NETGEAR Wireless Access Point (WAX204) - WiFi 6 Dual-Band AX1800 Speed | 4 x 1G Ethernet Ports | 802.11ax | WPA3 Security | Create up to 3 Separate Wireless Networks

Product Information

This naming sure makes things confusing. The only positive outcome I can think of is the benefit of low expectations. And if so, that worked -- the WAX204 proved to be very much of a pleasant surprise. The Netgear WAX204 Wi-Fi 6 AX1800 Dual Band Wireless Access Point has a WAN port, making it a Wi-Fi router by definition. Also, the router doesn't have remote web-based management, making its support for Dynamic DNS a bit incomplete. Netgear might add this via firmware updates, however. After you log in, you will see the main dashboard, which shows general information about your router’s network, including your Internet’s status and the available wireless networks you have enabled. You can treat the WAX204 as a standard router out of the box. Connect its WAN (orange) port to an Internet source (like a modem), and it's ready. I didn't expect much from the WAX214 regarding speeds, and the AP proved to deliver exactly what its specs suggested. It had decent Wi-Fi speeds in my testing, as shown in the Wi-Fi AP performance chart below. For AC (Wi-Fi 5) tests, a 4x4 client is used for the close range and a 3x3 client for the long range.

But, again, to sum up: The WAX204 is a Wi-Fi router that can also work as an access point. And like many other routers, it also supports the bridge mode, where it works as a Wi-Fi adapter for a few wired clients. Netgear WAX204: Hardware specifications Model The NETGEAR WAX204 router caters more towards the consumer or prosumer demographic with some SMB flavor and features a much more enterprise form factor with some decent wall/ceiling mount capabilities compared to the recently reviewed WAX214. It offers two different modes: router mode (default) and access point mode.I did try this feature out, and it didn't show much of a difference. But likely, that was because my broadband connection was already good enough for any application, and the fact I generally didn't do anything crazy within my network must have helped, too. Netgear WAX204: Detail photos Netgear WAX204 Wi-Fi 6 AX1800 Dual-Band Wireless Access Point's retail box The three antennas can be turned and swiveled in pretty much any direction, so move it around to find the best WiFi performance in your specific use case or environment. First, you need to mount where you want to deliver the best coverage. Then connect a network cable to its only LAN port. Now connect the other end of the cable to a PoE port of a switch (or an injector), and you're all done with the hardware setup. The WAX214 can only work as an access point. It won't work as a mesh point or any other role, such as a media bridge. It doesn't have a built-in captive portal, either, where you can make the client agree to certain terms before getting connected. The Netgear WAX214's web user interface is relatively simple but has a lot of Wi-Fi setting options.

On a WiFi-enabled computer or mobile device, find and connect to the access point’s management SSID. When Netgear first pitched me the WAX204, I was surprised the company called an access point. The device has a WAN (Internet) port, which generally means it's a router. The Netgear WAX214 is a dual-band dual-stream (2x2) Wi-Fi 6 broadcaster that doesn't support the 160MHz channel width.The access point comes with a total of four virtual SSIDs (Wi-Fi network names). You can use each as a Dual-band or turn off one of the two bands. You can also make each as a Guest network or customize it with lots of options.

Remember that the isolation settings are turned on by default for the 2nd and 3rd networks. That said, you'll need to turn them off if you want connected clients to have normal access to the network's local resources such as file-sharing or printers. In my testing, the AP could cover some 2000 ft 2 (186 m 2)of a house with relatively open spaces when mounted on the ceiling. Your milages will vary, however. On top of it, there's a fifth SSID (2.4GHz) used for the setup process. You can turn it off once you've gotten things up and running. Netgear WAX214: Detail photos The Netgear WAX214 AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Access Point's retail box. The WAX204 can also save you money due to its ability to act as a router as well as access point. This functionality allows you to forgo the cost and complexity of a separate router and simply have one device to perform both tasks.The coverage was decent, too, similar to that of most 2x2 Wi-Fi 6 routers, like the Asus RT-AX58U or the TP-Link AX50. In any home or business, getting the best coverage from a wireless access point is the goal. The WAX204 leverages the latest wireless standard, WiFi 6, to deliver more coverage than previous generations of the technology. This advancement reduces dead zones for a more productive and less frustrating wireless experience. In addition to the management SSID, the access point supports four WiFi networks. By default, only the main WiFi network is enabled. At my home, i have a modest setup where i am running a edge router X as main router (got it for cheap second hand) and had 2 netgear/tp-link routers running as access point. Along with it i have a 500 mbit connection. As I thought more about smart home switches and smart speakers we have at home, I wanted to keep them on a separate restricted network which cannot interact with my main devices (phones, laptops, tablets, etc).