NETGEAR WAC564 Tri-Band AC3000 Mesh Access Point

NETGEAR WAC564 Insight Instant Mesh Access Point (Tri-Band AC3000)

The NETGEAR WAC564 is a business-grade WiFi access point that adds strong, steady wireless coverage to an office, shop, or large home. It has three WiFi radios for a combined AC3000 speed rating, plus four gigabit Ethernet ports on the back for printers, desktops, and storage drives. Plug it into your existing router to use it as an access point, or pair it with a NETGEAR WAC540 or another WAC564 to extend WiFi into a new room or building with no cable run at all.

Three ways to use it

• Access point: connect it to your router with one Ethernet cable and it broadcasts tri-band WiFi for the whole space.
• Mesh extender: power it on within range of a WAC540 or WAC564 and it joins that network over the air. Mesh mode works only with those two models.
• Wireless bridge: link a second area to your main network wirelessly, then plug wired devices into the four gigabit ports.

The WAC564 is not a router. It needs a router or gateway on the network to hand out addresses and connect to the internet.

Built for crowded networks

Tri-band means one 2.4GHz radio and two separate 5GHz radios working at the same time. In mesh mode the high 5GHz band (up to 1,733Mbps) carries traffic back to the main access point, which leaves the other two bands open for your devices. MU-MIMO, band steering, load balancing, and airtime fairness keep busy networks moving, and NETGEAR rates it for up to 600 connected devices.

Four gigabit ports

The integrated four-port gigabit switch is what sets the WAC564 apart from the WAC540. Wired devices near the access point get full gigabit speed to each other without a separate switch.

Setup and management

Set it up from the NETGEAR Insight app on your phone or through the local browser interface. Insight remote cloud management is optional and requires a NETGEAR Insight subscription. Business features include multiple WiFi network names, VLAN support, guest network with captive portal, WPA2 security, RADIUS authentication, and fast roaming.

Specifications

What's in the box

• NETGEAR WAC564 access point
• 12V power adapter
• Ethernet cable
• Wall mount and ceiling mount with screws
• Installation guide

Common questions

Will it work with my current router?
Yes, in access point mode it works with any router that has an open Ethernet port.

Can it extend the WiFi from my ISP gateway or another brand of router wirelessly?
The cable-free Instant Mesh mode needs a WAC540 or WAC564 as the main unit. With other equipment, connect it by Ethernet as an access point. For a simple plug-in booster, see our WiFi range extenders or mesh systems.

Do I need an Insight subscription?
No. You can configure the WAC564 locally. A subscription adds remote management from anywhere.

*Maximum wireless rates from IEEE 802.11 specifications. Actual speed and range depend on your network, building, and connected devices.