The Best Wi-Fi 6 Access Points For 2023
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.
This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase an item using an affiliate link I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Affiliates do not influence my recommendations. Read my disclosures for more information.
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 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 Pro, Amazon 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.
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
- 【Ultra-Fast True Wi-Fi 6 Speeds】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 buy | Reasons 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
- 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.
| Reasons to buy | Reasons to look elsewhere |
|---|---|
| Inexpensive | “Only” 1 Gbps ethernet |
| Power over Ethernet (PoE) support | Doesn’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
- 【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 buy | Reasons to look elsewhere |
|---|---|
| Fast, with a quad-core processor | Large |
| 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:
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | UeeVii WiFi 6 Access Point Indoor Ceiling | US Model | 48V PoE Adapter Included | 2.4G & 5.8G… | $65.99 $55.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |  | NETGEAR Wireless Desktop Access Point (WAX206)- WiFi 6 Dual-Band AX3200 Speed, 4x1G Ethernet Ports,… | $149.99 $98.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 | ![Meraki Go Indoor WiFi 6 Access Point | Cloud Managed | PoE | Cisco [GR12-HW-US]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/11ctLO46IFL.jpg) | Meraki Go Indoor WiFi 6 Access Point | Cloud Managed | PoE | Cisco [GR12-HW-US] | $167.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |  | Grandstream GWN7660 WiFi 6 Indoor Access Point | $105.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |  | Aruba a Hewlett Packard 5X Pack of Aruba Instant On AP25 (US) 4×4 Wi-Fi 6 Indoor Access Points… | $1,377.45 | Buy on Amazon |
| 6 |  | Ruckus H550 Series WiFi 6 Indoor Access Point | 901-H550-US02 | $299.00 $254.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 7 |  | Ruckus R650 Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) 4×4:4 Wi-Fi Access Point (901-R650-US00) | $535.24 $509.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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!
Interested in supporting HomeTechHacker?
Have you found the content on this site useful? If so, are you interested in supporting me and this site? There’s no obligation of course, but I would really appreciate any support you can give. Below are a few ways you can show support:
- Share this site with your friends and on social media (use the sharing links at the end of this page for your convenience)
- Subscribe to this site
- Purchase one of my books, The Personal Cybersecurity Manual, The Home Network Manual or The Smart Home Manual, for yourself or as a gift
- Put a link to HomeTechHacker on a site you have access to. Be sure to let me know about it!
- Reach out to me via my contact page or Twitter and let me know something I should write about
- Shop at Amazon through my affiliate links and ads on these pages. See my disclosures for more details about affiliate links. You can also just shop from one of the links below:
- HomeTechHacker Shop: This is a listing of products that I use, have reviewed, and that I recommend
- HomeTechHacker Technology Advisor: This suite of tools will give you customized home technology product recommendations based on your needs
- My Amazon affiliate link: Just click on this link to go to Amazon and shop
Thank you! I really appreciate it!