Aruba Instant On Access Points Reviews

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.

There are a couple of different use cases. The first one is that I bought it for my home because I needed a dedicated Wi-Fi access point, and I was intrigued with the way it sets up. I enjoyed the performance of it, and I recommended it to a friend of mine who was totally non-tech savvy. The thing that was super cool about it was that he was able to plug it in at home, give me a phone call, read me the serial number, and I was able to provision it remotely.

I also use it at work. It is something that's convenient for other engineers to hop on real quick and do unhindered testing.

I'm using AP12, and I'm using the 1900 switch series. It is 1930 or something like that.

In my organization, our use case for the solution was end-to-end connectivity. In our office, we basically had wall jacks that were dedicated to out-of-band access. In terms of ease of use, I was able to drop this solution in and get it up and running very quickly. It brought deployment times to almost zero because it sets up in about five minutes.

Its physical coverage is good. I've got about a 1600-square-foot home, and I find that it covers all of the insides of my home fine. If I go out outdoors, then it starts to fall off, but it is totally acceptable for my use case.

The maximum number of devices that I've ever connected is about 30. The unit is rated for 64 or 128 users, which is beyond the scope of what I need. So, it falls within my parameters perfectly.

It meets my specification perfectly in terms of the reliability of the coverage when multiple user devices are simultaneously accessing the solution for bandwidth-intensive use.

The app and the provisioning are the best features of the product. It was really impressive that I was able to just provision it remotely. I didn't have to be on-site with my friend, and we were just able to get everything up and operational. So, the app is great. It sends me notifications when things are down, and it tells me how everything is doing.

Its mobile management app or the cloud-based web management app is easy to use, easy to read, and easy to navigate. I would classify it as a prosumer-type product. It is very well placed to compete in the Ubiquiti UniFi market. For someone who is non-technical or someone like myself who is quite technical, being able to drop in and just get it up and running quickly is valuable. It is positioned in a good spot where the functionality and ease of use are in a sweet spot.

When I first deployed the solution, I couldn't use a tagged VLAN for the management. It might already have been fixed in a recent firmware upgrade. 

They should increase the number of devices that can be located at a site.

I would really like it if they added a dedicated router to the lineup. They've got dedicated access points and dedicated switches. Having a dedicated router would be the icing on the cake for the big picture of the whole solution.

It has probably been about a year.

I haven't seen any downtime specific to the solution. It is 100% stable. I am removing other factors that aren't related to the product.

Its scalability needs improvement. You can only put 32 pieces per site. So, there is a limit on scalability. 

Currently, we have between 30 and 40 users of this solution. They are home office users, and there is also the engineering staff to do all sorts of network testing. 

Its use case is pretty isolated. We purchased it to fulfill a very niche scenario, and we don't have any plan to expand its usage beyond what it currently is. 

I've never had to utilize that.

We did not have anything in place previously. We were just using dedicated wired connections.

It was straightforward and easy. We just popped it out of the box. There were about five steps in the instructions. They were straightforward.

There was some infrastructure work, but that wasn't specific to the product. I had to pull infrastructure to the location where the access point was going to be ultimately installed, but that would've been required for any solution. Popping it up on the ceiling and getting the unit online took about 15 minutes.

Once it is set up, it is super easy to manage. I don't even think about it. The updates are scheduled automatically, and I'm only really notified if there is a problem. It is simple.

We didn't use an integrator or reseller for the deployment. For its deployment and maintenance, we don't have any dedicated staff.

For setting it up and managing it, very little knowledge is needed. It would be more than your average consumer, which is why I label the product as a prosumer product. Someone who's a little bit better than the average consumer would be able to pick this product up and get it operational.

I don't know how to quantify that.

It is competitively priced. It was at a price point that made sense for me to put in my home, and that says something. 

The cost of the solution includes everything we need to manage and upgrade our Wi-Fi network, including the mobile management app. Having the licensing and all the functionality built into the base price of the product is really important for me.

There are no extra costs for the security feature or automatic software/firmware updates, which is really important to me. In enterprise-type environments, the biggest thing that's always pushed down is the recurring cost in terms of support licensing, etc. In a small office or home office solution, a lot of times, those recurring costs don't fit the budget. So, being able to drop a solution and have it all baked in really sells the product.

We didn't evaluate other solutions. We were using Aruba Controller, the enterprise solution. It just made sense for us to try the Instant On product. We just jumped right into it.

It comes with a one-year warranty and 90 days of phone support, which is a
pretty standard thing.

For small office or home office type scenarios, I would recommend going for it. It is a great solution. For large-scale enterprise deployments, it is probably not the right solution.

I would rate it a solid eight out of ten.

We use this product in our hospital.  We use them for our medical computers connected to the Wi-Fi, our guests and patients on their mobile devices, and even for the small children. 

We also use them for internal support within the hospital. 

It's a very important tool for reliable connection, and we're happy with the Wi-Fi system.

It gives us a good speed for clients who connect to the wifi system.  It's mainly for our patients, medical doctors, and nurses. That was the most important thing we wanted to own.

The mobile app is good. We have many things that are connected through mobile. Most users use mobile to connect to the Wi-Fi. They are very happy and satisfied with this helpful tool.

