Aruba Instant On AP22 802.11ax 2x2 WiFi Access Point | UK Model | Power Source not Included (R4W02A)

Product Information

The AP22 clearly offers the best 2.4 GHz performance. 5 GHz performance depends on a lot of factors, but the U6-LR and the AC-HD performed the best overall. The AC-Pro, AP12, and AP15 all struggled with 80 MHz channels to a single client. I don’t have a reliable way to test multi-client performance yet, but they should offer more performance in multi-client tests and realistic use. The first few tests cover an ideal scenario, with a nearby client on a clean channel. In typical use you’ll see less throughput. This is a test of the APs capability in an ideal scenario, and how much data they can deliver to a single client. If you’re considering a new Instant On network, I have no issues recommending the AP22 over the AP11. I didn’t test the higher spatial stream AP12 or AP15, but those will have similar advantages that the AC-HD or U6-LR has. More spatial streams mean better multi-client performance, and usually better beamforming. The AP12 or AP15 should be better than the AP22 for high-density networks and in some scenarios, but I can’t say for sure. When their Wi-Fi 6 replacements arrive I’ll definitely be testing those. The Instant On cloud portal offers easy setup and remote access, but it is limited in the number of settings it offers. For Wi-Fi radio settings, all you’re able to control is channel width, transmit power range, and channel selection. This is both good and bad. The things you can’t control are handled automatically for you, and Aruba’s engineering and software do a good job of handling things behind the scene. Today, that is changing as Aruba introduces a new Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 ax) Access Point (AP) designed specifically with the needs of smaller organizations in mind.

Enables a 25% data increase over 256 QAM, improving throughput in your access points and devices. Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Beyond Wi-Fi 6, there’s also the promise of Wi-Fi 6E on the horizon, which is a more meaningful upgrade than the 10-20% speed improvement you can expect from upgrading from a good Wi-Fi 5 AP. Wi-Fi 6 and 6E are only relevant when you have clients that support them. Wi-Fi 6E devices are just starting to roll out in 2021, and it will be a while until it’s common for most home users.

Business Wi-Fi made incredibly simple

Aruba Instant On Mesh Wi-Fi uses multiple access points that communicate with one another to blanket your indoor and outdoor spaces with a strong signal. Want to extend your network coverage or strengthen the signal in an area? Just add another access point. To test only the speed of the Wi-Fi connection between the client and the AP, my iPerf server was connected over gigabit Ethernet to my Switch Lite 8. I primarily used my dedicated pfSense box for this, but I also used my PC and laptop depending on what I was testing. The most interesting comparison for Instant On APs is the AP22 vs the AP12 and AP15. I was disappointed in the performance of the AP12 and AP15 when using wider channels. The charts above only capture single-client tests, which is not the best way to show the AP12 and AP15’s strengths. Still, they weren’t able to match up against the (much more expensive) AC-HD. I wouldn’t generally recommend the AP12 or AP15 unless you’re deploying them in a dense area with a lot of devices.

Since Instant On was introduced in 2019, software updates have come out regularly and usually add a few more things to the cloud interface. For now though, the settings are quite limited, and I don’t think Instant On is ever going to match the full UniFi controller levels of settings. UniFi is the better option for tinkerers, but Instant On is great for delivering the basics without hassle. When it comes to management, there’s no real difference between using the app and the web portal. Both present the same simple dashboard, with four panes showing your available and active networks, the number of connected clients, total data transferred over the past 24 hours and an equipment inventory. For the next test, I switched over to my MacBook Pro and it’s 3 spatial stream Wi-Fi 5 radio. This is an interesting test because it shows the impact of an additional spatial stream, and removes the highest-end modulation (1024-QAM) and longer symbol duration of Wi-Fi 6. This is a more even playing field, and a chance for the 3x3 and 4x4 APs to show their strength.Small businesses come in all shapes and sizes. Aruba Instant On has right-sized solutions for a range of small business environments, such as:

The materials and construction of the AP22U Bosch Wipers are quite outstanding. Bosch wipers are far more durable than their inferior equivalents, giving them an incredible value. Features & Benefits: For more information on the Instant On family of products for small businesses, please visit www.ArubaInstantOn.com. I ran all of my tests with multiple TCP streams, and occasionally reversed the direction as a point of comparison. These tests ran for 60 seconds, so a typical client command would look like: iperf3 -c 172.25.10.5 -P 8 -R -t 60 When further away, you can also see the impact of beamforming from the AC-HD and U6-LR. They are able to compensate by directing transmissions towards the distant client, and the U6-LR performed the best at the furthest location. This is where the U6-LR shows it’s biggest advantage over the AP22, and where I thought the AP12 and AP15 would do better than they did. The U6-LR’s high transmit power and beamforming allow it to reach further than any of the other models I tested. A few extra dBm is enough to allow the U6-LR to effectively cover a larger area, or punch through one more wall. The AP12 and AP15 did the 2nd best at range, coming close to the U6-LR’s performance.consumption, extending the battery life of clients. Multiuser, Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) The AP11D and AP17 are for specialty use cases. If you need an AP outside or in a wall outlet, those are fine APs with decent performance. I don’t have any UniFi In-Wall APs to test, but I’ll be looking into adding some outdoor UniFi models to future tests. UniFi offers a lot more model choices for outdoor APs, and I’m a fan of the older AC-Mesh and AC-Mesh-Pros. AP Comparisons