Continuing our ongoing series of 802.11ac reviews, we put four new access points to the test, bringing our total to 13. This time around, we looked at products from Linksys, Xclaim, Amped and ZyXel, using the same test-bed and methods as our last review.
The Linksys LAPAC1750PRO, which is targeted at SMBs, performed the best in the throughput tests and was a feature-rich product. The Amped Wireless access point was a close second in the speed tests and is a solid business-class access point.
Next was the Xclaim unit, which did well given it’s a two stream (2×2) access point, whereas the others are three stream (3×3). This new brand, which was started by Ruckus Wireless, and is targeted towards small office or home office (SOHO) environments, tries to simplify small wireless network administration, but it doesn’t offer documentation or flexible admin access.
Coming in last in our throughput tests was the ZyXEL unit. However, it is targeted towards enterprises and has a number of advanced features in the areas of configuration, management and security.
Here are the individual reviews (watch a slideshow version of this story):
Amped Wireless APR175P
Targeted at the SMB market, the Amped Wireless APR175P bills itself as a high-power long range access point. Priced at $299.99, it is a dual-band three stream (3×3) 802.11ac access point, offering theoretical data rates up to 1,300Mbps for 802.11ac. In our testing, the maximum throughput was 335.6Mbps.
This is the only access point in the review that sports external antennas, which provides for either ceiling or wall mounting. In addition to the three 3dBi gain external antenna, it packs a total of six high power amplifiers and six wireless reception (low noise) amplifiers. Its white plastic casing measures approximately 7 square and 1 ¼ inches high, excluding the external antennas.
This Amped Wireless access point has more of a router look and feel. On the top/front, the unit has LED status lights—eight in all—for pretty much every component. Then on one of the sides are all the ports and buttons: power switch, WPS button, reset button, USB port, USB eject button, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, an Ethernet console port, and the AC power jack. One of the Gigabit Ethernet ports is a non-PoE port for LAN connection and the other is PoE capable and can be used for a WAN or LAN connection.
The unit came with an AC adapter, mounting kit, and a relatively big Setup Guide. When you power on the access point, it tries to get an IP via DHCP before setting itself with a default static IP. When you bring up the web-based configuration GUI, you won’t find a setup wizard, but the process is straightforward and you can click a button on each page for an explanation of the settings.
This access point is the only one in the review that supports a router mode among the typical access point and WDS wireless modes. Additionally, it’s the only one that specifically touts being long range and high-power at 500mW output.
The built-in controller functionality supports the central management of up to seven access points. Once you enable an access point to be the AP Controller or Managed access point, the GUI menu is changed, adding new settings for configuring the managed access points. Those you set up as Managed access points will automatically sync with the AP Controller once you make the setting change in the GUI. On both the AP Controller and Managed access points, you can override specific settings of individual access points if needed.
This access point allows you to create up to 32 SSIDs with VLAN support. Among the usual access point features, this unit offers simple load balancing and an intrusion detection system (when in router mode). It also offers an internal RADIUS server supporting the PEAP and TLS methods of 802.1X authentication, enabling the use of the Enterprise mode of WPA2 security.
The access point also provides some convenient features not seen in many access points. A graphical mapping and analytics feature is available when running in the AP Controller mode. You can add floor plan maps, place access points on the map, and visualize coverage better. The access point also allows you to locate the units throughout the building by initializing an audible alarm and LED flashing via the GUI.
Overall, we found this Amped Wireless AP offers some great features, but would be even better if it had captive portal and band steering functionally. In the throughput testing, the access point came in second out of the four access points in this review and sixth out of the 13 APs that we’ve reviewed.
Linksys LAPAC1750PRO
The Linksys LAPAC1750PRO is targeted towards small and midsized businesses (SMB) and is priced at $499.99. It is a dual-band three stream (3×3) 802.11ac access point, offering theoretical data rates up to 1,300Mbps for 802.11ac. In our testing, it maxxed out at 436.3Mbps.
The front of the Linksys unit only bears a single large LED light, which can change colors to indicate different statuses. This Linksys unit is a ceiling or wall mount type with a look similar to a smoke detector, but its white plastic body is hexagon shaped with curved corners. It’s roughly 9 ½ inches round and less than 2 inches high and weighs just over a pound. Inside the unit are three 4.4 dBi internal antennas for 2.4GHz and three 5.2 dBi gain antennas for 5GHz. On the back of the unit are two PoE Gigabit Ethernet ports (one with PoE), AC power jack, and a small reset button.
