Open Mesh claims that the A60 can be mounted outside and the build quality seems to confirm it: the main body is divided into two pieces and there’s a rubber seal where the two parts meet to prevent water or dust from entering the case (it is IP55 rated), the Ethernet cables are also sealed by a silicone band and gasket and, nowhere was I able to find any cut-outs that would suggest vulnerability to heavy rains (the fact that it is completely sealed could raise some concerns about its heat management, but, even connected to multiple devices, the A60 did not overheat – but it did get warm).
Note: The Open Mesh A40 shares the same size as the A60. The Open Mesh A60 can also be mounted on a T-rail ceiling rail, but you need to take some extra steps: connect the two fixed T-rail clips and the two adjustable T-rail clips to the back of the mounting plate, clip the channel cable cover in the area where you removed the silicone band and simply attach the access point to the mounting plate, which should easily connect to the rail. If you want to use the A60 in a business environment, then mounting it on the wall or ceiling could prove to be the better idea and you do get a complete installation kit inside the package that makes this process very easy: take the mounting plate and use a couple screws to connect it to the wall in the preferred area next, take the A60 unit, remove the small plate on the back of the device and the silicone seal, connect an Ethernet cable to the Ethernet1 port and simply slide the access point into place (the A60 can be powered only using PoE, so you either need a compatible switch or a PoE adapter). But, if you decide to position it on a desk, the case has four rubber feet that are slightly elevated which will prevent the access point from budging (it is actually ridiculously resilient to movement).
Cloudtrax wired client series#
So, the A60 has a bit more personality even if it kept a minimalistic design approach, managing to resemble a flush mount ceiling light (or a smoke detector, such as the Nest Protect), something that will be appreciated if the access point will be mounted on the ceiling or on the wall.Įven if the new series has grown in size, considering that the A60 is a 3×3 access point with 6 internal antennas, it is surprisingly compact (measuring 6.5 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches) and it is reasonably lightweight (it weighs 0.99 pounds). The body of the A60 is significantly larger than that of the OM2P-HS and on the middle, there is a carved square with the Open Mesh logo (similarly to the previous instalments, the A60 can be rebranded by resellers). As always, Open Mesh remains the go-to manufacturer when it comes to reliable and reasonably-priced high-end access points, so let’s have a closer look at what makes the A60 a great WiFi solution for both home use (especially, if you have a larger property) and for small or medium businesses (special thanks to Open Mesh for providing a review sample).ĭesign and Hardware Installation While the OM series is well-known for its small form-factor devices that could be easily deployed in large numbers anywhere in the house (but needed an enclosure if mounted outside), the A60 went a different road altogether from the design point of view, featuring a white rectangular case with rounded corners covered by a matte finish (it won’t retain any fingerprints). The A series retains pretty much every element that made the OM series great, but it also comes as an improvement in many respects: the access points can be used both indoors and outdoors (being able to survive extreme weather), they’re able to cover a larger area with WiFi, can handle a larger number of clients and do take advantage of the PoE 802.3af standard (while before, only the 12-24v passive PoE was supported).
Cloudtrax wired client update#
UPDATE : It’s been close to a year since I last tested and reviewed the Open Mesh A60, so it’s time to retest the wireless access point and see how it stands today after some significant firmware upgrades.
I actually had a look at one access point from the aforementioned series, namely the OM2P-HS, which had some interesting qualities, such as the ability to cover a large area with WiFi and the easy deployment, but the most important aspect was the implementation of the mesh technology (which was quite ahead of its time – only towards the end of the last year did we saw an increasing interest towards the mesh properties with the emergence of the mesh WiFi systems).
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