The Best Wi-Fi 6 Access Points For 2023

The Best Wi-Fi 6 Access Point Pinterest Pin

These days more and more devices we buy come with Wi-Fi 6. Wi-Fi 6 is faster and more stable than previous standards. Do you have Wi-Fi 6 in your home so you can take advantage of the speeds your devices are capable of? If not, you have two choices. You can upgrade your router to Wi-Fi 6, or you can keep your router and upgrade to or add a Wi-Fi 6 access point. Here are the best Wi-Fi 6 access points.

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Why you want Wi-Fi 6 in your home

Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax, became the latest Wi-Fi standard in 2019. The 6 stands for it being the sixth major generational update for Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi 6 is backward compatible with previous Wi-Fi standards.

Wi-Fi 6 is nearly three times faster than the previous fastest Wi-Fi standard. However, it isn’t all about speed. It also is better able to handle multiple devices simultaneously. Some people have slow Wi-Fi because they have too many Wi-Fi devices, not because their Wi-Fi isn’t fast enough.

Wi-Fi 6 Benefits
Wi-Fi 6 Benefits

Wi-Fi 6 certification also requires the latest security standard, WPA3. So, any router you buy with Wi-Fi 6 will be as secure as current Wi-Fi standards allow.

Most new phones and computers support this standard. The latest iPad ProAmazon Fire TV 4K Max, and PlayStation 5 console all support it.

The bottom line is that Wi-Fi 6 is a great way to improve your home network.

Note: There is also a Wi-Fi 6E standard, which extends Wi-Fi 6 to work at the 6 GHz spectrum (regular Wi-Fi 6 works at 2.4 and 5 GHz), which essentially enables faster speeds, lower latencies, and less Wi-Fi congestion. Wi-Fi 6E devices are just starting to appear. This article will focus on Wi-Fi 6 routers, but it will note which ones also support Wi-Fi 6E.

Why get a Wi-Fi 6 access point instead of a router?

I previously wrote an article about the top Wi-Fi 6 routers. However, if you are happy with everything about your router except for its lack of Wi-Fi 6 capability you can just add an access point to your network environment.

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Or, maybe you have a weak or dead Wi-Fi area in your home. You can extend and strengthen your Wi-Fi by adding Wi-Fi access points.

My pfSense router doesn’t provide Wi-Fi. I utilize Wi-Fi access points to provide all of the Wi-Fi to my home. That way, I can upgrade my Wi-Fi and my router separately.

So in short you would get a Wi-Fi 6 access point instead of a new Wi-Fi 6 router when:

  • You don’t want to replace your router
  • You want to extend and/or strengthen the Wi-Fi in your home

The best Wi-Fi 6 access point for most people

Sale
TP-Link EAP610 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚-𝐒𝐥𝐢𝐦 Wireless Access Point for Business | Omada True Wi-Fi 6 AX1800 | DC Adapter Included | Mesh, Seamless Roaming, WPA3, MU-MIMO | Remote & App Control | PoE+ Powered
  • 【𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚-𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐖𝐢-𝐅𝐢 𝟔 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬】Designed with the latest wireless Wi-Fi 6 technology featuring 1024-QAM and Long OFDM Symbol, the EAP610 boosts dual-band Wi-Fi speeds up to 1800 Mbps. With 4 Spatial streams, multi-user throughput is incredibly increased to drive more applications.
  • 【𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚-𝐒𝐥𝐢𝐦 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧】Compact design ensures simple installation while saving space. The elegant appearance makes EAP610 V2 a perfect blend into any modern office, hotel, classroom, or café.

If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I’m a big fan of TP-Link’s access points. Over the years I’ve used their Wi-Fi 5 EAP 225/245 access points (which are still good options if you don’t need Wi-Fi 6) and I currently own and have reviewed their EAP 610 access point. Just keep in mind, the V2 is the smaller, slightly more expensive version (and the one I recommend). The V1 is great too and has all the same features, but it is much larger.

The Omada controller is especially great if you want to manage multiple access points, switches, routers, etc. from one interface.

Reasons to buyReasons to look elsewhere
Integration with Omada SDN controller“Only” 1 Gbps ethernet
Power over Ethernet (PoE) support
Easy configuration
Small
Supports mesh Wi-Fi

The best budget Wi-Fi 6 access point

NETGEAR WiFi 6 Access Point (WAX214) – Dual-Band PoE Access Point AX1800 Wireless Speed | 1 x 1G Ethernet PoE Port | Up to 128 Devices | 802.11ax | WPA3 Security | MU-MIMO | Power Adapter Not Included
  • Easy to install in a retail store, business lobby, or any location where you want a dedicated, secure WiFi network.
  • Dual-Band AX1800 speed and capacity, coupled with MU-MIMO technology, supports up to 128 client devices.

The Netgear WAX214 access point is well-reviewed and well-regarded. If you are looking for a basic, easy-to-configure access point this should be on your shortlist. It is affordable and has a good web interface that most people find easy to use. Note that it doesn’t come with a power adapter. You either have to use it with a PoE-capable switch or router or buy an adapter or PoE injector.

