Wi-Fi Access Point & PoE Switch Capacity Calculator

Calculate Wi-Fi access point counts by coverage area and client capacity, PoE switch power budget, and minimum ISP internet line bandwidth.

Input Parameters

Try Example:

Calculation Results

areaSqm: 300
floors: 1
envType: office
totalUsers: 80
wifiGen: wifi6
coveragePerApSqm: 120
maxActiveClientsPerAp: 65
apByCoverage: 3
apByCapacity: 2
limitingFactor: Luas Jangkauan Area (Coverage-bound)
limitingFactorEn: Coverage Area (Coverage-bound)
minApPerFloor: 3
totalApRecommended: 3
poeBudgetWatts: 58
recommendedIspMbps: 200
txPowerAdvice: 2.4GHz: Low (10-12 dBm) | 5GHz: Medium (16-18 dBm)
channelPlan: 2.4 GHz: Ch 1, 6, 11 (Width 20MHz) | 5 GHz: Ch 36, 40, 44, 48, 149, 153, 157, 161 (Width 40MHz)
summaryText: Ringkasan Perencanaan WiFi Access Point – InfraCalc.id Luas Bangunan : 300 m² (1 Lantai), Tipe: OFFICE Total Pengguna : 80 Concurrent Users, Standar: WIFI6 Rekomendasi AP : 3 Unit AP (±3 AP per Lantai) Daya Switch PoE: Minimal 58 Watt Bandwidth ISP : Minimal 200 Mbps Dedicated TX Power Roaming: 2.4GHz: Low (10-12 dBm) | 5GHz: Medium (16-18 dBm) Channel Plan : 2.4 GHz: Ch 1, 6, 11 (Width 20MHz) | 5 GHz: Ch 36, 40, 44, 48, 149, 153, 157, 161 (Width 40MHz)

How to Use This Tool

Enter the total building floor area (m²), number of floors, and select the room wall partition profile (Open Space, Office, or Concrete).
Specify expected concurrent active client devices and select the deployed Wi-Fi standard (Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6/7).
Review the recommended AP count per floor, PoE switch power requirements, dedicated ISP bandwidth, and non-overlapping channel scheme.

Worked Example: Partitioned Office 300 m² (80 Clients, Wi-Fi 6)

Worked example: A floor area of 300 m² (1 floor(s), office layout) serving 80 concurrent users on wifi6 calls for 3 Access Points (±3 APs/floor, governed by Coverage Area (Coverage-bound)). Requires a PoE switch budget of at least 58 Watts and a dedicated ISP connection of at least 200 Mbps.

Example Input

{
  "areaSqm": 300,
  "floors": 1,
  "envType": "office",
  "totalUsers": 80,
  "wifiGen": "wifi6"
}

Calculated Output

areaSqm:: 300
floors:: 1
envType:: office
totalUsers:: 80
wifiGen:: wifi6
coveragePerApSqm:: 120
maxActiveClientsPerAp:: 65
apByCoverage:: 3
apByCapacity:: 2
limitingFactor:: Luas Jangkauan Area (Coverage-bound)
limitingFactorEn:: Coverage Area (Coverage-bound)
minApPerFloor:: 3
totalApRecommended:: 3
poeBudgetWatts:: 58
recommendedIspMbps:: 200
txPowerAdvice:: 2.4GHz: Low (10-12 dBm) | 5GHz: Medium (16-18 dBm)
channelPlan:: 2.4 GHz: Ch 1, 6, 11 (Width 20MHz) | 5 GHz: Ch 36, 40, 44, 48, 149, 153, 157, 161 (Width 40MHz)
summaryText:: Ringkasan Perencanaan WiFi Access Point – InfraCalc.id Luas Bangunan : 300 m² (1 Lantai), Tipe: OFFICE Total Pengguna : 80 Concurrent Users, Standar: WIFI6 Rekomendasi AP : 3 Unit AP (±3 AP per Lantai) Daya Switch PoE: Minimal 58 Watt Bandwidth ISP : Minimal 200 Mbps Dedicated TX Power Roaming: 2.4GHz: Low (10-12 dBm) | 5GHz: Medium (16-18 dBm) Channel Plan : 2.4 GHz: Ch 1, 6, 11 (Width 20MHz) | 5 GHz: Ch 36, 40, 44, 48, 149, 153, 157, 161 (Width 40MHz)

