Router for Aruba APs

[jrobin9]

I obtained 5 Aruba APs from my employer (unused spares from a change out to Cisco equipment). 4 are Aruba 515 and 1 is a 567 (outdoor) with a 2019 date on them. If I set these up at my home, is it best to turn off the wifi from my router? It seems it isn't a requirement but with 4 potential indoor units I could go either way. Plan is 2 APs with current router wifi enabled or 3 without. If it would be best to turn off, is there a recommended router that would match better than the AX86U I currenly use (with 1 AX86S in mesh). I'm not a novice but no where near an expert and looking for suggestions. Current setup works fine but I'm wanting to tinker since these appear to be high end APs and I have nothing in them. As FYI, I have been able to access via TFTP, flash firmware and set up a makeshift mesh.

 

[tgl]

Best to avoid mix-n-match AP sets. The main thing you lose if you do that is that the units will not support 802.11k/v roaming between APs from different manufacturers ... and in a multi-AP household, you really do want smooth roaming.

There should not be any problem with continuing to use the router features of the AX86U after turning off its wifi. If you have other reasons to be dissatisfied with the AX86U, you could look at replacing it later, but otherwise sticking with it seems fine.

Also, you need to do some research about how these Aruba units are supposed to be configured. I know in some product lines, k/v roaming requires an always-on controller managing the APs. In others, once the APs are configured to know they are siblings, they do the rest themselves. (My UniFi APs do the latter, but I don't know about Aruba.)

 

[jrobin9]

Best to avoid mix-n-match AP sets. The main thing you lose if you do that is that the units will not support 802.11k/v roaming between APs from different manufacturers ... and in a multi-AP household, you really do want smooth roaming.

There should not be any problem with continuing to use the router features of the AX86U after turning off its wifi. If you have other reasons to be dissatisfied with the AX86U, you could look at replacing it later, but otherwise sticking with it seems fine.

Also, you need to do some research about how these Aruba units are supposed to be configured. I know in some product lines, k/v roaming requires an always-on controller managing the APs. In others, once the APs are configured to know they are siblings, they do the rest themselves. (My UniFi APs do the latter, but I don't know about Aruba.)

There are some 802.11k/v settings. They call it fast roaming. You can turn on 802.11k, v, r individually in any combination with "Client Roaming" and "Client Aware" enabled. The are other features I didn't know about (maybe because I haven't read enough on other routers) like "client aware". I gather it constantly tries to balance the channels based on load (which shouldn't be an issue in my home) and a client roaming aggressiveness setting. I have several videos downloaded and documentation. Plus they have an extensive user community (that I haven't registered with yet).
On the AOC. In the brief reading I did, i don't believe that is required. Once you change from AP mode (with controller) to IAP mode (Instant AP), the IAP acts as the controller providing "centralized management" (different firmware for each). The quick setup I did was to ensure it would set up a "cluster" with the 2 APs. You can set a preferred host AP or let the algorithm make the decision on which AP is the host vs client. It also copied the configuration from the host to client. Only requirement I saw was that the firmware was the same version.
thanks for the info. I'll try it both ways and see if I can tell a difference. The ASUS setup has been rock solid since I installed but I like to tinker. And these Aruba are stupid prices new so curious if I can see any benefit in a home environment (I doubt much). I had a couple Cisco's a while back but they were locked down and required a controller. Never did anything with those.

 

[Tech9]

There is a video on YouTube explaining the setup options for Aruba APs including the exact model. The matching Router or Gateway is something with native VLAN support. It will allow VLAN network segmentation as Guest Networks, IoT Network, etc. Such devices start from around $100 for Gigabit WAN/LAN. TP-Link Omada ER605 (GbE), ER707-M2 (2.5GbE); Ubiquiti UISP ER-X series (GbE), Ubiquiti UCG-Ultra/Max/Fiber series (GbE, 2.5GbE, 10GbE), MikroTik hEX series (GbE) or RB series (2.5GbE), etc.

 

[Tech9]

The video:

Data Sheet:

https://www.also.com/ec/cms5/media/img/2800_hpe_portal/documents_1/access_points/ds_ap510series.pdf

If in the US, Black Friday deal $159, excellent price/performance features for 2.5GbE and user friendly:

Cloud Gateway Max - Ubiquiti Store

Compact 2.5G Cloud Gateway with 30+ UniFi device / 300+ client support, 2.3 Gbps IPS routing, and selectable NVR storage.

store.ui.com

Or something less conventional and more expensive, but also a good fit:

Firewalla Gold SE: Multi-Gigabit Cyber Security Firewall & Router Protecting Your Family and Business (Ships Worldwide)

Powered by The Firewalla Security Stack Deep Insight helps you see the network at up to 5+ Gigabits per second with 4x 2.5Gbit Interfaces. Control your network with intrusion prevention (IPS) and network segmentation, adding virtual walls around your connected devices and lock them down. Active...

firewalla.com