Is it normal for the AP to be constantly operating between 58 - 60C?
I can understand at load, but for the AP to be constantly at this temp bracket seems off.
Furthermore, due to the AP constantly operating at this heat, the plastic casing is definitely giving off a ‘whiff’.
That is even lower than other users experience and should be normal, according to Alta Labs. See below:
However, I don’t know about the whiff.
So, one conclusion from that is that 58-60 deg C, in question, is extremely low, almost as low as that baseline of @dxyong’s at 55-57 deg C with active cooling. 
It also depends on your ambient temp, mine is 30C all year round 
Wow I’m kind of amazed by this. It would explain the chonky heatsink on the back. Seems more like a design flaw to me. I’d expect more variation in temps when under load and not under load.
From past experience I’ve only ever witnessed this with Trapeze AP’s. They ran so hot they would leave scorch marks in the ceiling tiles.
I’ll continue on with this long term test and note it, but it’s unlikely I’d be installing these things in a large scale environment due to this single reason.
Generally, that would indicate a poorly designed heatsink. You would be better off with a flatter temperature curve, which would indicate a very efficient heat transfer away from the heat source 
Granted. But, your point takes it away from something inside AP running hot 24/7.
Long term this far from ideal.
That would be the ~7 W that it uses while idle. Which I guess is not low but not excessive either. How does it compare to other comparable APs?
Edit: And, additionally, what are outer temperatures of comparable APs?
As I mentioned, I’ve only experienced this sort of heat with Trapeze (juniper) AP’s. But you’re talking way back to 2008.
We used to install Xirrus (now Cambium) wireless, then moved to Ubiquiti Unifi. The Xirrus AP’s would get warm, but nothing excessive like this AP6. The Unifi UAP Pro and U6 Pro both get warm, but again not hot.
I’ve been told the U7 Pro’s get silly hot, they have a fan inside. No comment on whether the fan actually does its job. I’m also not a fan (pardon the pun) of adding moving parts, it’s one more thing to fail.
I also know the Cisco Aironet’s get silly hot, they also have a heatsink on the rear.
As I said in an earlier reply, running hardware constantly at 60c or over little load is not ideal. The fact that I can smell this device, warrants concern.
I’m only into my first week of testing the AP, so I’ll likely RMA it and see what the replacement is like.
Agree on that one. Does the smell fade away after some more days of usage?
That would be totally dependent on the hardware specification. For example, running a hardware at a lower temp but with little to no headroom towards its max operating internal temp is way worse than hardware running much hotter but with a higher max operating internal and ambient temp. That is towards hardware failing. In terms of energy usage, it might be something different of course. If I understand it correctly, the chipset is rated at ambient temperature up to 70 deg C, so there should not be an issue at 20-30 C. The internal temp limitations are not disclosed.
Obviously, the lower temperature the better! Additionally, lower temperature means higher/longer MTBF.
It might even have been removed in later revisions, if I understand available info correctly.
Agree there too.
Only somewhat related, but I decided to take a look at the CPU temps for other devices I have access to just to add some points of comparison.
AP6
59.7 celcius
AP6 Pro
65.2
U7 Pro Max
75300 (75.3)
UAP HD
54904 (55)
Mikrotik RB5009
54
Mikrotik hAP-ax2
55
Mikrotik hEX 2024
54
I didn’t have any other WiFi 6 access points I could quickly get to for comprison though. Some of these are in hotter locations than others as well.
That all being said, a smell would concern me as well!
Still no way I’m strapping these things to a ceiling. 
I too at first was concerned about the lack of vents on most of the product line, especially the Route10. At this point, if it burns up and fails, off to Alta it goes for an RMA. I won’t lose sleep on that. The “whiff” you’re getting is likely to be a normal scent that emits from new electronics when they are energized for the first time (volatile compounds). This should go away with time.
The APPRO1 on the left “temporarily for testing purposes” has been pitched at 45 degrees on a table in my home office.
The APPRO2 in the center is mounted directly to the ceiling, about a foot away from an HVAC supply air grill with the provided mounting kit.
The AP6W on the right is mounted directly to the wall in the kitchen where a traditional POTS jack/box would be, except I have cat6 to that location.
Clearly you can see there is a huge temperature difference from one being open to air versus the others being sandwiched on a ceiling or wall.
IMO, you’ll be fine if you have an HVAC, portable AC system or any sort of filtration system that constantly or intermittently pulls and circulates air in the room they’d be located in.
Steer away from installing in places like closets that have minimal circulation.
I have one that will be going into the garage at some point where temps can reach 105-110 during peak summer periods. That will be the true test.
Thanks for this reponse.
This AP is still getting RMA’d. The unit stinks when at it’s hovering around 60c. This aint ‘normal scent’, it smells sweaty/musty. For context, I’m in the UK, we don’t exactly experience the hottest of climate - especially in the region I live in. The AP is also in a vented room, albeit no AC, the room still has good aircirculation
For those who think I’m poo pooing, I’m actually happy RMA’ing for a replacement to give the bennefit of the doubt. Additionally, I’ve orderean Alta Labs 8 Port switch to explore the switch series. The whole setup experience including the UI has been great, so I’m keen to continue with the long term test. 
