Aruba Instant On Access Points Reviews

Most of my clients use them for indoor Wi-Fi access, but I also have some experience with outdoor deployments and public-facing setups. We've also worked with Cisco Meraki for similar scenarios.

It's really easy to set up. And, you don't have to pay for the cloud solution. That's really interesting for our clients. And the other thing is, the roaming is also quite good.

And I personally like the setup process. It's incredibly easy, even without a router. You can directly connect to an ISP, which is a big plus for small businesses. For larger companies, using a firewall is still preferred. Setting up the SSID was a breeze, too.

When there are a lot of people connected, especially during video streaming demonstrations, the connection can get a bit choppy. We've also encountered some issues with narrowcasting systems.

I do have some experience with Aruba Instant On Acess Points. It's quite user-friendly.

I have been working with this product for four years now. 

I would rate the stability a nine out of ten. 

I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten. 

I also have outdoor appliances and uses for outdoor access points. It's mostly Wi-Fi access points indoors, but few are outdoor. Few of them are public-facing experts. We have some experience with Cisco Meraki and Fortinet.

The initial setup is truly straightforward. 

The solution can be deployed both on-premises and cloud. I prefer cloud deployments for the management advantages.

The deployment time depends on the company size. For smaller setups with 20-40 workstations, it takes about 2-3 hours. 

Larger ones might take a day with pre-configured access points. But it's still very quick, and we've even had a small client done in just one hour.

The lack of subscription fees and ease of setup contribute significantly to the value proposition. We're still evaluating Ruckus to compare, but so far, Aruba Instant On seems to offer a good return on investment.

We don't have to pay subscription fees for the cloud solution, which is a major advantage.

I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive.

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

I've provided support for around five or six customers. One notable use case involves a customer with a small branch looking to cover their building. Due to budget constraints, we recommended Ruckus Unleashed for its cost-effectiveness, and it proved suitable for small offices. Another customer engaged in a proof of concept for access points to cover a specific site. I've offered support for approximately five or six customers. This year, I collaborated with around five customers, and I'm uncertain about the number from last year. In one instance, a customer with a limited budget opted for Ruckus Unleashed, especially suitable for small offices due to its cost-effectiveness. Another customer engaged in a proof of concept for access points to cover a specific site.

Regarding access points, the customer typically considers low-cost plans, and Ruckus Unleashed Access Points are commonly used. These access points are managed through the Microsoft console and can be accessed either with or without ports. The management is done through a controller.

The main benefits customers see include cost-effectiveness, especially for those with budget constraints. Aruba, in particular, provides a good user experience. Some customers might choose Huawei, but enterprise access points are also considered. Additionally, the unified access point capabilities are valuable, allowing management from the same account. However, there is a limitation of twenty-five access points, and if a customer requires more, they need to create another site or account.

If the customer exceeds twenty-five access points, they need to generate another site or virtual business to manage additional access points, as the external number is limited to twenty-five.

I believe there's room for improvement in the validation process, especially for customers facing compliance issues when managing access points from the cloud. It would be beneficial if the access points could also be managed from an on-premises controller.

Regarding additional features, customers express interest in enhancing the controller, specifically improving the capability to manage a higher number of access points from the same controller. This feature is crucial for better scalability. Another feature that customers would appreciate is the ability to increase the number of access points. However, the current process for obtaining this permission can be time-consuming, and customers would like to see improvements in this regard.

I have been using Aruba Instant On Access Points for past two years.

It is stable. 

I've got a technical support case.

Positive

I'm familiar with the solution, and I believe it's widely used in the business sector. However, I think the organization is involved in much more. But I don't recall having the analytical details on that solution.

It is necessary to connect the instant access points with NGINX. The serial number is a standard identifier, and it's considered more standard than an enterprise access point. Regarding the deployment, the controller is in the cloud, and the appliances are on-premises.For the deployment of instant access points, as a partner, our engineers handle the implementation. Customers typically provide information about the environment, such as the location of access points. Documentation is not frequently requested, and the deployment time varies based on factors like the number of access points. The initial configuration of the controller takes about 30 minutes, and adding access points afterward typically takes 2 to 5 minutes each.

