TP Link - Omada - Which Omada Controller Do I Quote?

Use this guide to quickly identify the right Omada controller for any job. Work through the three questions in order — most jobs are resolved at Q2, before you ever reach Standard. For full feature comparisons, sourcing, and pricing detail, refer to the full Omada Controller & Licensing knowledge base article.

Business vs Domestic — Read This First

Omada is a business and SMB platform, but premises type does not change the decision tree in Q1–Q3. What changes is how likely you are to encounter a genuine reason to upgrade.

• Business premises More likely to have a real reason for one of the Section 3 extras — locked-down staff Wi-Fi logins, per-staff access levels, compliance logging, or genuinely separate office locations. Still start at Q1. A business client does not automatically mean Standard.
• Domestic premises Almost never needs the genuinely Standard-only extras. Cameras, when present, are for home security and well within the free 64-channel limit. Most domestic jobs land on a Hardware Controller, Fusion Gateway, or Essentials. If a domestic client asks for something Standard-only by name, clarify what they actually mean before quoting it.

Three Questions — Work Through These in Order

• Q1
  Are there any cameras (VIGI) on this job?

  Neither a Hardware Controller nor a Fusion Gateway can manage cameras. This is not a configuration issue — camera support simply does not exist on either platform.

  Yes — cameras are involved
  Skip straight to Omada Central (Essentials or Standard). See the Essentials vs Standard section below to decide which applies.

  No cameras
  Continue to Q2.

  Camera support is planned for a future "Fusion Pro" model. It is not available on current Fusion Gateways — do not quote on this basis.

• Q2
  One site, and nothing genuinely Standard-only requested?

  Before answering "no," check the "Already Free" table in Section 3. Network attack monitoring, traffic visibility, individual Wi-Fi passwords, per-staff access levels, and detailed logs are all already included on a Hardware Controller or Fusion Gateway. Linking multiple offices together is also not Standard-only — Essentials and Fusion can both do it.

  Yes — nothing genuinely Standard-only applies
  This is the default for most jobs. Quote a Hardware Controller or Fusion Gateway. Most installs land here.

  No — something Standard-only has been specifically requested
  Continue to Q3. If you are not certain the request actually requires Standard, check with a technical lead before quoting.
• Q3
  Quote Omada Central Standard.

  Only the items flagged as Standard-only in Section 3 require this — locked-down company Wi-Fi login (802.1X), extra Wi-Fi login methods, deeper troubleshooting tools, extra VPN types, or a combined multi-customer dashboard. If none of these have been specifically requested, go back and re-check Q2.

Multiple Customers — This Is a Separate Question

Having many customers does not, by itself, require Omada Central Standard. You can manage as many separate customers as you like today, for free.

• What you already have free Each customer gets their own separate setup — either their own Hardware Controller box, or their own free Omada Central Essentials login. You can remotely access any of them individually using the free cloud access included with every option. Think of it as a keyring: one key per customer's front door, and you always have access — you just open one door at a time.
• What Standard's MSP Mode adds One combined screen showing all customers at once, bulk changes pushed to multiple customers simultaneously, per-staff permission levels per customer, and centralised billing when licences are involved. This is a convenience upgrade — not a requirement to have multiple customers.

What Is Actually Standard-Only

Already Free on Hardware Controller and Fusion Gateway

The following are included at no extra cost on Hardware Controllers and Fusion Gateways. It is only Essentials — the free cloud option used for camera jobs — that is missing them. Do not quote Standard for these alone.

Genuinely Standard-Only

The Four Options

Essentials vs Standard for Camera Jobs

For a small camera installation with casual live-viewing, Essentials is almost always sufficient. Standard becomes the right choice when a client needs continuous feeds for long stretches, several people watching simultaneously, more than 64 ONVIF channels, or specifically People Counting or AI Search.

Common Scenarios — Quick Reference

• 1 site, no cameras, up to ~25 devices → OC200 Hardware Controller. One-off purchase, free cloud access, nothing recurring to pay.
• 1 site, no cameras, up to ~40 devices → OC220 Hardware Controller. Same logic, next size up.
• 1 site, no cameras, over ~40 devices → OC300 or OC400 Hardware Controller. Still a one-off purchase — pick the model sized to the device count.
• 1 site, cameras involved, nothing else unusual → Omada Central Essentials (free). Hardware Controllers cannot manage cameras. Essentials covers most small camera jobs outright at no cost.
• 1 site, no cameras — client asks for monitoring, visibility, PPSK, access levels, or logs → Hardware Controller or Fusion Gateway as normal — not Standard. All of these are already free on both. See the "Already Free" table above.
• Several office locations, one client → Check with a technical lead first. Multi-site linking is included on Essentials, Fusion Gateways, and a free Software Controller. Standard is not required for this alone.
• You serve many separate customers → Keep quoting free Essentials or a Hardware Controller per customer. Having multiple customers does not require Standard. Only raise MSP Mode if managing them separately has genuinely become a bottleneck.
• Client specifically requests 802.1X, SMS login, packet capture, extra VPN types, or a combined multi-customer dashboard → Omada Central Standard. Confirm the request actually needs the feature before quoting. These are the only items that genuinely require it.