WiFi 6 Access Points For Small Enterprises Comparison Chart
Last updated on July 23rd, 2021
WiFi 6 AP For SMB, small enterprises, smaller branch offices, retail units, small and medium coffee shops and other such spaces without mission critical requirements are compared against 17 parameters in this article.
What is WiFi 6 / 802.11ax ?
802.11ax is the latest iteration of IEEE WiFi standard. It has been released with the core ideal of making WiFi more efficient, than making it more faster. 802.11ax is a standard that works with both the existing 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz unlicensed bands. Moreover 802.11ax will be compatible with the upcoming 6 GHz band that is getting unlicensed across major markets around the world.
Wi-Fi 6 is the marketing name given to those products and networks that support 802.11ax standard by Wi-Fi Alliance, a body which certifies WiFi products and devices. Similarly, Wi-Fi Alliance has renamed 802.11ac as Wi-Fi 5 and 802.1n as Wi-Fi 4 for easy reference.
If you are on the verge of deciding access points for your Enterprise WLAN that has a hardware refresh cycle of 4-5 years or longer, it would be very reasonable to consider WiFi 6 right now. WiFi 6 clients are already flooding the market and by the end of 2021, a good chunk of WLAN users can be expected to have WiFi 6 compatible devices. WiFi 6 can be expected to give great relief to users in offices operating in dense corporate buildings facing heavy interference.
WiFi 5 Vs WiFi 6 Comparison
| Property | WiFi 5 Wave 2 | WiFi 6 Wave 1 |
|---|---|---|
| OFDMA | Not Available | Yes (Uplink and Downlink) |
| MU-MIMO | Optional Feature | Yes (Downlink) |
| Target Wakeup Time (TWT) | Not Available | Yes |
| Modulation | 256 QAM | 1024 QAM |
| Transmit Beamforming | Optional | Yes (4 SS and above) |
>Related Post< Cisco Access Point For Home & Hotel Rooms
Entry-level budget WiFi 6 AP for SMB
We have earlier made a performance based mega comparison of top WiFi 6 indoor access points from 16 vendors in another post. Here we are diving deep into the Entry-level performance segment.
We have considered the following starter WiFi 6 (Certified and Non-certified) dual band Enterprise access points from leading Enterprise WLAN vendors for comparison.
These access points are meant for smaller installations with lighter usage needs. They expectedly contain 2×2:2 radios. Hence these access points should not be considered for mission critical operations requiring heavy-duty performance under demanding conditions.
More WiFi certified products from leading vendors will be added to the below table as they become available.
>Related Post< Aruba Remote Access Point Models Comparison
Entry-level WiFi 6 Enterprise AP Comparison
| Property | Aruba AP 505 | Cisco 9105 AXI | Extreme AP 305C | Meraki AP MR36 | Ruckus AP R550 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Image |  |  |  |  |  |
| Radio Hardware | 2.4 GHz Radio: (2x2:2) 5 GHz Radio: (2x2:2) BLE 5/Zigbee Radio | 2.4 GHz Radio: (2x2:2) 5 GHz Radio: (2x2:2) BLE 5 Radio | 2.4 GHz Radio: (2x2:2) 5 GHz Radio: (2x2:2) BLE 5 | 2.4 GHz: (2x2:2); 5 GHz: (2x2:2) ; Dedicated 2.4/5 GHz WIDS/WIPS Spectrum/Location Analytics Radio; BLE Radio | 2.4 GHz Radio: (2x2:2) 5 GHz Radio: (2x2:2) BLE 5/Zigbee Radio |
| Wireless Feature | Concurrent Dual Band (2.4 GHz/5 Ghz) | Concurrent Dual Band (2.4 GHz/5 Ghz) | Concurrent Dual Band (2.4 GHz/5 Ghz), Dual 5 GHz | Concurrent Dual Band (2.4 GHz/5 Ghz) | Concurrent Dual Band (2.4 GHz/5 Ghz) |
| IoT Support | BLE 5.0, 802.15.4(Zigbee) | Bluetooth BLE 5.0, Container support for IoT applications | BLE 5.0 | BLE 5.0 | BLE 5.0, 802.15.4(Zigbee) |
| Data Speed | Upto 1.774 Gbps (5 GHz:1.2 Gbps, 2.4 GHz:574 Mbps) | Upto 1.488 Gbps (2.4 GHz & 5 GHz combined) | Upto 1.774 Gbps (5 GHz:1.2 Gbps, 2.4 GHz:574 Mbps) | Upto 1.773 Gbps (5 GHz:1.2 Gbps, 2.4 GHz:573 Mbps) | Upto 1.774 Gbps (5 GHz:1.2 Gbps, 2.4 GHz:574 Mbps) |
| Resource Utilization | OFDMA, MU-MIMO (Downlink), Aruba Air Slice™ | OFDMA, MU-MIMO (Downlink), BSS Coloring | OFDMA, MU-MIMO (Downlink) | OFDMA, MU-MIMO (Uplink/Downlink), BSS Coloring, | OFDMA, MU-MIMO (Downlink), SmartMesh, Adaptive Band Balancing |
