Aruba Instant Reviews

The usual use case for Aruba Instant is that it's a mid-market product, where a customer who seeks a cloud-managed solution within budget can extend up to maybe 100 APs in a single domain or single site by opting for Instant On solutions.

For Aruba Instant On, it has its own cloud platform to manage Aruba APs, and other than that, we also propose AWS and Google Cloud platform to the customers.

Aruba Instant is scalable up to a certain number of devices per site, but it's not recommended for enterprise customers with more than 300 or 500 users in a single site; however, it's scalable for startups or mid-market companies with below 500 users or who are not expecting that many users in the next five years, making Instant On the best solution.

The most valuable feature of Aruba Instant On is that it is cloud-managed, making it easy to manage multiple locations in a single dashboard, especially on cloud, and it can even be managed by a mobile app, which is the best feature for mid-market customers who don't have much expertise or manpower resource.

Aruba Instant's intrusion detection feature stands for application visibility and includes their latest technology such as Wi-Fi 6E and remote monitoring capability, which are all showcasing features.

I faced challenges earlier with a limitation of 50 APs in single sites, but that has enhanced to 100 numbers, eliminating that challenge for Aruba Instant On team. Additionally, some features are not listed in the cloud management platform and still require offline access, so enhancing the cloud management features would be better for us.

I have nearly three to four years of experience with Aruba Instant On products.

Aruba Instant On provides stability with a limited lifetime warranty or up to three years' warranty along with the hardware, so customers will get good support for management and RMA replacement. Aruba is a known name in the market providing sufficient support for all these products.

I rate Aruba TAC as a 9 out of 10.

I don't have any improvements to suggest for Aruba Instant since their current support and all the product lines are fine.

Positive

The pricing of Aruba Instant is a good solution for mid-market customers who are budget-constrained, and overall, it's a fair pricing and good in terms of cost-effectiveness or ROI.

Positive

We usually sell Aruba Instant where there is no need for more than four or five switches. It is generally recommended for very small companies where we don't need more than three or four switches.

We are using it only for very small companies. We have had a reduction in time, but it is not that significant.

The most beneficial features for network management are the price and the cloud console.

An important missing feature is the console port, which allows direct management without the cloud. This would be useful for situations where there is a connection issue or problem with the switch.

I have been dealing with Aruba Instant for almost three years since it was sold in Italy.

It is not powerful enough and lacks features recommended for larger dimensions, making it unsuitable for big companies with requirements like 100 access points.

We have never used their support except for damages and returns, and it works adequately. We do not have extensive experience to comment further.

Positive

Before using Aruba Instant, we were selling TP Link products. However, they did not have a cloud console. TP Link was similar from the pricing perspective, but lacked this feature.

Our customers often do not know what brand they are using, so I do not have detailed information about the ROI impact.

The licensing costs depend on the product. The smaller switch is around one hundred and twenty euros. We do not sell very expensive devices as we move to other products.

We previously used TP Link, but they lacked a cloud console.

I usually recommend Aruba Instant for small companies. However, for big companies, such as manufacturing companies with many access points, it is not the right product since it is not powerful enough and lacks the necessary features. 

I would rate Aruba Instant eight out of ten.

use this for Ware house management, and Office wireless LAN network

The benefit from the use of the product in my company stems from the fact that the work in my company is going on smoothly, and it ensures that my employees don't suffer from the devices in our environment.

The product's high cost is an area where improvements are required.

Additional features are not required in the product. If people want a product with extra features for a complex setup, they can go for Aruba since it provides many functionalities.

I have been using Aruba Instant for two years.

Good

Around 70 people in my company use the product.

The tool is used daily in my office since most of our work is carried out with the help of the wireless connectivity provided by the product.

My company plans to increase the usage of the product if there is an increase in the number of branches of our office in the near future.

The scalability options and their impact on organizational growth are dependent on user requirements. You can go for 50 licenses of the product if you want 50 access points in your environment. You can go for 1,000 licenses of the product if you want 1,000 access points in your environment according to how requirement is grown up.

I have contacted the product's support team for product replacement purposes due to some hardware failures.

Positive

The product's initial setup phase was straightforward, considering that the tool offers a ZTP feature.

The product's deployment phase consists of a PnP process, where if you have management controller access, it becomes easy to use if you configure the controller part very well. You just need to fix the accessories and plug in the cable to complete the product's deployment process.

