EnGenius ECW515 Review (vs. Ubiquiti U7 In-Wall): A Handy Entry-Level Dual-Band Wi-Fi 7 Access Point

The EnGenius ECW515 Cloud Managed Wi-Fi 7 2×2 Wall Plate Access Point is a compact surface-mount AP, similar to the Ubiquiti U7 In-Wall. As such, it can be handy in many situations thanks to the extra built-in LAN ports.

Here’s the bottom line: If you’re looking for a surface-mount, cloud-managed, dual-band Wi-Fi 7 access point with an integrated 4-port Gigabit switch and PoE Power Forwarding capability, the EnGenius ECW515 is worth considering at its suggested retail price of $199. It’ll work well regardless of which router you’re currently using. Check it out today!

On the other hand, if you’re looking for something similar but with higher real-world bandwidth and a more robust feature set, the U7 In-Wall is a better alternative—that’s if you already have a UniFi “router”.

EnGenius ECW515: A Wi-Fi access point that can host multiple wired clients

Out of the box, the EnGenius ECW515 looks like a typical wall-plate access point. It comes with a protruding 2.5Gbps PoE+ (802.3at) uplink port right in the middle of its wall-facing side.

While the new access point is designed to be mounted on a junction box with a network cable outlet, you can place it anywhere as long as you can run a network cable to the uplink port.

On the down-facing side, the EnGenius ECW515 has four Gigabit ports, numbered 2 through 4, with port #4 being a PoE-out. By default, these ports function as LAN ports, but if you use a 54V DC power adapter (not included) with the access point, the LAN2 port can serve as a non-PoE uplink. In this case, the default 2.5Gbps uplink will work as a LAN.

It’s worth noting that, like the UniFi U7 In-Wall, the ECW515 features PoE Power Forwarding, allowing users to add a PoE (802.3af) device, such as an IP camera or another Wi-Fi access point, in a daisy-chain configuration.

So, to sum it up, with a PoE+ switch or injector, the ECW515 can serve as a standard PoE-powered Wi-Fi 7 access point and a 4-port Gigabit switch with one PoE-out port, making it an excellent device for a home or small office with a mix of wired and wireless clients. On this front, it would be more exciting if it featured a higher-grade LAN port, such as 2.5Gbps, on the built-in switch.

The table below compares the ECW515’s hardware specs with its perceived rival, the Ubiquiti U7 In-Wall.

EnGenius ECW515 vs. Ubiquiti U7 In-Wall: Hardware specifications

Model	ECW515	U7-IW
Name	Cloud Managed Wi-Fi 7 2×2 Wall Plate Access Point	Ubiquiti UniFi 7 In-Wall Access Point
Wi-Fi Standard	Dual-band BE3600	Dual-band BE5000
1st Band 2.4GHz (channel width)	2×2 BE: Up to 688Mbps (20/40MHz)
2nd Band 5GHz (channel width)	2×2 BE: Up to 2.9Gbps (20/40/80/160MHz)	2×2 BE: Up to 4.3Gbps (20/40/80/160/240MHz)
3rd Band 6GHz (channel width)	None
Backward Compatibility	802.11ax/ac/n/g/a/b
Max Concurrent Clients	100+	200+
Multi-Link Operation (MLO)	Yes
Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC)	N/A
Max. TX power	2.4GHz: 21dBm 5GHz: 24dBm	2.4GHz: 23dBm 5GHz: 24dBm
Antenna Gain	2.4GHz: 5dBi 5GHz: 5dBi	2.4GHz: 4dBi 5GHz: 8dBi
Estimate Wi-Fi Coverage (estimate)	1000 ft² (92 m²)	1250 ft² (115 m²)
Power over Ethernet (PoE)	802.3at (PoE+)	802.3af (PoE) or 802.3at (PoE+) (PoE+ is required for PoE output)
Max Power Consumption	18W (excluding PoE output)	13W (excluding PoE output)
PoE Power Forwarding	Yes
Powering Option	PoE+ or 54V DC	PoE or PoE+
Included Power Adapter or PoE injector	None
Internal Cooling Fan	No
Network Port	1x 2.5GBASE-T PoE+ (uplink)	1x 2.5GBASE-T PoE+ (uplink), 1x 2.5GBASE-T LAN, 1x 2.5GBASE-T PoE-out LAN
Gigabit Port	4x Gigabit LAN (with one being PoE-out)	None
Security	WPA, WPA2, WPA3
Local Web-based Management	For status and firmware update only	No
Cloud-Management	EnGenius Cloud (free tier available)	UniFi (free)
Vendor Account	Required	Optional
Mobile App	EnGenius Cloud to-Go	UniFi
Funtionality	Access Point (Mesh Point), PoE Power Forwarding 4-port Gigabit switch	Access Point (Mesh Point), PoE Power Forwarding 2-port 2.5Gbps switch
Firmware Version (for review)	v1.9.104	UniFi OS 5.1.8 UniFi Network 10.3.58
Dimensions (W x D x H)	5.1 x 4.3 x 1.6 in (130 x 110 x 42 mm)	5.4 x 3.9 x 1.2 in (137 x 98.7 x 30.2 mm)
Weight (with mounting accessories)	.72 lbs. (.328 Kg)	14.1 oz (400 g)
LED	Color-changing LED
US Launch Cost (check street prices)	$199	$149