| User Experience | ClientMatch, Passpoint®, Wi-Fi Agile Multiband™, WMM®, | iOS Fast Lane, Wi-Fi Agile Multiband™, WMM® | Wi-Fi Agile Multiband™, WMM® | Wi-Fi Agile Multiband™, WMM®, L7 Packet inspection for QoS | Passpoint®, Wi-Fi Agile Multiband™, WMM®, ChannelFly, Wi-Fi Vantage™, Airtime Fairness, SmartRoam |
| Interference Handling | Transmit Beamforming, Aruba Advanced Cellular Co-existence | Transmit Beamforming | Transmit Beamforming, Cellular Coexistence Filter (CCF) | Transmit Beamforming, Auto RF Optimization using dedicated radio | Transmit Beamforming, Beamflex +, Spectrum Analyzer |
| Security | WPA3, WPA2 (MPSK), Trusted Platform Module, IPsec VPN Tunnel, Wi-Fi Enhanced Open™ | WPA3, WPA2, Wi-Fi Enhanced Open™, OEAP (OfficeExtend Access Point) | WPA3, WPA2, Trusted Platform Module Chip,L2-L7 DPI firewall | Integrated Layer 7 firewall, WIDS/WIPS, WPA3 | WPA3, WPA2, Wi-Fi Enhanced Open™, WIPS/WIDS |
| AP Operating Modes | Insta AP, Controller Based | Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC) , Virtual Wireless Controller, Hardware controllers | ExtremeCloud™ IQ managed | Meraki cloud controller | Unleashed (Controller-less) and controller based |
| Ethernet Ports | 1x1Gbps Ethernet Ports, | 1x1G Uplink Ethernet Port (PoE) | 1x1Gbps Ethernet Ports, | 1x1Gbps Ethernet Ports | 2 x 1Gbps Ethernet ports ( 1 PoE, 1 non-PoE) |
| Other Ports | 1 USB 2.0 port Type A; 1 serial console port | 1xRJ45 Console Port | 1 USB 2.0 port Type A, Micro USB console port | - | 1 USB 2.0 port Type A |
| Antenna | Internal(AP-505) ; External(AP-504): Two female RP-SMA connectors provisioned | Internal | Internal(AP-305C): 3 No's of dual band & 1 No. of 5 Ghz antenna External(AP-305 CX): 4 male RP-SMA connectors provisioned | Internal | Internal |
| Power-up Options | PoE 802.3af/at, 12 V DC | 802.3af (PoE) | PoE 802.3af/at | PoE 37-57 Volt (802.3af), 12 V DC input | PoE 802.3af/at, 12 V DC |
| Max Power Consumption | Without/With USB :11.0W / 16.5W. | 11W (802.3af) | 11.28 W (w/o USB), 15.78W with USB 5V/0.9A load | 15W max (802.3af) | 18.71W PoE+ (with USB & full functionality) |
| Green Features (Energy Saving) | Green AP, Target Wake Time, WMM®-Power Save | Target Wake Time (TWT), WMM® - Power Save | WMM®-Power Save, Light/Power sensor | TWT, Unscheduled Automatic Power Save Delivery (U-APSD) | Target Wake Time (TWT) |
| Certified Wi-Fi Standards | Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6™, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ a/b/g/n/ac, | Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ a/b/g/n/ ( (As on 28th Oct 2020, Wi-Fi Alliance Website) | Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6™, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ a/b/g/n/ac | Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6™, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ a/b/g/n/ac | Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6™, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ a/b/g/n/ac, |
| Safety Compliance | UL2043 Plenum rated, FCC/ISED, CE, 2014/53/EU, 2014/30/EU, 2014/35/EU, UL/IEC/EN 60950, EN 60601-1-1, 60601-1-2 | UL 2043, UL/EN/IEC 60950-1, UL/CUL/EN/IEC 62368-1 | UL2043 Plenum rated, USA/IEC/EN/AS/NZS 62368/60950-1, IEC/EN 60601-1-2 | UL 2043, CSA/CB 60950 & 62368 | UL2043 Plenum rated, EN 62311, EN 60950-1, 60601-1-2 |
| Manufacturer Quote | “Cost-effective Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) for medium-density indoor environments” | "Perfect for networks of all sizes, the Catalyst 9105 Access Points scale to meet the growing demands of IoT while fully supporting the latest innovations" | "Priced for the mass-market, this enterprise-grade access point is ideal for budget-conscious enterprises who do not want to sacrifice performance" | “Dual-band, 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 access point delivering high efficiency wireless for future-proof deployments” | “ideal combination of increased capacity, improved coverage and affordability in dense environments” |
>Related Post< Best WiFi 6 Outdoor Access Points 2021
Note: All product/company/standards names are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.The product features mentioned in this article are not exhaustive. For the full list of features and capabilities, kindly contact the manufacturer or its local representative in your region.
