Best Wireless Access Point for a Home Lab: Budget the PoE

An access point’s spec sheet tells you how much power it draws. A PoE switch that allocates by class does not care: it reserves power by the PoE standard the device asks for. TP-Link rates the EAP610 at 11W, but lists 802.3at as its PoE standard, so the planning figure for it is 30W of the switch’s budget. Across the six access points below, the maximum draw runs from 9W to 22.3W, while the reservation is one of two numbers: 15.4W or 30W.

Quick picks

• The most APs on a small PoE switch: Ubiquiti U6+. 9W maximum, and Ubiquiti’s “PoE” label means the 15.4W 802.3af reservation.
• One Omada AP, basic Wi-Fi 6: TP-Link EAP610. 11W maximum, 802.3at, and a DC adapter in the box if the switch has no budget left.
• A 2.5GbE uplink, Omada: TP-Link EAP670. 2.5 gigabit port, 802.3at, 22.3W maximum — the highest in the table.
• Wi-Fi 7 and 6 GHz: Ubiquiti U7 Pro. 2.5GbE, PoE+, 21W maximum.
• Faster Wi-Fi 6 on a gigabit uplink: Ubiquiti U6 Pro or TP-Link EAP650. The U6 Pro reserves about half as much.

Check the Ubiquiti U6+ on Amazon↗

What an access point costs a PoE switch

Two figures describe an access point’s power, and the product page usually shows only one. Maximum power consumption is what the AP can draw at worst. The PoE standard it asks for decides what a switch that allocates by class sets aside for that port, whether or not the AP ever uses it.

IEEE 802.3af, which Ubiquiti’s help center says Ubiquiti often calls plain “PoE”, has the switch allocate up to 15.4W a port. IEEE 802.3at, sold as PoE+, allocates up to 30W. Those are the numbers our PoE switch guide uses to count how many devices each switch can power, and they are the planning figures here.

Put the two figures side by side for the six APs in this guide:

• U6+: 9W maximum, 802.3af — reserves 15.4W
• EAP610: 11W maximum on PoE, 802.3at — reserves 30W
• U6 Pro: 13W maximum, 802.3af — reserves 15.4W
• EAP650: 15.5W maximum, 802.3at — reserves 30W
• U7 Pro: 21W maximum, 802.3at — reserves 30W
• EAP670: 22.3W maximum, 802.3at — reserves 30W

The TP-Link EAP610 draws less than the U6 Pro and reserves nearly twice as much. The ordering by draw and the ordering by reservation are not the same list, and it is the reservation that decides how many APs fit on a switch.

Two things soften this, and both are worth knowing. Not every switch reserves by class. Some allocate dynamically, letting the device ask for less over LLDP, and on those the draw figure matters more. And these are planning figures, not measurements. Neither maker’s spec page gives the PoE class each AP advertises, so 15.4W and 30W are the ceilings of each standard — what to plan for when you have not yet seen the switch’s PoE status page with the AP plugged in.

How many fit on a PoE switch

Divide the switch’s PoE budget by the reservation and cap the answer at its PoE ports. For the five switches in our PoE guide, that gives:

• Ubiquiti USW-Lite-8-PoE, 52W: three 802.3af APs, or one 802.3at AP
• NETGEAR GS305EP, 63W: four 802.3af APs, or two 802.3at APs
• TP-Link TL-SG108PE, 64W: four 802.3af APs, or two 802.3at APs
• NETGEAR GS308EPP, 123W: seven 802.3af APs, or four 802.3at APs
• TP-Link TL-SG1008MP, 126W: eight 802.3af APs, or four 802.3at APs

On the smallest budget the gap is widest: the USW-Lite-8-PoE powers three U6+ units, or one of any of the four 802.3at models. For the two NETGEAR switches these counts use the low end of NETGEAR’s own allocation range, as the PoE guide explains; at the top of that range they drop by one in some cases.

Mixing access points on one budget

A lab does not have to buy three of the same AP. The arithmetic still works: add the reservations and compare the total with the budget.

