EnGenius ECW536 WiFi 7 Access Point Review – The most affordable 10GbE 4×4 MIMO WiFi 7 AP

EnGenius introduced its flagship WiFi 7 entry level again in July 2023, and I’ve lastly acquired a overview pattern to see the way it compares to the rising variety of WiFI 7 entry factors from manufacturers like Ubiquiti, Zyxel, and Netgear.

I’ve beforehand reviewed the Ubiquiti Unifi U7 Professional and the Zyxel NWA130BE WiFi 7 Entry Level, that are each implausible, comparatively inexpensive choices, however the efficiency was held again by the two.5GbE ports.

The EnGenius ECW536 is the primary high-performance entry level I’ve had an opportunity to overview. It has two 10GbE ports and makes use of 4×4 MIMO for every band, making it a good selection for demanding environments with a number of customers.

EnGenius ECW536 vs ECW526 WiFi 7 Entry Factors

EnGenius lately introduced the ECW526, a brand new inexpensive choice that competes properly with the Unifi U7 Professional and Zyxel NWA130BE.

The principle variations between the ECW536 and ECW526 are the 4×4 MIMO design, 4 antennas per band, and two 10GbE ports.

Unboxing

The EnGenius ECW536 entry level is bodily very giant for an AP, simply the biggest AP I’ve ever examined, and it weighs quite a bit, too, so it would be best to be sure that to put in the ceiling mount correctly.

As it’s so giant it isn’t probably the most aesthetic selection if you’re an fanatic wanting to make use of this in your house, however all WiFi 7 units are bigger than their predecessors.

It has an identical sq. design to the older fashions, however the ceiling mount design has modified, prone to accommodate the additional weight.

One good function is that it has two 10GbE ports. One is the uplink, which requires 802.3bt and an influence draw of as much as 38W. The second can be utilized for daisy-chain units.  I’m not positive how helpful this may be in a business set up, however it is extremely helpful in my house, as I solely have a few Ethernet cables operating to every room.

EnGenius Cloud & Set Up

As all the time with EnGenius, I handle the community with EnGenius Cloud and arrange the units utilizing the Cloud To-Go app to scan the QR code and add the AP to the organisation.

I’ve coated EnGenius Cloud extensively previously and I feel it is a superb cloud administration system. I exploit the licence-free options, and it has all the pieces I need.

Whereas some individuals are against cloud administration, I’m all for it. With the ability to remotely handle a community with all of the units underneath one easy-to-use GUI makes managing networks significantly simpler than managing all the pieces domestically through a standalone interface.  

EnGenius has lately rolled out a brand new Beta UI for the dashboard; it seems to have all of the performance of the previous dashboard however a nicer interface. I can’t see some other modifications.

Cloud Administration Free vs Professional

WiFi 7 Settings

Underneath the entry level settings, you may change the radio and SSID settings. These embody:

• Radio Settings:
  • Channel
  • Channel Width
  • Goal Tx Energy
  • Minimal Bitrate
  • Consumer Restrict
  • Dynamic Channel Choice
  • Consumer Balancing
  • Mesh
  • Zero Wait DFS
• SSID Settings:
  • Sort (Wi-fi / SmarCast(Requires Professional)
  • Enabled Radio Bands
  • Safety Sort
  • Multi-Hyperlink Operation (MLO)
  • 802.11r
  • 802.11w
  • Default VLAN
  • Consumer IP deal with (NAT/Bridge/Tunnel)
  • Dynamic Consumer VLAN Pooling (requires professional)
  • Utility Evaluation
  • Superior setting together with L2 isolation, mDNS Forwarding, Band Steering, BCMC Suppression

Check Set Up

For testing, I used:

One concern I needed to begin off with was that I don’t have a 10GbE POE change to drive the AP as they’re much costlier than the two.5GbE choices. I had to purchase a 36W DC energy provide, then join the AP utilizing an FS.com 10GBASE-T SFP+ Transceiver Module.

