Aruba Instant On AP25
PC Pro|March 2023
Below-par performance, but Aruba makes network installation and management a very pleasant experience
Aruba Instant On AP25

SCORE ✪✪✪✪

PRICE £265 exc VAT from broadbandbuyer.com

Small businesses seeking fuss-free wireless networks will like Aruba’s Instant On family of access points (APs), since they’re designed to make deployment and ongoing management as easy as possible. On review is Aruba’s flagship AP25 model, an AX5374-rated dual-band Wi-Fi 6 AP with speeds of up to 4,800Mbits/sec on its 5GHz radio and 574Mbits/sec on the 2.4GHz radio.

This is a significant upgrade over Aruba’s old AP22 model, with its 4 x 4 MU-MIMO services offering a trebling in aggregate wireless performance. It brings the Wi-Fi 6 160MHz channels into play and releases their extra bandwidth with a 2.5GbE multigigabit LAN port supporting PoE+.

Newcomers to Aruba will love the installation process: all you need is a mobile or tablet. After downloading the Instant On app to an iPad, we connected the AP25 to the lab’s Zyxel XS1930-12HP 10GbE multi-gigabit PoE++ switch and started the app.

After creating a personal Instant On cloud account, you’re guided through the connection process. When the AP’s status LED is flashing green and amber, it will automatically discover it. Next, you create your first secure wireless network, provide a name for its SSID and you’re ready to go.

This story is from the March 2023 edition of PC Pro.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the March 2023 edition of PC Pro.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM PC PROView All
Robobutlers may never happen, but robot care workers are on their way
PC Pro

Robobutlers may never happen, but robot care workers are on their way

Do you hate loading the dishwasher enough to pay someone to do it remotely? Nicole Kobie wonders about the weird future of home robots

time-read
9 mins  |
Summer 2023
Technical debt
PC Pro

Technical debt

Cutting corners now means more work down the road - but Steve Cassidy asks whether that's always a bad thing

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer 2023
Zyxel ZyWALL ATP500
PC Pro

Zyxel ZyWALL ATP500

Zyxel delivers tough gateway security and advanced threat protection at a very appealing price

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer 2023
CREATIVE WORKSTATIONS
PC Pro

CREATIVE WORKSTATIONS

Intel and AMD both offer compelling CPU choices for workstations, giving us ten machines with the widest variety of specifications we've seen for years

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer 2023
ANDROID PHONES FROM £219
PC Pro

ANDROID PHONES FROM £219

As this roundup of four affordable contenders shows, there's no need to spend a fortune on a phone

time-read
4 mins  |
Summer 2023
Amazon Echo Pop
PC Pro

Amazon Echo Pop

If you want a compact Alexa smart speaker, the Pop is now the cheapest choice - but what does it really add?

time-read
2 mins  |
Summer 2023
Getac X600
PC Pro

Getac X600

A powerful alternative to the Panasonic Toughbook 40, with the bonus of optional Nvidia graphics

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer 2023
Amazon Fire Max 11
PC Pro

Amazon Fire Max 11

With its 2K screen and sleek design, this is Amazon's best tablet yet-but FireOS remains a hindrance

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer 2023
Google Pixel Fold
PC Pro

Google Pixel Fold

The Pixel Fold delivers with a thin and durable design, a wide front display, smart software and great cameras

time-read
7 mins  |
Summer 2023
Welcome to the Fediverse
PC Pro

Welcome to the Fediverse

Have commercial social networks had their day? Darien Graham-Smith looks at the free, community-run apps that could usurp Twitter, Reddit and the Meta empire

time-read
9 mins  |
Summer 2023