There is a challenge related to resetting access points, especially when dealing with repeated access points. The process involves obtaining the access point from PeerSpot or another source and performing a hard reset. This issue is a common aspect in various solutions.

Prior to the inquiry, we had a substantial customer who exclusively preferred Aruba's solution for their extensive file-sharing needs. The customer insisted on sticking to Aruba and didn't consider alternative solutions from other vendors. Consequently, we recommended the Enterprise Access Point. However, upon realizing the high cost associated with this option, we engaged in discussions with the IT manager to explore ways to reduce costs. 

Prior to recommending Aruba as our distribution partner, I engaged in discussions with various teams, including the business team, to understand the diverse needs of our customers. Our customers span across different industries, including HVAC, performance, and enterprise security. Each customer segment has its unique set of requirements and questions. Some are focused on home security, while others are concerned with enterprise-level solutions.

In particular, Aruba's cloud offerings have features and technologies that set them apart. The vendor landscape is competitive, and Aruba stands out in terms of the unique features it offers. One notable feature is the integration of sensors in access points, which enhances the solution's capabilities. However, I also inquired about Aruba's compatibility with external devices and sensors, such as those used for Central Scale Effect. This information is crucial for understanding the overall performance and integration capabilities of Aruba's solutions.

For medium and small businesses, the rating would be eight out of ten for Ruben Incident Intelligence. The consideration is based on the fact that each customer, particularly those with small branches, may require approximately eight or nine devices from Verizon. It's important to note that this evaluation pertains to the pricing solution, not Ruben software specifically.

We use this solution for our wireless employee network and the wireless guest network for our clients. We have it for personal devices as well. It runs the wireless network for the company.

It improved our organization by lowering the cost of APs. Cisco is more expensive, and we're saving money. It helps us to utilize our funds elsewhere. It gives our employees and our clients easy-to-use internet access which makes them happy. It's a win-win all around.

The app allows me to see that we transferred 137-Gigs in the last 24 hours. I haven't had any complaints, and we can see insights into what people use the most. The metrics on the app are pretty good. We can see who uses utilities versus instant messaging, who browsed the web, streaming, and productivity, which is cool.

From start to finish, the setup is pretty simple. I've set up Ubiquiti, SonicWall, SonicPoint, and more, and this seems to be pretty much plug-and-play. For the most part, it's fairly straightforward and pretty simple to use.

I currently have it in half of our corporate offices, and I haven't heard any complaints about coverage. People can access it much more quickly. I hear positive feedback and I haven't heard any downsides. The coverage is better than expected.

We don't use the mesh, everything is hardwired directly. Each AP is directly hardwired to the switch which provides another signal. I haven't gotten into the mesh yet. That said, I don't see it being an issue.

Currently, I've seen about 75 to 80 users on 12 access points. I'm not sure exactly how many are on each access point, however, I would assume that about 10 to 12 users are on an access point. I’ve had up to 17 users at one point on one access point, and it seemed to be fine. I haven't reached its max limit of users quite yet. I'm also adding more and I haven't tested it with the max number of users.

I haven't seen a decrease in bandwidth. We went from Cisco to Aruba and we haven't seen a downgrade. As far as I know, the bandwidth is still the same.

It's super user-friendly.

If you need to remove or reset one to factory settings, you can do so if it is either online or offline. Once it gets back online, it hits the cloud and resets itself. I don't see a reason to have buttons on the APs. They're out in the open. Anybody could reach up and grab it, so it is less likely for something to happen there.

The only downside is that there are some bugs that I see. 

Hardware-wise, the product is fine. Software-wise, I would like to have a way of moving APs from site to site and wish there would be a way to add more APs to one site. I know the limit is 25 APs per site and I wish there were more. I wish I could have all of my APs in one pane, rather than have multiple sites. For now, it'll do. Maybe there'll be an update in the future.

In addition, I wish I could add more admins to sites.

We just implemented the solution. So far, we finished half of the implementation. We ordered 115 access points and we have about 30 in place.

