Zyxel NWA5123-ACHD
802.11ac Wave2 Dual-Radio Unified Access Point

Benefits:

Second Generation MU-MIMO – the true breakthrough in wireless connectivity

Stepping up from 802.11ac, the Wave 2 technology introduces Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO). This is an important WiFi development that enables an AP to communicate with multiple clients at a time offering up to 300% performance for a 3x3 AP. The benefits of Wave 2 technology are clear, but there are still two well-known technical challenges: the airtime cost when performing channel measurement, and the data rate being limited by the slowest client in the MU group. To overcome those challenges, the NWA5123-AC HD uses second generation transmit beamforming technology incorporating Low End Sensitivity Improvements and Time Domain Channel Smoothing allowing data rates to increase for not only MU-MIMO clients, but for all existing ones as well. Additionally, the NWA5123-AC HD is built with a high-efficiency antenna module, premium power amplifiers and low-noise elements delivering superior wireless performance over other Wave 2 access points on the market.

Unbeatable coverage

Maximizing wireless coverage is more than just a game of output power. Every hardware design details including the layout, the antenna and the ability to distinguish between numerous sources of noise all contribute in determining coverage and throughput. Unlike most products on the market that measure only conducted sensitivity without considering the effect of antennas, Zyxel examines sensitivity with antenna (a.k.a. OTA sensitivity) as a whole wireless system to minimize the degradation in sensitivity at receiver end. In short, Zyxel has optimized the design of the NWA5123-AC HD to boost sensitivity and maximize real world performance.

ThermoSense Adjustment Technology

Zyxel’s ThermoSense Adjustment Technology is an innovative feature that extends the operating temperature range to as high as to 60°C. It does this by monitoring the temperature threshold intelligently and making adjustments to operating parameters. This ensures continued performance in extreme environments such as warehouses and factory floors.

3G/4G Cellular Network Coexistence

With gradually pervasive 3G infrastructure deployment at customer sites, users start to experience wireless performance degrade e.g. ping drops and high latency, however whenever users shutdown the 3G equipment, wireless service resumes working smooth. To enable 3G/4G cellular network coexistence and minimize interference from 3G/4G antennas or signal boosters, the NWA5123- AC HD has built-in 3G/4G interference filters. As a result, installation of the AP no longer needs to worry about the visible or invisible 3G/4G indoor antennas around.

Zyxel One Network experience

Aimed at minimizing the repetitive task of deploying and managing networks, Zyxel One Network (ZON) simplifies configuration, management and troubleshooting of multiple AP and switch deployments. This enables users to focus on their other key business priorities. The Zyxel One Network incorporates Zyxel One Network Utility (ZON Utility), an easy-to-use tool designed for instant network setup and Zyxel Smart Connect, which allows Zyxel networking equipment to find and recognize each other automatically. Zyxel One Network further facilitates remote network maintenance with one-click functions, and works across multiple networking products from Switch to Wireless to Gateway.

Zyxel One Network Utility

To streamline the management process, the NWA5120 series comes with the Zyxel One Network (ZON) utility, allowing administrators to assign IP addresses to multiple APs through just one platform.

Administrators can avoid the hassle logging into each AP to change the default IP addresses before physical installation.

Optimized wireless experience with advanced features

The NWA5123-AC HD ensures an optimized wireless experience for users with a range of wireless features such as Dynamic Channel Selection (DCS), Load Balancing and Smart Client Steering. DCS minimizes the interference of co-channel and overlapping channels. Load Balancing enables administrators to set limits on the number of clients associated with each AP. Furthermore, Smart Client Steering features with Band Select, Signal Threshold and Band Balancing combine to deliver stable, reliable wireless connections. Band Select and Signal Threshold monitor the capabilities of each wireless client and steer them to the less-congested band and AP with better signals. Band Balancing detects dual-radio clients and distributes clients across 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands on AP. All of these deliver a smooth, consistent and uninterrupted wireless experience to its users.

Grow your business with a scalable wireless network

The NWA5123-AC HD can be configured as a fully functional standalone AP. However, it is also capable of working with a Wireless LAN Controller to form a robust controllerbased WLAN solution with centralized management as WiFi demand grows. Thanks to the innovative APFlexTM technology, no manual configuration is required to choose between standalone or controller mode; the NWA5123-AC HD will automatically put itself into managed mode if a Zyxel wireless controller is found on the network. Using industry standard CAPWAP technology ensures secure and reliable communication between the controller and AP, even if the controller is located off-site.