The product is deployed at my branch locations, each being hundreds of kilometers away from one another. I seek the help of a consultant to install the toll at my branch offices. After the deployment process, the people in my office can configure the tool as per our requirements.

The products from Aruba are good, but it is costly.

Aruba is a little bit costlier than Cambium Networks.

The product is costly since I have to purchase the hardware and the warranties separately. I need to pay the license cost to Aruba Central if I want to be able to manage the product. Aruba Central keeps increasing the prices. I purchased the license for five years. Two years ago, I paid INR 12,000 for Aruba Central AP Foundation, but now, I will have to pay double the amount, which comes up to INR 24,000, making it a costly product. The product's partners are not very supportive of the pricing part of the tool.

In my company's daily operations, I use it in the supply chain area at our branch level, which has a 100 by 100-meter area.

The product functions in a normal manner for my company's network performance. With Aruba Instant, there would be no issue if you set the product in your place with a proper engineering process. I found failures in two or three faulty devices. 

I have not observed the tool's beneficial features for my company's network management since it works fine.

ZTP is good if you properly configure the controller and set the product through a proper configuration process. A layperson can fix the access points in his environment or office since the product can be easily managed with well-configured controllers.

Those who want a product that can be used in a complex setup along with security and a segregated network environment should choose Aruba Instant.

I rate the tool a nine out of ten.

We use the product in a very small setup where the customers require 10 to 20 access points. A controller will not be suitable for such a customer. So, we provide them with a solution without a controller.

AirMatch is a key feature. We do not need any extra licenses for it. If we had a controller set up, we would have had to have Aruba IAP, PEF, and RFP licenses.

The product’s GUI must be improved.

I have been using the solution for more than eight to nine years.

The tool is stable. We have a use case running for more than seven to eight years without a single support call from the customer.

The tool is scalable. It can scale up to 128 access points. More than 100 customers are using the solution.

We used to provide controller-based solutions before.

The setup is very straightforward. There is no complexity at all. It took us 15 minutes. We need IP address details, DNS, a gateway, DHCP servers, and SSIDs. Single access points can act as controller-based, controller-less, and cloud-based solutions. That is the beauty of Aruba. If I have an on-premise solution and want to move to the cloud, I don't need separate hardware. The same hardware can be utilized in the cloud. The deployment guides that we get from Aruba are excellent. We have every piece of detail.

The customers do not have to pay for licensing.

I recommend the product to others. Overall, I rate the solution a nine and a half out of ten.

There are setups where instant switches will be present, mostly around two or three, and as part of the same setup, five to ten APs will be there; this setup needs to be implemented in one of the environments of our company's customers using Aruba Instant.

The customers of our organization might also have multiple PSKs and additional radius in their internet, so as part of the company, we need to integrate Aruba Instant accordingly, and especially for any personal SSID, it needs to operate through Aruba Instant. 

Aruba Instant is cloud-based, and thus, it improves wireless network performance on cloud platforms. The solution allows network monitoring through devices like mobiles and desktops, which is a feasible option. The tool also has Bluetooth settings so a user can deploy Aruba Instant through a serial number or the Bluetooth option. 

Aruba Instant allows users to monitor the number of connected clients and AP status in the network at any given time on the cloud dashboard. The aforementioned feature is highly beneficial for small and medium-sized businesses in the customer's environment. 

The wireless coverage provided by Aruba Instant should be increased. The APs are used heavily in a mid-scale business, so increasing the coverage can be beneficial. The traffic capacity of the solution can also be expanded including increase in the number of clients and radius.  

Aruba Instant can integrate a few features similar to ClearPass in future versions so that small businesses can grow and avoid the need to shift toward traditional APs. 

I have been using Aruba Instant for a year. 

I would rate the stability of the solution an eight out of ten. 

The tool provides scalability through enhanced performance, high speed functionality and Wi-Fi certification. Aruba Instant also supports Wi-Fi 6 standard and there is also a 25% data increase on AP22. The product also provides an improved throughput and the AP22 capacity has been increased with a maximum of active devices around 50 to 70. 

The product also consumes less power in comparison to other traditional solutions, so small businesses can highly benefit from it. I would rate the scalability of Aruba Instant an eight out of ten. 

I would rate the customer support as six out of ten. The support team is helpful, but when a major issue arises with the solution, there is a wide delay in response and resolution. In a few instances, professionals from our organization had to wait an hour to avail of support.