Core Concept & Engineering Notes

Enterprise Wi-Fi network engineering requires a balanced methodology that reconciles two distinct design criteria: radio frequency signal propagation (RF coverage) and concurrent device density (client capacity). A prevalent engineering pitfall involves sizing access points solely on floor space area without accounting for wall construction materials (dBm attenuation) and shared radio medium exhaustion (airtime fairness) across the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands. Physical building envelopes dictate disparate signal absorption rates: open environments such as convention halls or warehouses allow single-AP coverage up to 200 m², partitioned office spaces with drywall and glass partitions typically cap reliable 5 GHz coverage at 120 m² per AP, while heavy concrete construction in hotels and hospitals reduces effective cell radii to 65 m² per AP. From a density perspective, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) architectures incorporating OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) and multi-user MIMO reliably sustain up to 65 concurrent active clients per AP without latency collapse, whereas legacy Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) suffers medium contention above 35 active devices. This calculator computes required access point quantities by evaluating the governing bottleneck between coverage geometry and client density, distributes nodes across building floors, and dimensions PoE switch power budgets (802.3af/at) with a 25% safety reserve. Furthermore, it details non-overlapping channel planning (channels 1, 6, 11 on 2.4 GHz) and calibrated transmit power (TX power) thresholds to facilitate seamless client roaming without sticky-client latching.

How It Was Calculated (Formulas & Steps)

Mathematical Formulas

Coverage APs = ceil(Floor Area / Coverage per AP by Partition Type)
Capacity APs = ceil(Total Users / Max Active Clients per AP by Wi-Fi Standard)
Governing Factor = max(Coverage APs, Capacity APs)
Total Building APs = ceil(Governing APs / Floors) × Floors
PoE Switch Budget = ceil(Total APs × AP Wattage × 1.25) Watts (Cable Headroom)
ISP Bandwidth = max(50, ceil((Total Users × 2.5 Mbps) / 10) × 10) Dedicated Mbps

Step-by-Step Calculation

1. Coverage AP Requirement: ceil(300 m² / 120 m² per AP for office) = 3 APs
2. Capacity AP Requirement: ceil(80 users / 65 max active clients for wifi6) = 2 APs
3. Governing Factor: Coverage Area (Coverage-bound) -> Taking max(3, 2) = 3 APs
4. Multi-Floor Distribution: ceil(3 / 1 floors) = 3 APs/floor × 1 floors = 3 Total APs
5. PoE Switch Sizing with +25% Margin: ceil(3 APs × 15.4 W × 1.25) = 58 Watts
6. ISP Bandwidth Sizing: max(50, ceil((80 users × 2.5 Mbps) / 10) × 10) = 200 Mbps Dedicated
7. Non-Overlapping Channel Scheme: 2.4 GHz: Ch 1, 6, 11 (Width 20MHz) | 5 GHz: Ch 36, 40, 44, 48, 149, 153, 157, 161 (Width 40MHz)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why should 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi deployments exclusively utilize channels 1, 6, and 11?

In the 2.4 GHz band with 20 MHz channel widths, adjacent channels overlap significantly. Channels 1, 6, and 11 are the only three distinct channels that do not overlap or corrupt each other's transmissions. Utilizing intermediate channels like 3 or 8 creates destructive adjacent-channel interference.

Why should AP transmit power (TX power) not be configured to maximum (High/Auto)?

Client devices (smartphones, laptops) possess battery-constrained transmitters (~10–14 dBm) compared to APs (~20–25 dBm). If an AP broadcasts at maximum power, clients hear the beacon clearly but their return signals fail to reach the AP. Moreover, oversized RF cells cause clients to stick to distant APs instead of roaming.

What advantage does OFDMA in Wi-Fi 6 offer over Wi-Fi 5?

In Wi-Fi 5, only one client can transmit or receive per time slot across an entire channel. Wi-Fi 6 subdivides channels into dozens of smaller Resource Units (RUs), enabling the AP to service multiple clients simultaneously in parallel, cutting packet latency by up to 75% in high-density environments.

Why does the PoE switch power budget require a 25% safety margin?

Long Ethernet cable runs dissipate power via copper loop resistance (voltage drop). Furthermore, Wi-Fi 6 radios experience peak power spikes during simultaneous background spectrum scans and heavy burst downloads. A 25% margin prevents PoE switches from overcurrent trips and sudden reboots.

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References & Notes

Last updated: 2026-11-06Content Status: Draft (Pending Editorial Review)

Note: Results above are mathematical estimates based on standard formulas. Always verify against official vendor documentation and site conditions before production deployment.