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The Netgear WAX214 AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Access Point (WAP) was available simultaneously with the oddball WAX204, but I decided not to review it until now due to some firmware issues. Indeed, with the latest firmware release, version 2.0.1.0, this (still) new access point proved in my testing to be reliable.
As an entry-level business AP, though, the WAX214 doesn't have much to brag about. And the fact it includes no power supply, be it a traditional adapter or a PoE injector, means you might have a hard time with it at first.
But if you have wired your home (or office) and want a straightforward device to extend your network at the current sub-$100 cost, the WAX214 is worth the consideration. Just make sure you already have a PoE switch (or a standard injector) and don't need top Wi-Fi 6 speeds.
If you're looking to expand Wi-Fi outdoors, however, check out the EnGenius EWS850AP instead.
Netgear WAX214: A straightforward indoor entry-level Wi-Fi 6 broadcaster
The Netgear WAX214 has a couple of surprises. For one, it's quite compact, significantly smaller than the EnGenious ECW230. And secondly, it doesn't come with a power supply.
The new access point supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) and does have a standard power port. However, out of the box, it comes with neither the power adapter nor a PoE injectorโit's rather useless.
So, unless you already have a standard PoE switch, you'll have to spend another $30 or so for a way to deliver juice to it.
As a business AP, though, this no-power-adapter approach is quite normal. You can think of this as a way to cut costs since many businesses (and homes) already switch with multiple PoE ports.
I myself tested it with a PoE switch. If you have one or a standard injector, you'll find setting it up a walk in the park. But first, let's check out the WAX214's hardware specs and photos.
Netgear WAX214: Hardware specifications
The Netgear WAX214 is a dual-band dual-stream (2x2) Wi-Fi 6 broadcaster that doesn't support the 160MHz channel width.
The lack of support for the high bandwidth means it'll cap at 1200Mbps of negotiated speed at best. But that also means it's stable, being free from the DFS issues and all.
| Name | Netgear WAX214 AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Access Point |
| Models | WAX214 |
| Standard | Dual-band AX1800 |
| 2.4GHz Band | 2x2 AX: Up to 600Mbps (20/40MHz) |
| 5GHz Band | 2x4 AX: Up to 1200Mbps (20/40/80MHz) |
| SSIDs | 4 |
| Max Clients (Active) | 128 (40) |
| Wi-Fi Security | WPA/WPA2/WPA3 |
| Ethernet Port | 1x Gigabit (PoE) |
| Power Supply | IEEE 802.11af/at PoE or Netgear PAV12V Neither PoE injector nor power adapter included) |
| Dimensions | 6.33 x 6.33 ร 1.31 in (160.9 ร 160.9 x 33.28 mm) |
| Weight | 0.84 lb (0.38kg) |
| Operation Modes | Access Point |
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.
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
Netgear WAX214: Simple setup process, scant feature setup
The access point comes with a mall setup booklet and a self-explanatory introduction printed on its underside.
A typical PoE AP setup
However, similar to the case of the EnGenius EWS850AP, getting the WAX214 up and running is dead simple, just like that of any PoE access point.
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.
Now, it's time to access its local web interface. (The AP doesn't have a mobile app, which is great.)
For this, you either use instructions printed on the WAX214's underside or open a browser of a network computer and navigate to its IP address given out by your router. I did the latter, and the rest was self-explanatory.
As shown in the screenshot above, the first time I accessed the WAX214's web user interface, I was asked to create a login account and the SSID and password for the access point.
And that's it! Mission accomplished.
In most cases, you can stop there and move on to other things.
Lots of Wi-Fi settings, no features
And there aren't many reasons to do anything more. That's because if you go back to the interface, you'll note that there are not many features with this access point.
Indeed, it has way less to offer than the EnGenius EWS850AP, which was already scant in features.
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.
(I tested a single unit, but if you use more than one and set their SSIDs and passwords to be the same, chances are you'll get somewhat of a mesh system with seamless hand-off. This is the case with most business APs.)
In fact, the only thing the WAX214 has is the ability to customize its Wi-Fi bands to the max. As mentioned above, you can have up to four SSIDs to segment your network and manage devices connected to each separately.
It's important to note, though, that the SSIDs are virtualโusing more than one doesn't increase the bandwidth of the AP, and per Netgear, each WAX214 can handle up to 40 active devices simultaneously. That's more than enough for most homes.
Netgear WAX214: Modest but reliable performance
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.
The Netgear WAX214's coverage proved impressive, exceeding what Netgear claims, 1500 ft2 (139 m2).