WiFi 7 Efficiency

6GHz WiFi Throughput

For the Netgear Netgear Orbi RBE973, you may’t separate the 6GHz band into its personal SSID and it connects to the perfect band so I used to be not capable of check the vary of 6GHz correctly.

• Shut Vary
  • EnGenius ECW536 10GbE: 3262 Mbit/secEnGenius ECW536 2.5GbE POE: 2441 Mbit/secNetgear Orbi RBE973: 3312 Mbit/secUbiquiti U7 Professional: 2460 Mbit/sec
  • Zyxel NWA130BE: 2376 Mbit/sec
• Down One Ground (wooden flooring)
  • EnGenius ECW536 10GbE: 1774 Mbit/sec
  • EnGenius ECW536 2.5GbE POE:
  • Ubiquiti U7 Professional: 2068 Mbit/sec
  • Zyxel NWA130BE: 1898 Mbit/sec
• Throughout one room throughout a corridor & by a brick partitions
  • EnGenius ECW536 10GbE: 1654 Mbit/sec
  • EnGenius ECW536 2.5GbE POE:
  • Ubiquiti U7 Professional: 1427 Mbit/sec
  • Zyxel NWA130BE: 1425 Mbit/sec

5GHz WiFi Throughput

• Shut Vary
  • EnGenius ECW536 10GbE: 1934 Mbit/sec
  • EnGenius ECW536 2.5GbE POE: Mbit/sec
  • Netgear Orbi RBE973: 1810 Mbit/sec
  • Ubiquiti U7 Professional @ 160MHz: 1771 Mbit/sec
  • Zyxel NWA130BE: 1512 Mbit/sec
• Down One Ground (wooden flooring)
  • EnGenius ECW536 10GbE: 1558 Mbit/sec
  • EnGenius ECW536 2.5GbE POE:
  • Netgear Orbi RBE973: 1458 Mbit/sec
  • Ubiquiti U7 Professional: 1450 Mbit/sec
  • Zyxel NWA130BE: 1323 Mbit/sec
• Throughout one room (by a brick wall)
  • EnGenius ECW536 10GbE: 1571 Mbit/sec
  • EnGenius ECW536 2.5GbE POE:
  • Netgear Orbi RBE973: 1585 Mbit/sec
  • Ubiquiti U7 Professional: 1568 Mbit/sec
  • Zyxel NWA130BE: 1511 Mbit/sec

2.4GHz WiFi Throughput

For two.4Ghz, I solely did primary testing as most individuals now use this solely for IoT, and the throughput isn’t that essential.

• EnGenius ECW536 2.5GbE POE: 337 Mbit/sec

• Ubiquiti U7 Professional @ 40MHz: 342Mbit/sec
• Zyxel NWA130BE @ 40MHz: 312Mbit/sec

Multi-Hyperlink Operation (MLO)

Multi-Hyperlink Operation (MLO) is a key function launched in Wi-Fi 7 that permits units to concurrently ship and obtain information throughout totally different frequency bands and channels. With MLO, a Wi-Fi 7 gadget can concurrently hook up with the two.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands, permitting it to make the most of all accessible bandwidth and obtain greater throughput, decrease latency, and improved reliability.

MLO operates in two principal modes:

1. STR (Simultaneous Transmit and Obtain) Mode: Two or extra hyperlinks work independently and don’t intrude with one another, permitting for simultaneous transmission and reception.
2. NSTR (Non-simultaneous Transmit and Obtain) Mode: Simultaneous receiving and sending operations should not allowed. At a single time, all hyperlinks can solely obtain or ship information.

The advantages of MLO embody:

• Extremely elevated throughput and lowered latency
• The flexibility for a single gadget to concurrently use a number of bands and shortly change between them
• Permits routers or entry factors to transmit and obtain packets concurrently by any accessible connection
• Improves reliability of backhaul connections in mesh networks
• Allows new wi-fi experiences and helps rising purposes like VR/AR, on-line gaming, distant workplace, and cloud computing

To make the most of MLO, each the Wi-Fi 7 router/entry level and shopper units should help the function.

