How Many Wi-Fi Access Points Does an Office Need?
Start with floor area: divide the space by the coverage TP-Link quote for your access point, then round up. Add access points for heavy walls, separate rooms and areas where many people use Wi-Fi at once. A typical open-plan office of 400 m² with 40 staff usually lands at three to four ceiling access points.
Why one router is rarely enough
The Wi-Fi in a broadband router sits wherever the line comes in, often in a corner or a comms cupboard. Signal falls away through walls and across distance, and every device shares the same radio. Ceiling access points spread that load: each one covers its own area, devices connect to the nearest, and they hand over as people move around. One network cable from a PoE switch powers each access point and carries its data.
Step 1: area
Coverage figures are quoted for open space, so treat them as a ceiling, not a target. TP-Link's figures for some of the Omada ceiling access points we stock:
| Access point | Wi-Fi | Coverage (TP-Link) | Concurrent clients (TP-Link) |
|---|---|---|---|
| EAP610 | Wi-Fi 6, AX1800 | Up to 115 m² | 250+ |
| EAP653 | Wi-Fi 6, AX3000 | Up to 140 m² | 250+ |
| EAP723 | Wi-Fi 7, BE3600 | Up to 140 m² | 250+ |
| EAP727 | Wi-Fi 7, BE5000 | Up to 185 m² | 510+ |
| EAP772 | Wi-Fi 7, BE9300 tri-band | Up to 140 m² | 380+ |
Divide your floor area by the coverage figure and round up. That is your minimum.
Step 2: walls and rooms
Plasterboard partitions cost a little signal. Brick, block, concrete, glass with metal coatings, lift shafts and kitchens cost a lot. If a meeting room, private office or store room is behind a solid wall, plan on it having its own access point or sharing one placed in a doorway-facing position. Each floor is planned separately; do not count on signal passing through a concrete slab.
Step 3: people, not devices
The concurrent client figure is a technical maximum. In practice what matters is how many people are actively using Wi-Fi at the same moment and what they are doing. Forty people on video calls load a network far more than a hundred phones sitting idle in pockets. In busy areas such as training rooms, canteens and open-plan desks, add an access point rather than relying on one unit's client figure.
Step 4: placement
- Mount access points on the ceiling, roughly central to the area they serve, away from metal ducting and light fittings.
- Space them so their coverage overlaps a little; that is what lets devices roam without dropping calls.
- Keep them out of cupboards and ceiling voids, where the signal is blocked before it reaches the room.
- Run a cable to each position from the PoE switch, using Cat6 cable terminated on a patch panel in the cabinet.
A worked example
A single-floor office of 400 m²: an open-plan area of 300 m² with 35 desks, two meeting rooms of 25 m² behind block walls, and a small kitchen. About 40 staff, each with a laptop and phone.
- Area: 400 m² ÷ 140 m² (EAP653) = 2.9, so three access points as a minimum.
- Walls: the meeting rooms are behind block, so one access point placed to serve both, near their doors.
- People: 35 desks in one space on calls most of the day, so split the open-plan area between two access points rather than stretching one.
- Result: four EAP653s: two over the open plan, one for the meeting rooms, one covering reception and the kitchen.
Each EAP653 has a maximum power draw of 13.5 W (TP-Link, EU version), so four need about 54 W of PoE. An 8-port PoE+ switch such as the SG2210MP (150 W budget) leaves room for phones or cameras later. Our guide to PoE budgets shows how to check this for any mix of devices.
Manage them together
Several access points should be managed as one system so they share settings and hand devices over cleanly. With Omada that means a controller; see do I need an Omada controller? for the options. You can browse all our Wi-Fi access points by range and Wi-Fi standard.
Planning a TP-Link network? Our network kit builder asks a few questions and puts together a matched kit: Deco mesh Wi-Fi for homes, or Omada access points, PoE switches and a gateway for businesses. We also have kit builders for CCTV, alarms, intercoms and audio.
If you would like a second opinion on a plan before you order, contact our team with a rough floor plan and a list of what needs connecting. We deliver to England, Scotland and Wales, usually within 1–2 working days.
Frequently asked questions
How many access points do I need for 100 users?
It depends more on how many people are active at once and on the building than on the user count. As a guide, plan by floor area first, then add access points where many people work in one space. For a 100-person office, work through the steps in this guide floor by floor; it will usually need several ceiling access points.
How far apart should Wi-Fi access points be?
Space them so their coverage areas overlap slightly, so devices can roam between them. Solid walls and busy areas bring them closer together.
Can I use mesh Wi-Fi in an office instead of access points?
A very small office can, but ceiling access points managed by a controller give you separate guest and staff networks, better handling of many users and central management.
Do access points need a PoE switch?
Omada ceiling access points are designed to be powered over Ethernet from a PoE or PoE+ switch, which saves a mains socket at each ceiling position. Some can also use a DC adapter.
Written by the team at Zenith Security Co., a security and networking supplier based in Wolverhampton and trading since 2012. We supply equipment and do not install it; depending on your requirements and your area, we can point you towards a qualified trade installer. Product figures in this article come from TP-Link's published specifications as listed on our product pages.