Sometimes, from customer support, it's communicated that the engineer is not available at their end, and there will be a delay of a couple of hours to get a hold of the individual. Once the engineer becomes available, the individual provides an ideal solution to the technical problems. 

Neutral

The solution can be easily deployed. I have personally deployed Aruba Instant for five to six customers of our organization and they are using it properly. There are about eight to ten engineers in the technical team for Aruba Instant in our organization. 

I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten. The product is competitively priced with other OEM solutions. 

I have used other similar solutions to Aruba Instant in my prior company. 

Aruba Instant provides security features including the latest protocols and Pre-shared Keys. The aforementioned keys are available in Aruba Instant with multiple PSK functionalities, including WPA2 and WPA3 so that authentications can be carried out. Aruba Instant also offers firewall features, for instance in the SSID the firewall can be configured to help clients determine what to use and what not. 

The solutions support WPA3 enterprise, which uses a 192-bit minimum security level suite. Aruba Instant also provides WPA2 PSK with password authentication. 

Aruba Instant supports AI-driven projects in our organization through automated insights, including details of what users are doing on the network, signal strength details, alerts, events and other AI Assist features. I would rate the product an eight out of ten. 

Aruba Instant should also provide console access to the AP so that small businesses can receive assistance with troubleshooting. In few occasions, small businesses don't want a traditional AP because they have a limited capacity of only 50 to 60 users.

Small businesses thus prefer an instant one, to quickly power it on and use it. If small businesses want to authenticate through Clear Pass, then the authentication gets stuck and a complex process of operating through traditional AP needs to be followed. 

We use the tool everywhere for WiFi. 

I find network management features related to monitoring Wi-Fi usage and visited sites particularly valuable. Content filtering is also important to prevent access to malicious or inappropriate websites. It is reliable and simple. 

I believe there's room for improvement in monitoring, especially when troubleshooting issues. Currently, there's limited intelligence around monitoring. It needs to improve stability and scalability. 

I have been using the product for five years. 

My company has 5000 users for Aruba Instant. 

We procure it through our supplier, so we don't directly contact the vendor ourselves.

The setup is straightforward and doesn't take long. With a standard setup process, you enroll it, and it starts working quickly. The deployment process involves registering the AP to a specific site within Aruba Central. Once registered, it automatically downloads the configuration. 

While I don't have specific numbers, I can say that the return on investment has been positive. We've been using it for five years, and we had to implement it in the year before that. So overall, we've seen good returns, although I don't have the exact figures available.

The tool's pricing is neither cheap nor expensive. 

I rate the overall product a six out of ten. Based on my experience, I can't provide a recommendation as we are considering transitioning to another product. We currently use it alongside Juniper, and Juniper has acquired Mist, so they are moving towards a unified product.

For us, it was a way of getting in the door without having to buy a controller. I used Aruba Instant with a bunch of schools.

If you don't need heavy-duty filtering and things like that, it's a cheap solution. And, you have central management, and it works. So the customer automatically picks a virtual controller and controls all the IAPs within that enterprise.

Lately, Aruba has tried to provide central management for these IAPs, but none of my customers will set up that way. So, if you buy IAPs today for three months, you can get central management from it through Aruba's cloud.

Every product can be improved. It's a catch-22. If you want something better, then you opt for a controller solution. For example, in a school setting, you would want to segregate the teachers from the students. Additionally, you don't want the students accessing inappropriate websites. Moreover, you need to separate the servers where they store sensitive information. Aruba Instant does a fine job with these requirements.

However, in a corporate environment or a larger network, where more advanced filtering or MAC-based filtering is needed, I don't think the IAPs would be sufficient. The solution might not connect in a real enterprise setup.

I have been using the solution since it was out on the market. I grew with this product.

The customer support is good.

Positive

The initial setup is easy. When people say something is complex, it usually means they are not familiar with it. If you put your mind to it, it's manageable.

It's each classroom has an IAP. So you only have to get the first one. Once you get the first one, the other nineteen are just plug-and-play. You upgrade to the level of software you want it to be, and then you configure it.

So, you configure the first one, test it, and if it meets your requirements, you just plug in the rest of them, and they replicate the settings from the first one. It's as simple as that.

The deployment takes four hours to a day. The initial setup involves cabling personnel and individuals responsible for mounting the access points on the ceiling. However, when it comes to configuration, one person can handle it.

