The Omada range of networking equipment from TP-Link provides enterprise performance at consumer ... [+] prices.

In recent years, TP-Link has established itself as a commanding presence in the home networking market with a massive range of routers, modems, network switches, mesh networks and wireless access points. The company is one of the leading providers of WLAN products and has a 17.8% global market share.

However, until now, TP-Link hasn’t made much of an inroad into the SMB (small and medium-sized business) market. However, that looks to change with the rollout of the company’s new Omada sub-brand aimed directly at business users of all sizes.

TP-Link established the Omada line in 2020. Its products are suitable for all sizes of businesses needing top-tier networking performance but without the enormous financial outlay that enterprise networking kit requires. TP-Link Omada aims to offer SMBs the opportunity to future-proof wireless networks while laying the foundations for the Gigabit Internet speeds many service providers are starting to provide with fiber to the premises.

Breaking the Gigabit speed barrier is essential if businesses want the full potential from the latest Wi-Fi 6 access points and 10G connections. These newer technologies offer lightning-fast intra-LAN connections for seamless communication between the network devices in a business, such as printers, credit card machines, wireless access points and computers. In addition, TP-Link Omada also produces high-performance outdoor Wi-Fi 6 access points for businesses that need total outdoor mesh coverage like a golf course or a restaurant terrace.

The Tp-Link Omada EAP670 can be ceiling or wall mounted and has a PoE option.

The Omada management platform sets the Omada range apart from TP-Link’s consumer range. This remote management tool has been developed to provide full management features without compromise, providing all the remote networking controls that SMBs need in what’s known as a single-pane-of-glass. Better still, no subscription is required to use Omada. The dashboard provides complete control of a network and all the devices working on it, no matter where they are. That makes it ideal for businesses with multiple locations.

With top-tier hardware performance across the Omada access points, switches and gateways, SMBs can now access complete remote management and top-tier performance without needing to buy annual device licenses or paying for firmware upgrades. That’s unusual in the enterprise space. Add in the relatively affordable prices that TP-Link charges for its Omada kit, and you have the potential to install an enterprise-grade network at a cost similar to consumer networking gear.

I wanted to know how TP-Link could offer serious business networking equipment at such competitive prices. According to TP-Link, the answer is because the company is a vertically integrated true manufacturer. As a result, it can achieve some incredibly competitive pricing for its multi-gig products while still maintaining stock levels even during a significant global chip shortage. What’s more, the company offers a limited lifetime warranty on all its Omada products which TP-Link claims is market leading.

As well as wireless access points, the Omada range also includes managed switches that can be ... [+] controlled using the Omada app.

I’ve had a chance to test a TP-Link Omada’s EAP670, an AX5400 ceiling-mounted Wi-Fi 6 access point offering speeds up to 5378 Mbps and the Omada remote management platform. There’s no doubt that the Omada products provide enterprise performance, plus the Omada remote management dashboard is easy to use, even if for people who aren’t networking experts. This ease of use is essential for smaller businesses where the owner must often take care of a range of functions, including finance, HR, purchasing and IT, plus the various other operations needed to get a successful business off the ground.

The EAP670 wireless access point that I tested can slot into any Omada mesh network and offers seamless roaming anywhere within the envelope of a business’s wireless network. Adding extra access points to extend the range is very simple. The EAP670 can be powered using PoE (Power over Ethernet) with an Ethernet backhaul, or it can be powered using the 12V power adapter supplied in the box for businesses that don’t have a wired network. There’s OFDMA and MU-MIMO onboard plus 160MHz channel width for double the peak data throughput on a single stream.

Alongside the EAP670, the Omada range of networking products includes Gigabit Smart switches with PoE, Multi-WAN VPN router, and indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi 6 access points. The Omada range looks like it will give Netgear’s Insight business range a run for its money and more competition in the market can only be good for the consumer.

Pricing & Availability: The TP-Link Omada EAP670 ceiling wireless access point is available now and costs $157 / £259.99 / €231.

More info: www.tp-link.com