Introducing the Sophos AP6 Series (Wi-Fi 6/6E) Access Points

17 Aug 2023

Introducing the Sophos AP6 Series (Wi-Fi 6/6E) Access Points

Publish Date: August 17, 2023

About Wi-Fi 6

Wi-Fi 6 is the latest generation of Wireless LAN and includes enhanced throughput-per-area and lower latency which particularly benefits high-density wireless environments. Security enhancements include WPA3, which is a requirement for Wi-Fi 6E for the 6 GHz band but is also available on both the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. The industry name that identifies access points that operate within the 6 GHz band is Wi-Fi 6E (Wi-Fi 6 Extended). Wi-Fi 6 access points do not support Wi-Fi 6E and only offer wireless connectivity on the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.

Sophos AP6 Series Access Points

The AP6 Series offers a range of models to suit many different environments. With four indoor models and one IP67-rated outdoor model, they are ideal for both new and existing customers to refresh their Wi-Fi infrastructure as part of a network upgrade or vendor consolidation project. Managed through Sophos Central, you have a single point of management and monitoring for all AP6 access points.

All AP6 models (except the AP6 420) have at least one 2.5G interface for faster LAN connectivity. When combined with our range of 2.5G switches, you can unlock faster speeds across your entire network. This helps to prevent performance bottlenecks and gives your wireless users an overall better Wi-Fi experience.

AP6 Model	AP6 420	AP6 420E	AP6 840	AP6 840E	AP6 420X
Indoor/Outdoor	Indoor	Indoor	Indoor	Indoor	Outdoor
WLAN Standard Bands	Wi-Fi 6 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz	Wi-Fi 6/Wi-Fi 6E 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz	Wi-Fi 6 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz	Wi-Fi 6/Wi-Fi 6E 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz	Wi-Fi 6 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz
Management	Sophos Central: Provides a single point of management and monitoring for all AP6 access points. Local Management: Offers a local administrator interface available for individual access point management.
Power over Ethernet	802.3at (PoE+) Suitable PoE+ injector or switch available for separate purchase	802.3at (PoE+) Suitable PoE+ injector or switch available for separate purchase	802.3at (PoE+) Suitable PoE+ injector or switch available for separate purchase	802.3bt (PoE++) CS210-8FP switch available for separate purchase, PoE++ injector planned	802.3at (PoE+) Suitable PoE+ injector or switch available for separate purchase
Antennas	internal omnidirectional	internal omnidirectional	internal omnidirectional	internal omnidirectional	external omnidirectional

Note: The 6 GHz band is not yet available in all regions

Additional information about AP6 Series access points:

Sophos Wireless Overview: https://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/secure-wifi
Sophos Wireless Features: https://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/secure-wifi/features
Sophos Wireless Compare Models: https://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/secure-wifi/tech-specs
Sophos Wireless datasheet: https://assets.sophos.com/X24WTUEQ/at/mhxw3f337crpws9r5p748t/sophos-wireless-ds.pdf
AP6 Series Technical Documentation: https://doc.sophos.com/nsg/wifi/help/en-us/index.html
How to Buy: https://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/secure-wifi/how-to-buy

Knowledgeable Articles

For a list of Known Issues for the AP6 Series access points:

Please select Wireless from the drop-down menu here: https://doc.sophos.com/support/kil/index.html

Parents

Saif khan 8 months ago

XGS is cannot be controller for WIFI6 APs.

Any reason why this feature was removed?

What if WIFI traffic needs to be scanned for Web Filtering/APT/IPS/Usertraffic and other NGFW features?
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SGICT 8 months ago in reply to Saif khan

I'd like to know this too as one of the key features of selling Sophos WiFi was for the integration into firewalls. With AP6 not supported by firewalls means its just another centralised wifi product and might as well opt for Meraki unless there someone can highlight some killer features of Sophos AP6 that no one else can offer?
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rfcat_vk 7 months ago in reply to SGICT

Hi,

I think you will find that the user traffic through the AP6 is not treated any differently to users traffic from your LANs. The AP6 configuration is managed by CM in a similar manner to the APX series.

Though it is disappointing that you require a CM account to manage a single AP6.

Ian
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Matthew Dieckman 7 months ago in reply to rfcat_vk

The AP6 access points support local management either using the local GUI or CLI. For a single AP you could use that as an alternative to Central Wireless.
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rfcat_vk 7 months ago in reply to Matthew Dieckman

According to the release a GUI is being developed to enable local management without requiring a CM account.

Ian
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Matthew Dieckman 7 months ago in reply to rfcat_vk

Both the local GUI and CLI are available today. The AP6 was designed to primarily be managed by Central, but in the cases where that may not be an option there is local management available. The user manual provides the local management details. Management interface - Sophos AP6 access points
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Matthew Dieckman 7 months ago in reply to rfcat_vk

Both the local GUI and CLI are available today. The AP6 was designed to primarily be managed by Central, but in the cases where that may not be an option there is local management available. The user manual provides the local management details. Management interface - Sophos AP6 access points
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