Ceiling mounted wireless access points are generally associated with businesses and public wireless areas. TP-Link have released the EAP225, an AC1200 wireless dual band gigabit access point, which challenges this.
Powered by the Qualcomm Atheros chipset, the EAP225 supports up to a maximum of 1200Mbps by simultaneously combining the 2.4GHz (300Mbps) and 5GHz (867Mbps) frequencies. Similarly, the device supports Band Steering Automatically which moves supported devices to the higher speed frequency to maximize the connection speed.
The Ceiling Mount AP (EAP225) specifications:| Interface | Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) Port *1（Support IEEE802.3af PoE） |
| Button | Reset |
| Power Supply | PoE or External 12VDC / 1.5A Power Supply |
| Power Consumption | 10.15 W |
| Antenna Type | Internal Omni 2.4GHz: 2* 4dBi 5GHz: 2*4dBi |
| Mounting | Ceiling /Wall Mounting (Kits included) |
| Physical Security Lock | Kensington Lock Slot |
| Watch Dog | Yes |
| Wireless Standards | IEEE 802.11ac/n/g/b/a |
| Frequency | 2.4GHz and 5GHz |
| Signal Rate | 5GHz:Up to 867Mbps 2.4GHz:Up to 300Mbps |
| Wireless Functions | Multiple SSIDs（Up to 16 SSIDs, 8 for each band） Enable/Disable Wireless Radio Automatic Channel Assignment Transmit Power Control （Adjust Transmit Power on dBm） QoS(WMM) Band Steering Load Balance Rate Limit Reboot Schedule Wireless Schedule Wireless Statistics based on SSID/AP/Client |
| Wireless Security | Captive Portal Authentication Access Control Wireless Mac Address Filtering Wireless Isolation Between Clients SSID to VLAN Mapping Rogue AP Detection 802.1X Support 64/128/152-bit WEP / WPA / WPA2-Enterprise, WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK |
| Transmission Power | CE： <20dBm(2.4GHz) <23dBm(5GHz) FCC: <27dBm(2.4GHz & 5GHz) |
| EAP Controller Software | Yes |
| Email Alerts | Yes |
| LED ON/OFF Control | Yes |
| Management MAC Access Control | Yes |
| SNMP | v1,v2c |
| System Logging Local/Remote Syslog | Local/Remote Syslog |
| Telnet | Yes |
| Web-based Management | HTTP/HTTPS |
| L3 Management | Yes |
| Multi-site Management | Yes |
| Package Contents | AC1200 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Access Point EAP225 Power Adapter Mounting Kits Installation Guide |
Design
The EAP225 looks and feels like any other ceiling mount wireless access point. Its ergonomic curves and light colour makes it suitable for most residential installs.
Support for Power over Ethernet (802.3af) simplifies installation and helps keep the cost down as an additional power source isn’t required.
Software
The TP-Link EAP225 can be centrally managed using the supplied Auranet Controller software. This software has a number of advantages:
- Included with the EAP225 at no cost
- Simple and easy to use
- Supports all the Auranet models which allows for centralized management
- Visual feedback providing real-time monitoring and statistics
In addition, the EAP225 also provides support for a range of advance wireless functions:
- Layer 3 management
- Multi-site management to
- Batch firmware upgrades enable simultaneous upgrades of all Auranet Aps
- Ability to schedule automatic reboots
- Guest control with authentication page or voucher system
- Supports load balancing
- Band steering to ensure devices get the fastest possible connection speed
- Supports rate limiting to better manage available bandwidth
Performance
Our standard wireless tests were run to assess the wireless performance of the TP-Link Auranet EAP225 against the Archer VR600. The wireless signal was checked from 5 different locations:
- Same room
- Same floor next room separated by a void
- Same floor opposite end of house
- One floor above
- Outside
For an access point with no external antennae, the results were respectable against the VR600. Whilst the gap widened the further away we were on the 2.4GHz band, it still performed reasonably well on 5GHz and wasn’t that far off what we achieved with the Archer VR600.
Final Thoughts
The TP-Link Auranet EAP225 is a great mid-range wireless access point that supports dual-band (2.4GHz/5GHz), wireless-AC and PoE (802.3af). It’s sleek design and supplied mounts allow for subtle installs in the home. Whilst the lack of external antennas add to the homely look and feel of the unit, it did have an impact on its performance on the 2.4GHz band. That said, the EAP225 still managed to give a solid signal on 5GHz when compared to our test Archer VR600.
The supplied software was easy to configure and simple to use. Although we didn’t mention it above, Band Steering worked well moving our 5GHz capable devices onto the wider band to ensure they had maximum bandwidth. The Auranet software also provided a convenient method of configuring the guest access.
Overall, we were quiet pleased with the unit and look forward to seeing how TP-Link improve in this space.
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4 thoughts on “TP-Link Auranet EAP225 – AC1200 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Ceiling Mount AP Reviewed”
256Studio
(February 5, 2018 - 5:59 am)What was the range of the 2.4 and the 5.8 on the eap225?
Noeneel Sharma
(February 6, 2018 - 8:52 am)I no longer have the test unit to measure but I was able to connect to the WAP from my wireless devices from most locations in a 2 level house.
Alex
(May 12, 2018 - 6:04 pm)Eap225, eap245 EU lower range and a lot of connections problems buy ubiquit
Noeneel Sharma
(May 14, 2018 - 7:58 am)The EAP225 is probably a little old now by today’s standards. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Ubiquit products, will hopefully get some time to test some of their networking gear out in the near future.