EnGenius ECW520 WiFi 7 Access Point Review – Cloud7 2x2x2 Tri-Band WiFi 7 AP for just $189

I have been a fan of EnGenius over the years and used their products for most of my networking needs at home before switching to Unifi, which I only did because that’s what the MSP I work for uses.

My one criticism of their products was that the pricing was not very accessible for home users or small businesses with limited budgets.

In the case of small UK MSPs, most clients are extremely price-sensitive and baulk at the idea of paying higher prices for good-quality hardware, so my past criticisms feel even more valid now. From my experience, Unifi has managed to establish a significant presence among small businesses, MSPs, and schools due to its wide product range and affordable price points.

EnGenius has been slowly introducing more affordable hardware to compete with Unifi. Zyxel also has some fantastic, affordable access points, but I rarely see these used in small businesses around the UK.

The EnGenius ECW520 is the latest affordable WiFI 7 access point. This is priced at $189, making it the same RRP as the Unifi U7 Pro. At the moment, there is no word on UK availability, but it will likely be available soon.

Related Reviews

• EnGenius ECW516L Cloud Managed 2x3x3 Lite Indoor Tri-Band WiFi 7 Access Point Review
• EnGenius ECW526 WiFI 7 Access Point Review
• EnGenius ECW536 WiFi 7 Access Point Review
• EnGenius FIT Review
• EnGenius ESG510 Review
• EnGenius ECW230S Review
• EnGenius ECS2512FP Review
• Zyxel NWA130BE WiFi 7 Access Point Review
• Ubiquiti Unifi U7 Pro WiFi 7 Access Point Review

Features

• Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 design with legacy support
  The access point is built on a three-radio Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) platform, but it still works with earlier Wi-Fi standards, so older devices aren’t left out.
• High theoretical throughput across all bands
  On paper, you’re looking at speeds up to around 5.8 Gbps on the new 6 GHz band, 4.3 Gbps on 5 GHz, and roughly 700 Mbps on 2.4 GHz. Obviously, those are ideal figures, but they give you an indication of the bandwidth headroom available.
• 2.5 GbE port with PoE++ support
  A single 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port handles the backhaul, with support for both 802.3at and higher-power 60W PoE injectors. That means you can run it on a single cable for both data and power over distances up to 100 metres.
• Security with WPA3 included
  Encryption standards include WPA3, with fallback to WPA2-AES if needed. That covers both modern and slightly older enterprise deployments.
• Cloud-based management and mesh capability
  The unit is designed to run under EnGenius Cloud, so you can provision, monitor and troubleshoot remotely. It also supports both standard AP mode and mesh mode, so it can either replace a wired access point or extend coverage wirelessly.
• Easy onboarding and maintenance
  Devices can be quickly enrolled with a QR scan and then centrally configured. Updates, monitoring, and ongoing diagnostics are handled remotely through the Cloud interface.
• Scalable management at no extra cost
  Unlike some competing platforms, there isn’t a hard cap on the number of access points you can manage. Everything is handled through the EnGenius Cloud app, which works anywhere with an internet connection.
• Self-optimising mesh networking
  If you deploy more than one access point, the mesh system automatically balances connections, tweaks channel use, and recovers from node failures without any manual intervention.

The full specification is at the bottom of this post, as it is a long table.

Channel Width

In the past, one of my criticisms of EnGenius was the limited channel width options; 5 5GHz was limited to 80Mhz when brands like Unifi allowed you to use 160Mhz.

With the launch of WiFi 7, the problem was repeated, with UniFi allowing 240MHz and EnGenius being limited to 160MHz.

EnGenius now allow up to 240MHz region-dependent.

Admittedly, there is not much practical use for 240MHz if you have more than one access point, but it is nice to have for those who can make the most of it.

Unboxing / Design

While most APs look almost identical between a brand’s models, this new AP has a slightly different design with rounded edges. With it being a 2×2 MIMO AP and only 2.5GbE, the overall size of it is reasonable.

You have a single 2.5GbE port, followed by a DC12V barrel port, in case you don’t have access to PoE. I doubt many people would use this but it is a nice feature to have and something many other brands lack.

Set Up

The setup is identical to that of all other EnGenius products and is very simple. For new EnGenius users, you will need to set up an account with cloud.engenius.ai and create an organisation and network.

You can then pre-set up your SSID and WiFi settings.

When you are ready to add the access point, you can manually add products on the website using the serial number, or if you have the EnGenius Cloud To-Go app, you can scan the QR code and assign it to your network.

It will adopt the network settings, and you then have the option to customise the settings on the AP itself.

EnGenius Cloud Settings

You get all the features found on the much more expensive models, except for some of the security features that are available on the S models, such as the ECW230S.

Customisation is extensive, with options to change channels, channel width, available bands and available SSIDs per AP.

Performance

Throughput tests seem somewhat moot when comparing similarly spec’d devices when I am only using one client device. Things like 2×2 / 4×4 MIMO will make no real-world difference. With 10GbE-equipped devices, it is sometimes possible to exceed 2.5Gbps, but I rarely find that this is a sustainable speed long term.

But this is a review, and we need to have objective results, so here you go:

WiFi 7 (6GHz)

WiFi 7 (5GHz)

WiFi 7 (2.4GHz)

While the AP did score slightly lower than past reviews, it is too small to draw any significant conclusion. WiFi speeds can change daily depending on conditions. I would say that range is perhaps fractionally lower than some of the other models I have tested.

Price and Alternative Affordable WiFi 7 Access Points

The RRP of the EnGenius ECW520 is an affordable $189.

EnGenius also has the ECW516L, which is a 2x3x3 tri-band design priced at $199.

This places it at the same price point as the popular Unifi U7 Pro, which has an almost identical specification with 2.5GbE and 2x2x2 tri-band.

For an extra $10, I’d argue the U7 Pro XG is more appealing; it is the same spec as the Pro, but you then get a 10 GbE port to maximise throughput.

Unifi does have cheaper options, including the U7 Long Range at $159 and the U7 Lite at $99, but these both lack a 6Ghz band.

TP-Link Omada has the EAP772, which is a touch cheaper at $170, which is also effectively the same spec. They also have dual-band options at cheaper price points, such as the EAP723, which is available for $90.

The Zyxel Nebula NWA130BE appears to be the most affordable option, which is available for $160, and has the same WiFi specs, but has a slight advantage of dual 2.5GbE ports, which you can use to daisy chain other devices to. You probably wouldn’t do that in a business environment, but it is very useful for home users.

A lot of IT professionals recommend HPE Aruba, but they don’t have a WiFi 7 AP, yet. The WiFi 6E S1T23A is available for £213.

Overall

The EnGenius ECW520 is another good addition to the EnGenius product range, which allows them to compete with one of Unifi’s most popular access points.

From an MSP perspective, EnGenius seems to be a better option than Zyxel Nebula and especially TP-Link Omada, with TP-Link receiving a lot of bad press recently due to the US-China disputes.

The only real gripe is that, despite being attractively priced, EnGenius lacks the extensive product range covering all price points that Unifi offers, and restricts some features to a pro subscription.

One thing I can’t comment on is the quality of EnGenius customer support. For Unifi, it is basically non-existent, which is the main argument by MSPs or internal IT departments for not using them.

Overall, though, the EnGenius ECW520 is an excellent WiFi 7 access point, and I can give it a strong recommendation.

Specification

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.