In the box, you’ll find an AC power adapter, Ethernet cable, Quick Start Guide, CD with full documentation, and mounting kit. During configuration, we found this Linksys unit first tries to get an IP via DHCP, and if not found it uses a default static IP. Once we logged into the web-based interface, we found a typical tabbed GUI. Though we weren’t met with a setup wizard, configuration was straightforward and clicking the Help link would bring up a full explanation of each setting.
When using the Cluster feature, you can centrally manage up to 16 access points using the built-in controller functionality. Once you enable the clustering feature on one access point, other access points will join that cluster. You can centrally change the configuration settings of the cluster via any access point in the cluster. To view status and logs of a particular access point or to configure some individual settings that aren’t synced, you must bring up that particular access point’s web-based GUI. There’s not an ability to override the settings that are synced among the cluster on individual access points.
During our evaluation, we found this unit supports the use of up to 16 SSIDs with VLAN support. In addition to traditional AP mode, you can use the unit in WDS and workgroup bridge modes. Its Captive Portal feature supports guest, local, and external RADIUS authentication and can do URL redirection upon authentication.
We were pleased that this access point supports rogue access point detection, band steering, and beamforming. It also has basic load balancing functionality provided by their Bandwidth Utilization feature. The Packet Capture feature allows you to remotely collect the wireless packets seen by the access point with the ability to filter out beacons, filter using a MAC address, and ability to capture in promiscuous mode.
There’s not much to complain about on this Linksys access point. It’s feature-rich and did well in the throughput tests coming in first out of these four access points and fifth overall.
Xclaim Xi-3
The Xclaim Xi-3 from Ruckus Wireless retails for $199 and is targeted towards small businesses and small office/home office (SOHO) environments and to the non-IT users. It’s the only two stream (2×2) access point in this review, thus naturally offering lower maximum data rates than the other access points: up to 867Mbps for 802.11ac. It hit 315.7Mbps in our testing.
The Xclaim unit has a look and feel between a consumer router and a business access point. It has a white body measuring just over 6 inches square with a height of about 1 ½ inches. Weighing under a pound, this unit is the lightest of the access points in this round-up. Inside are two dual-band antennas, 3 dBi gain for 2.4 GHz and 4 dBi for 5 GHz.
On the back/bottom of the access point you’ll find one PoE LAN port, a secondary Ethernet port, small reset button, and an AC power jack. On the back/bottom of the Xclaim access point are the typical access point ports and buttons. Along with the unit in the box, you’ll find a PoE injector, mounting kit, and a simple getting started guide.
Unlike most other business-class products, this unit is primarily designed to be setup and managed via a mobile app, called Harmony for Xclaim. It’s available for both iOS and Android devices, and allows you to configure the access point settings when connected to the same Wi-Fi network. There is traditional web-based admin access provided, which you can login locally or remotely. Additionally, according to Xclaim, cloud-based configuration is coming in the future with a software update.
Upon the first opening of the Harmony app, it prompts you to create an admin password, SSID, and a passphrase for the wireless security. Once in the app, you can further modify the wireless settings and create any additional SSIDs.
To setup access points, it searches for and lists all the Xclaim access points on the network you’re currently connected to. You can click on each access point to set them up, giving them a name, location, IP details, channel info, and assign them to the desired WLAN(s).
This Xclaim unit only provides the traditional AP mode; no WDS or wireless bridging supported. The built-in controller functionality offers central management via the mobile app with a recommended maximum of 10 access points. You can create up to four SSIDs per access point with VLAN support. As far as advanced features, the unit has band steering, an enhanced QoS functionality called automatic traffic prioritization, and a feature called airtime fairness to help curve the negative impact from older or slower devices.
Beyond the very basic network and access point settings, you’ll only find a couple settings to configure: SSID broadcasting, VLAN ID, client isolation, and bandwidth limits (up and down link). Currently you won’t find other advanced settings or the ability to use the enterprise mode of Wi-Fi security.
The streamlined configuration interface of the Xclaim products might first appear more user-friendly by non-IT people than the typical web-based GUI of other business-class access points and routers. However, without any documentation on how to use the app or any explanation of the settings, I could see non-IT people actually being confused. They may not understand the few settings that are configurable with the app. Xclaim has an online public forum where you may find answers to your questions, but we don’t see this as an acceptable replacement for official documentation or support.