For now, it seems pretty stable. I am not running into any issues right now. The only issue I've found is the AP lights. The AP told me that the codes and everything ran out of DHCP and I didn't have enough IPs. It's stable enough to let me know what the issue is with my network and that is pretty helpful.

It's scalable, yet limited to how you scale it. The APs are limited to 25 per site, and I have 70 APs. I'm going to have at least three sites, but I wish they would all be in one. That way, I could see it and not have to manage different sites. When I set up a network, I have to set it up on each site manually and that is a downside of this solution. I don't know of a way to set up or copy a site. 

There are a lot of users. There are about eight IT employees that will be managing and helping with the product. Our company numbers about 1,000 people and is growing, so there will be more than 1,000 users. That's not including the clients that come in.

The solution comes with a one-year warranty and 90 days of phone support. I didn't realize it would come with that and I was already sold on the concept of ease of use and simplicity of it. It's a plus to know that it comes with a one-year warranty.

I haven't had any experience with technical support yet.

We used Cisco Aironet. The other side of the company did not have any wireless network, so this is the first wireless access point they installed. We're one big company and we merged with another company, so we're bringing them up to speed. They didn't have any wireless network in their building. This is better for them and is quite new.

In the beginning, the setup wasn't what I thought it was. After looking into it and focusing on it, it was pretty straightforward. Once I got one going, it was pretty much plug-and-play for the rest. The initial part might be challenging if you don't know much about networking. That said, anyone could figure it out even with a lack of IT knowledge. As long as you know your basic terminology in networking, know what your goal is, and how you want your network structured or wireless network structured, I'd say it's pretty simple.

The deployment is still ongoing. We're placing it in more than one county. I had 12 set up in a day or two. It didn't take long at all once I got the first going.

Right now, out of eight people, only two of us use it, set it up, and manage it. We don't need a lot of people for the setup or to manage it. Once set up, it's pretty much left alone.

The solution was received straight from the reseller, and I installed it and set it up. I meshed it and I didn't need outside assistance.

Right now, I can't say for sure that there is an ROI. I assume it will be seen soon, as long as the product lasts. If it only lasts us three years and they don't give us any problems, then I would assume we'll see an ROI. We haven't had that many problems with APs before, until recently. When we started to switch over, our APs were going out, however, they were already out of service life and out of date.

There is no licensing fee. There is a one-time purchase. There is no support after a certain amount of time, however, you could probably buy more support.

The price is $165 an AP. Even if something goes wrong, another $165 for a replacement wouldn't be a pain. It was a win in that sense. Plus, we don't need a license to make it work.

The cost of the solution includes everything we need to manage and upgrade our WIFI network, including the mobile management app.

The cost weighed a lot on the decision to go with this solution. It was nice not to worry about the need for a license in order for the units to work, as we had with Cisco. If you didn't have a license, then they were just a paperweight. Pricing and licensing were really big factors, and Aruba pretty much hit it out of the park.

We looked at Ruckus, WatchGuard, and Ubiquiti. Between simplicity, price point, and my sales rep, who was the one that said he had a good experience with Aruba, I was sold. I also liked their accessibility. All of the other APs seemed to be out of stock and on back order. We needed something fairly quick, and they had them in stock.

I'd advise potential users to just buy the product. I do other consultant work, and I look forward to putting it in other places, due to its ease of use. It's up there with the name-brand APs, and I don't see it having an issue running with the other APs that cost three or ten times as much.

It doesn't have to be complex to run a wireless system. You've got three buttons on your app and that's what you really need.

I'd rate it an eight out of ten. I took a few points off due to the fact that the solution lacks some software.

We have several good use cases where we don't have the need for a controller in a couple of locations or for small office areas. 

In those situations, Aruba Instant is a good solution. It provides similar mobility access advantages as Cisco, so we have a similar experience with the Instant AP. This is particularly useful when we don't require a controller. 

In such cases, the APIs are very helpful for small wireless deployments, managing around six to eight access points, and providing all the necessary wireless capabilities. It's a cost-effective solution, similar to Cisco, for supporting small deployments.

