Overview
Overview
The Ubiquiti UniFi AP AC HD is the high-density step up in the UniFi AC range — a dual-band 802.11ac Wave 2 MU-MIMO enterprise access point designed for environments with large numbers of concurrent wireless clients. Unlike Wave 1 APs which communicate with one client at a time, the AC HD uses Wave 2 MU-MIMO technology to simultaneously serve multiple clients — delivering up to 75% better multi-user throughput in high-density deployments.
With 4×4 MIMO on both 5 GHz (1,733 Mbps) and 2.4 GHz (800 Mbps), it supports 500+ concurrent clients and includes a secondary Gigabit Ethernet port for wired client bridging. Powered over a single cable using 802.3at PoE+ and compatible with UAP-AC-Pro mounts for easy upgrades of existing installations.
Key highlights
- 802.11ac Wave 2 MU-MIMO — serves multiple clients simultaneously for up to 75% better multi-user throughput
- 4×4 MIMO on both 5 GHz (1,733 Mbps) and 2.4 GHz (800 Mbps)
- 500+ concurrent clients — 2.5× more than the UAP-AC-Pro
- Dual Gigabit Ethernet ports — secondary port available for wired client bridging
- Indoor and outdoor weatherproof design
- 802.3at PoE+ — no separate power supply required
- Compatible with UAP-AC-Pro mounts — easy direct upgrade
- Beamforming for improved throughput and range
- CE, FCC, IC certified
Recommended for
- High-density offices — Wave 2 MU-MIMO handles large numbers of simultaneous connections without throughput degradation
- Education & libraries — 500+ clients with guest portal, voucher auth, and fast roaming across campuses
- Retail & hospitality — weatherproof design suits covered outdoor areas and entrance lobbies
- UAP-AC-Pro upgrades — mount-compatible direct replacement for existing Pro installations
Performance
Aggregate throughput
The AC HD’s Wave 2 MU-MIMO with 4×4 spatial streams on 5 GHz delivers a 33% improvement over 3×3 Wave 1 APs at any given time, and up to 125% better overall performance in multi-client scenarios where MU-MIMO’s simultaneous client handling provides the greatest gains.
Per-band radio specifications
| Spec | 5 GHz | 2.4 GHz |
|---|---|---|
| MIMO | 4×4 MU-MIMO (Wave 2) | 4×4 MU-MIMO (Wave 2) |
| Max data rate | 1,733 Mbps | 800 Mbps |
| Antenna gain | 4 dBi (dual-polarity) | 3 dBi (dual-polarity) |
| Max TX power | 6–25 dBm | 6–25 dBm |
| Max BSSIDs | 4 per radio | 4 per radio |
Supported data rates
| Standard | Data rate range |
|---|---|
| 802.11ac Wave 2 (Wi-Fi 5) | 6.5 Mbps – 1,733 Mbps (MCS0–MCS9 NSS1/2/3/4, VHT 20/40/80) |
| 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) | 6.5 Mbps – 450 Mbps (MCS0–MCS23, HT 20/40) |
| 802.11a/g | 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps |
| 802.11b | 1, 2, 5.5, 11 Mbps |
Coverage & capacity
| Max concurrent clients | 500+ |
| Spatial streams | 8 (4 + 4) |
| MU-MIMO | Up to four 1×1 clients or two 2×2 clients simultaneously |
| Beamforming | Supported |
| Advanced QoS | Per-user rate limiting |
| WMM | Voice, Video, Best Effort, Background |
Features
Wireless & roaming
- Wireless meshing
- Wireless uplink
- Band steering
- Fast roaming
- Zero Handoff Roaming
- Advanced radio management
- RF map & spectral analysis
- Airtime fairness
- Beamforming
Guest access & hotspot
- Captive hotspot portal
- Custom branding landing page
- Voucher authentication
- Payment-based authentication
- External portal server support
- Guest network isolation
- Password authentication
Security & access control
- WPA2 enterprise encryption
- WPA-PSK / WPA-Enterprise
- 802.1Q VLAN tagging
- Per-user rate limiting (QoS)
- Guest traffic isolation
- WMM traffic prioritisation
Compliance
FCC
IC
Hardware
Physical
| Dimensions | 220 × 220 × 48.1 mm (8.66 × 8.66 × 1.89″) |
| Weight (without mount) | 700 g (1.54 lb) |
| Weight (with mount) | 830 g (1.83 lb) |
| Enclosure | Polycarbonate — indoor/outdoor weatherproof |
| Mounting | Wall / Ceiling (kits included, UAP-AC-Pro mount compatible) |
| Button | Factory reset |
| LED | LED provisioning ring |
Networking & power
| Networking interfaces | (2) 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet ports |
| Secondary port | Available for wired client bridging |
| Power method | 802.3at PoE+ — no separate power supply required |
| Supported voltage | 44–57V DC |
| Max power consumption | 17W |
Wireless software
| WiFi standards | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ac-wave2 |
| Security | WEP, WPA-PSK, WPA-Enterprise (WPA/WPA2, TKIP/AES) |
| BSSID | Up to 4 per radio |
| VLAN | 802.1Q |
| Concurrent clients | 500+ |
Environmental
| Operating temperature | -10 to 70°C (14 to 158°F) |
| Operating humidity | 5–95% non-condensing |
Operating frequencies
| Worldwide | 2400–2483.5 MHz, 5150–5850 MHz |
In the box
UniFi AP AC HD access point with wall/ceiling mounting kit. Single-pack includes PoE adapter. Five-packs do not include PoE adapters — recommend powering via a UniFi PoE+ switch.
Software
Managed by UniFi Network
The UAP-AC-HD is fully managed through the UniFi Network application — the same centralised platform used across all UniFi access points, switches, and gateways. Configure, monitor, and update from a single interface on-site or via UniFi Cloud, with no per-device licensing fees. Dedicated hardware offload for QoS, guest control, and client management ensures complex operations run without slowing down the network.
Core capabilities
- Zero Handoff Roaming — multiple APs act as a cluster appearing as a single AP, enabling seamless client roaming with no client-side renegotiation.
- Fast Roaming — optimised background roaming that works across all 802.11n and 802.11ac APs in high-density deployments without the single-channel requirement of ZHO.
- RF map & spectral analysis — monitor and analyse radio frequencies for optimal AP placement and real-time troubleshooting.
- Guest portal & hotspot — captive portals with voucher, payment, and password authentication, with full custom branding support.
- Multi-site management — one controller manages multiple distributed deployments, each logically separated with its own config, maps, and admin accounts.
- Remote firmware updates — push updates to all access points remotely without on-site access.
Requirements
| UniFi Network | Latest stable release recommended |
| Hosting | Self-hosted or UniFi Cloud |
| Licensing | None — free with no per-device fees |
Documentation
Downloads & resources
Download the Ubiquiti UniFi AP AC HD datasheet covering full specifications, MU-MIMO technology overview, mounting instructions, and compliance certifications.