- The EAP772-TP-Link outdoor survives the immersion, but the signal does not follow it to the water
- Built to withstand hostile elements, but not the exaggeration that surrounds underwater wireless capabilities
- Business users can love them, but feel like exaggerated for their average Wi-Fi needs
TP-Link has announced a new Wi-Fi 7 access point that not only admits the latest wireless standard, but also has an IP68 rating that allows you to resist complete water immersion.
On paper, this robust Wi-Fi 7 access point looks very good, with tri-band wireless speeds up to 9.3 Gbps, support for more than 380 connected devices and 2.5 GBPS feed on Ethernet (POE) for optimized configuration.
However, the decision to highlight complete immersion capabilities invites a more skeptical aspect, especially taking into account the known limitations of wireless communication in water.
How relevant is the IP68 qualification?
The device is equipped with two 4 dBI antennas for the 2.4GHz band and two 6DBI antennas each for the 5GHz and 6GHz bands.
It works through the 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz bands, which offer maximum theoretical speeds of up to 688mbps, 2.88 Gbps and 5.76 Gbps, respectively, and admits a coverage area of around 300 square meters and a five -year guarantee of the company.
So, while the router could physically survive immersion, the idea of underwater Wi-Fi is still questionable.
Standard Wi-Fi is inherently ineffective underwater. Radio frequencies, especially 2.4 GHz and more, are quickly absorbed by water, leaving little space for a practical transmission beyond a few feet.
Water blocks The signals themselves are designed to emit, which raises doubts about how the LAN port would even be protected from moisture once submerged.
If we momentarily entertain the concept of underwater wireless use, practical applications are narrow and not well attended by conventional Wi-Fi.
The divers, for example, would benefit from the ability to send data or communicate without depending on manual signals or physical boards.
The exchange of images in real time or submarine drone sensors to surface computers could be useful in scientific or military operations.
However, these needs are already being addressed by emerging technologies such as Aqua-Fi, which uses LED, laser or acoustic waves for submarine data transmission, none of which involves standard Wi-Fi frequencies.
TP-Link has not suggested any integration with such systems, nor has it indicated that the EAP772-Outdoor is intended for the implementation submerged beyond the mere survival capacity.
That raises the question of why the impermeable feature emphasizes. For outdoor places, where rain, dust and heat are threats, weather resistance makes sense.
But complete immersion? Unless the router accidentally falls into a pond or settled in a very prone to floods, it is difficult to see the value.
For users looking for the best Wi-Fi router, EAP772-Outdoor can excel in terms of outdoor reliability.
Business customers who need difficult equipment for outdoor implementation can also make sense in this device, but for anyone who checks a mobile access point or a change for use in the home or office, this may seem more like intergalization.
The EAP772 TP-Link is expected to be sold for around $ 565 when launched in June 2025.
Through Guru3D