Aruba Instant On Access Points have greatly enhanced our organization's operations. These access points provide most of the setup functionalities that we typically use at the enterprise level. 

While a controller offers various integration options and enables features like the guest portal, the Instant AP is designed in a similar way. Although it doesn't offer the full range of controller functionalities, it acts as a replica and provides nearly all the features available on a controller. This is particularly beneficial for customers who have budget constraints and cannot invest in a full-fledged controller. 

In terms of cost and deployment, Aruba Instant On Access Points are a suitable and cost-effective solution. They are also easier to manage. 

It's a good option to propose to customers who have limited budgets or lack advanced technical skills. Additionally, for users with basic home router settings, they can easily set up the Aruba Instant On Access Points in a similar manner.

The most valuable feature is the ease of setup, which includes the full set of features. When you turn on the Access Point (AP), it automatically broadcasts a setup SSID, allowing you to easily connect to it using your mobile device and configure it according to your needs. 

You can set up the desired SSID, configure security settings, and even enable an internal guest portal. This guest portal is particularly useful in the Instant AP. Additionally, we can integrate the APs with our existing AAA servers. These are the key features of the Instant APs.

So, the valuable features include setup capabilities, security, and integration.

I sincerely think that the focus should be on improving monitoring capabilities. Currently, we have to integrate these APs into the APAP as a management platform for configuration and other tasks. However, Aruba enhances the monitoring aspect by providing more analytical views and troubleshooting capabilities; it would be beneficial if Aruba prioritize these areas.

We faced an issue when trying to integrate this Instant AP with other tools. The functionalities are limited, and I couldn't find proper documentation regarding this matter. If they could provide more integrations, such as APIs to integrate with our existing monitoring platforms or other systems, it would be a valuable addition. That's what I think the next release should focus on, from my point of view in IT. 

I have been using this solution for more than a year. We currently use version 8.10. 

I would rate the stability of this solution a ten out of ten. 

In terms of scalability, I would rate it as a five out of ten, which means it's medium. It is suitable for smaller organizations, but it may not be the best choice for large enterprises.

If an organization is larger and needs to manage a significant number of APs, a different solution might be more suitable.

Around 50 users are currently using Aruba Instant On Access Points in our company. The users have various job roles. They handle tasks such as programming, software, and networking. 

We utilize it to its maximum potential. It is used 24/7, every day.

Customer service and support are not up to mark. The response time depends on the type of support or service contract we have. Currently, we have 5B and 30 support contracts. 

When we raise a ticket, it takes about 48 hours to resolve. They connect with us, gather the required information, and start troubleshooting. 

Neutral

The initial setup is very easy. I would rate my experience with it a nine out of ten. The deployment took hardly ten minutes. 

However, like any other APs, maintenance is required. We typically perform maintenance at least once a year to check the AP conditions and address any software updates or related tasks.

Usually, one person is sufficient for maintenance. It's usually the same person who handles both the deployment and maintenance.

We handled the deployment ourselves. We didn't involve any third party.

The setup guide and installation documentation are well-prepared and helpful for the deployment process. Along with the APs, we receive a simple documentation link. By following the guidelines provided in that documentation, it becomes very easy to set up the APs. 

The steps for turning on the APs and connecting the cables are mentioned in the documentation. If you follow the setup guide, the configuration process becomes very easy.

You can start with just one person for the initial configuration. But for proper deployment, if you have around five to six APs, it would be fine to have two people managing the installation and cable connections. Otherwise, one person can handle the installation process.

If we are in remote size, the person responsible for deployment verifies the AP positions, installs the necessary cables, and ensures the power requirements are met for each specific location where the APs need to be mounted. They also perform the initial configuration.

It's a cost-effective solution, similar to Cisco, for supporting small deployments.

If I compare it to other vendors, I would say the pricing is low. You can rate it as a six out of ten, with one being expensive and ten being cheap.

Moreover, there are no additional costs apart from the standard license fees. 

You can consider the Aruba 515 and 5315 series. They are good in terms of the overall installation.

Overall, it's the best solution because I have personally worked with other vendors before, and Aruba Instant provides a good cost-wise and solution-wise experience. 

