Ceiling-mounted APs to replace Grandstream APs: Aruba IAP-315

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › Ceiling-mounted APs to replace Grandstream APs: Aruba IAP-315

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#2674323 14-Mar-2021 17:38

In some ways it's actually easier than the injector!

The main requirements will be that the switch supports 802.3af PoE, and has enough power budget for two U6-LITEs. Probably just about any PoE switch will tick those boxes.

Probably the other main consideration is whether you get a managed or unmanaged switch. Go managed, if you want to use VLANs, link aggregation, etc.

I quite like smaller TP-Link switches, which are usually in the $120-$150 range. https://www.tp-link.com/us/business-networking/poe-switch/?filterby=5984%2C5989%2C5999

You can get similar switches from other vendors, including Unifi switches, and others might have better suggestions.

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sbiddle

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#2674566 14-Mar-2021 19:42

jonathan18:

sbiddle:

I'm not sure why people are still so sold on UniFi as a solution when the past year has seen so many disruptive changes in the WiFi space.

You can buy an Aruba Instant On AP that is a true Enterprise hardware will beat anything made by UBNT at incredibly competitive pricing, or if you're not after the latest and greatest hardware you can look at Aruba Instant (local controller on the AP vs cloud) or Ruckus AP's for their unleashed firmware (local controller on the AP vs cloud) that once again beats every UniFi install hands down. Lots of last gen models are sold for incredibly cheap prices.

If you don't care about buying 2nd hand and don't care about WiFI6 then these Ruckus R710's for a $299 are an absolute steal for a 4x4:4 AP.

@sbiddle: There are a number of Aruba Instant On models - which would you recommend for the home environment (especially, for my house, as per the diagram above)? Ideally looking to keep the price down below $300-350 per unit, but looking to provide decent coverage and (as much as I can) future-proofed specs. Would this model offer best bang for buck? Under $300 but with WiFi 6...

Happy to look at s/h, but I'd also need to find ceiling mounts for that Ruckus (as not supplied), so total cost is looking at well over $800 once POE injectors, mounts and postage are included. Also, difficult are these to set up for someone with rudimentary networking knowledge?

That really comes down to whether you're wanting 2x2 or 3x3 devices (or even 4x4 or WiFi 6)

Instant On is a full cloud based setup so configuration is very easy. Aruba Instant and Ruckus Unleashed work in a similar way to the Grandstream with a master AP used to manage the network.

The beauty of any of those solutions is that they are true enterprise hardware that has vastly better specs. You'll get far better roaming capabilities, and features such as Dynamic PSK's which UBNT simply doesn't support.

UBNT has been disruptive enough in the market that it's forced the traditional vendors to compete at the low end of the market, so in the case of Instant On you can have a full cloud based solution using enterprise hardware that can actually be cheaper than a UBNT deployment.

It's more just to put the options out there in the minds of people - I have never recommend UBNT as a home / SOHO solution despite the fact I have deployed 1000+ UniFi AP's. Lots of people just think of it as an automatic answer to a deployment, where in reality in many cases something like last gen Ruckus or Aruba hardware that is often sold at significant discounts could potentially deliver a far better solution.

Tinkerisk

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#2674605 14-Mar-2021 21:50

Happy with my GWN7630s

... and there is a GWN7660 2x2 w/WiFi6 in the queue :-)

- NET: FTTH, OPNsense, 10G backbone, GWN APs, ipPBX
- SRV: 12 RU HA server cluster, 0.1 PB storage on premise
- IoT: thread, zigbee, tasmota, BidCoS, LoRa, WX suite, IR
- 3D: two 3D printers, 3D scanner, CNC router, laser cutter

ShinyChrome

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#2674710 15-Mar-2021 09:05

I will also +1 the Aruba APs. I just went through the motions of swapping out a nanoHD AP for an Aruba Instant AP over the weekend and I am pretty happy with the results. I wasn't ACTUALLY intending to, but I got a steal of a deal on 2x Aruba IAP-315s that had very clearly been ripped out of a New World somewhere and dumped on TradeMe. They are 4 years old, but since I'm not that fussed about WiFi 6 yet, it is same-or-better specs as the nanoHD and, as sbiddle said above, definitely more configurable/features. The setup was really straight-forward with InstantOS, and I was easily able to setup my VLAN'ed SSIDs while juggling the NB.

While the Ubiquiti gear has been good for the majority of the 2 years I have had it, I must admit I have been having some reliability issues of late. For the last couple of weeks, my S20 would constantly drop connection while still showing connected to the WiFi, so I would be missing out on messages/notifications until I realized the WiFi Calling signal had gone and gave it a bounce. Before that, the 2.4ghz band would drop out every morning at 2-3am, which was not fun when one of those devices was my RPi 0 running the pi-hole bringing down the entire network; MM managed to fix that with a configuration change on the controller end though. No issues so far with the IAP!

I'm definitely now hooked on the last-gen enterprise gear and am looking at grabbing a 24 port PoE+ Aruba/HPE switch from TM to replace the Unifi 8 port PoE. You are more than welcome to demo the spare IAP if you want, since I won't be installing it until I FINALLY get some wire down.

sbiddle

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#2674737 15-Mar-2021 09:48

ShinyChrome:

I will also +1 the Aruba APs. I just went through the motions of swapping out a nanoHD AP for an Aruba Instant AP over the weekend and I am pretty happy with the results. I wasn't ACTUALLY intending to, but I got a steal of a deal on 2x Aruba IAP-315s that had very clearly been ripped out of a New World somewhere and dumped on TradeMe. They are 4 years old, but since I'm not that fussed about WiFi 6 yet, it is same-or-better specs as the nanoHD and, as sbiddle said above, definitely more configurable/features. The setup was really straight-forward with InstantOS, and I was easily able to setup my VLAN'ed SSIDs while juggling the NB.

