite our initial feeling that it was a gimmick, worked very well and we had no need for the browser-based configuration.尽管我们最初感觉这是个头，但触摸屏仍然运行良好，并且不需要基于浏览器的配置。
• The 800 mW power output is serious business; if extending the sheer reach of your network is your goal it’s tough to beat.800 mW的功率输出是一项严肃的业务； 如果要扩大网络的覆盖范围是您的目标，那就很难实现。
• Setup was extremely easy and took less than three minutes start to finish (most of that time was spent waiting for the automated portions of the setup to finish).设置非常容易，开始不到三分钟即可完成(大部分时间都花在了等待安装的自动化部分完成上)。
• The TAP-EX looks nice and won’t stand out in your home or next to your media center.TAP-EX看起来不错，不会在家里或媒体中心旁边脱颖而出。
• Schedule-based access restrictions useful for limiting children’s Internet time.基于计划的访问限制对限制孩子的Internet时间很有用。

坏人 (The Bad)

• 2.4GHz only Wi-Fi extension will be a deal breaker for many consumers.对于许多消费者而言，只有2.4GHz的Wi-Fi扩展将成为交易的障碍。
• Security settings and access restriction features for the USB network drive are non-existent. It shares the whole drive with the whole network or not at all.USB网络驱动器的安全设置和访问限制功能不存在。 它与整个网络共享整个驱动器，或者根本不共享。
• USB port is only USB 2.0 and Ethernet ports are 10/100.USB端口仅是USB 2.0，而以太网端口是10/100。

判决 (The Verdict)

If we can say nothing else about the TAP-EX it does exactly what they say it will do: it offers a significant increase in 2.4GHz Wi-Fi coverage. If your home isn’t overly congested with 2.4GHz traffic and you want to ensure that you can play on your iPad all the way from the mailbox down at the street to the hammock out by the back fence, the TAP-EX will get the job done with power to spare. If you don’t want to shell out for a premium router upgrade (that can run you easily $200-300) but you do want increased coverage, by all means get it.

如果我们对TAP-EX无话可说，它将完全按照他们所说的去做：它显着增加了2.4GHz Wi-Fi覆盖范围。 如果您的家并没有过分拥挤的2.4GHz流量，并且您想确保可以在iPad上玩，从街上的信箱一直到后栅栏的吊床，那么TAP-EX将会帮助您力所能及的工作。 如果您不想花钱购买高级路由器升级(可以轻松地在200-300美元之间运行)，但是您确实想增加覆盖范围，那么请务必这样做。

What you shouldn’t buy the TAP-EX for is the auxiliary functions like the networked storage and the network bridging. These features work just fine but their implementation is a bit light. If your end goal is a low-power secure network storage device, for example, the limitations on the TAP-EX are too significant to securely use it in a multi-person household.

您不应该购买TAP-EX的是辅助功能，例如网络存储和网络桥接。 这些功能可以正常工作，但是它们的实现有点轻巧。 例如，如果您的最终目标是使用低功耗安全网络存储设备，则TAP-EX的局限性太大，无法在多人家庭中安全使用它。

Those features were clearly added on as afterthoughts, however, and issues like the lackluster security on the network drive could easily be addressed with future firmware updates. In the realm of raw power and network extension the TAP-EX delivers on the Wi-Fi  range extension it promises.

这些功能显然是在事后添加的，但是，通过将来的固件更新可以轻松解决网络驱动器安全性欠佳等问题。 在原始功率和网络扩展领域，TAP-EX提供了它所承诺的Wi-Fi范围扩展。

翻译自: https://www.howtogeek.com/209686/htg-reviews-the-amped-wireless-tap-ex-wi-fi-extender-beefy-power-on-the-2.4ghz-band/