products:wireless_ap_comparison

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.

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

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

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

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
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
  • products/wireless_ap_comparison.txt
  • Last modified: 2022/08/01 05:00
  • by mpinto