Two U6 Pro units and one U7 Pro reserve 15.4W + 15.4W + 30W = 60.8W. That fits the 64W TL-SG108PE with 3.2W and one PoE port to spare, and does not fit the 52W USW-Lite-8-PoE. On the 52W switch the same two U6 Pro units leave 21.2W, which is room for one more 802.3af AP and not for anything that asks for 802.3at.

An EAP650 and an EAP610 reserve 30W each, 60W together: the 64W TL-SG108PE takes both with 4W left, the 63W GS305EP with 3W left on NETGEAR’s low-end figure, and not at all at the top of NETGEAR’s range, where two ports reserve 63.2W. A third Omada AP from this table does not fit on either, which is where the EAP610’s DC adapter earns its place.

Four U6+ units reserve 61.6W and fill all four PoE ports of the TL-SG108PE; on the same switch, four EAP610 units would need 120W.

The margins in these examples are small, and they are margins against a planning figure. If the switch reports what each port actually allocated, that number replaces 15.4W or 30W and the arithmetic gets easier.

How we compared

Every figure here comes from the manufacturer’s own specification page: Ubiquiti’s tech specs for the U6+, U6 Pro and U7 Pro, and TP-Link’s Omada specification pages for the EAP610, EAP650 and EAP670. Manufacturer figures, not our own measurements. We have not put any of these access points on a meter or a PoE tester.

The reservation column is set by the PoE standard each maker states: 15.4W for 802.3af and 30W for 802.3at, the per-port maximums in TP-Link’s standards explainer and Ubiquiti’s help center.

Five limits are worth stating rather than smoothing over:

• Ubiquiti’s “PoE” is read as 802.3af. Ubiquiti’s tech specs say “PoE” or “PoE+” rather than naming a standard, and its help center says 802.3af is “often” what “PoE” means on its equipment. That is the basis for the U6+ and U6 Pro rows.
• The U6 Pro’s 13W is above what 802.3af guarantees. 802.3af guarantees 12.95W at the device; Ubiquiti lists 13W maximum for the U6 Pro in both its tech specs and its datasheet, and does not comment on the difference. We report both numbers and draw no conclusion from a 0.05W gap.
• TP-Link lists 802.3at for all three Omada models, including the EAP610 at 11W. TP-Link does not say whether an 802.3af switch will run them.
• The EAP610 has two figures: 11.0W on PoE and 9.9W on its DC adapter. The table uses the PoE figure.
• The EAP670 figures are from TP-Link’s V3 specification page. We could not confirm which hardware version the Amazon listing ships.

We left out the U6 Lite, because Ubiquiti’s tech specs list 12W and its datasheet 13.5W, and we would rather drop a model than pick one of two figures. Wireless throughput and coverage area are not compared here; we have no measurements of either.

The access points

Ubiquiti UniFi U6+ (U6-Plus, WiFi 6)

Ubiquiti

VerdictUbiquiti U6+: the lowest draw and the smaller reservation, for fitting the most APs on a switch

Strengths

• 9W maximum — the lowest in the table
• 802.3af, so a 15.4W reservation: three on a 52W switch, four on 64W
• WiFi 6 with 160 MHz channels on 5 GHz, up to 2.4 Gbps

Trade-offs

• Gigabit uplink only
• PoE only — no DC input, so it needs a PoE port or injector
• The Amazon listing is from third-party sellers

If the plan is more than one AP on a small PoE switch, this is the model that stretches the budget. On a switch that allocates dynamically, its 9W maximum leaves the most room of any model here.

Ubiquiti UniFi U6 Pro (U6-Pro-US, WiFi 6)

Ubiquiti

VerdictUbiquiti U6 Pro: faster Wi-Fi 6 at the same 15.4W reservation as the U6+

Strengths

• 5 GHz at up to 4.8 Gbps with 160 MHz channels
• 802.3af — about half the reservation of the EAP650
• Pro mount included for ceiling or wall

Trade-offs

• 13W maximum, above the 12.95W that 802.3af guarantees at the device
• Gigabit uplink, which the 5 GHz rate can exceed
• PoE only; adapter not included

The U6 Pro and the EAP650 are the two faster Wi-Fi 6 models on gigabit uplinks, and the difference between them on a PoE switch is the reservation: 15.4W against 30W. The 13W figure is worth knowing about if the switch is strict about 802.3af, since it sits a fraction above what the standard guarantees at the device; Ubiquiti does not address it.

