Wi-Fi capacity planner: how many access points do you need?
Estimate how many access points you need for the number of users and devices on site.
Calculated in your browser. Nothing is sent to our servers.
Enter the number of people, devices per person, how many are active at once and the bandwidth each device needs. The planner works out peak demand and the access points required both for throughput and for the number of clients each AP can serve, and reports whichever is higher.
Capacity versus coverage
Coverage asks whether there is signal everywhere; capacity asks whether there is enough airtime for everyone at once. Offices, hotels, classrooms and events are almost always limited by capacity. This tool sizes for capacity; a site survey or predictive heatmap confirms coverage, walls and channel reuse.
Realistic AP throughput
Data-sheet speeds such as 2.4 Gbps assume one client close to the AP on a wide channel. In a busy room an access point delivers far less shared throughput. Plan with 150–250 Mbps for Wi-Fi 5, 300–500 Mbps for Wi-Fi 6 and 500–800 Mbps for Wi-Fi 6E/7, and keep utilisation at or below 50–70%.
Typical per-device demand
- Email and web: 1–2 Mbps
- Video calls: 2–4 Mbps
- HD streaming: 5–8 Mbps
- Guest Wi-Fi in hotels: 2–3 Mbps
Common questions
How many users can one access point handle?
Plan for 25–50 active clients per AP for good performance, even though most APs accept more than 200 associations.
Does this replace a site survey?
No. It gives the minimum AP count for capacity. A survey or predictive heatmap places APs for coverage and channel reuse.
What concurrency should we use?
Offices: 60–80%. Hotels: 30–50% of rooms at peak. Events and lecture halls: 80–100%.
