@WillJones Wow, thanks. That’s a lot of helpful details.
First, some corrections on my part. It looks like I misread the AP One Series datasheet and I found the transmit power for the SOHO MK3.
AP One AC Mini
- Transmit Power: 2.4GHZ: 22dBm / 5GHz: 23dBm
- Antenna Gain: 2.4GHz: 2.2dBi / 5GHz: 3dBi
- Wi-Fi Interface: 802.11ac wave 2
- Data Rates 2x2 MU-MIMO / 2.4GHz: 300Mbps / 5GHz: 866Mbps
SOHO MK3
- Transmit Power: 2.4GHZ: 29dBm / 5GHz: 23dBm
- Antenna Gain: 2.4GHz: 2.5dBi / 5GHz: 5dBi
- Wi-Fi Interface: 802.11ac (but not “wave 2”?? and MIMO is SU-MIMO not MU-MIMO??)
- Data Rates 3x3 MIMO / 2.4GHz: 450Mbps / 5GHz: 1300Mbps
Balance 20X (still can’t find details on the Balance 20X, which is odd since it is a lot more expensive)
- Transmit Power: 2.4GHZ: ____ / 5GHz: ____
- Antenna Gain: 2.4GHz: 2.5dBi / 5GHz: 5dBi (presumably same external antennas as SOHO MK3)
- Wi-Fi Interface: 802.11ac wave 2
- Data Rates 2x2 MU-MIMO / 2.4GHz: ____ / 5GHz: ____
So if I understand everything you’ve said, the AP One AC Mini HW2 and the Balance 20X would both have the same max theoretical speed at close range of 866Mbps (5GHz) because they are both 802.11ac wave2 with 2x2 MIMO, and the SOHO MK3 would have a higher max theoretical speed at close range of 1300Mbps (5GHz) because it is 801.11ac (wave1?) with 3x3 MIMO. Is that right?
Since the AP One AC Mini and the SOHO MK3 both have the same TX power at 5GHz (though the MK3 has higher antenna gain), they should have comparable range?
Does the Balance 20X have comparable TX power and thus range?
The reason I am asking is because I currently have a SOHO MK3 and an AP One AC Mini HW2 and expect to soon be upgrading to a fiber connection, which will require a router with a higher throughput than the SOHO MK3 (which is capped at 120Mbps). So I will need to get a new router, and at that point the SOHO MK3 would be available to be used as a third AP.
I’m trying to figure out the optimal placement of the three devices to provide the best coverage on three different floors. The Mini is mounted to the ceiling on the 3rd floor, so it will stay where it is. The middle floor should have the device with the “best” AP. In terms of speed, it seems like they should all be adequate, as the fiber connection will likely be 500Mbps. But I can’t tell (1) whether the MK3 would have better range than the 20X, or (2) whether the 20X is MU-MIMO, which might provide better real world performance for multiple devices.
What does enabling the “Boost” option do? (In the following post, Peplink recommended enabling the “Boost” option: Getting better range out of AP One AC Mini). But would doing that violate FCC regulations in the US?