Ubiquiti UniFi U7 Pro (U7-Pro-US, WiFi 7)

Ubiquiti

VerdictUbiquiti U7 Pro: Wi-Fi 7 with 6 GHz and a 2.5GbE port, at a PoE+ reservation

Strengths

• WiFi 7 across 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz; 6 GHz at up to 5.8 Gbps
• 1/2.5 GbE RJ45 uplink
• The only Wi-Fi 7 model in the table

Trade-offs

• PoE+ — a 30W reservation, one per 52W switch
• 21W maximum, the second highest here
• PoE only; PoE+ adapter not included

This is the model for a lab that wants 6 GHz, and the cost is the budget: on the 52W switch in our PoE guide it is the only AP, and on 64W it is one of two. A 2.5GbE uplink also only helps if the switch port is 2.5GbE; the five switches in the PoE guide are gigabit.

TP-Link Omada EAP610 (AX1800, WiFi 6)

TP-Link

VerdictTP-Link EAP610: a low-draw Omada AP that still reserves a PoE+ port

Strengths

• 11.0W maximum on PoE, 9.9W on DC
• DC adapter included, so it can run without touching the switch budget
• Omada managed, ceiling or wall

Trade-offs

• 802.3at — a 30W reservation for an 11W device
• 5 GHz at up to 1201 Mbps, the slowest in the table
• Gigabit uplink

This is the clearest case of the gap in the table: 11W of draw, 30W of reservation. On a switch that allocates by class, two of these fill a 64W budget. The way around it is in the box: the DC adapter powers the AP from an outlet, and the Ethernet port carries data only. That is a reasonable trade for one AP near a socket.

TP-Link Omada EAP650 (AX3000, WiFi 6)

TP-Link

VerdictTP-Link EAP650: the Omada middle option, faster Wi-Fi 6 on a gigabit port

Strengths

• 5 GHz at up to 2402 Mbps
• 15.5W maximum; DC adapter included
• Omada managed

Trade-offs

• 802.3at — nearly twice the reservation of the U6 Pro
• Gigabit uplink
• No PoE/DC split given for the 15.5W figure

Against the U6 Pro, the EAP650 is the Omada choice at a higher reservation. If the network is already Omada, that is the deciding factor and the reservation is the cost; if not, the U6 Pro fits twice as many on a 64W class-based budget — four against two.

TP-Link Omada EAP670 (AX5400, WiFi 6, 2.5G)

TP-Link

VerdictTP-Link EAP670: the 2.5GbE Omada AP, with the highest draw in the table

Strengths

• 1x 2.5 gigabit RJ45 port
• 5 GHz at up to 4804 Mbps
• DC adapter included; ceiling, wall or junction box mounting

Trade-offs

• 22.3W maximum — the highest here
• 802.3at — a 30W reservation
• Figures are from the V3 specification page; the listing's hardware version is unconfirmed

The EAP670 is the Omada counterpart to the U7 Pro on the uplink: a 2.5GbE port, at a PoE+ reservation. It is Wi-Fi 6 rather than Wi-Fi 7, so it has no 6 GHz band. At 22.3W it is also the one model here whose draw comes close to its reservation, so dynamic allocation saves the least with it.

Compared on the makers’ figures

Max draw is each manufacturer's published maximum. Switch reserves is the per-port maximum of the stated PoE standard — 15.4W for 802.3af, 30W for 802.3at — which a switch allocating by class sets aside for the port; switches that allocate dynamically over LLDP reserve less. Ubiquiti's 'PoE' is read as 802.3af on the basis of its help center. The EAP610 draw is its PoE figure; on DC it is 9.9W.

