Review on 📶 EnGenius ENS500EXT-AC Technologies: High-Performance 5 GHz Outdoor 11AC Wave 2 Wireless Access Point by Todd Vesci

I am a former network engineer and have been using EnGenius Wi-Fi products for several years. I have previously installed an ENS500EXT (the previous generation of the ENS500EXT-AC in question) in a WDS bridge configuration spanning my 12-acre campus. The earlier model allowed access to the management IP address on the device over the Wi-Fi interface. This meant I could remotely access any device on my campus network using a wireless connection. With the new version of this product, you CANNOT ping, telnet or web interface the management IP address on the device while in WDS Bridge. Mode. You can only access the device's management IP address when it is physically connected with an Ethernet cable. So now instead of the remote I would have to go to the device and use a wired ethernet connection. Now tech support has only confirmed via email (shame on you EnGenius) that the management IP is not available in WDS bridge mode. I have no idea why I need a device on my network that I can't control remotely! Why would I put a "ghost" device on the network - they think it would be fun to look through a black hole for connection problems? I urge EnGenius to release a firmware update for the ENS500EXT-AC and fix this ridiculous oversight. In the meantime, I'm sending this unit back and looking for alternative hardware. It's a shame - these devices have worked quite well for me so far. Add abbreviated tech support to the equation and these guys will be forgotten in my opinion.