The licensing model could be improved. It needs more clarity. 

I have been using it for six months. 

It is very stable. I would rate the stability a nine out of ten.

There are around 250 end users. The usage depends on the devices that come to our hospital. There are different devices and users, including mobile, iPad, and medical studies. These are the major things that can be used in our offices.

If we need to expand and add things, we have to ask IT support. But they are very helpful. Really, the support from HPE has been great since we started working with them to install the access points.

During the last six months, we didn't have any special or complicated cases to solve. We have been able to solve all issues ourselves without needing to contact support.

The setup is not very easy. It requires some experience with Wi-Fi, especially with cloud connection and security. 

We received support from HPE, who were very helpful in configuring Instant On Access Points. It's not very easy, but it requires more information and initial support from HPE Aruba for configuration.

Customization on it needs experience. If we need any customization on the system, we have to ask support to help us.

It needs a license. I have complained about the license. The cost is not simple. Each access point needs a license, and you have to pay a yearly license for the Aruba Central Management Cloud.

It is a good product. I would rate it a nine out of ten. 

They have a virtual controller feature that allows access points to function even if the master access point disconnects.

The virtual Controller feature is valuable. 

Improvement as per customer requirements. 

I have experience using Aruba Instant On Acess Point.

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. 

The solution's most valuable features include a simple deployment phase, easy management, and scalability. The scalability of access points is perfect.

I want the product to be made available at a cheaper price point. My company's customers look for the price before purchasing the solution.

I have been using Aruba Instant On Access Points for five years. My company has a partnership with Aruba.

It is a stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

My company deals with around 100 customers of the product.

The product offers very fast support, which is provided by skilled engineers.

After one access point gets deployed, the other access points can be pushed by getting the config part from the first access point that was deployed. Only one default access point after which I don't deploy any other access points work since I just need to connect to a network, after which the config part from the initial access point can be used to deploy the other access points.

The solution can be deployed in five minutes.

I recommend the product to those who plan to use it because it is easy to deploy and has good scalability features.

In terms of ROI, the product offers stability, reliability, good work equipment, an easy deployment process, and the best scalability features and support.

There is a need to make yearly payments towards the standard licensing charges associated with the product. There are some additional costs associated with the product since I have seen customers who purchase three-year or five-year plans.

The solution helped simplify our company's wi-fi network setup and management, specifically for small and big enterprise-sized businesses.

The guest access feature impacted our company's business and customer satisfaction. The tool has a good guess portal, and it is easy to configure.

I have not used the tool's mobile app.

I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

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.

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 have a lot of examples of use cases, but the greatest project is with the Sao Paulo government and the Brazilian government. It’s the biggest project using this kind.

It's easy to manage and install. For the customer, it improves connectivity, the wireless experience, and speed. It improves the overall wireless connection experience.

The radio frequency coverage area is not good. The number of users that can connect at the same time and the user density on a single AP is not good in Aruba. 

Also, Aruba has a lot of switch solutions, and they use a lot of CLI (Command-Line Interface) language. One type of switch might use one language, while another might use an older language. Even within the same product line, you have different languages.

It's not easy to manage everything because even though all the products are within the same system, everything is different.

I have been working with it for two years.

The scalability with Aruba Central, we have a limited capacity. 

Instant On is very limited. There's a limit of 2,000 users and 120 APs in the same cluster. This is very difficult. I don't know how to resolve this. I think the only way is to change to a cloud solution.

The customer service and support are terrible. The global technical support is really bad. It's not good.

Negative

From the partner's perspective, it's easy to install and manage. It's a good solution, a good technology to improve the partner's experience.

It takes three minutes to set it up and deploy it from start to finish. It is pretty easy. 

The deployment model can be both on-premises and cloud. We use Aruba Central in the cloud, and also Instant On app. The most difficult is when they use the Mobility Controller, the on-premises controller solution from Aruba.

The maintenance is easy. 

The return of investment lies in the good experience of the customer. The best way to justify the expensive cost is the good wireless connection experience.

Instant On Access Points are expensive. Compared to other solutions like Ubiquiti and Extreme, they're very expensive.

Overall, I would rate it a nine out of ten. So the product is pretty good, but the technical support is terrible.

The tool's pricing is not good. 

Aruba Instant On Access Points are stable. 

The product is scalable. It has 20 users. 

The tool's deployment is easy. You need to log in to the portal and scan the QR code to add the device. You can complete the deployment in four hours. You need one person to handle it. 

I rate Aruba Instant On Access Points a seven out of ten. I recommend it for the SMB market. 

We use the solution for Wi-Fi solutions.

The solution is stable and easy to manage.

The solution’s scalability and autonomous part could be improved.

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

The product is stable.

The solution is scalable but up to a limit. It is not for enterprise. Aruba has made the Instant On for a separate range.

10-15 people are using this solution.

We cater the solution to smaller customers, like small hotels, clinics, or hospitals. It is deployed where the customer is budget-constrained.

The initial setup is easy and takes one to two days to complete.

One or two technically qualified would be sufficient for managing Instant On.

We’ve achieved ROI.

One doesn’t need a license to use Instant On. You can install and plug and play. It is an affordable solution.

I recommend the solution because it is stable and easy to manage.

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