Model	PoE standard	Max draw (W)	Switch reserves (W)	Uplink (Gbps)	Wi-Fi	DC adapter included
Ubiquiti UniFi U6+ (U6-Plus, WiFi 6)Ubiquiti	802.3af	9	15.4	1	WiFi 6	No
Ubiquiti UniFi U6 Pro (U6-Pro-US, WiFi 6)Ubiquiti	802.3af	13	15.4	1	WiFi 6	No
Ubiquiti UniFi U7 Pro (U7-Pro-US, WiFi 7)Ubiquiti	802.3at	21	30	2.5	WiFi 7	No
TP-Link Omada EAP610 (AX1800, WiFi 6)TP-Link	802.3at	11	30	1	WiFi 6	Yes
TP-Link Omada EAP650 (AX3000, WiFi 6)TP-Link	802.3at	15.5	30	1	WiFi 6	Yes
TP-Link Omada EAP670 (AX5400, WiFi 6, 2.5G)TP-Link	802.3at	22.3	30	2.5	WiFi 6	Yes

Read the focus column against the draw column beside it. The two Ubiquiti WiFi 6 models reserve 15.4W; everything else reserves 30W, from the 11W EAP610 to the 22.3W EAP670. The four 30W models span 11.3W of draw between them and cost a class-based switch exactly the same.

Which access point, by what you need

Often the ecosystem is decided before the access point, because the controller and the switches already settle it. The matrix takes that as given and crosses it with the job.

All three Omada models here list 802.3at, so the Omada cell for several APs is the lowest-draw model, run from its included DC adapter where the switch budget is short. There is no Wi-Fi 7 Omada model in this comparison. The U6 Pro and EAP650 are the faster Wi-Fi 6 choices on a gigabit uplink; see their cards above.

Use case	UniFi	Omada
One AP, basic Wi-Fi 6	Ubiquiti UniFi U6+ (U6-Plus, WiFi 6)	TP-Link Omada EAP610 (AX1800, WiFi 6)
Several APs on a small PoE switch	Ubiquiti UniFi U6+ (U6-Plus, WiFi 6)	TP-Link Omada EAP610 (AX1800, WiFi 6)
2.5GbE uplink	Ubiquiti UniFi U7 Pro (U7-Pro-US, WiFi 7)	TP-Link Omada EAP670 (AX5400, WiFi 6, 2.5G)
Wi-Fi 7 and 6 GHz	Ubiquiti UniFi U7 Pro (U7-Pro-US, WiFi 7)	—

The second row is where the ecosystems differ. On UniFi, the U6+ is the answer at 15.4W a port. On Omada, every model here reserves 30W, so the answer is the one that draws least and ships with a DC adapter: on a 64W switch, two EAP610 units on PoE and a third on its own power brick, rather than a bigger switch.

The bottom row is empty for Omada because none of the three Omada models in this comparison is Wi-Fi 7. The U6 Pro and EAP650 are left out of the matrix on purpose: they are the step up in Wi-Fi 6 speed on a gigabit uplink, and the choice between them is the ecosystem plus the reservation, 15.4W against 30W.

Frequently asked questions

How many access points can a PoE switch power?

Divide the switch’s PoE budget by what each AP reserves, and cap it at the PoE ports. At 15.4W, a 64W switch with four PoE ports takes four; at 30W it takes two. On the 52W USW-Lite-8-PoE it is three against one. Our PoE switch guide works through all five switches.

Is an 11W access point a PoE or a PoE+ device?

It depends on what the maker specifies, not on the wattage. TP-Link lists 802.3at for the EAP610, which draws 11.0W at most on PoE; Ubiquiti lists “PoE” for the U6 Pro at 13W. The standard, not the draw, sets the reservation.

Do I need a 2.5GbE switch for a 2.5GbE access point?

Only to use the extra speed. Ubiquiti lists the U7 Pro’s port as 1/2.5 GbE, so it links at gigabit on a gigabit switch; TP-Link lists the EAP670’s port as 2.5 gigabit without naming lower speeds. The five PoE switches in our PoE guide are gigabit, and our home lab switch guide covers the switches themselves.

Can I power an access point without a PoE switch?

The three TP-Link models include a DC adapter, so they can run from an outlet with the Ethernet cable carrying data only. The Ubiquiti models are PoE only and need a PoE switch port or a separate injector; the Amazon listings for the U6 Pro and U7 Pro say the adapter is not included.

UniFi or Omada?

That is usually settled by what else is on the network, because each ecosystem manages its own access points and switches from one controller. On power, the difference in this comparison is that the two Ubiquiti WiFi 6 models are 802.3af and all three TP-Link models are 802.3at.