Edimax CAP1200

To be considered as a business class access point, it has to offer at least one feature that is not found in all consumer class APs. Price point is no longer a designated attribute because certain consumer APs actually cost more than some business class APs. It is exciting that home users can now afford to install business class APs in their homes to benefit from advance networking features that had been exclusive to the business environment.

The playing field for the best business class access point just got another player courtesy of Edimax. Being the best means the AP has to offer some if not all of the popular features without being too expensive. The sweet spot is the sub $150 price point. That said, the Edimax CAP1200 is a top contender. 

The following features supported by the CAP1200 that are of interest. 

1. Wireless AC

2. Support simultaneous 2.4GHz and 5GHz

3. PoE support for both 802.9at (incoming) and 802.9af (outgoing)

4. Smoke detector like casing

5. Build-in RADIUS server 

As far as I know, this is the only AP that can be used as a basic RADIUS server. This is great for organizations that need this service but does not want to install a dedicated RADIUS server on a desktop. With that said, running a basic RADIUS server does not require hefty expensive hardware such as a Windows Server system or a complex Linux server on a desktop. You can get a $35 Raspberry Pi and with a little tweaking, you can get a RADIUS server running that has a small foot print and lower power consumption.