It's also easy to set up and manage, making it suitable for customers looking for small-scale, stable network deployments. 

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten because of its overall performance.

I have installed Aruba Instant On Access Points in a place where the WiFi works better on my site.

When an error or alert happens, I receive it in the application. I do not have to be there to know if something is wrong.

I would like to see a feature that blocks, increases, or decreases bandwidth capacity for devices. 

I have been working with Aruba Instant On Access Points for over a year now.

The stability is good.

We have between thirty and forty people currently using it.

Technical support is good and I have not had any issues at all.

I would rate Aruba Instant On Access Points a ten out of ten. It works perfectly and I think it is the best solution.

Our primary use case is to give users access to WiFi in the office.

Aruba Instant on Access Points is easy to manage, has a very nice interface, and looks nicer on the ceiling. 

The coverage Aruba provides across the physical area is much better. Most probably because of the new technology, the 4x4 antenna, and everything around it. It's just a much better, easier to use, and easier to manage product.

The cloud-based solution is very easy to set up and easy to manage. You get reporting on it, alerts, and everything.

There is no need to have any physical buttons on the devices, when it's done through the cloud interface, everything is perfect. The full functionality of doing changes on it automatically gets applied to the access points.

It's just a perfectly working product.

If there's a way to get a floor map of our office space so we can place the access points on a map to be able to see what's what, where everything is going, where the most traffic is being connected, that would be a nice feature. We had it on Ruckus Access Points. But it's not a must, based on the trade-off of price versus functionality, there's nothing that I would expect to be better than what it is.

We have been using Aruba for a month or so. 

I didn't run a stress test because we don't have that many users, but it definitely works perfectly for the amount of users we have. We have up to 20 to 25 users at a time, we never had more than 25 users. Everything looks very good.

Everything works perfectly as expected, with no drop in usage or connectivity. By 20 users you don't see a difference.

We're going to have a big conference. We're going to have probably 100 users using it. This will be the first time we're going to have that many users. And I will have more input on the reliability when it comes to a lot of users.

It's always on. Everything is perfect.

We only have four access points. I don't see a reason why doing more should make a difference.

We went away from the FortiAP to Aruba Instant On and it's much smoother in transitioning, going from one access point to another and the speed on it is much better.

We moved to a new location, so instead of taking Fortinet along, we decided to buy new access points, to try out the new equipment and the new technology. It has better beamforming for the WiFi signal. And it's just a better product.

The initial setup was pretty straightforward for these devices. You just put in the serial number online and power on the device. It finds it and everything is instantly on.

It's very easy to manage. There's almost no manageability to it.

You need much less IT experience or knowledge to set up and manage this solution than I have. I have a lot of experience and a lot of knowledge. You could give it to a new graduate IT person or even no IT knowledge, once it's set up, everything is extremely easy to manage. Maybe to set it up you need a little bit of knowledge, but that's it.

The deployment took ten minutes. 

It's not expensive and it comes with everything included. There's no need to buy extra stuff on both, like hardware and software support.

It's very well priced. I can't see that anyone could be cheaper or better.

It is important to us that there are no extra costs for the solution's security features.

You buy the product with all the features. Security-wise and manageability, you don't have any extra costs out of pocket. You pay below $200 for an access point. It's a very good price and everything's included, there's nothing extra.

I reached out to our vendor to ask about the cheapest and best solution. If I would need to go with a new WiFi solution, something that wouldn't require us to have an extended payment plan in order to use it. Meraki and other places use cloud management where you need to pay an annual fee in order to use it. They recommended Aruba and I decided to go ahead.

It seems like Aruba is the best product out there at this point for a small business.

Based on my experience, this should be the easiest to use with the least overhead in order to run it because you don't need to have the Cloud Management included. There is no extra equipment onsite or services to run onsite in order to manage it. There are no extra costs to continue using the cloud for how long you want, based on what Aruba is claiming.

At this point in time, I see this for small to medium businesses that don't have in-house IT or a lot of extensive knowledge IT people on-premise. This should be the easiest and most cost-effective WiFi solution to deploy.

