Wireless AP Comparison
Does a nanoHD provide any advantage over the U6-LR?
via brwainer on Discord
nanoHD is 802.11ac Wave 2 (WiFi 5). U6-LR is 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6).
Also theoretically they have different antenna configurations - the "LR" name for both Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 means a more sensitive reception circuit, and an antenna that is more optimized for out along the ceiling/wall, versus down/out from the AP
When comparing the UAP-AC-Lite, UAP-AC-LR, and UAP-AC-Pro (all ac Wave 1) for example, in a clear environment the LR is usable at further distances, but in any congested environment that just means the AP will be able to receive more interference, making it less useful.
Ceiling Mount Form Factor
You can click the black buttons below to hide/show columns to make a more direct comparison.
| Model | UAP-AC-LITE | UAP-AC-LR | UAP-AC-PRO | UAP-AC-HD | UAP-AC-SHD | UAP-nanoHD | UAP-XG | U6-Lite | U6-LR1) | U6-Pro2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wiki Page Link | unifi_ap_ac_lite | unifi_ap_ac_lr | unifi_ap_ac_pro | unifi_ap_hd | unifi_ap_shd | unifi_nanohd | ||||
| Wifi Standard | 802.11n/ac Wave 1 | 802.11n/ac Wave 1 | 802.11n/ac Wave 1 | 802.11n/ac Wave 2 | 802.11n/ac Wave 2 | 802.11n/ac Wave 2 | 802.11n/ac Wave 2 | WiFi 6 | WiFi 6 | Wifi 6 |
| Generation & Chipset3) | Gen 2 QCA | Gen 2 QCA | Gen 2 QCA | Gen 3 QCA | Gen 3 QCA | Gen 3 MTK | Gen 3 QCA | Gen 4 MTK | Gen 4 MTK | Gen QCA |
| Radios/Ant 2.4g | 2x2 | 3x3 | 3x3 | 4x4 | 4x4 | 2x2 | 4x4 | 2x2 | 4x4 | 2x2 |
| 2.4GHz | 300Mbps | 450Mbps | 450Mbps | 800Mbps4) | 800Mbps5) | 300Mbps | 800Mbps | 300Mbps | 600Mbps | 573.5Mbps |
| Radios/Ant 5g | 2x2 | 2x2 | 3x3 | 4x4 | 4x4 | 4x4 | (2) 4x4 | 2x2 | 4x4 | 4x4 |
| 5GHz | 867Mbps | 867Mbps | 1300Mbps | 1733Mbps | 1733Mbps | 1733Mbps | (2) 1733Mbps | 1200Mbps | 2400Mbps | 4800Mbps |
| Gigabit Ethernet | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| PoE | 24V Passive / 802.3af | 24V Passive / 802.3af | 802.3af,802.3at | 802.3at | 802.3at | 802.3af | 802.3bt | 802.3af | 802.3at | 802.3at |
| Environment | Indoor | Indoor | Indoor/Outdoor (Covered) | Indoor/Outdoor | Indoor | Indoor | Indoor/Outdoor (Covered) | Indoor | Indoor/Outdoor (Covered) | Indoor |
| Height (mm) | 160 | 175.7 | 196.7 | 220 | 220 | 160 | 228 | 160 | 220 | 200 |
| Width (mm) | 160 | 175.7 | 196.7 | 220 | 220 | 160 | 228 | 160 | 220 | 200 |
| Depth (mm) | 31.45 | 43.2 | 35 | 48.1 | 48.1 | 32.65 | 50 | 32.65 | 48 | 35 |
| Weight (grams) | 185 | 315 | 450 | 830 | 830 | 300 | 1350 | 300 | 800 | 460 |
In-Wall (wall-plate) Form Factor
You can click the black buttons below to hide/show columns to make a more direct comparison.
