TP-Link EAP225-Outdoor AC1200 WiFi 5 Access Point, Support PoE MU-MIMO,Gigabit Wireless Access Points, Omada Mesh, Seamless Roaming, Optimal for Garden/Office WiFi, IP65 Weatherproof

I use two of these to provide WiFi hotspots and outdoor coverage. One is just coming up to 2 years old and the other is 9 months. Both have lived outside and worked pretty flawlessly so far. For someone familiar with home networking, they're fairly easy to set up. You can either login via a browser and set them up via the web interface or use TP-Link's Omada software to provision them. Omada gives them a few extra features and lets you see and log more information than they would do by themselves. For speed and range, I've seen them top out at around 600mbps when within 10m with no real obstacles on 5GHz. Line-of-sight outdoors, the furthest I could test was 100m away where I could still get a decent signal and around 100mbps on my phone. Signal strength and speed drops off very quickly at this distance as soon as there's obstacles which is to be expected really. This is with 5GHz DFS channels which tend to be fairly free from interference. I haven't been able to make fair tests on 2.4GHz as this seems to be very busy in my area. I actually leave it disabled as it's pretty much unusable at any distance due to the amount of interference. I've had this with other routers/APs too here. Good points for me: - Omada is pretty cool (but not necessary for most cases) - Performance is as good as you'd expect from 2x2 WiFi 5 - They seem to survive outdoors - Range is good but as usual in WiFi manufacturer doodar land, their claims seem fairly optimistic ("300m+", line of sight at 1mbps while in an RF chamber during a full moon wearing no clothes) - With Omada, they apparently can be used in a mesh sort of configuration but I have yet to try this - Support for DFS channels on 5GHz (usually clearer channels if there's no weather radars) - PoE - Includes mounting bracket Bad points: - They're WiFi 5 and a little dated now (there are WiFi 6 models but they're kinda expensive) - If weather radar is detected on a DFS channel, they'll change to another non-DFS channel and remain there. It'd be nice if they returned once the channel was free again. You either have to reboot or change the frequency again. I think they're pretty neat but it would be nice to see the EAP610-Outdoor, the WiFi 6 equivalant drop down in price and replace these (assuming they're just as good but with WiFi 6). They're currently almost twice the price vs these EAP225-Outdoor (£150 vs £80). Booo!

I had been using a booster in an up stairs bedroom and then another 20m down the garden in the shed to reach 45m down to the very bottom with the purpose of getting wifi to a solar powered ip camera, the camera is working better than before probably due to a better signal and less connections. I get full signal on 5g on my phone and the same speed test results 45m down the garden as i get direct from my router in the same room, with the booster setup the speed was poor and the connection was unreliable. The set up is so easy and worked straight away without any issues.

Positives: - Provides decent signal in the garden. Around 500mbps download speeds next to the AP (which is attached to the outside of the house) and around 200mbps (on the 5ghz network) at the very end of the garden (and it’s a very long garden). It would probably improve if I mounted it higher as the garage is blocking the signal slightly. - Does support band steering so you can combine both the 2.4 and 5ghz SSID’s (this does of course require you to know what band steering does, it’s not obvious from the UI). Negatives: - Doesn’t have a repeater function (which would have made installation options much more versatile) so you do need to run a cable back to the router. - It does support Mesh networking but only with other TP-Link EAP devices (won’t mesh with other manufacturers AP’s) and you need a separate controller in order to configure this (either software or hardware). Update: I’ve now mounted the access point higher up and more centrally in the garden. The signal is more stable and has better coverage than when it was near the house but the signal seems to be easily blocked by buildings and trees which isn’t great when it’s meant to be used outside. Another update: I’ve finally relented and purchased another one to use in mesh mode as the signal at the very end of the garden wasn’t good enough with just the one. I’ve installed it on a fence post at the very end of the garden but still in line of sight of the existing one so as to avoid the signal getting blocked by trees. Luckily, the shed has power going to it so I was able to power it from there. So far, I have been impressed by the resulting coverage; I’m now getting a very good signal all over the garden. I was also impressed by the Omada controller software; it was easy and straightforward to configure (I didn’t even need to follow any instructions) and it adopted both the access point without issue and even allowed me to update the firmware. You don’t need to have the software running all the time either (if you don’t want to constantly monitor the network) so you don’t necessarily need a dedicated PC running 24/7 or the hardware controller.