I would rate it a ten out of ten. The only reason I would have gone down to nine is because of the phone support. I didn't have a chance to check that the phone support is only for the first 90 days. And the hardware warranty is only for a year. I didn't know that they only have 90 days.

It seems like a solid product. I don't see a real reason why I will need even support but if I could extend the hardware warranty on it for a longer period of time because I didn't use it that long, I don't know maybe in three years from now it will fail, I want to be able to get that replacement if needed.

Aruba Instant On Access Points are primarily used for small offices, private houses, or apartments. The ease of installation and deployment is valuable. The user-friendly interface allows you to manage the equipment easily via smartphone, laptop, or tablet, and you can access it instantly over the internet.

Aruba Instant On Access Points are almost enterprise-level equipment but designed for end users who might not have an IT specialist on staff. They can be used in scenarios similar to those in enterprises. The security features, like easily deploying with RADIUS and dot1x, are efficient and satisfactory, providing enterprise-class security. The solution is future-proof and adapts well to changing connectivity needs. It is easy to extend the network, although there are some limitations. For large buildings, you can separate the network into floors or areas, each containing up to fifty access points, and give them one SSID and password. There might be a small gap when switching between sites, but overall, it can be extended effectively.

It would be good to integrate some marketing features into Aruba Instant On Access Points, like heat maps. This would allow deployment in warehouses or malls to see how people move from one point to another, helping to locate the original fit.

I have experience with Aruba Instant On Access Points. 

We haven't had many performance or stability issues, but with the AP17, which is an outdoor access point, it has only available channels above one hundred. In Ukraine, almost all channels are available to use from thirty-six to one hundred fifty-eight.

Scalability issue arises with obsolete equipment using five gigahertz but lower channels like thirty-six or forty, as they cannot connect to the access point because it turns on channels above one hundred.

The technical support for Aruba Instant On Access Points answers quite fast, approximately within five to six hours, considering the time difference. I think that's great time management since not everyone can answer within that timeframe.

Positive

Apart from Aruba, I've also worked with Ruckus. The main pro of Ruckus is its better performance of beamforming, as it has more antenna patterns than Aruba, Cisco, or any other vendors. For Aruba Instant On Access Points, the pros are stable work, stable performance, and high predictability. When using tools like radio frequency planners such as Ekahau and AirMagnet, you can see a good pattern on your screen, which makes it easy to predict signal transmission. This level of predictability is not as strong with Ruckus.

The initial setup process for Aruba Instant On Access Points is quite easy as you just scan the barcode of the access point, and it’s already on your portal, so you can manage the SSID. It's very easy, and one person is enough to do the full deployment. Maintenance is also not difficult as it has a very user-friendly interface. 

Aruba Instant On Access Points are license-free. It's a very good and cheap solution for wireless networks. It can be compared with solutions from Ubiquiti and TP-Link, but it is in a different class. Aruba Instant On Access Points are cheaper than those from Cisco, Ruckus, and Motorola. It's perhaps the cheapest one. They do not use licenses, so it is a solution from the box. You don't need to pay extra money or deal with hidden payments.

I strongly recommend it because it is not expensive, quite robust, and provides a network for a very low price. It can be deployed very fast and contains every single need. I rate Aruba Instant On Access Points a nine out of ten because there are some flaws with outdoor access points.

We use the solution in a little medicine department with about 15 to 20 people. They arrive on their computer and work very well. We have never had a problem with the solution. It is deployed on the private cloud.

The solution can be more integrated with other brands.

We have been using the solution for approximately five years and are currently using Access Point 200-Series and 300-Series Instant A.

The solution is stable.

The solution is scalable, and approximately 15 to 20 people use it.

We have had a good experience with customer service and support. I rate them a ten out of ten.

Positive

We previously used Cisco and D-link, but we switched because this solution was a good alternative.

The initial setup is easy. However, it may be because the people who sold it to us made the initial configuration. Deployment took two days.

We implemented it through a vendor team.

I rate licensing costs an eight out of ten.

I rate the solution nine out of ten. The solution is good but can be improved by allowing integration with other brands.