Which Wireless Access Point Is Best For My Home Or Business?
The internet today is incredible. We’re better connected than ever before: we can watch our favourite shows on the move. We can keep in contact with our colleagues wherever we are. And family and friends are often only a video call away – but only if we have a good connection!
Sometimes, that good connection can be frustratingly elusive. Have you ever been working from home on a conference call, watching nothing but a frozen screen? Have you ever tried to relax by streaming a movie, only to get constant buffering? Or perhaps you’re in the office, hearing various employees complain about Wi-Fi dead spots?
A wireless access point (WAP) might be just what you need.
Who is Gotraka?
Before we go into a little more detail about what wireless access points are, why you might need one, and which is the best WAP for you – let’s establish our credentials…
We’re Gotraka (which means ‘family’ in Sanskrit!), and we’re dedicated to mitigating the environmental impact our industry can have by maintaining sustainable packaging solutions, delivery and returns options, plus sustainable sourcing and waste management.
We believe in ‘buy once, buy right’ – and at the right price. So, our guide isn’t just a great way to find the right WAP for your home or office, you’ll also be helping us reduce e-waste in the UK. Now, without further ado…
What is a wireless access point?
A wireless access point is a piece of hardware that is wired to your router, creating a wireless local area network (or WLAN). This enables wireless-capable devices like laptops, mobile phones and consoles to connect to the internet.
What this means is that areas of your home or office space that are Wi-Fi dead spots – places that have weak or non-existent connections to your router – can be brought to life in terms of internet access.
Why do I need a wireless access point?
A wireless access point does not work on its own – it still needs to be wired into your router. So, if you already have the internet in your home or office, it’s a fair question to wonder if the investment is worth it for you. Here are some of the key strengths of a WAP:
- It creates a wireless network, rather than replicating an existing network like a Wi-Fi range extender.
- Network quality is not affected; you will get the same internet speed as if you were connected straight to the router.
- Number of users or devices will not affect the quality of connection.
- You can roam from room to room without enduring network interruptions.
- It extends the network connectivity throughout your home or workplace.
What should I consider when choosing a wireless access point?
This isn’t as tricky a question as you might think. In fact, compared to some devices out there, it’s relatively straightforward! When considering which wireless access point is right for you, there are three basic factors to think about: coverage, speed, and capacity.
- Coverage... is how much area you need your Wi-Fi signal to work in. So, if you’re thinking of home use, it’s unlikely you will need more than one access point, whereas a large office may need multiple.
- Speed... is probably the most important consideration for individual users. Who doesn’t love fast internet? The faster the speed a wireless access point can achieve, the happier everyone will be.
- Capacity... is how many devices a wireless access point can support before it loses performance. This might be a handful of devices at home – but it could be 100s in the office!
Which wireless access point is right for me?
If you decide a wireless access point might be just what you need for your home or business, here’s what we think are the best WAPs in 2023.
1. NETGEAR Insight Cloud Managed WiFi 6 AX1800 Dual Band Access Point (WAX610)
Affordable and excellent, this is a cost-effective way to create a high-performance wireless network for your home or small business. It’s compact, easy to set up and secure. Whether you’ve got various family members trying to access the internet around the house on multiple devices, or a mix of customers and employees on your business premises, this is a fantastic option for you
2. Zyxel WAX610D-EU0101F wireless access point
Recommended for medium or large business use.
Our second recommendation is for larger businesses and retail spaces; while it provides fantastic performance, coverage, and security, its higher price pushes it beyond what we would recommend for home use. However, if you are looking to provide better connectivity on your business premises and have a high number of employees and customer footfall, this is a great option to introduce the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology easily.
3. TP-Link AC1200 Wireless MU-MIMO Gigabit Indoor/Outdoor Access Point
Recommended for home, small or medium business use
Compact but powerful, our third product recommendation features rapid performance and communication technology to make it ideal for high-density environments – where lots of devices are active in a small space. Easy to install and suitable for indoor and outdoor use, it’s the perfect fit for remote workers and families that feast on Wi-Fi, but also brings the scalability for small or medium business enterprises.
4. Ubiquiti Networks UAP-AC-PRO wireless access point
Recommended for medium or large business use.
If you’re looking for real versatility, performance, and flexibility with your wireless access point solution, look no further. Not only is this recommendation suitable for indoor and outdoor use, but it also comes bundled with a non-dedicated software controller that can be deployed on an on-site PC, Mac, or Linux machine, in a private cloud, or using a public cloud service – which means you can manage and maintain your wireless network with ease.
5. TP-Link AX3600 Wireless Dual Band Multi-Gigabit Ceiling Mount Access Point
Recommended for medium or large business use.
If performance is your biggest concern, the blazing fast speed and 8 spatial streams of the TP-Link AX3600 won’t disappoint. Enjoy excellent connectivity as you move from space to space in your business premises with seamless roaming, and ensure every employee works with a smile on their face with ‘airtime fairness’ to balance bandwidth.
6.
Ubiquite Networkds UniFi 6 Long-Range wireless access point
Recommended for large business use.
And finally, our ultimate enterprise Wi-Fi management recommendation – the Ubiquiti Networks UniFi 6 Long-Range. This revolutionary wireless access point technology combines fantastic performance with unlimited scalability and a central management controller to deliver exceptional wireless functionality across your business premises – no matter how many employees and customers are under your roof.
Need more information about wireless access points?
As part of our ‘buy once, buy right’ philosophy, we think it’s important that our customers get the support they need to find their perfect tech products first time.
So, if you’re thinking about buying a wireless access point for your home or office, and still aren’t sure which solution is right for you, our team of experts are always on hand to help you make informed decisions to suit your needs. Don’t hesitate to get in touch!
