According to the latest statistics, more than 33 million Russians use broadband internet. Although subscriber base growth is slowing down, providers' revenues continue to grow, including by improving the quality of existing services and the emergence of new ones. Seamless Wi-Fi, IP-TV, "smart home" - for the development of these areas, operators need to switch from DSL to faster technologies and upgrade network equipment. In this post, we will detail what TP-Link has for ISPs and how we can help them.
internet development statistics
According to a study by TMT Consulting, in the 2nd quarter of 2019, the volume of the broadband Internet market in Russia reached 35,3 billion rubles, adding 3,8% compared to the previous year. Penetration has reached the level of 60%, while 70% of the 33,3 million private broadband subscribers are served by the five largest Russian providers:
- 11,9 million (36%) - Rostelecom;
- 3,8 million (12%) - ER-Telecom Holding;
- 3,35 million (10%) - MTS;
- 2,4 million (7%) - Beeline;
- 1,8 million (5%) - TransTeleCom (TTK).
At the same time, the growth rate of the subscriber base decreased: 1,6% in the second quarter of 2019 against 2,3% for the same period in 2018. The researchers state that the market has entered the saturation stage. Nevertheless, providers continue to increase profits. The level of average income per month per broadband subscriber has risen by 9 rubles - from 347 rubles in 2018 to 356 now. Income grew not only due to tariff increases. According to TMT Consulting, operators improve the quality of access, offer new services and services.
Providers confirm the findings. The press service of Rostelecom reports that high-speed fiber optic technologies are gradually replacing outdated DSL networks. This creates a technical basis for additional services - IPTV and others. Representatives of ER-Telecom also see potential for growth in relatively new niches for providers: "smart intercom", "digital television", as well as in the "smart city" and "digital country" projects.
Internet access, data for 2018
The Internet is penetrating deeper, the coverage is growing, and the quality of the services provided is improving. By the way, the national program "Digital Economy of the Russian Federation" states that by 2024, 97% of households in the country should have broadband access at a speed of 100 Mbps. The implementation of this task will require huge costs from providers. For example, Rostelecom intends to invest in new networks from 50 to 70 billion rubles. Only in the Northwestern Federal District will be laid 25,6 thousand km of fiber optic cable for 12,3 billion rubles!
For large and medium ISPs: factory customization and remote device management
Russian providers cannot do with tens of thousands of kilometers of optical fiber - they will need modern switches, routers, controllers, Wi-Fi access points, as well as transceivers, media converters, etc. One of our factories is exclusively engaged in the production of network devices and their customization.
In accordance with the tasks of the customer, we can change the firmware, equip the equipment with additional functions, or, on the contrary, limit its capabilities.
For ER-Telecom, Wi-Fi routers were specially modified - automatic selection of the IPv6 type was added for them. TR-069 vendor-specific nodes give the operator the ability to monitor the status and health of equipment for proactive service. Correction of the Wi-Fi driver made it possible to balance between 2,4 and 5 GHz chipsets, which led to a 2-fold increase in WLAN speed. Band Steering has also been improved.
Instructions, the appearance of the devices themselves and their packaging are also customized. The consumer can study the necessary information in Russian. Below are examples of customization of packages and cases for Russian providers:
Now we offer Internet providers three main models of Wi-Fi routers:
- TL-WR850N (Ethernet 100Mbps, 2,4GHz Wi-Fi 300Mbps).
- Archer C20 (Ethernet 100Mbps, 2,4GHz Wi-Fi 300Mbps, 5GHz Wi-Fi 433Mbps).
- Archer C5 (Ethernet 1Gbps, 2,4GHz Wi-Fi 300Mbps, 5GHz Wi-Fi 867Mbps).
All routers support IPv6, parental control, and TR-069 protocol, which allows the operator to remotely configure and manage end user devices. In accordance with modern standards, the equipment provides IGMP Proxy, bridge mode, 802.1Q TAG VLAN for IPTV service and guest network for separate guest access. In addition to the speed of Ethernet ports and Wi-Fi, Archer C5 features a USB 2.0 port that allows you to connect a 3G / 4G modem, as well as share files or media over the network.
