Product Review: EnGenius ECW215 Wall-Plate Access Point
EnGenius ECW215 Wall-Plate Access Point
If there were a “Most Surprisingly Capable” award for access points, the EnGenius ECW215 would be walking up to the podium right now.
At just $149 MSRP, this little unit delivers more than you'd ever expect at this price point. In fact, it’s one of the smallest access points we’ve ever worked with—yet somehow, it still manages to pack in a full suite of features that make it perfect for hotel rooms, apartments, dorms, offices, and other small-to-mid-sized spaces.
Let’s break down what makes this compact AP a 5-star standout.
Form Factor: Tiny but Mighty
The ECW215 is sleek, discreet, and designed to mount directly to a wall plate or flat surface using its included bracket. You can flush-mount it for that clean, built-in look, and the entire install process is refreshingly simple. Whether you’re retrofitting a hospitality property or building out a new site, this is one of the cleanest AP installs you’ll do all week.
But the real kicker? Three Ethernet ports. Yes, three:
One hidden uplink port on the back for flush installs
Two side-mounted ports underneath the unit—perfect for providing wired data to nearby devices like VoIP phones or IP TVs
One of those ports can deliver Passive PoE output
That’s an impressive I/O loadout for such a small unit.
Power Options: Flexible and Convenient
Powering the ECW215 is just as flexible as you’d hope:
Standard 802.3af/at PoE input
Or use a 12V DC barrel plug if that’s what your setup calls for
This flexibility means you can deploy it almost anywhere without being forced into one specific power method—another nod to EnGenius’ thoughtful engineering.
Management: Everything You Love About EnGenius Cloud
If you’ve used EnGenius gear before, you already know the EnGenius Cloud platform is one of the more intuitive and full-featured network management tools out there. The ECW215 slots right into your existing dashboard alongside your ECW270s, switches, bridges, and other cloud-managed devices.
From anywhere in the world, you can:
Configure SSIDs
Monitor traffic and client usage
Push firmware updates
Troubleshoot remotely
And, of course, set VLANs, security, and guest controls
In our experience, the seamless cloud integration is one of the biggest reasons we keep choosing EnGenius across our deployments.
What’s Under the Hood?
The ECW215 is powered by a 2x2 Wi-Fi 6 radio, supporting speeds up to 574 Mbps on 2.4 GHz and 1,200 Mbps on 5 GHz, with OFDMA, MU-MIMO, beamforming, and band steering to keep things efficient and responsive in dense client environments.
Is it the highest throughput device in your stack? No—but that’s not the goal here. This AP is purpose-built for localized coverage, and it does that job extremely well.
A Couple of Wish List Items
We always try to keep reviews honest, and while we absolutely love the ECW215, here are a couple of nitpicks:
It’s only a 2x2 AP, so you won’t get the raw performance of a 4x4 model like the ECW230 or ECW270—but again, this unit isn’t meant to cover massive areas.
The Passive PoE-out port doesn’t support PoE+ (802.3at). We found ourselves wishing it could power more demanding devices, but that’s a pretty big ask for a unit this compact.
Final Verdict: 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
For $149, this thing is an absolute gem. Clean install, flexible port layout, reliable performance, cloud management, and the right feature set for small-to-medium deployments.
Whether you’re outfitting a row of hotel rooms, retrofitting an apartment complex, or looking to drop a hidden AP in a meeting room, the EnGenius ECW215 delivers excellent performance, surprising versatility, and unbeatable value.
Small in size. Big on features. Easy on your budget.
Contact us (an Engenius Partner) today!
👉770-781-4787 or sales@interstatenetworks.com
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