10 Best Outdoor Access Points (Review) In 2020

The Hawking Technology Outdoor Access Point is the daddy of wireless access points. We could have featured it as our Premium Product, but we thought it deserved a place as our Best Choice product instead. If you’re running a business and you need Wi-Fi outside, this is the product for you. The first thing we really like about it is the high-resistance industrial metal casing. That makes it more than just weatherproof; it’s everything proof. It will withstand pretty much anything you can throw at it, which makes it perfect for building sites and other tough outdoor environments.

It’s also capable of extremely impressive wireless speeds – up to 1750Mbps. Basically, it can handle any connection you can throw at it. And to make sure that you get the maximum speed out of your router, it has a Gigabit Ethernet port. The only repeated complaint about this product is that there are some issues with configuration. It’s not the most user-friendly product, so we’d only buy it if you have some experience with this type of technology or have an IT technician on site. If you are struggling with the signal in your home, check out our guide to the best wifi extenders and pick the perfect one.

This outdoor access point from EnGenius Technologies is considerably cheaper than the last product. It’s really designed for smaller areas and home use. There are two main reasons it’s so much cheaper. Firstly, the maximum speed is 300Mbps on 2.4GHz. This is absolutely fine for small businesses, like restaurants, that don’t rely on having a super strong network. It’s been reported to reach around 300 feet, but they don’t specify that in the product information.

The other reason it’s cheaper is that it has an IP-55 weatherproof rating. That means it’s dust-tight and waterproof, but it’s not going to stand up to any serious beating. If you’re going to put it outside, we’d recommend putting it somewhere under shelter if at all possible.

The TP-LINK N300 is another budget outdoor access point. This one is specifically designed for outdoor areas like swimming pools and gardens. Arguably, it could be used for small businesses like restaurants and cafes, but we’d recommend buying an outdoor access point that has been designed for that purpose. The thing that makes this outdoor access point suitable for outdoor areas is the fact that it has a long-range coverage area. It has 300Mbps Wi-Fi and two high gain omnidirectional antennas. That means it can provide stable Wi-Fi coverage up to a distance of 200 meters.

Another reason it’s so well-suited to outdoor environments is the IP-65 weatherproof rating. This might not be the highest rating, but it’s will definitely withstand some serious weather. It has 6KV lightning protection, 15KV electrostatic protection, and a weather-proof enclosure. It’s dustproof and waterproof, and even the antennas are designed to take a beating. 

The ENS500-AC 5 GHz is the second outdoor access point on this list from EnGenius, and it’s not the last. They’re one of the big names in this industry and they make some of the best products. This outdoor wireless access point is the cheapest option on this list, so we’ve selected it as our Best Value product. Because of the price, you can’t expect it to deliver the same performance as the outdoor access points that cost hundreds of dollars, but it’s still pretty impressive.

It delivers impressive wave 2 wireless speeds up to 867Mbps on 5GHz. So, it’s not the faster access point on this list, but it’s no slouch either. The best thing about this little product is that it has a high 23dB transmit power that extends the Wi-Fi into a yard, or even into a completely separate building. Again, it’s probably suitable for small businesses, but it’s not going to cut it if you’re trying to send the Wi-Fi signal over a whole office block.

The Ubiquiti UniFI Access Point is one of our favorite top-of-the-range outdoor access points. You could use it for any-sized businesses, but it’s really designed for people that need to send their Wi-Fi signal over a long distance. The impressive range of 183 meters (600 feet) takes care of this. That gives you plenty of scope to send a signal over a large courtyard, throughout multiple buildings, or over an entire office block. It can only handle speeds of 300Mbps, but it can link between multiple units.

The other thing about this access point that customers love is the graphical user interface, or as they call it ‘virtual management software’. This lets you monitor the different clients and traffic on separate units. You can really drill down into the detail of how your network is being used, or just check on the ‘quick look’ section which clients are being used most. We’d really recommend this product for hotels and restaurants with multiple buildings and outdoor spaces. Our guide to the best mini PCs features some awesome portable options, so be sure to check them out.