| Model | UAP-AC-IW | UAP-AC-IW-PRO | UAP-IW-HD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wiki Page Link | unifi_ac_in-wall | UniFi AC In-Wall Pro | |
| Wifi Standard | 802.11n/ac Wave 1 | 802.11n/ac Wave 1 | 802.11n/ac Wave 2 |
| Generation & Chipset6) | Gen 2 QCA | Gen 2 QCA | Gen 3 MTK |
| Radios/Ant 2.4g | 2x2 | 3x3 | 2x2 |
| 2.4GHz | 300Mbps | 450Mbps | 300Mbps |
| Radios/Ant 5g | 2x2 | 3x3 | 4x4 |
| 5GHz | 867Mbps | 1300Mbps | 1733Mbps |
| Gigabit Ethernet | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| PoE | 802.3at | 802.3at | 802.3af; 802.3at required for POE passthrough |
| Height (mm) | 139.7 | 139.7 | 139.7 |
| Width (mm) | 86.7 | 86.7 | 86.7 |
| Depth (mm) | 25.75 | 25.75 | 25.75 |
| Weight (grams) | 200 | 210 | 210 |
Other Form Factors
You can click the black buttons below to hide/show columns to make a more direct comparison.
| Model | UAP-AC-M | UAP-AC-M-Pro | UAP-FlexHD | UAP-BeaconHD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wiki Page Link | unifi_mesh | unifi_ap_ac_mesh | ||
| Form Factor | Outdoor Pole/Wall Mount | Outdoor Pole/Wall Mount | Table/Shelf; Ceiling (recessed); Outdoor Pole/Wall Mount | Power Outlet / Wireless Extender |
| Wifi Standard | 802.11n/ac Wave 1 | 802.11n/ac Wave 1 | 802.11n/ac Wave 2 | 802.11n/ac Wave 2 |
| Generation & Chipset7) | Gen 2 QCA | Gen 2 QCA | Gen 3 MTK | Gen 3 MTK |
| Radios/Ant 2.4g | 2x2 | 3x3 | 2x2 | 2x2 |
| 2.4GHz | 300Mbps | 450Mbps | 300Mbps | 300Mbps |
| Radios/Ant 5g | 2x2 | 3x3 | 4x4 | 4x4 |
| 5GHz | 867Mbps | 1300Mbps | 1733Mbps | 1733Mbps |
| Gigabit Ethernet | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| PoE | 24V Passive / 802.3af | 802.3af,802.3at | 802.3af | N/A |
| Environment | Indoor/Outdoor | Indoor/Outdoor | Indoor/Outdoor | Indoor |
| Height (mm) | 353 | 343.2 | 159.49 | 169.7 |
| Width (mm) | 46 | 181.2 | 48.50 | 112.15 |
| Depth (mm) | 34.4 | 60.2 | 48.50 | 32.2 |
| Weight (grams) | 152 | 633 | 315 | 260 |
Max Tx Power, Antenna Gain, EIRP
Approximate maximum EIRPs for each AP. Actual Transmit power and gain may be lower depending on your channel width, frequency, and specific hardware details. To get your AP's exact Tx power level run iwconfig in an ssh session. Gain values are relative to a theoretical perfect omnidirectional antenna, and are subject to the radiation patterns of the antennas in the device.
US DFS Channels will result in lower maximum power settings on APs that can exceed the EIRP limit for DFS.
US 6Ghz Low Power Indoor (LPI) operation is subject to power limits based on channel width - EIRP limits by channel width: 20Mhz 18dBM, 40Mhz 21dBm, 80Mhz 24dBm, 160Mhz 27dBm, 320Mhz 30dBm.
US 6Ghz Full Power (36dBm EIRP) or Outdoor Operation (any power level) requires AFC.