A while back, I decided to change my BT mesh type system for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's not as fast as I'd like and secondly, the range is quite small. I have 5 BT mesh units and I still don't have full coverage, at least not guaranteed. So, I looked at an Access Point type system because each AP is hard wired back to the network switch thus avoiding the issues of repeating a WiFI signal. So, I looked around and there are some pretty pricey systems around for offices and industrial areas - far more than wanted to spend - and then I came across the TP-Link Omada system which, is far more reasonable in price. And it's utterly brilliant. First off you do not need to be a PHd level IT guru to set it up. Anyone with a modicum of willingness and the ability to download an App can do it. The system as a who is designed to be controlled just by your app or you can boy a small network controller module that you plug into your switch and using the App set things up from that. This I recommend and it's genuinely idiot proof. You'll then need a network switch preferably a POE one. I also used a TP-Link one because the price is very good and of course guaranteed compatibility. It also has sensing built in such that if I plugged a non-POE device in it would not blow it with an over voltage. And then you pick some AP's. I have four indoor ones to cover my house and a couple of outdoor ones, one for the front of my house and one for the back garden which is large and backs onto woods and open county - which is why I wanted a good WiFi signal. Cameras. Specifically WiFi ones my wife and I have in place to watch the various animals and birds that visit our garden. Covid has been miserable but it has introduced us to an outside world we paid little heed to before and thus we have had a bit of a silver lining to the misery of 2020 and now 2021. Anyway, I ran a Cat6 cable to where I wanted this AP - a pole I'd previously installed - and then fitted it with the included mountings which, are neat, easy to use and work well. Once mechanically and electrically fixed I simply used the app to set this up and off it went. I now have excellent WiFi across the entire back area of my house. And as you move around and back into the house the system allows seamless transitioning from one AP to the next using the stronger signal as it comes up. Overall, a fantastic system and AP from TP-Link.

Easy to set up, you need a spare router port or splitter, power point as well next to router or extension lead. All you then do is run the CAT 6 cable to where you need it outside and plug it in. Download the app put your SSIB name, password in the system does the rest. Coverage is excellent with high speed WiFi outside. Highly recommended

Had it for 3 years and it was fast at first. Now slow (despite firmware upgrades) and I'm having to reboot it a couple of times a week. Tried different routers with it too but still just goes offline until powered down. I've even done several factory resets. I've had loads of TP-Link products and I would give them 7 out of 10 as they just become unreliable over time. I've lost confidence in the brand and now looking elsewhere for a replacement. I'm an experienced I.T. engineer just for information.

Don't use the app follow the information below. Took 2-3 minutes to do and works at 100m perfectly fine at 400mbps, 200m at 150mbps. Signal is still picked up round the front of my house when I'm stood next to the house It's not a great signal but still usable even after going through a house. I'm using cat5 cable not shielded from internal to external. 35 meter from router to controller( little white box that comes with it) Keep the cable as short as possibly from the controller to the new access point mine is 1.5 meters. Works perfectly with no issues. Good value for money, looks good on the wall as it not massive. Coverage is very good Step 1: Connect to the new access point you've just put up. Step 2: Go onto the devices up address 192.168.*.* (if you don't know how to do it Google it) Step3: Put in username and password. Step4: Follow the steps on the screen. Step 5: when it asks what you want to call it call both the 2.5g and 5g the same with the same password then it sorts itself out with the devices. Step 6: when you see the loading bar you need to connect to the new network name you just put in. Easy as that.

Having bought and installed a few of these, and seeing a couple of reviews here, I thought it would be good to add ours: Firstly, this EAP225-outdoor AP is fantastic... and it's proven itself flawlessly in all our installations for several years since the first model version. I have infact just bought more. Comments saying these can't be connected wirelessly are partially true, but remember that these are "business" level products, so aren't designed to plug, play and fail. Firstly, this particular suite of TP-Link network devices are designed around their "Omada" mesh framework. In order to fully utilise these for mesh networks, you will have to invest in setting up the hardware, such as an omada controller OR free omada software running on a server/spare pc. If it's a simple access point you want, then this will operate out of the box as an AP. In both "mesh" and AP modes, an ethernet connection is required for the initial link to your router (which thus does not need to be an Omada, or even TP-link product) - the EAP225 is not a domestic "range extender" operating wirelessly, but when configured in Omada mesh mode with other Omada EAP WiFi devices can be used to wirelessly connect multiple units to create a broader network with one or more SSIDs - again, the initial connection to the first unit is hardwired, and this is a good thing. After that, add as many as needed (specs for maximum can be read from TP's datasheets and manuals online) Pros: Extremely stable network, as this is a fully managed device via Omada controller, so client connection and switching is optimally handled. After nearly 4 years outdoors in windy/wet/sunny/snowy Welsh hill weather, ours, and others I've installed, have not tripped or reset other than in power outages outside of our control. Highly modular, so your network can be designed and implemented in any way you require, indoor or outdoors. Initial set up of Omada mesh is not straight forward, but equally is not hard: these require a little time and a tiny bit of thought to install, but once up they just work. Neg: Very slightly more cost if compared to far less robust domestic mesh devices, but compared with reasonable performance "domestic" mesh products, I would argue that the price is comparable, if not cheaper. Ultimately, this becomes an apples for oranges comparison, and is not useful: these devices are excellent value, high grade utility items which work extremely reliably. Hal and Becky x