July 06, 2018
AP60 vs. AP62: The Next Generation of Datto Access Points
The newest addition to the Datto Networking line of access points, the AP62, is a tri-band, 2 x 2 802.11ac Wave 2 wireless access point, with multi-user MIMO and up to 160MHz channel width. It supports up to 1,734Mbps on the 5GHz bands combined and up to 300Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, for a total speed rating of 2Gbps. It is currently the most performant Datto AP.
The AP62 represents a significant performance improvement over the AP60, especially in high-density environments. The AP60 is a dual-band, 3 x 3 802.11ac Wave 1 wireless access point, with single-user MIMO and up to 80MHz channel width. It supports up to 1,300Mbps on the 5GHz band and up to 450Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, for a total speed rating of 1.7Gbps. For a more in depth comparison, see the table below.
AP60 | AP62 | |
Speed | 1.7 Gbps | 2.0 Gbps |
Radio | Dual-Band (1 x 2.4GHz; 1 x 5GHz) | Tri-Band (1 x 2.4GHz; 2 x 5GHz) |
PoE | Standard 802.3af | Standard 802.3af/at or Passive 18-24V⎓1.34-1A |
Range (approximate) | Indoor: 75-150’ indoor (3-4 walls) | Indoor: 75-150’ indoor (3-4 walls) |
Outdoor: 400-500’ | Outdoor: 400-600' | |
Recommended users | 50-100 | 75-150 |
WLAN Standard | 3 x 3 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wave 1 | 2 x 2 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wave 2 |
CPU | Single-Core Qualcomm "Scorpion" | Quad-Core Qualcomm "Dakota" |
Memory | 128MB DRAM | 256MB DRAM |
MIMO Type | Single-user MIMO | Multi-user MIMO |
So, what does all that mean? MIMO (Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output) means that there are multiple antennas on each access point, which transmit and receive multiple streams of data at the same time. 2 x 2 = 2 streams and 3 x 3 = 3 streams.
Most current wireless devices (laptops, smartphones, IoT devices, tablets, etc) are 2 x 2, and some high end laptops are 3 x 3. So, in theory 3 x 3 access points can serve a wider variety of devices. However, 3 x 3 devices are far from mainstream. Single-user MIMO (Wave 1) access points, as their name implies, stream data to one client at a time. Conversely, multi-user MIMO (Wave 2) access points connect to multiple clients simultaneously, and as such, offer higher performance.
Dual-band APs like the AP60 operate with two radio bands: one 2.4GHz and one 5GHz. As you are probably aware, the 2.4GHz band offers wider coverage, while the 5GHz band offers higher performance over a shorter distance. The AP62 uses a tri-band configuration, which offers a second 5GHz radio to improve performance in dense environments, as you will see in the example client load chart below.
“Optimal WiFi design usually means installing several APs in a space for redundancy and performance reasons. The AP62 can handle 100+ device connections on a single AP so they are well suited to high density installations," said Ed Parenti, Product Manager - Datto Networking. “We've tested the AP62 to its limits and have seen well performing high-density installations in the field. The AP62 provides excellent coverage and performance for MSP customers.”