In my testing, the AP could cover some 2000 ft2 (186 m2)of a house with relatively open spaces when mounted on the ceiling. Your milages will vary, however.
With the latest firmware, I used the Netgear WAX214 for more than a week with no issues. The AP was reliable the entire time.
Netgear WAX214 Access Point's Rating
Pros
Reliable Wi-Fi at relatively affordable pricing
Compact and simple to set up
Lots of Wi-Fi settings, responsive web user interface
No login account required
Wall-mount-ready
Cons
No 160MHz bandwidth or Multi-Gig port, modest speeds
No power adapter or PoE injector included
Limited feature set
Conclusion
The Netgear WAX214 AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Access Point is not a must-have, nor is it a novelty. It's just a simple, reliable to add-on Wi-Fi broadcaster for an existing network. And that's a good thing.
For the current cost of around $100, this AP is definitely worth the investment if you're into cable wiring and Power-over-Ethernet networking. Just make sure you only need a sub-Gigabit Wi-Fi network.
When you say being free of DFS issue, I was mistaken that it works with DFS fine. But you mean it does not support DFS. You should make that clear. I was trying to buy a AP that supports DFS. But this complete lack of DFS make this AP useless.
Or you can tell yourself that you should have paid a bit more attention, Delroy. If you understand what DSF means and how it works, you’ll know that your assumption was wrong to begin with and looking to validate it would only being you to a bad place.
And no, the lack of DFS support does NOT make an AP useless.
I have always set my AP to use U-NII-2 bands that requires DFS. Lack of DFS meaning you don’t have access to U-NII-2 bands on 5G freuqency.
Does this WAP allow seamless roaming? Eg Put up multiple WAX214 in the house for better coverage of Wi-Fi like the TP-Link EAP245?
Nope, it’s not mesh-ready, Osman. And in the case of the TP-Link, you need a controller.
You might still get some sort of handoff depending on the situation but that’s not guaranteed — more in this post.
Thanks for this Dong, I was considering Wifi 6 access points like this one before buying the Asus AXE16000s. Other enterprise-oriented solutions I was looking at were Huawei’s 8760-X1-PRO Access Point, tri-band, which has two 10G ethernet/PoE ports and an SFP+ port and Zyxel’s AX7501-B0 Dual-Band Wireless AX6000 10G Fiber IAD with SFP+ (one SFP+ WAN and 10GBase-T LAN). Pity there are US sanctions against Huawei’s networking equipment though, while Zyxel’s excellent Integrated Access Device is only available in Europe. They don’t seem to ship to the US or other parts of the world to retail consumers. Tried emailing their Taiwan HQ and got no response. I wish Zyxel would make more of its cost-effective 10Gbe networking devices widely available to retail consumers across the globe in the future. It was challenging enough trying to source for the Zyxel 10Gbe switches you reviewed and recommended. Maybe you can make the suggestion to them since they’ve featured your reviews on some of their product pages?
It’s not easy to get a product certified for the US market, Richard, and for good reasons.
Gotcha thanks
Thank you for this review. I am hoping you can answer a question about the Netgear WAX214 specifically, and access points in general. Can this access point be set up to use the same SSID and password as the router it is connected to? I have three 2.4 Ghz devices that need to communicate on WiFi with each other, and two of them will connect to the access point and one device will connect to the main router (FIOS G3100). So bascially can the WAX214 be setup to have all devices connected to the same network, regardless of whether the device is using the access point or the main router for its Wifi connection? Sorry if this is a dumb question… I’m not the most tech savy person!
Yes, you can always do that, Mark. But remember that this one is a router by default, so you should change it to the AP mode. Else you’ll have a double NAT and related issue.
Dong, many thanks for the review.
I know you don’t provide official advise (completely understandable), however you comments would be appreciated on my proposed installation.
a. Install 4 x Wax214 AP’s using a PoE switch connected to a router
b. 3 x Downstairs and one upstairs office room (over CAT6 wiring)
c. Use the same SSID and password (there are normally only two of us working from home), making connectivity as simple as possible
d. Stream 2 x 4k movies concurrently, 1 x Gaming and up to 4 x PC/Phone
e. Wi-Fi enabled on TV, Projector
f. Down-side – Need to connect existing TV Box with hard cable and only one LAN port in this room
Thoughts very much appreciated
Regards
John
I have no comment on your specific situation, John. I don’t pretend I know everything, and I sure don’t know your place. But this post will help — make sure you read it in its entirety. Good luck!