Finish EdgeRouter Post

_posts/networking/2014-07-15-unboxing-edgerouter-lite.md

@@ -90,7 +90,118 @@ The bottom of the router has four small rubber feet for setting the device on
 a flat surface.  Given the low weight of the device though it may want to slide
 once cables are connected though.  Across the center are the two mounting holes
 which are setup to allow vertical or horizontal mounting of the device.
+
 ![Router Bottom]({{ site.url }}/images/2014-07-15/RouterBottom.JPG)
 
-## Initial Setup & Software
-IN PROGRESS...
+## Initial Setup
+The quick start guide covers the basic details of the device and what the lights
+mean.  The guide also suggest using CAT 5 or better cable (I recommend CAT 5e or 6).
+Instructions for wall mounting are provided with the screw spacing and clearance.
+Overall the guide is well written and illustrated.
+
+Powering up the unit results in the green light on the `CONSOLE` port turning on,
+this light is used as a power indicator as stated in the quick start guide.  For
+initial setup a computer needs to be connected to the `eth0` port and configured
+with a static IP in the `192.168.1.x` range.  Then by opening a browser and pointing
+it to `192.168.1.1` the web interface of the router is reached.
+I received the yellow SSL security warning page in chrome, however I choose to
+ignore the warning. This then results in a login screen with a license agreement.
+At this screen the default username and password of `ubnt` is used to continue.
+
+![Login Page]({{ site.url }}/images/2014-07-15/Login.PNG)
+
+Upon logging in the dashboard is reached.
+
+![Initial Dashboard]({{ site.url }}/images/2014-07-15/InitialDashboard.PNG)
+
+Since a new system image is available I download it off of the Ubiquiti site at
+http://ubnt.com/download/  The current version is `v1.50`, installed was `v1.20`.
+To update the firmware, the `system` tab at the bottom of the web UI is clicked
+which brings up a panel, scrolling down to the bottom of the panel reveals the
+`Upgrade System Image` section. I admit this threw me off for a few seconds as
+I was expecting the upgrade to be in a tab at the top right or in the toolbox,
+but instead is at the bottom left.  This position however is fine as system
+settings will not be adjusted as frequently.
+
+![System Panel]({{ site.url }}/images/2014-07-15/SystemPanel.PNG)
+
+After uploading the new firmware the router prompts to reboot.  After waiting for
+the router to reboot and logging back in the, the dashboard is reached. A few
+minor things have changed, the indicator at the top of the page now works and
+shows the port, CPU, and RAM usage.  Additionally now there are `Firewall/NAT`,
+`VPN`, and `Wizard` tabs.
+
+![Dashboard]({{ site.url }}/images/2014-07-15/Dashboard.PNG)
+
+Since I am using the router as a simple home networking router with one WAN and
+one LAN port I will use the setup wizard to get started. I select the `WAN+2LAN`
+wizard. The wizard is fairly straightforward, since I am using a DHCP connection
+I leave everything with the defaults and select Apply. Since the router is only
+connected to my computer the internet connectivity test fails.  I decide to finish
+setting up the router before swapping it out with my existing one.
+
+![Wizard]({{ site.url }}/images/2014-07-15/Wizard.PNG)
+
+As recommended by Ubiquiti, I add a new user to the router and remove the old `ubnt`
+user.  This is accomplished via the `Users` tab.
+
+![Users Tab]({{ site.url }}/images/2014-07-15/UsersTab.PNG)
+
+At this point I configure a few of the options specific to my setup such as the
+system hostname and domain.  Additionally I use the UPnP wizard to setup UPnP on my first
+local network `eth0` to WAN `eth1`. Now I replace my existing pfSense router with
+the EdgeRouter Lite.
+
+## Using the EdgeRouter
+I am not going to go into as much detail in this section as there are many options,
+which can be set.  After replacing my old router and confirming internet connectivity,
+I worked to tweak the last few settings and test out the performance of the
+router. After running some speed tests the router was still able to max my bandwidth
+(50Mbps/10Mpbs Comcast) which is really no surprise.
+
+The software interface is much nicer looking than most routers and is pretty
+responsive, although saving settings takes some time.  Configuring the DHCP settings
+and static leases is very straightforward. Firewall configuration is about the
+same level of difficulty and granularity as pfSense which is good for advanced
+users but may confuse those who are beginners or average users.  The good news
+is without adjusting the firewall the WAN connection works fine, and port forwarding
+is very straightforward.
+
+![Port Forwarding]({{ site.url }}/images/2014-07-15/PortForwarding.PNG)
+
+Although most features are comparable to pfSense, the EdgeRouter appears to be
+missing a few configuration options which pfSense has, now this may be that they
+are buried in the UI or available via CLI only.  These features are mainly more
+advanced and not required by probably 80-90% of users.  I'll go into more detail
+in the follow up review.
+
+## Closing thoughts
+The device seems built well, looks good (well as good as I want a router to look),
+and seems to preform as well as my old pfSense setup.  Preliminary measurements
+put power consumption at 7.7W (Kill-a-Watt).  This power consumption is about 1/7 of the pfSense
+setup.  As a size comparison the old pfSense system and the EdgeRouter Lite side
+by side is shown below. (pfSense system is Intel Core 2 Duo, 1GB RAM, 32GB SSD,
+1 Integrated 1Gb NIC, and 1 PCIE Intel 1Gb NIC.)
+
+![Size Comparison]({{ site.url }}/images/2014-07-15/SizeComparison.JPG)
+
+The web UI is fairly easy to use and so far all options which I want to
+configure can be easily changed without using the CLI.  After running the device
+for this setup and using it "in production" it runs a bit on the warm side, but
+is approximately what I would expect for this type of equipment (seems about the
+same temp as my Motorola Surfboard cable modem).  As of right now I think this
+EdgeRouter Lite is a capable home networking and possible SMB router with a good
+set of features.
+
+| Area        | Score      |
+|-------------|------------|
+| Physical    | 9/10       |
+| Setup       | 9/10       |
+| Ease of Use | 8/10       |
+| Features    | 8/10       |
+| **Average** | **8.5/10** |
+
+Overall the Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite is a very solid product and still has active
+development of the firmware after over a year of being released, which is hard
+to say about many other routers.  This is a recommended product for anyone who
+doesn't mind learning a small amount about networking.