Indoor access points add wired-backed Wi-Fi coverage to offices, schools, shops, clinics and larger homes. Our range includes ceiling and wall-mount units, desk models and controller-managed business access points from Ubiquiti, HPE, MikroTik, Zyxel and Cisco, as well as Netgear, TP-Link and others.
How to choose an indoor access point
Wi-Fi speed and band. Look at the maximum rate for each band, not only the headline figure. In our range the listed 2.4 GHz rates include 574, 688 and 1147 Mbit/s, while 5 GHz rates run from 2882 to 5765 Mbit/s. Combined figures reach 11530 Mbit/s, but these are theoretical totals across several radios and no single device will reach them.
Coverage and number of users. One access point covers a limited area, and concrete walls and floors cut the range sharply. A busy office with many laptops, phones and video calls usually works better with several access points at moderate power than with one unit at full output. Check the manufacturer's guidance on client numbers for dense rooms such as classrooms and meeting rooms.
Mounting and operating conditions. Placement options in our range include ceiling, wall and desk, and some models support more than one. Many listed units are rated for 0 to 40 °C, which suits normal indoor rooms, while one model is rated for -25 to 65 °C and can cope with unheated storerooms or plant rooms. Ceiling mounting generally gives the most even coverage in open spaces.
Power and uplink. Most business access points run on Power over Ethernet (PoE), so you need a PoE switch or injector and only one cable per unit. Check the PoE standard the access point requires, and make sure its network port is fast enough for the wireless speeds you are paying for. A port limited to 1 Gbit/s can become the bottleneck on the fastest models.
Management. Decide whether you want to configure each unit separately, run a controller on your own hardware or use cloud management. Standalone setup is fine for one or two access points. Once you have around ten, central management of settings, firmware and guest networks saves a good deal of time.
Indoor access point brands we carry
- Ubiquiti: known for the UniFi family, where access points, switches and gateways are managed from one interface.
- HPE (including Hewlett Packard Enterprise): owner of the Aruba networking line, which is widely used in larger business and campus networks.
- MikroTik: Latvian maker whose devices run RouterOS, giving detailed manual control over wireless and routing settings.
- Zyxel: offers the Nebula platform for managing access points and switches from the cloud.
- Cisco: supplies enterprise access points and is also known for the cloud-managed Meraki range.
- Netgear: sells business access points that can be managed through its Insight app and portal.
- TP-Link: known for the Omada system, which brings access points and switches under one controller.
Also in our range: Rohde & Schwarz NC and D-Link.
Indoor access points: frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an access point and a router?
A router connects your network to the internet and assigns addresses, while an access point only provides the wireless connection to an existing wired network. You plug the access point into a switch or router with a network cable. This makes it easy to add Wi-Fi in rooms where the router signal is weak.
Do I need PoE for an access point?
Not always, but most business access points are designed to be powered over Ethernet. If you have a PoE switch, you need just one cable per unit. Without one, a PoE injector or a separate power adapter, where the model supports it, will do the job.
How many access points do I need?
It depends on floor area, wall materials and the number of devices, so there is no single figure. As a rough guide, one access point per few rooms is common in offices, and fewer walls mean fewer units. A site survey or the manufacturer's planning tool gives a more accurate answer for larger buildings.
Can I mix access points from different brands?
Yes, they will all work on the same wired network, but they will not share one management system. Roaming between them may be less smooth, because each brand handles hand-over its own way. For a single site, sticking to one brand and one controller is usually simpler.
