By Andrew Liszewski
I guess ‘cheap’ is a relative term but at $49 each these mini WiFi repeaters from Meraki are an extremely cost-effective way to expand the size of your wireless network. Each repeater is only about 4.5 by 2.5 inches in size and includes suction cups and adhesive pads for mounting (or hiding) anywhere in your home or office. But they do need a power adapter which probably limits where they can be placed.
The Mini currently supports 802.11 B & G wireless protocols and each one also includes a 10/100 auto-crossover ethernet port for connecting non-WiFi compatible hardware. (Like a network printer for example.) Another feature I particularly like is the included Dashboard online software. Not only does it allow you to manage your mesh network but you can also setup billing for other users and even plot out the location of your repeaters on Google Maps.
The Mini’s are currently available on the Meraki website for $49 each. They’re also available in sets of 3, 20 or 100 but it doesn’t look like there’s a discount for buying in bulk.
[ Meraki Mini ] VIA [ Popular Science ]
