Ottimo access poi
Ne ho presi due da mettere su due piani diversi. La copertura e la stabilit sono ottime, non sono ancora riuscito a configurare perfettamente il roaming, quando passo da uno all’altro il telefono impiega un po’ a connettersi. L’app di gestione Nebula Cloud non immediata, ma nemmeno difficilissima da utilizzare.

Incredible value WIFI 7 AP, but has inconsistent performance runs very ho
Note: I received this product as part of the Amazon Vine programme, in return for an honest and unbiased review. The opinions expressed below are my own and based on real-world use of the product.

I’ll preface this by saying this is insane value for a WIFI 7-capable access point at 79.99 (at time of review). All comments below are made with that in mind, and include comparison against multiple Ubiquiti U7 Pro Wall APs installed in the same environment. I am only covering the functionality that I’ve used – the AP has a lot more (especially within an existing Zyxel ecosystem).

In the box you get the AP, a power supply with interchangeable plug types, and a wall mount bracket. It doesn’t come with an ethernet cable, which is a minor omission but forgivable at this price.

The included wall bracket does not explicitly reference UK backboxes, but as shown in my included photo, the mounting alignment (AEF slots) fits standard UK single-gang backboxes perfectly.

The unit supports PoE, which makes installation cleaner if you already have cable runs in place. The power draw when using PoE fluctuates between roughly 9.5W and 15W depending on load, and the wired uplink successfully negotiates at 2.5GbE.

The AP can run either in standalone or Zyxel Nebula Cloud managed mode. The initial onboarding via the Nebula app (using the barcode on the rear of the unit) works flawlessly and is very straightforward. I do firmly believe though that even when using the barcode, the initialisation process should ask the user whether they want to actually register for the Nebula Cloud or use it standalone.

What was also not immediately clear is how restrictive the cloud mode can be. I was unable to find a way to switch into repeater mode within Nebula (this may exist, but it was not obvious), and so I wanted to switch back to standalone mode – and this is where a real issue came up.

After following the guidance – remove the device from the site and perform a factory reset – I still found it registered to Nebula when logging in to the device via the local interface (username and password on the back). Attempts to re-register and remove it again resulted in the same behaviour, with no devices appearing correctly in the cloud interface but still remaining registered after the reset.

The actual required sequence to fully clear it was:

– Remove device from inventory

– Delete the site

– Delete the organisation

– Factory reset the device

Only after this sequence does the initialisation show the standalone or Nebula mode choice screen. This process is not documented clearly, and ideally the system should warn or guide the user through it.

This resulted in over an hour of unnecessary troubleshooting, and to say I was close to just packing it up in frustration is a real understatement.

Once in standalone mode, the interface feels very basic compared to systems like Ubiquiti. It is functional, but lacks refinement. The use of profiles is fine, and does simplify some of the subsequent assignments.

Unfortunately, much to my disappointment, having finally got to a point where I could try to configure the AP as a repeater, I found that there is no obvious support for using it as a repeater with non-Zyxel access points. Again, there may well be a way to do this, but if there is, it is not presented in an easily discoverable, friendly manner.

To change direction, I decided to try to use it – wired to a USW-Flex-2.5G-8-PoE switch – as a 6Ghz AP for a gaming PC directly up above its location. Initial testing showed pretty poor results, with speeds around 400Mbps down and 30Mbps up, despite no network throttling (either on the Zyxel or Ubiquiti sides) and a 1.6Gbps supporting internet connection.

I decided to perform a more controlled test the following day in a room with direct line of sight to a Ubiquiti U7 Pro Wall AP for comparison.

On 320MHz channel width:

– The Zyxel averaged about 1000Mbps down and 30Mbps up

– The Ubiquiti U7 Pro Wall averaged about 1425Mbps down, 100Mbps up

Switching the Zyxel down to 160Mhz channel width, the Zyxel averaged about 800Mbps down.

Needless to say, these figures were well down on my expectations for a WIFI 7 device. I’m not sure if the unit has thermal issues preventing reaching higher speeds, but during testing it ran very hot the touch; not warm, the type of heat that is uncomfortable to keep your finger on for a prolonged period of time.

This is still a pretty decent product for the price. At roughly half the cost of a U7 Pro Wall, it delivers a big chunk of the performance, albeit somewhat inconsistently, and would be more than adequate for typical home users.

The thermal behaviour does raise concerns for me though, and whilst the Nebula-first setup is likely fine for most users, the fact the system does not (at a minimum) clearly warn users before locking them into a state that requires a full multi-step reset process to undo isn’t forgivable at any price point.

It is a 4* based purely on value, with the caveat that you are unlikely to achieve top-tier WIFI 7 speeds even under ideal conditions.

Zyxel WiFi 7 access point.
WiFi 7 is super, multiple SSIDs (up to 9) available, great range, smart mesh, has just about everything. Can be installed as part of Zyxel Nebula or standalone. All in all, a great piece of kit, but probably overkill for home use.

So far, so good
Wifi7 access points almost at a price of wifi6. Got two, they work nice. I will try to write more once nebula sub runs out and I switch to managing them without it.