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Reasons to buyReasons to look elsewhere
Inexpensive“Only” 1 Gbps ethernet
Power over Ethernet (PoE) supportDoesn’t come with a power adapter (you must use PoE or buy a separate adapter or injector)
Easy configuration
Small

The best premium Wi-Fi 6 access point

Sale
TP-Link EAP660 HD | Omada WiFi 6 AX3600 Wireless 2.5G Access Point for High-Density Deployment | OFDMA, Mesh, Seamless Roaming & MU-MIMO | SDN Integrated | Cloud Access & Omada App | PoE+ Powered
  • 【Ultra-Fast True Wi-Fi 6 Speeds】Designed with the latest wireless Wi-Fi 6 technology featuring 1024QAM and Long OFDM Symbol, the EAP660 HD boosts dual-band Wi-Fi speeds up to 3550 Mbps. With 8 Spatial streams, multi-user throughput is incredibly increased to drive more applications.
  • 【High-Density Connectivity】OFDMA and Uplink & Downlink MU-MIMO increase network capacity by up to 4× versus Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) in high-density environments to connect more devices simultaneously.

The TP-Link EAP 660HD has pretty much everything a home consumer is looking for. It has 4 spatial streams, a powerful processor, and a good amount of RAM to easily support fast connections for 100+ clients. Like the recommended EAP 610 and the EAP 620 (here’s my review of the TP-Link EAP 620), the EAP 660HD supports the great Omada SDN controller, which makes managing multiple TP-Link access points, switches, and routers a snap while adding many additional features.

The only downside to the EAP 660HD is that it is very large. That will probably be corrected in a future hardware revision, much like the updates EAP 610 and EAP 620 received.

Reasons to buyReasons to look elsewhere
Fast, with a quad-core processorLarge
Power over Ethernet (PoE) support
Easy configuration
Integration with Omada SDN controller
2.5Gbps ethernet port
Supports mesh Wi-Fi

Other Wi-Fi access points to consider

Luckily, there are many suitable Wi-Fi 6 access points out there. While the above are the three that I recommend, you should also look into the following popular models:

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# Preview Product Price
1 Meraki Go Indoor WiFi 6 Access Point | Cloud Managed | PoE | Cisco [GR12-HW-US] Meraki Go Indoor WiFi 6 Access Point | Cloud Managed | PoE | Cisco [GR12-HW-US] $242.58 $166.25Amazon Prime
2 Grandstream GWN7660 WiFi 6 Indoor Access Point Grandstream GWN7660 WiFi 6 Indoor Access Point $97.95 $93.50Amazon Prime
3 TP-Link EAP610 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚-𝐒𝐥𝐢𝐦 Wireless Access Point for Business | Omada True Wi-Fi 6 AX1800 | DC Adapter Included | Mesh, Seamless Roaming, WPA3, MU-MIMO | Remote & App Control | PoE+ Powered TP-Link EAP610 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚-𝐒𝐥𝐢𝐦 Wireless Access Point for Business | Omada True… $99.99 $81.55Amazon Prime
4 TP-Link EAP650 Ultra-Slim Wireless Access Point | Omada True WiFi 6 AX3000 | DC Adapter Included | Mesh, Seamless Roaming, WPA3, MU-MIMO | Remote & App Control | PoE+ Powered | Multi Control Options TP-Link EAP650 Ultra-Slim Wireless Access Point | Omada True WiFi 6 AX3000 | DC Adapter Included |… $129.99Amazon Prime
5 EnGenius Fit Wireless Access Point (EWS356-FIT) | True Wi-Fi 6 Dual Band AX3000 | Cloud & App & OnPrem Control Options | WPA3, MU-MIMO, Mesh & Seamless Roaming | Power Adapter Not Included EnGenius Fit Wireless Access Point (EWS356-FIT) | True Wi-Fi 6 Dual Band AX3000 | Cloud & App &… $69.98 $49.99Amazon Prime
6 Zyxel WiFi 6 AX1800 Wireless Gigabit Access Point | Mesh, Seamless Roaming, & MU-MIMO | WPA3-PSK Security | Cloud, App or Direct Management | POE+ or AC Powered | AC Adapter Included | NWA50AX Zyxel WiFi 6 AX1800 Wireless Gigabit Access Point | Mesh, Seamless Roaming, & MU-MIMO | WPA3-PSK… $69.99Amazon Prime
7 TP-Link AC1200 Wireless Gigabit Access Point | Desktop Wi-Fi Bridge | MU-MIMO & Beamforming | Supports Multi-SSID/Client/Range Extender Mode | 4 Fixed Antennas | Passive PoE Powered (TL-WA1201) TP-Link AC1200 Wireless Gigabit Access Point | Desktop Wi-Fi Bridge | MU-MIMO & Beamforming |… $44.99 $39.99Amazon Prime

Final thoughts

A Wi-Fi 6 access point is an excellent way to easily add Wi-Fi 6 capabilities to your home. You don’t have to replace and reconfigure your router, and it can expand the Wi-Fi coverage in your home. Any of the Wi-Fi access points I’ve recommended in this article will get the job done!

If you are looking for personalized Wi-Fi access point recommendations, be sure to check out my Wi-Fi access point technology advisor. Just answer a few questions and get a personalized recommendation!

Lastly, you also might want to consider powerline adapters as an alternative to improving your home network.

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The Best Wi-Fi 6 Access Points For 2023

by HomeTechHacker time to read: 4 min