Product Name: ExpertWiFi EBA63
Brand: ASUS
Offer price: 129.99
Currency: USD
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Appearance - 8.5/10
8.5/10
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Features - 8.5/10
8.5/10
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Performance - 8/10
8/10
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User Experience (UX) - 9/10
9/10
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Value - 8/10
8/10
Summary
The ASUS ExpertWiFi EBA63 is a subtly-looking access point that works best at scale, though its 5GHz performance isn’t the best over longer distances.
Overall
8.4/10Pros
+ Highly configurable
+ ASUS AiMesh support
+ Boots via PoE (Power over Ethernet)
+ Subtle looks
Cons
– Weak 5GHz performance over long distances
– No 6GHz band
Unboxing & Walkaround
Here is the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBA63 – a dedicated access point designed to broadcast signals from routers, which is commonly used in commercial networks. This model comes with PoE (Power-over-Ethernet) capabilities, meaning it can be powered by the same LAN cable that transmits data, no other cables required.
Opening the box reveals these items:
– Quick setup guide
– Tutorial & support information
– Warranty card
– Local login information
– RJ-45 (LAN) cable
– Power supply (15W)
– Wall mounting bracket
– Wall mounting screws
– ASUS ExpertWiFi EBA63 main unit
The ASUS ExpertWiFi EBA63 looks highly minimalist from the user-facing side, though you can find a Kensington Lock slot on the side, accompanied by a reset pin, PoE LAN port, and the DC input under the AP. A pair of wall mounting slots is located on either sides, of which ASUS says can be mounted directly on the ceiling or walls.
Specifications
ASUS ExpertWiFi EBA63
Full specifications available on product page.
Operation Modes | AP (Access Point) mode, AiMesh mode |
Wireless Specification | 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) |
Antenna Topography | 4 internal antennas |
Operating Frequencies | 2.4GHz (574 Mbps) 5GHz (2402 Mbps) |
Backhaul Channel Support | No |
Bandwidth Modes | 2.4GHz: 20 / 40 MHz 5GHz: 20 / 40 / 80 / 160 MHz |
Throughput Rating | AX3000 (576 + 2402 Mbps) |
Signal Modulation | 1024-QAM |
Processor | 1.7GHz quad-core |
RAM | 512MB |
Onboard Storage | 256MB |
WAN | None |
LAN | 1x GbE RJ-45 with PoE (Power over Ethernet) |
Auxiliary I/O | None |
Wireless Security | WPA/WPA2/WPA3-Personal, WPA/WPA2-Enterprise |
Web Protection | None |
Control Interface | Via gateway IP address (Web) D-Link Wi-Fi Connect (Mobile) |
Wall Mount Support | Yes |
Dimensions | 160 x 160 x 42 mm |
Weight | 426g |
Test System
Server | Standard benchmark system Intel Core i9-14900K ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 HERO Network adapter: Intel I-226V 2.5GbE LAN |
Client | Razer Blade 14 (2024) AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS Network adapter: Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 (Wi-Fi 7) |
Performance
Here’s our the takeaway from the EBA63’s performance: the AP works best when devices are nearby, but its speed can reduce significantly at further distances, despite running on the uncongested 5GHz band. That said, we found that the EBA63 is smart enough to pick a completely empty sub-channel to broadcast its signals, which is something that not all routers/APs can always nail from the get-go. 2.4GHz performance is about what we would expect, also similar to that of the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBM68 we reviewed previously.
In terms of signal performance, however, the EBA63 does perform fairly good across all bands despite having only 4 internal antennas to work with. You don’t get the best speeds – as shown just now – but the coverage should be wide enough to cover plenty of devices, of which ASUS says supports up to 100 per AP.
User Experience
The EBA63’s interface is the same as the previous ExpertWiFi products we reviewed, though you do see some features missing as this is an AP, not a typical router that combines the function of AP, router, and modem into one single device. Still, here you can configure the self-defined network (i.e. guest login page), and configure the AP’s behavior – including setting the signal threshold if you have multiple of these EBA63s on the same network to ensure seamless connectivity.
The Good
Setting up the ExpertWiFi EBA63 is literally plug-and-play, and for the entirety of our testing we have never used the included DC power supply, as the power provided via the LAN (from the ExpertWiFi EBG19P router) is enough to make it work. The OOBE process is straightforward as well, and setting it up takes no longer than a few minutes.
If you can get into the nitty-gritty stuff of what this AP can do, you can fine tune quite a few things to optimize the device based on your premise’s network requirements. On that note, the design is very minimalist, and should hide very well from most environments with the cable tucked behind the walls and ceilings.
The Bad
As far as its hardware capabilities go, it can definitely do with some minor improvements. For one, a better 5GHz over long distance would be welcomed; additionally, having the 6GHz band (or at least, a second 5GHz band) should allow it to accommodate even more users with even less congestion for large commercial environments.
Verdict
The ExpertWiFi EBA63 is currently available for $129.99, which is an average price for the commercial-grade APs; for this, you do get a fairly configurable and reasonably performant option for large-scale networks. Hopefully the next iteration can improve on the long-range 5GHz performance, which will make it a more complete product.
Many thanks to ASUS Malaysia for providing the ExpertWiFi EBA63 AP for this review.