Today, Ubiquiti is officially expanding its lineup of prosumer networking gear with Wi-Fi 6 capabilities. Entering with two new access points, those in the UniFi ecosystem will be able to expand their setups with up to 3Gb/s data rates, 4×4 MU-MIMO support, and more. Head below for a closer look at the new Ubiquiti UniFi Wi-Fi 6 Access Points.
Ubiquiti launches new UniFi Wi-Fi 6 lineup
The latest additions to the UniFi lineup from Ubiquiti were first released in the brand’s early access store earlier in the year but are now just being rolled out to the public. These are the very first access points in Ubiquiti’s arsenal to support the new Wi-Fi 6 standard, delivering notable upgrades from its existing products.
Serving as upgrades to Ubiquiti’s existing Lite and Long Range access points, the designs here remain essentially unchanged from the previous-generation. But the real enhancements here are all under the hood, with Wi-Fi 6 officially entering the UniFi product lineup for the first time.
As the more entry-level version, the new UniFi 6 Lite Access Point debuts with 2×2 channel 802.11ax support. Across its dual-band output, you’re looking at up to 1.5Gb/s of throughout with MU-MIMO compatibility. Then with the Long Range access point, you’re looking at increased 3Gb/s data rates with 4×4 radios and added IP54 water-resistance for deploying in semi-outdoor environments.
Of course, each of the new Ubiquiti UniFi access points will be equipped to handle all of the perks that come with Wi-Fi 6, like improved power efficiency and better performance, on top of the data rate gains noted above. Both of the new offerings are powered via 802.3af PoE with an included adapter in the box.
Pre-orders going live next month
Both of Ubiquiti’s new UniFi Wi-Fi 6 Access Points will be available to pre-order starting next month on December 14. As of now, there’s no official pricing, though pricing in the early access store was set at $99 for the standard UniFi 6 Lite, with the Long Range variant entering at $179.
From what we’ve seen in the past with products that first launched in Ubiquiti’s beta program, pricing tends not to change much or even stay entirely the same once officially launched. The under $100 pricing here is going to be extremely compelling, so I can see Ubiquiti leaving things as is for the full launch next month.
Electronicsforward’ Take
There’s no getting around the fact that Ubiquiti is later to the Wi-Fi 6 game than much of its competition. But the two new access points are certainly going to be big hits for those in the UniFi ecosystem looking to upgrade. Going into 2021, there are actually more devices out in the world that can support the new standard, so Ubiquiti’s timing at least coincides with the debut of the new M1 Macs and other recently-announced devices.
I’ve been using the UniFi 6 Lite Access Point since it dropped in Ubiquiti’s early access store and have been enjoying the performance gains over the brand’s existing offerings. I’ll be covering the details in an upcoming UniFi Diary piece, but there’s a lot to like here about the latest releases. Performance is on-par with the brand’s existing AmpliFi Alien router, but with the customization you’d expect from UniFi.
We can also expect to see other UniFi accessories launching in the near future to go with the Wi-Fi 6 access points, which will further fill out the Ubiquiti lineup.
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