To specify which AP and which band was being used, I used the setttings offered in the UniFi network controller or Instant On portal, and swapped them in and out as needed. I then stepped through the different channel widths and bands, letting the connection stabilize before beginning my tests.

Wiper Blade Edge with Wear Resistance - Assure a long operational life and efficient wiping action, removing even the tiniest micro-drops To test only the speed of the Wi-Fi connection between the client and the AP, my iPerf server was connected over gigabit Ethernet to my Switch Lite 8. I primarily used my dedicated pfSense box for this, but I also used my PC and laptop depending on what I was testing. Of these nine access points, the AP22 is the only one that supports Wi-Fi 6 on it’s 2.4 GHz radio. The Wi-Fi 5 standard only applied to the 5 GHz band, and the U6-Lite and U6-LR both stayed with older 2.4 GHz radios that support Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n). The results are as you’d expect, and it’s not a very close competition.

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The range difference between the AP22/U6-Lite and the U6-LR is big enough that it could be the difference between needing one or two APs to cover an area. In some situations one U6-LR is better, in others one or two U6-Lite/AP22s may be better. It’s hard to make general conclusions. Of these six access points, the AP22 is the only one that supports Wi-Fi 6 on it’s 2.4 GHz radio. The Wi-Fi 5 standard only applied to the 5 GHz band, and the U6-Lite and U6-LR both stayed with older 2.4 GHz radios that support Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n). The results are as you’d expect, and it’s not a very close competition. If all you want is the basics, the Aruba Instant On portal and mobile app offer just enough. The software isn’t remarkable, but it’s competent, and a step up from what typical consumer network equipment offers. If you want more look at UniFi, Aruba’s enterprise equipment, or another vendor. Router Mode For the next test, I switched over to my MacBook Pro and it’s 3 spatial stream Wi-Fi 5 radio. This is an interesting test because it shows the impact of an additional spatial stream, and removes the highest-end modulation (1024-QAM) and longer symbol duration of Wi-Fi 6. This is a more even playing field, and the U6-LR and AC-HD rightfully pull ahead due to their 4x4 MIMO 5 GHz radios. The most interesting comparison for Instant On APs is the AP22 vs the AP12 and AP15. I was disappointed in the performance of the AP12 and AP15 when using wider channels. The charts above only capture single-client tests, which is not the best way to show the AP12 and AP15’s strengths. Still, they weren’t able to match up against the (much more expensive) AC-HD. I wouldn’t generally recommend the AP12 or AP15 unless you’re deploying them in a dense area with a lot of devices.

First, I tested all of the APs on 2.4 GHz, trying both 20 MHz and 40 MHz channels. I don’t recommend using 40 MHz channels in the 2.4 GHz band, due to them overlapping with over 80% of the already-crowded spectrum. There’s only one non-overlapping 40 MHz channel in North America, and the rest of the world only has two. Like 160 MHz channels in 5 GHz, there’s just not enough available frequency for them to be reliably used in most situations. As IDC is forecasting that more than 316 million Wi-Fi 6E devices will enter the market in 2021 1, this latest addition to the Instant On family is certainly a good thing for SMBs. It gives small business owners the ability to not only capitalize on opportunities today, but also prepares them for the future. I ran all of my tests with multiple TCP streams, and occasionally reversed the direction as a point of comparison. These tests ran for 60 seconds, so a typical client command would look like: iperf3 -c 172.25.10.5 -P 8 -R -t 60 The AP11D and AP17 are for specialty use cases. If you need an AP outside or in a wall outlet, those are fine APs with decent performance. I don’t have any UniFi In-Wall APs to test, but I’ll be looking into adding some outdoor UniFi models to future tests. UniFi offers a lot more model choices for outdoor APs, and I’m a fan of the older AC-Mesh and AC-Mesh-Pros. AP Comparisons

Next-Generation 802.11AX WI-FI Features

Hospitality: Whether it’s a small B&B or the hottest boutique hotel in town, fast, secure, and reliable network access is the key to delivering an exceptional experience to guests and employees. The Aruba Instant On AP11D, AP12, AP22 and AP17 are great for spaces that require seamless indoor and outdoor access and coverage that provides a smooth in-room Wi-Fi experience.

For more information on the Instant On family of products for small businesses, please visit www.ArubaInstantOn.com.

The one thing you won’t find is a large range of Wi-Fi configuration options. Aruba handles all of this behind the scenes and the only Wi-Fi 6 setting in the dashboard is a toggle to turn it off if legacy clients are having trouble connecting to the network – which in our experience is a rare issue that you’re unlikely to encounter. You should also be aware that ultrawide 160MHz channels aren’t available, but this isn’t a deal-breaker for SMBs as few clients support it anyway. I expected the 3x3 AP12, 4x4 AP15, and 3x3 AC-Pro to perform better here. Their high end performance was less than I expected, and the AC-Pro actually achieved the worst 80 MHz result of the group. At smaller channel widths, these APs leverage the additional spatial stream well. At 80 MHz, they can’t compete with the U6-LR and AC-HD.