EnGenius ECW520 budget Wi-Fi 7 access point review

With a throughput of over 11 Gbps, the EnGenius ECW520 wireless access point delivers excellent Wi-Fi 7 performance in a small footprint.

It connects to the network via a 2.5Gb PoE port and seamlessly extends the range thanks to its mesh capability. A power consumption of just 25W under worst-case conditions means the case barely heats up when normally used.

The out-of-the-box cloud support makes deploying the ECW520 a breeze. The unit provides several operating modes: AP, mesh, or AP with mesh, and packs three full-duplex radios.

The 6 dBi antennas and 23 dBm RF amplifiers result in an operating range of over 10 meters at 500 Mbps throughput. The ease of installation and use, along with its decent wireless performance, make the ECW520 ideal for small offices or work-from-home setups.

EnGenius ECW520: Price and Availability

The access point sells for $189 and includes a mounting wall adapter. The larger ECW526 AP with similar radio performance sports 10Gb ports and costs $299. The ECW536 top-tier AP with 4x4x4 radios supports more simultaneous connections and costs $589.

Engenius access points can only be managed through their cloud services, which start at $50 per device, while the basic free access lacks API support.

EnGenius ECW520: Design

The Engenius ECW520 ships in a tiny box, something surprising for a Wi-Fi 7 access point. This gives a sense of the unit's size: the white plastic case measures 15.8 cm x 15.8 cm x 3.9 cm and weighs 600 g. The metal back panel serves as a heatsink and hosts the module’s ports. Two mounting holes secure the unit vertically to a wall using screws. The unit can also clip onto a plastic base, enabling a faster and easier installation than with just screws.

A single multicolor LED on the front panel provides visual cues about the access point's status. When working normally, the LED emits a blue light. For any other case, the LED blinks either green or blue. The metal back panel features a 12V power socket and a 2.5Gb Ethernet port. A small recessed button is also present and requires a paper clip or pen to reset the AP.

The ECW520 hardware is powered by a Qualcomm CPU and radio chipset. The 1.5GHz quad-core ARM processor has 1GB of DDR4 RAM and 256 MB of flash memory. Three radio modules provide duplex data links at 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz, for an aggregate throughput of 11 Gb/s using the 802.11be standard. The device integrates 23 dBm radio amplifiers and 6 dBi high-gain internal antennas to boost the RF signal.

EnGenius ECW520: In Use

Setting up the ECW520 requires installing the Engenius Cloud app and signing up on the Engenius website. The procedure is complete after scanning a QR code on the back of the access point, which then creates a new device in the mobile app. The AP gets upgraded at this point if a new firmware is available.

The EnGenius cloud service is essential for remote access to the AP. Users can deploy, monitor, and troubleshoot multiple sites from a single interface, either in a browser or, with reduced functionality, from the Cloud To-Go mobile app. Among its most useful features is the Visualized Topology, which provides an overall health report for the network and all connected appliances.

The ECW520 draws power either from the PoE port or a 12V center-positive socket. The access point's power consumption is around 25W with active Wi-Fi connections and radio amplifiers set to maximum gain. At a range of one meter, the ECW520 performs well, achieving a throughput of 2 gigabits per second on the 6 GHz band. Throughput halves at 5 meters, reaching 600 Mbps at 10 meters.

Extending the ECW520's range is achieved with a second unit. The additional AP can either use an existing Ethernet connection or work in a mesh configuration, with only a power adapter connected to it. A mesh works by sharing bandwidth with other ECW520s via a backhaul channel, thereby reducing throughput but providing extra range.

EnGenius ECW520: Competition

The ECS520 packs three duplex radios with high-gain antennas and amplifiers. The simple design targets 2.5Gb PoE infrastructures with cloud management in mind.

The Zyxel NWA130BE has similar features to the ECS520, but it is twice as large. Moreover, its 4 dBi antennas are 2 dBi lower than those in the ECS520, reducing data rates at greater distances from the access point.

EnGenius ECW520: Final Verdict

The ECW520 is a budget-conscious solution that instantly connects to the cloud and delivers over 11 Gbps of throughput over three radio bands.

Thanks to high-gain antennas, these radios provide adequate range for a small home office, with transfer rates of 500 Mbps or more at 10 meters.

The unit is small and discrete, and comes with one wall-mounting panel as an accessory. Since it supports PoE, only one Ethernet connection is required for installation.

Buy if . . . you already have Engenius products and want to get Wi-Fi 7 speed.

Don’t buy . . . if you want to get the most throughput out of your 10Gb wired installation.

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