Just to add some brief clarification here for anybody following this thread because it is easy to be confused - Aruba Instant On and Aruba Instant / InstantOS are not the same thing.

Instant ON is their new(ish) low cost full cloud based solution. If you want the simplest setup you can buy these new for a good price.

Aruba Instant is their local controller based solution where you configure everything from the GUI of a master AP on your network. Lots of Instant AP's from the last gen are going super cheap at present as people upgrade.

jonathan18

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#2674909 15-Mar-2021 14:08

I have to admit to being more befuddled than before, finding it difficult to make a decision whether to buy the Unifi 6 Lite or the Aruba AP22… Both offer WiFi 6; both are 2x2, and both apparently will do the job of providing decent-speed internet across the house.

So on what basis should I be selecting one over the other?! It’s a difference of $400 v $550 (for two of each), so I’d need be satisfied that the Aruba is worth that extra $150.

I get the advantage of the local setup offered by the Aruba, and that’s definitely an appeal; but are the other benefits going be noticeable to me, let alone family members (whose only care is a reliable connection at a decent speed)? Improved handover sounds nice (but is this dependent on whether a device supports this?), but are other features like dynamic PSK going to make a meaningful difference?

Reading ShinyChrome’s post above has reminded me I’ve been slack in that all our IOT devices are sitting on the same network as everything else – I’m assuming either of these options would be ok for setting up a separate VLAN for these?

Appreciate any advice to help break this deadlock in my mind!

ShinyChrome

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#2674951 15-Mar-2021 14:46

As sbiddle helpfully clarified above, the enterprise Instant APs (local + remote/cloud managed) are a different beast to the SOHO Instant ON (cloud only) ones; sorry for any confusion I may have caused.

Apart from the latest and greatest, is there any particular reason you want WiFi 6 right now? Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but WiFi 6 improvements are mostly around density, which won't be realized until you reach saturation of WiFi 6 capable clients, no? So would it be better to get a WiFi 5 AP with more spatial streams, like the AP15 or nanoHD, or WiFi 6 AP with less?

Either way, I imagine both would be comfortable with VLAN tagging.

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jonathan18

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#2674979 15-Mar-2021 15:14

No worries, I had worked out the difference re the two Aruba lines, so you didn’t confuse me!

I’m keener to ensure speed, range and stability rather than the latest and greatest, so happy to be guided as to which would be more appropriate for my situation. Looks like the price advantage reverses with the two models you’ve mentioned, with the AP15 cheaper than the nanoHD.

(Edit: prices are pretty similar - around $300 each - as no stock with any of the lower priced AP15s. I’m sure we can stump up this amount, but just want to make sure it’s the right decision!)

chevrolux

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#2674985 15-Mar-2021 15:24

Even if you don't look at the WiFi 6 capability of the new U6-Lite, it's pretty dam hard to look past them considering the price! That's a lot of acess point for under $200.

jonathan18

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#2674988 15-Mar-2021 15:29

chevrolux: Even if you don't look at the WiFi 6 capability of the new U6-Lite, it's pretty dam hard to look past them considering the price! That's a lot of acess point for under $200.

So, in your esteemed opinion, @chevrolux, do you reckon this is The One for me, taking into account needs, performance, value etc?

ShinyChrome

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#2675049 15-Mar-2021 16:14

chevrolux: Even if you don't look at the WiFi 6 capability of the new U6-Lite, it's pretty dam hard to look past them considering the price! That's a lot of acess point for under $200.

That's a good point actually; I hadn't really bothered to look at prices, but there isn't much that delivers the same value at that price point. Two of those for $400 is going to perform better for range and stability than 1 beefier AP for $300+.

Of those two options, I'd probably stick with Ubiquiti as you get the potential of managing your own controller vs. being locked into whatever Aruba wants to do with their cloud management 5 mins down the track. My preference would definitely be for the most control over my devices possible over probably one-time convenience.

Unless you are a masochist like me that enjoys being beaten by my SO when the internet goes down from my ceaseless tinkering...

sbiddle

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#2675097 15-Mar-2021 18:24

ShinyChrome:

I will also +1 the Aruba APs. I just went through the motions of swapping out a nanoHD AP for an Aruba Instant AP over the weekend and I am pretty happy with the results. I wasn't ACTUALLY intending to, but I got a steal of a deal on 2x Aruba IAP-315s that had very clearly been ripped out of a New World somewhere and dumped on TradeMe. They are 4 years old, but since I'm not that fussed about WiFi 6 yet, it is same-or-better specs as the nanoHD and, as sbiddle said above, definitely more configurable/features. The setup was really straight-forward with InstantOS, and I was easily able to setup my VLAN'ed SSIDs while juggling the NB.

I picked a couple of these up today as well from the same seller and will probably go back for a heap more. They are the steal of the year!

ShinyChrome

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#2675102 15-Mar-2021 18:39

sbiddle:
I picked a couple of these up today as well from the same seller and will probably go back for a heap more. They are the steal of the year!

I just went back to the auction and saw your name pop up haha.

He sounds like he has a lot more than I first thought, so might do the same. They must have the contract to refit every New World and just need to get rid of them.

jonathan18

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#2675103 15-Mar-2021 18:44

Care to share the seller's name?

ShinyChrome

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#2675108 15-Mar-2021 19:02

jonathan18: Care to share the seller's name?

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