This might be a person error, however I haven’t had a lot luck with MLO with my latest WiFi 7 opinions. MLO isn’t presupposed to be accessible to the general public till Home windows 24H2. Most Android telephones both don’t hook up with MLO or don’t point out the connection is enabled. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely states it has MLO, however I’m sure it isn’t at present used.  

The one MLO connection I used to be undoubtedly capable of obtain was the backhaul channel on the Netgear Orbi RBE973, and the outcomes had been spectacular, with me reaching the quickest throughput on a mesh satellite tv for pc by a substantial margin.

The shopper gadget that was probably used was the Xiaomi 14. This has a setting underneath community acceleration for twin dangerous Wi-Fi velocity increase. It’s the similar idea as MLO, however I’m not positive if that is some proprietary tech utilized by Xiaomi. Nevertheless, I did obtain barely higher outcomes with this enabled. I used to be capable of stand up to a 3600 Mbit/sec throughput.

Energy Consumption

With the EnGenius ECW536 plugged into the two.5GbE port on my EnGenius ECS2512FP change, EnGenius Cloud reviews an influence draw that’s constantly round 19W. The utmost consumption is reported at 21.40W.

Worth and Various Choices

The EnGenius ECW536 was launched at $1000, which can appear extreme, however it’s a related worth level to the opposite flagship WiFi 7 entry factors in the marketplace.

Nevertheless, lately, EnGenius halved the RRP to $500, making it probably the most inexpensive choice for a WiFi 7 entry level with 4×4 MIMO throughout all bands and 10GbE.

The EnGenius ECW526, which is a 2×2 MIMO AP, is priced at $299.

Sadly, EnGenius doesn’t seem to have a lot distribution within the UK, and I can’t discover any web site itemizing both of those WiFi 7 entry factors. 

The Zyxel WBE660S is out there from Amazon for £545 or broadbandbuyer.com for £700.

The Netgear WBE750 is out there from broadbandbuyer.com for £650.

The Ruijie Reyee RG-RAP73HD is out there from broadbandbuyer.com for £976.

Total

I’ve been a fan of EnGenius for just a few years and at present use their networking {hardware} for many of my house community.

The EnGenius ECW536 is one other wonderful product, because it achieves the best throughput on any WiFi entry level or router I’ve examined.

In a lot of my EnGenius opinions, I’ve highlighted that they aren’t all the time probably the most inexpensive for {hardware}, however this ecosystem could be very a lot enterprise-grade and geared in direction of companies.

EnGenius has launched a extra inexpensive FIT vary of merchandise, providing an identical worth level to manufacturers like Ubuiqiti Unifi.

With the ECW536’s new cheaper price, EnGenius now gives probably the most inexpensive high-performance WiFi 7 entry level in the marketplace. Total, I strongly suggest the EnGenius ECW536.

This overview was initially printed on Mighty Gadget

I’m James, a UK-based tech fanatic and the Editor and Proprietor of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Captivated with all issues expertise, my experience spans from computer systems and networking to cell, wearables, and good house units.

As a health fanatic who loves operating and biking, I even have a eager curiosity in fitness-related expertise, and I take each alternative to cowl this area of interest on my weblog. My various pursuits permit me to convey a novel perspective to tech running a blog, merging way of life, health, and the most recent tech developments.

In my tutorial pursuits, I earned a BSc in Data Techniques Design from UCLAN, earlier than advancing my studying with a Grasp’s Diploma in Computing. This superior examine additionally included Cisco CCNA accreditation, additional demonstrating my dedication to understanding and staying forward of the expertise curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has constantly ranked Mighty Gadget as one of many high expertise blogs within the UK. With my dedication to expertise and drive to share my insights, I intention to proceed offering my readers with partaking and informative content material.