TP-Link ACS Server for Remote Management
With the help of such a tool as the ACS server, the operator can immediately reflash all subscribers' routers, set certain restrictions on them, change settings, and so on - in general, customize devices on their own at any time at their discretion.
The Agile ACS home page provides a diagram of the device status. You can click on a section of the chart or an underlined number to view details.
The Devices table displays basic information about registered devices: serial number, model, software information, IP address, and so on. You can use filters to find specific devices that match your criteria.
On the tabs with information, you can view the current parameters and change them.
TR TREE displays information about the device node. In the search box, you can find a specific node and configure it.
You can expand the drop down menu to access more settings.
With this tool, you can not only monitor and configure a single device, but also make bulk firmware and configuration file updates with the ability to filter by application. ACS currently supports four models: Archer C5, Archer C20, TLWR840N and TL-WR850N.
ACS stores up to 800 MB of the latest logs. Once log files reach 100 MB, the system archives them. By default, you can view up to 200MB of the latest logs, including device ID, time, and log content.
In the System Settings section, you can view and change ACS configurations. In addition to the host IP address, which can be configured by the administrator, the system provides a permanent management IP address: 169.254.0.199.
For small providers: self-connection and customization
For local Internet companies that purchase small quantities of equipment, it is not profitable to order factory customization or obtain a license for ACS. For them, we have provided an alternative solution with which the basic settings of TP-Link routers are adapted to the specifics of the provider's network. A device customized using the Agile Config utility retains the modified firmware even after a hard reset - and users will not be able to “break” the network with an accidental reset. This significantly reduces the load on the operator's technical support department.
With Agile Config, you can change the SSID, WAN connection type, password, time zone, and language. You can set general exclusive settings for all TP-Link routers or make personal settings for each router. In addition, the utility allows you to brand the web interface - change the TP-Link logo to the provider's own logo. It is also planned to add blocking and hiding from the user of certain sensitive settings in Agile Config - for example, TR-069.
To get the utility, go through a simple registration procedure on the site. After verifying your email address, sign in to your account and fill in - enter your company information. The application will be reviewed within 24 hours, and you will be able to download the Agile Config components: Agile Server and ISP Generator.
Мы on the utility, where we tell you how to install and use it.
After installing the software on the computer, we connect to one of the routers in order to create general settings for installation on all devices. To do this, go to the router settings page and come up with a password: either a simple one, like admin, or something more complicated, in order to surely prohibit the user from accessing the settings. We set the necessary settings, set a new name and password for the Wi-Fi network. The settings are saved through the "Backup" section.
Separate settings for each router are set through the ISP Generator utility. To do this, we create the MAC.BIN.xls file - the program does this automatically - and then change the file by opening it in Excel. We indicate the MAC address of the router that is currently being configured (the data is indicated on the rear panel of the device), and other individual settings: login and password for accessing the web interface, for a PPPoE connection, for a Wi-Fi network. If you use a static IP address, you need to set its parameters here. To save the file, we again use the ISP Generator.
To apply the settings, we connect the router and the computer to any switch. On the computer, set a static IP address 192.168.66.10, the mask is the default. After that, we move both created files with settings to one folder. If you are going to brand the router, then place the logo and favicon there, the size of which should not exceed 6 KB.
Run the Agile Server utility as an administrator. In the Workspace field, specify the path to the folder with our files and click "OK", after which the service starts automatically. Agile Config supports TL-WR850N, Archer C20 and Archer C5 routers. The utility allows you to simultaneously flash a large pool of devices, the size of which is limited only by the number of switch ports.
Conclusion
If you talk in detail about all TP-Link equipment for Internet operators in one post, then you are unlikely to have the patience to read it to the end. Here we have introduced you only to the most popular TP-Link products and services among Russian providers - in fact, there are many more of them. The presented routers - given the possibility of factory customization and self-configuration using proprietary software - provide good access to broadband Internet and support for additional services. In sum, this will satisfy the needs of most Russian ISPs and consumers.
Our plans now include new Wi-Fi 6 devices, Mesh systems for Wi-Fi coverage without "dead zones" and other "heavyweight" devices for the growing needs of consumers. Be sure to tell Habr readers about these devices!
Source: habr.com