| Model | Ethernet | Region | 2.4Ghz Tx Power (dBm) | 2.4Ghz Gain (dBi) | 2.4Ghz EIRP (dBm) | 5Ghz Gain (dBi) | 5Ghz Tx Power (dBm) | 5Ghz EIRP (dBm) | 6Ghz Tx Power (dBm) | 6Ghz Gain (dBi) | 6Ghz EIRP (dBm) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAP-AC-LITE | 1GbE | US | 20 | 3 | 23 | 3 | 20 | 23 | ||||
| UAP-AC-LR | 1GbE | US | 24 | 3 | 27 | 3 | 22 | 25 | ||||
| UAP-AC-Pro | 1GbE | US | 22 | 3 | 25 | 3 | 22 | 25 | ||||
| UAP-AC-HD | 1GbE | US | 25 | 3 | 28 | 4 | 25 | 29 | ||||
| UAP-AC-SHD | 1GbE | US | 25 | 6 | 31 | 6 | 25 | 31 | Can exceed 5Ghz DFS 30 dBm EIRP limit | |||
| UAP-NanoHD | 1GbE | US | 25 | 2.8 | 27.8 | 3 | 26 | 29 | ||||
| UAP-XG | 10GbE | US | 25 | 6 | 31 | 8 | 25 | 31 | ||||
| U6-Lite | 1GbE | US | 23 | 2.8 | 25.8 | 3 | 23 | 26 | Wifi AX on 5Ghz only | |||
| U6-LR | 1GbE | US | 26 | 4 | 30 | 5.5 | 26 | 31.5 | Wifi AX on 5Ghz only, Can exceed 5Ghz DFS 30 dBm EIRP limit | |||
| UAP-AC-IW | 1GbE | US | 20 | 1 | 21 | 2 | 20 | 22 | ||||
| UAP-AC-IW-Pro | 1GbE | US | 22 | 5 | 27 | 6.5 | 22 | 28.5 | ||||
| UAP-IW-HD | 1GbE | US | 23 | 1.8 | 24.8 | 3.4 / 6 | 26 | 29.4 / 32 | Not all 5Ghz Antennas have the same gain | |||
| UAP-AC-M | 1GbE | US | 20 | 3 | 23 | 4 | 20 | 24 | ||||
| UAP-AC-M-Pro | 1GbE | US | 22 | 8 | 30 | 8 | 22 | 30 | ||||
| UAP-FlexHD | 1GbE | US | 23 | 1.6 | 24.6 | 4 | 26 | 30 | ||||
| UAP-BeaconHD | 1GbE | US | 24.8 | 4.5 | 29.3 | 5 | 30 | 35 | Can exceed 5Ghz DFS 30 dBm EIRP limit | |||
| U6-Mesh-US-BETA | 1GbE | US, Early Access | 23 | 3 | 26 | 3 | 26 | 29 | Early Access, Values subject to change without notice | |||
| U6-Extender-US-BETA | 1GbE | US, Early Access | Early Access, Values subject to change without notice | |||||||||
| U6-IW-US-BETA | 1GbE | US, Early Access | 23 | 3 | 26 | 3 | 27 | 30 | Early Access, Values subject to change without notice | |||
| U6-Pro | 1GbE | US | 22 | 4 | 26 | 6 | 26 | 32 | Can exceed 5Ghz DFS 30 dBm EIRP limit | |||
| U6-Enterprise-US-EA | 2.5GbE | US, Early Access | 22 | 3.2 | 25.2 | 5.3 | 26 | 31.3 | 26 | 6 | 32 | Early Access, Values subject to change without notice, Can exceed 5Ghz DFS 30 dBm EIRP limit |
WiFi Speeds by Band and device
| Model | Region | 2.4Ghz Wifi Spec | 2.4Ghz Streams/ Antenna | 2.4Ghz MIMO | 2.4Ghz Max Theoretical Phy | 5Ghz Wifi Spec | 5Ghz Streams/ Antenna | 5Ghz MIMO | 5Ghz Max Theoretical Phy | 6Ghz Wifi Spec | 6Ghz Streams/ Antenna | 6Ghz Max Theoretical Phy | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAP-AC-LITE | US | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 2x2:2 | MIMO | 300 Mbps | Wireless AC (Wifi 5) | 2x2:2 | MIMO | 867 Mbps | ||||
| UAP-AC-LR | US | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 3x3:3 | MIMO | 450 Mbps | Wireless AC (Wifi 5) | 2x2:2 | MIMO | 867 Mbps | ||||
| UAP-AC-Pro | US | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 3x3:3 | MIMO | 450 Mbps | Wireless AC (Wifi 5) | 3x3:3 | MIMO | 1300 Mbps | ||||
| UAP-AC-HD | US | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 4x4:4 | MIMO | 800 Mbps | Wireless AC Wave 2 (Wifi 5) | 4x4:4 | MU-MIMO | 1733 Mbps | ||||
| UAP-AC-SHD | US | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 4x4:4 | MIMO | 800 Mbps | Wireless AC Wave 2 (Wifi 5) | 4x4:4 | MU-MIMO | 1733 Mbps | ||||
| UAP-NanoHD | US | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 2x2:2 | MIMO | 300 Mbps | Wireless AC Wave 2 (Wifi 5) | 4x4:4 | MU-MIMO | 1733 Mbps | ||||
