UAP-AC-LR - performance test of Ubiquiti Access Point

Take a look at our performance test of the UniFi Access Point AC-LR. It is one of a series of tests of wireless WiFi devices offered as solutions for home, office or industry. Test procedure and conditions are similar in each case, which allows to compare the performance of often significantly different devices in similar configurations and to choose the most suitable proposal.

Network solutions offered by the American company Ubiquiti Inc. are perfect for business and home applications. The line of UniFi products, which the

UniFi Access Point AC-LR belongs to, is a series of devices which can operate under the control of the UniFi Controller central management software. This compact, minimalist and elegant access point has a wide range of possibilities, also as a mesh system element and, according to the manufacturer's description, it should perform well indoors, even in the case of long-distance connections. We have checked how the solution works in practice, creating a small test mesh network.

We invite you to read the information on the device, the test assumption, and the results of the measurements.

Powerful UniFi Access Point AC-LR from Ubiquiti Inc. The AC-LR is equipped with wireless WiFi network technology in the IEEE 802.11ac standard, which in the new nomenclature is WiFi 5 at frequencies of 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz. The elegant design of the device, in the form of a disk, fits into almost any interior decor, while providing a fairly symmetrical distribution of the signal. The UniFi Access Point was created to provide WiFi connectivity even over long distances, the manufacturer declares. It is a network device for indoor use, with the possibility of mounting it on the wall or ceiling, also suspended. The most important specification elements are shown in the table below:

Ubiquiti devices from the UniFi series are managed by the UniFI Network Controller software. Connecting and synchronizing the devices is done in a few simple steps, which can be easily done even by a non-expert. You can either download and install the latest version of the UniFi Controller software on your networked PC, or use the built-in UDM-Pro software. It allows you to use an intuitive step-by-step UniFi installation wizard to guide you through the process.

In our configuration we used a PoE switch to provide power (the USW Industral Switch) and a UDM Pro Machine . Connecting UniFi Access Point AC-LR with an Ethernet cable to the network that also employs the antenna created the first element of the mesh system. Another access point has been configured nearby, so that the first startup of the mesh network is trouble-free.

This is because adding a new device is almost automatic, as the UniFi access point detects the wireless network and only waits for the adoption confirmation. All you have to do is wait a moment for detection and then confirm the new equipment. If there are many other WiFi networks available in the environment, there may be a problem with automatic detection. In this situation, simply connect the AP wired for initial configuration and adoption to the UniFi system.

Configuring wireless networks for connections in 2.4 GHz band, we assumed maximum channel width of 40 MHz. Similarly, for 5 GHz frequency the maximum channel width can be 80 MHz. UniFi Access Point AC-LR from Ubiquiti Inc. can operate in 5 GHz band with a channel width up to 80 MHz.

Our performance tests are designed to verify the coverage of devices in mesh topology. We test signal coverage under test conditions, as well as the ability to obtain real upload/download throughput at designated points in the building. We try to ensure that all tests of WiFi devices in the series are conducted under similar conditions.

The simple network topology that was created in our test conditions makes it easier to evaluate the operation of the devices. Its diagram is shown in the figure below:

As shown in the diagram, AP-2 is connected to AP-1 wirelessly, forming a mesh network. AP-1 connects to the switch via a Gigabit Ethernet port. The start up, adoption, and configuration process of UniFi devices went without problems. The placement of the devices has been marked on the diagram showing signal strength in different rooms and on different floors, performed with the use of AirSurvey software.

Network capabilities were measured on a MacBook Pro A1502 with built-in AirPort Extreme WiFi card based on Broadcom BCM4360 3x3, 1.3 Gbps PHY. It supports IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac standards. The speed tests were performed using WiFiPerf software . The server for the speed test was created using iperf3 software. To have a base for comparison, we verified the laptop's capabilities for LAN performance and connection to the iperf3 server before performing the tests. This was done using a gigabit 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet network card for the switch. For a single TCP stream speeds of 894 Mbps download and 958 Mbps upload were achieved.

The Access point UAP-AC-LR maintains the standard characteristics when measured with the analyzer. It is evident that the manufacturer put effort into properly separating channels of adjacent networks. It can be seen in the diagram below:

The signal covered all key floors quite well - the ones where the access points were placed, as shown in the diagram above. The results of measuring transmission and reception speeds in different locations are shown in the diagrams below:

The presumably worse results for measurement point 5 on the first floor when the laptop connected to AP-2 may be due to the poor performance of the wireless link between the access points. Although the physical distance between them was only 5 meters in a straight line, there were floors and walls in the way, including a thick load-bearing wall at an acute angle which increased attenuation. The test results could have been better if AP-2 had been placed at a point where the connection with AP-1 is better.

The use of Unifi UAP-AC-LR in a home environment seems to be highly justified. UniFi Access Point AC LR will also be good for simple business implementations. The device is stable in operation, easy to configure, and can be easily incorporated into a UniFi ecosystem. Its range, with good layout of the devices in a mesh network, is also acceptable. Additionally, operating at 2.4 GHz in 3x3 MIMO mode and with transmitting power up to 24 dBm significantly increases the range and throughput of the device. Although 2x2 MIMO is available for 5 GHz, 22dBm is still sufficient for indoor applications. Minor inconveniences such as the characteristics of the built-in antenna, which in practice does not provide fully uniform radiation in all directions, are due to the specifics of the equipment. Despite the fact that the metal brackets influence beam shaping by forming a screen narrowing the beam and increasing radiated power, it is a practically negligible effect.

This compact AP with an aesthetically pleasing design from Ubiquiti seems refined from almost every angle. While the WiFi 5 technology used is no longer new, it's still sufficient for most implementations, which combined with a simple interface and UniFi's efficient, secure network is an encouraging proposition.