The EnStationAC is an outdoor access point designed especially for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint deployments. That means it can send wireless signals over impressive distances of up to 5 miles. It’s ideal for businesses that need a long-range connection where ethernet or fiber cabling isn’t possible. It has a maximum performance of 867Mbps, but the signal becomes weaker the further the distance. Having said that, it still has a reported performance of 50Mbps at a 3-mile distance. It can achieve this because it’s has embedded high-gain directional antennas that emit a narrow signal beam. That means you get a stable connection over great distances.

It’s also ideal for use with long-range surveillance networks. In fact, EnGenius make their own security camera and surveillance equipment called the EnGenius IP Surveillance Camera. This product is made specifically to work with that surveillance equipment and send video back through the wireless network. This is one of the most effective ways to keep an eye on your property.

If you’re looking for the perfect access point for use around the home, we think we’ve found it. The Ubiquiti UniFi HD Access Point is actually capable of so much more than use around the home, but that makes it plenty powerful to power a connected home. If your home is full of smartphones, smart TVs, smartwatches, gaming laptops, tablets, and anything else using Wi-Fi, this product will change your life.

If you’re using a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, it can handle speeds of up to 800Mbps, but if you’re using 5GHz, it can go right up to 1733Mbps. But there are two features that make this access point amazing for use in a business or home with many devices. Firstly, it can handle over 500 client connections, so it’s very unlikely that you’re going to need any extra access points. Secondly, it has MU-MIMO technology. For the uninitiated, this stands for Multiple-User, Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output and it basically means that the access point can communicate with multiple devices at the same time. This improves everyone’s experience and means your signal isn’t going to be weakened just because your kids are streaming games upstairs. We think this is the best outdoor access point for a modern connected home.

Our Premium Choice AP Outdoor+ High-Density Wi-Fi System is made by the same company that made the last product. Ubiquiti are one of the leading brands in the outdoor access point market, and for good reason. This access point is actually very similar to the Ubiquiti UniFi Outdoor we featured earlier in the list. In fact, underneath it’s pretty much the same product. Except that this one has been designed specifically for use in noisy, high-density environments. So, if you’ve got an outdoors area with a lot going on, this could be the perfect product for you. It has the capability to send a signal through walls and other physical blocks, so you can get a solid connection anywhere.

It has an impressive range of up to 183 meters (600 feet) and can provide speeds of up to 300Mbps. Plus, like the cheaper Ubiquiti UniFi Outdoor Access Point, it has MIMO technology. One of the best things about Ubiquiti Access Points, especially for small businesses, is that they have the software capabilities to be scaled indefinitely. So, you could end up with thousands of access points, all controlled using one centralized controller. And, there are no software fees – The UniFi® Controller software is included in the initial price and you don’t have to fork out monthly to use it.  You may also like some of the best thunderbolt 3 docks from our list, so don’t forget to check them out.

The MikroTik RBSXTG-5HPnD-Sar2 is probably the cheapest way to get a solid point-to-point wireless connection. It’s not that effective for giving the signal to an outside area, but if you need to create a connection between two routers, it will do the job just fine. They don’t actually state how far this access point can reach, but theoretically, it can reach up to 10 miles if there wasn’t anything in the way.

It comes with a 14-dBi 90-degree antenna, which provides a much wider coverage area than this company’s previous models. And, it comes with a pretty comprehensive mounting kit, so you can mount it in the perfect position to get a solid connection. 

Our last product is another one by EnGenius. The AC1750 is their more expensive outdoor access point aimed at people that want longer range and higher speeds. It has the best wireless performance of all the EnGenius products – it can handle wireless speeds up to 1300 Mbps on the 5 GHz band and 450 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band. It also has extended long-range connectivity, although it doesn’t say exactly how long the range is.

It’s supposed to be easy to install, although most customers seem to have a problem with EnGenius’s set up system, so we’d be wary of that. However, once you do have it set up, it can be controlled with their wireless network management system – the EnGenius EZ Controller.