ZyXEL WAC6503D-S
The ZyXel WAC6503D-S, priced at $899, is targeted towards the enterprise-level market. It is a three stream (3×3) 802.11ac access point and is from their Smart Antenna series. Like the other three stream access points, this unit offers theoretical data rates up to 1,300Mbps for 802.11ac and 450Mbps for 802.11n. However, in our testing, it only reached 232.6Mbps.
Each of the three units in the WAC6500 series are designed for ceiling mounting, with the smoke detector look and feel. The circular housing measures about 9 inches in diameter and about 2.5 inches high. This unit weighs in at just over two pounds. The particular unit we tested has three internal antennas per band, with 4dBi gain for 24GHz and 6dBi for 5GHz.
On the front/top of the access point you’ll find seven LED status lights. On the back/bottom you’ll find three Ethernet ports: PoE port for uplink, secondary LAN port, and one for console access. You’ll find a small reset button and AC power jack as well.
In the box you’ll find a Quick Start Guide and mounting kit in addition to the access point. No AC adapter or PoE injector is included; they must be purchased separately if needed.
When you plug the access point into the network, it tries to get an IP address before auto assigning itself a default address. If their separate WLAN controller is on the network in the same subnet, the access point will automatically provision itself. When configuring in standalone AP mode, you’ll find a typical enterprise looking GUI with profile-based configuration. It has an online help link on the header of each page, but it doesn’t open directly to the details on current page.
This is the only access point in this round-up review that doesn’t have built-in controller functionality. A separate NXC Series WLAN controller is required for full central management capabilities. However, there are two PC applications provided by ZyXEL free of charge that allow some management and batch configuration capabilities without a separate controller: the ZyXEL One Network Utility (ZON Utility) and ZyXEL AP Configurator.
In addition to the regular AP mode, this access point currently supports WDS and a monitor mode for rogue access point detection. In the future with a firmware upgrade, the access point will support an interesting wireless mesh technology they call ZyMesh when used with their WLAN controller.
This ZyXEL AP supports up to 16 SSIDs with VLAN support. It has load balancing and band steering functionality. It also has a built-in rouge access point detection feature, but requires exclusive use of either radio. There’s no built-in captive portal on the access point, but it is supported when using their separate WLAN controller.
This AP series has what the company calls its Smart Antenna technology, which dynamically chooses the best of more than 700 antenna patterns to use for transmitting to individual clients. The goal is to optimize the physical-layer paths in order to increase performance and reduce interference. Basically they say it’s a better alternative to beamforming as their technology doesn’t rely on client support.
The ZyXEL Wireless Optimizer (ZWO) software is also provided free of charge by the vendor, which is a mapped-based Wi-Fi simulation, planning, and surveying tool compatible with their access points. It’s their proprietary software, basically a very simplified version of other surveying tools like AirMagnet Survey and Ekahau Site Survey.
Although this ZyXEL access point didn’t perform well in our throughput tests, it’s comparable to other enterprise-class access points in regards to the price and feature-set. Though it doesn’t have built-in controller functionality, it can be used in standalone mode without requiring a separate controller.
How we tested 802.11ac Access Point performance
As in our most previous review, we used IxChariot to run throughput tests on the access points with the same three clients:
- ASUS PCE-AC66 Dual-band Wireless PCI-E Adapter (three stream 802.11ac) connected inside the Windows 7 PC, using the provided antennas attached directly to the adapter on the back of the PC tower rather than using their base extender.
- Netgear A6200 (two stream 802.11ac) plugged into a USB 2.0 port on the back of the same Windows 7 PC.
- Samsung Galaxy S5 (two stream 802.11ac) Android phone sat on top of the same PC during testing.
On the access points, we enabled WPA2/AES security and 80 MHz channel-width support, and set the 5Ghz channel to 153. All wired connections between the access points, wireless controllers, and testing endpoints were made via Gigabit Ethernet with Cat-6 cables. These connections were all tested and confirmed to be running near Gigabit speeds. During the testing, the distance between the access points and clients was about 25 feet with one wall and a closet partially blocking the line of sight (both made of drywall material).
We ran the tests with the IxChariot High_Performance_Throughput.scr script for one minute with each client individually in the 5GHz band. We simultaneously tested both the TCP uplink (client to access point) and downlink (access point to client), which we add to show the total simultaneous throughput. We ran each access point/client test three times and recorded the average and maximum throughput for each.
Eric Geier is a freelance tech writer. Through On Spot Techs he provides Wi-Fi design and site surveying services. He’s also the founder of NoWiresSecurity, a cloud-based Wi-Fi security service.