The maintenance is no big deal. Because you go on there, you log into the virtual controller. And if it's a new version, it tells you to download it. So you download, you upgrade the first one, then automatically, that upgrades all your IAPs.

The pricing is good. If you buy an IAP and later decide to switch to a controller solution, you don't have to discard your existing access points. You can simply convert them and pay for the licensing. It's a convenient option they offer.

However, the first generation, they weren't as flexible. So, they have become more flexible.

For small businesses or educational institutions like schools, I would definitely recommend considering it.

If it's a true enterprise environment, it may not be suitable. It also depends on how well they have their act together. If they prioritize security and strict control, then a controller-based solution would be more appropriate.

For example, hospitals generally opt for a controller-based solution. However, many hospitals have satellite offices or smaller locations, and Aruba Instant can be easily implemented there.

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. It works, it is fast, and it does the job.

We use Aruba Instant as our access point for various purposes, including data, and throughout the office. As we expand, we plan to implement it in our warehouse for connectivity.

The tool's most valuable feature is Captive Portal, which we employ for our guest network. It enables us to create a separate virtual subnet for guests, ensuring their network traffic remains isolated from our office network. Another valuable feature is its role-based access control. This functionality allows us to assign different access privileges to users based on their roles within the organization.

The tool's support quality has changed since HPE acquired it. It is also impossible to tell the log dates. 

I have been using the product for nine years. 

The solution is stable. 

I rate the tool's scalability an eight out of ten. My company has 250 users. 

Previously, our interaction and follow-up were mainly with Aruba, the original manufacturer of Aruba Instant. However, since support has transitioned to HPE following Aruba's acquisition, the level of support has not been as satisfactory. While Aruba had its dedicated support system and community, these resources have been integrated into HP's support structure, which has impacted the quality of service we receive.

Aruba Instant's deployment is easy. I implemented the device registration process by registering one device and then broadcasting that configuration to all other devices. This automated the configuration setup for all devices. 

The product has increased its pricing by at least 30 percent. 

Previously, when Aruba was a standalone company, we enjoyed excellent support as they were our partners. However, over the past nine years, Aruba underwent a significant change when it was acquired by HPE. This acquisition took place approximately four or five years ago. Following this transition, Aruba is no longer our partner, and we prefer to work with our partners. I rate it a nine out of ten. 

Aruba Instant can be one of the best solutions for small businesses or users because of its virtual controller feature. Unlike many other products where you must purchase a separate controller hardware or software, Aruba Instant includes a virtual controller within the device.

We are a system integrator. Aruba is a very reliable solution, and I've been working with Aruba products for more than five years. It started with Aruba wireless solutions, like the 135 series, 203H Series, 203R Series, 300 series, and now Aruba 8. 

The coverage is excellent, and it's very well developed with high customer satisfaction.

The product is quite reliable. The hardware is solid, and the RF coverage is superb.

First and foremost, the coverage is very good. Even with numerous clients connected, the average coverage remains strong. Typically, we observe two to three bars, and on occasion, we've even seen six bars of signal strength. It's a remarkably balanced system that consistently delivers reliable performance.

Aruba's mobility features, which facilitate seamless switching between wireless access points, are also quite impressive. Users don't even notice the transition, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted experience.

Additionally, features like Aruba Am technology, MAC address control, and guest access port enhance security are good. 

I have been working on a feature for Aruba Instant called Mobile Access for the Edge Tenant. This feature would allow us to manage and control access points from the cloud. We could provision APs, make configuration changes, and monitor their performance.

I have been using this solution since 2017. I currently use version 8.

I've worked on many projects with Aruba Instant. We've deployed the virtual drill of Aruba AP-505 and AP-514 in several projects.

I would rate the stability an eight out of ten. 

I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten. We have small as well as enterprise. Small and medium. Most of the time, it is small and medium.

I've installed over a thousand access points and the support has been reliable. 

Positive

I would rate my experience with the initial setup an eight out of ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy. We are mostly on-premises; slowly, we are migrating to the cloud. 90% of us are on-premises, but 10% are gradually introducing the cloud.

Most of the client setup is at the private center data center. And public clouds like AWS and Microsoft Cloud.

The deployment took a few hours.

Our customers see an ROI. 

It's not too expensive. It is somewhere between the middle, the expensive, and the cheap.

The pricing is reasonable.

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