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NETGEAR Wireless Access Point (WAX214)| WiFi 6 Dual-Band AX1800 Speed | 1 x 1G Ethernet PoE Port| WPA3 Security | Create Up to 4 Separate Wireless Networks |Ceiling and Wall Mount

£9.9£99Clearance
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On the front are four LED indicators, one each for the 2.4 and 5GHz frequencies, one for LAN connection and a fourth to indicate power. Although, logically, none of the first three lights would be on if the fourth wasn’t. First, you need to mount where you want to deliver the best coverage. Then connect a network cable to its only LAN port. Now connect the other end of the cable to a PoE port of a switch (or an injector), and you're all done with the hardware setup. The access point comes with a total of four virtual SSIDs (Wi-Fi network names). You can use each as a Dual-band or turn off one of the two bands. You can also make each as a Guest network or customize it with lots of options. Looking at these numbers, we’d only allocate a WAX214 to a maximum of 32 people, even if it can handle more in theory. The only part of the Nebula interface that needs some work is that it has a map that shows where the equipment resides. We’re unsure how it calculates this location, but ours was utterly wrong, placing the NWA90AX at least 80 miles away from where it resided.

For those using earlier technologies, WiFi 5, for example, a more realistic expectation is around 550Mbps. For home users, the local web interface might be a better choice, although the Nebula Cloud control works very nicely, albeit with a short time delay between cloud-initiated changes.Using an Ethernet cable, connect an Ethernet port on your computer to a LAN port on a switch or hub that is connected to your LAN. It’s theoretically capable of talking to up to 128 clients in total – 64 on the 2.4GHz band and 128 on the 5GHz band – but I wasn’t able to get anywhere close to simulating this level of activity when testing the WAX214 out in a domestic environment. I don’t even have 64 Wi-Fi-enabled devices to hand, let alone 128, so I can’t comment on how this stands up to maximum strain. Getting this equipment functioning should be easy since Zyxel has created a phone application to register the device to its management solution. I didn't expect much from the WAX214 regarding speeds, and the AP proved to deliver exactly what its specs suggested. It had decent Wi-Fi speeds in my testing, as shown in the Wi-Fi AP performance chart below. For AC (Wi-Fi 5) tests, a 4x4 client is used for the close range and a 3x3 client for the long range.

Netgear suggests that it can handle up to 128 devices simultaneously, but if you take 1800mbps and device it by 128, that’s only around 14mbps each or 1.7MB/s.The more significant performance issue for this hardware is that it can’t support many devices at this speed, and each subsequent device divides the amount of bandwidth to be shared by all. Measuring 160.9mm in width, depth, and 33.28mm in height, and weighing 380g, this access point is portable and can be conveniently placed and mounted. It comes with a single Ethernet LAN (RJ-45) port, allowing for a wired network connection, while its USB 2.0 ports quantity is zero, indicating it does not support USB connections.

Access points can shift four times that amount of data using extra frequencies and greater parallelism. But despite the enhanced throughput overall, they don’t offer substantially better performance to a single connected user. The price is hard not to like: €69 delivered in Europe, or closer to €80 since the VAT change in July. The access point comes with a mall setup booklet and a self-explanatory introduction printed on its underside. A typical PoE AP setup On paper, the 2.4GHz range is theoretically capable of 573.5Mbps throughput, and the 5GHz range another 1201Mbps, approximately explaining the AX1800 rating. By default, the access point supports four different SSIDs, enabling one each to be allocated for admin and guest accounts, plus two more for users.I generally agree with the comments on the AX3600, but would have a slightly more positive outlook. The web interface provides administrators with real-time statistics regarding those who are connected and the performance they’re experiencing, along with CPU loading and traffic levels. If the WAX214 isn’t providing the optimal service, the information provided here should point admins in the direction they need to adjust the configuration to smooth out the bumps. The management SSID is the “CONFIG-ONLY” SSID. The default WiFi passphrase for the management SSID is printed on the access point label.

It's important to note, though, that the SSIDs are virtual -- using more than one doesn't increase the bandwidth of the AP, and per Netgear, each WAX214 can handle up to 40 active devices simultaneously. That's more than enough for most homes. Netgear WAX214: Modest but reliable performance Powered by PoE and requires only a single Ethernet cable to power and connect it to the rest of the network — no AC plug or nearby outlet required. As a business AP, though, this no-power-adapter approach is quite normal. You can think of this as a way to cut costs since many businesses (and homes) already switch with multiple PoE ports. However, the amount of bandwidth on offer here is much less than the top-end routers have, making it unsuitable for locations where there are many users and devices.We’d have liked to have seen a 2.5Gbit LAN port, but that feature was reserved for the more expensive NWA110AX.

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