| UAP-XG | US | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 4x4:4 | MIMO | 800 Mbps | Wireless AC Wave 2 (Wifi 5) | (2) 4x4:4 | MU-MIMO | (2) 1733 Mbps | ||||
| U6-Lite | US | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 2x2:2 | MIMO | 300 Mbps | Wireless AX (Wifi 6) | 2x2:2 | MU-MIMO | 1200 Mbps | Ubiquiti store says 1.2Gbps but beacon from the device reports 2402 PHY | |||
| U6-LR | US | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 4x4:4 | MIMO | 600 Mbps | Wireless AX (Wifi 6) | 4x4:4 | MU-MIMO | 2400 Mbps | ||||
| UAP-AC-IW | US | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 2x2:2 | MIMO | 300 Mbps | Wireless AC (Wifi 5) | 2x2:2 | MIMO | 867 Mbps | ||||
| UAP-AC-IW-Pro | US | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 3x3:3 | MIMO | 450 Mbps | Wireless AC (Wifi 5) | 3x3:3 | MIMO | 1300 Mbps | ||||
| UAP-IW-HD | US | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 2x2:2 | MIMO | 300 Mbps | Wireless AC Wave 2 (Wifi 5) | 4x4:4 | MU-MIMO | 1733 Mbps | ||||
| UAP-AC-M | US | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 2x2:2 | MIMO | 300 Mbps | Wireless AC (Wifi 5) | 2x2:2 | MIMO | 867 Mbps | ||||
| UAP-AC-M-Pro | US | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 3x3:3 | MIMO | 450 Mbps | Wireless AC (Wifi 5) | 3x3:3 | MIMO | 1300 Mbps | ||||
| UAP-FlexHD | US | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 2x2:2 | MIMO | 300 Mbps | Wireless AC Wave 2 (Wifi 5) | 4x4:4 | MU-MIMO | 1733 Mbps | ||||
| UAP-BeaconHD | US | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 2x2:2 | MIMO | 300 Mbps | Wireless AC Wave 2 (Wifi 5) | 4x4:4 | MU-MIMO | 1733 Mbps | ||||
| U6-Mesh-US-BETA | US, Early Access | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 2x2:2 | MU-MIMO | 300 Mbps | Wireless AX (Wifi 6) | 4x4:4 | MU-MIMO | 2400 Mbps | Early Access, Values subject to change without notice | |||
| U6-Extender-US-BETA | US, Early Access | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 2x2:2 | MU-MIMO | 300 Mbps | Wireless AX (Wifi 6) | 4x4:4 | MU-MIMO | 2400 Mbps | Early Access, Values subject to change without notice | |||
| U6-IW-US-BETA | US, Early Access | Wireless N (Wifi 4) | 2x2:2 | MU-MIMO | 300 Mbps | Wireless AX (Wifi 6) | 4x4:4 | MU-MIMO | 2400 Mbps | Early Access, Values subject to change without notice | |||
| U6-Pro | US | Wireless AX (Wifi 6) | 2x2:2 | MU-MIMO | 573.5 Mbps | Wireless AX (Wifi 6) | 4x4:4 | MU-MIMO | 4800 Mbps | Early Access, Values subject to change without notice | |||
| U6-Enterprise-US-EAa | US, Early Access | Wireless AX (Wifi 6) | 2x2:2 | MU-MIMO | 573.5 Mbps | Wireless AX (Wifi 6) | 4x4:4 | MU-MIMO | 4800 Mbps | Wireless AX (Wifi 6) | 4x4:4 | 4800 Mbps | Early Access, Values subject to change without notice |
1)
There is also an EA-specific board revision of the U6-LR (U6-LR-BETA) which will not be getting DFS support nor 160MHz wide channels, it will otherwise be supported by future firmware revisions. It also has a slower CPU which won't "support full-duplex 1 Gbps TCP/IP performance", and it only has 2x2 for 2.4GHz.
2)
Early Access
3)
, 6)
, 7)
The abbreviations here match what Ubiquiti uses in their release notes. QCA is Qualcomm, MTK is MediaTek. For specific chipsets used in each model refer to the product page.
4)
, 5)
for this number, Ubiquiti used QAM-256 instead of QAM-64. Almost no client devices support QAM-256 on 2.4GHz, therefore 600Mbps is a more realistic claim here. For more see https://www.digitalairwireless.com/articles/blog/the-maths-behind-4-stream-2-4ghz-data-rates-explained