As shown in the table, the ECW515 has two more LAN ports. In return, it doesn’t have Multi-Gig LANs and lacks support for 240 MHz channel widths on the 5GHz band.

In my real-world, hands-on experience, the access point’s 5GHz band only functioned with an 80MHz-wide channel at best, which limited its sustained rates to around a Gigabit, as you’ll note in the performance section below.

EnGenius ECW515: A fully cloud-managed access point

While EnGenius ECW515 comes with a local web-based graphic user interface, you can’t use this GUI to manage its Wi-Fi SSIDs or network ports. As a result, there’s no way to use it as an independent standalone router.

Instead, like most other EnGenius cloud-managed access points, the ECW515 is designed to be managed via EnGenius’s engenius.ai online portal, which requires a vendor-connected login account.

Once you’ve logged in via the web portal, adding the access point to the account is quite simple. You do that manually by entering its serial number or use the EnGenious Cloud to-Go mobile app to scan the QR code on its underside. After that, when the access point is connected to an Internet-ready network, it’ll automagically be available within your EnGenius Cloud account for further customization.

Generally, that is how all cloud-managed APs work, and EnGenious’s cloud management includes a free Basic Plan with enough settings and customization for all homes and small businesses, including up to 8 SSIDs per band. Additionally, multiple supported access points can work together to provide a robust Wi-Fi mesh system.

Additionally, there’s a captive portal for each SSID, along with Quality of Service (QoS) and VLAN options. For the ECW515, you can also use the cloud-based GUI to manage its network ports, including enabling or disabling them.

It’s worth noting, however, that the EnGenious Cloud generally has a noticeable lag. Certain changes to settings and customization might take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes to take effect on the access point.

EnGenius ECW515: Modest but reliable performance

I tested the EnGenius ECW515 for over a week, and it proved reliable as a basic dual-band Wi-Fi 7 access point, with all its functions working as intended.

Specifically, I was able to power it via a PoE+ switch and then use it to power another PoE device, all the while its 4 LAN ports consistently deliver Gigabit-class sustained speeds. And that setup worked without any hiccups over a long period.

In terms of Wi-Fi speeds, the access point didn’t blow me away. In fact, considering its 5GHz always worked using an 80MHz channel width, its real-world sustained rates were comparatively subdued, as you can see on the charts.

Nonetheless, the ECW515 passed my 3-day stress test without disconnecting. In terms of range, which is always hard to quantify, the access point was also modest, slightly less than the U7 In-Wall. Specifically, you can expect it to cover about 1,300 ft² (120 m²) of residential space when placed at the center.

Other than that, having no internal fan, the EnGenius ECW515 was completely silent and remained cool in my trial. In fact, it didn’t even feel warm to the touch during extended use.

Conclusion

While not earthshattering in any aspect, the EnGenius ECW515 is an easy recommendation for those needing an entry-level combo unit featuring a Wi-Fi 7 access point and a 4-port PoE switch with Power Forwarding, all in a compact box. If you have a non-Wi-Fi router or one of an older Wi-Fi standard, this access point is an easy Wi-Fi 7 upgrade.

In need of a new router? The current top-five non-Wi-Fi options below will give you some pointers. On this front, note that the EnGenius ECW515 will work equally well with any third-party router, but if you decide to go with a UniFi Cloud Gateway, the U7 In-Wall is a much more suitable option.