Application Diagram:

Specifications:

NWA5123-AC HD Specifications
RF Specifications
802.11n/ac premium features		802.11n: 2x2 MIMO with two spatial stream (SU-MIMO) 802.11ac: 3x3 MIMO with three spatial stream (SU-, or MU-MIMO) 802.11ac beamforming (transmit beamforming) Maximal ratio combining (MRC) Low End Sensitivity Improvements (LESI) Time Domain Channel Smoothing 20-, 40- and 80-MHz channels PHY data rates total up to 300 Mbps (11n) + 1300 Mbps (11ac) Packet aggregation: A-MPDU (Tx/Rx), A-MSDU (Tx/Rx) Cyclic Delay diversity (CSD) support Maximum Likelihood Demodulation (MLD) support Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) support
Typical transmit output power (dBm)1		US (FCC) 2.4 GHz: 25 dBm US (FCC) 5 G GHz: 28 dBm EU (ETSI) 2.4 GHz: 20 dBm EU (ETSI) 5 G GHz: 26 dBm
Antenna gain		2.4 GHz: 3 dBi; 2x2 MIMO 5 GHz: 3 dBi 3x3 MIMO
Support data rate		802.11a/g: 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps 802.11n: up to 300 Mbps in MCS15 (40MHz; 2 Spatial Streams; GI=400ns) 802.11ac:up to 1300 Mbps in MCS9 (80MHz; 3 Spatial Streams; GI=400ns)
Receive sensitivity		Min. Rx sensitivity up to -103 dBm
Interfaces
Number of 10/100/1000M LAN		2 x switch ports
Console port		4-Pin serial
Input power requirements		Direct DC power or Power over Ethernet (PoE)2
PoE		802.3at (full mode) 802.3af (Restrict 2.4G & 5G radio to one transmit stream only.)
PoE power draw		15.5 W (802.3at PoE)
WLAN
WLAN maximum throughput		Up to 1600 Mbps
Fast roaming		Pre-authentication and PMK caching
Wireless Security		WPA/WPA2-PSK WPA/WPA2-Enterprise WLAN access control list EAP type IEEE 802.1X MAC filtering Web authentication3 Layer-2 isolation RADIUS authentication Microsoft AD authentication3 LDAP authentication3 MAC authentication3 Rogue AP detection
Number of SSID		16
QoS		WMM WMM power save U-APSD DiffServ marking
Network
IPv6 support		Yes
VLANs		Yes
DHCP client		Yes
Management
ZON Utility4		Discovery of Zyxel switches, APs and gateways Centralized and batch configurations IP configuration IP renew Device factory reset Device reboot Device locating Web GUI access Firmware upgrade Password configuration One-click quick association with Zyxel AP Configurator (ZAC)
Smart Connect		Neighbor device discovery One-click remote management access to the neighboring Zyxel devices
Zyxel AP Configurator5		Batch AP configuration Batch AP firmware upgrade Batch AP profile backup
Zyxel Wireless Optimizer6		Wi-Fi AP planning Wi-Fi coverage detection Wireless health management
Standalone AP mode		Yes
Managed AP mode		Yes
CLI		Yes
SNMP		v2c/v3
Standard Compliance
Ethernet		IEEE 802.3 IEEE 802.3u IEEE 802.11ab IEEE 802.3au IEEE 802.3az IEEE 802.3af/at
PoE		IEEE 802.3af/at
WLAN		802.11b: DBPSK, DQPSK, CCK 802.11g: BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM 802.11a: BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM 802.11n: BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM 802.11ac: BPSK, QPSK, 64-QAM, 256-QAM
Certifications
Radio		FCC Part 15C FCC Part 15E ETSI EN 300 328 EN 301 893 LP0002 EN 60601-1-2
EMC		FCC Part 15B EN 301 489-1 EN 301 489-17 EN55032 EN55024 EN61000-3-2/-3 BSMI CNS13438
Safety		EN 60950-1 IEC 60950-1 BSMI CNS14336-1
Physical Specifications and others
Item	Dimensions (mm/in.)	211 x 223 x 39 / 8.31 x 8.78 x 1.54
	Weight (kg/lb.)	750/1.653
Packing	Dimensions (WxDxH)	251 x 247 x 55 / 9.88 x 9.72 x 2.17
	Weight (kg/lb.)	990/2.182
Included accessories		Wall/ceiling mount plate
Plenum rating		Yes
Kensington lock support		Yes
Power supply	Input	AC 100-240V, 50~60Hz
	Output	DC +12V 2A (Sold separately)
MTBF (hr)		4,134,738
Environmental Specifications
Operating	Temperature	-20°C to 60°C / -4°F to 140°F
	Humidity	10% to 90% (Non-condensing)
Storage	Temperature	-40°C to 70°C / -40°F to 158°F
	Humidity	10% to 90% (non-condensing)

¹ Maximum output power is limited by regional regulatory.
² When both power sources are available, DC power takes priority over PoE.
³ Supports when working with Zyxel NXC controller.
⁴ Support from ZON Utility V2.1 or above.
⁵ Support from ZAC V1.1.4 or above.
⁶ Support from ZWO V1.0.5 or above

Documentation:

Download the Zyxel NWA5123-ACHD Datasheet (PDF).