Aruba Instant On AP-22 | New WiFi6 power | Performance test

IEEE 802.11ax, otherwise known as the WiFi6 standard (by the Wi-Fi Alliance) is the latest standard for wireless networks. It is considered the successor to the very popular Wi-Fi5 (802.11ac and all previous ones). The standard is designed to work in the bands from 1 to 6GHz and of course all Wi-Fi6 devices still work in 2.4GHz and 5GHz. The 802.11ax standard provides much greater wireless capacity, performance and range, and is designed for the most demanding Wi-Fi users.

Multi-User Performance

Probably the best new function in 802.11ax is OFDMA(Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access). Thanks to this function many devices with different bandwidth requirements can be operated simultaneously. In contrast to the previous model, in which the devices compete with each other in terms of data transmission. In the 802.11ax standard there is no dispute, because each device sends data in parallel.

Multiple-User Multiple Input/Multiple Output (MU MIMO)

MU-MIMO is another way to handle traffic from multiple devices, as originally introduced in 802.11ac. Whereas within the 802.11ax standard, this functionality has been enriched with the possibility of simultaneous transmission of up to 8 devices in one transmission channel. This allows for more efficient handling of large packages, such as HD video transmission. Shorter packets, e.g. from IoT devices and voice transmission (e.g. Skype) are much better supported by the OFDMA protocol.
It is also worth remembering that at the beginning of the 802.11ax system, its main task was to increase Wi-Fi performance in environments with high traffic density (e.g. large public buildings). Huge density does not have to mean hundreds or thousands of Wi-Fi devices in a large auditorium, stadium or retail outlet. Depending on the number of devices used (and their usage), twenty or more devices can already be considered high density. However, the following should be taken into account when considering offices, classrooms or warehouses:

• types of devices and applications used, especially video
• reaction of applications to current implementations of 802.11n or 802.11ac
• number of IoT devices, those that are visible and those that are not

. It is also worth remembering that in the past video traffic was primarily downlink. Nowadays, however, the situation has changed a little. Well, social media applications, various platforms for audio-video connections, telemedicine and eLearning generate, first of all, very high uplink traffic. As we all know, the audio-video stream tolerates only very small delays. Therefore, the IT department must make sure that users do not see the terrifying "buffering" message of the stream. In short, if your wireless network is based on older 802.11n or 802.11ac standards, the introduction of 802.11ax is ideal - because it makes better use of both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies.

Our test-label has received the latest work of Aruba Networks working in the Wi-Fi6 standard - Aruba Instant On AP22. As befits Aruba Networks products, the device is very nice visually and is of very high quality. In the kit you will find one universal mount that allows you to mount the access point on a wall or ceiling with wall plugs. The mount is also adapted to be mounted directly to structural strips of dropped ceilings. And in general everything would be great if it wasn't for the fact that the mounting bracket sticks out from the wall/ceiling surface by about 27mm. This makes the mounted device look quite poor.

The access point is available in two versions:

• A screw Instant On AP22 (RW) Access Point - AP22 without power supply
• A screw Instant On AP22 with 12V PSU EU Bundle - AP22 with 12V power supply

AP22 with PoE power supply seems to be missing, Nevertheless, it seems that the manufacturer intends clients to purchase a switch with a PoE option. While for companies/corporations this is not a problem, to the "ordinary user" the lack of a PoE power supply included in the kit can mean further expenses. But remember that the device is compliant with the 802.3af/at standard, which significantly improves the process of powering the access point.

Wi-Fi6 vs Wi-Fi6E

The device tested is a typical WiFi 6 access point which operates in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands. Only devices working in the WiFi 6E standard will allow it to flex its muscles in 802.11ax. The Aruba Instant On AP22 is only WiFi6 and is not even "WiFi 6E Ready" and therefore cannot use the band between 5.9GHz - 7.2GHz.

There's no denying that the spectrum analyzer measurement has been a little (very) disappointing. The device working in MESH mode transmits a very messy signal in its channel and generates a lot of interference outside of the proper transmission channel.

In general, it can be stated that the access points tested will have a negative impact on other WiFi 5GHz networks, and in addition may hinder building dense corporate networks.

The purpose of our tests is to verify the range in the mesh topology, both in terms of signal coverage and the real speeds obtained in our test environment. For 2.4GHz connections we assumed maximum channel width of 40MHz, while for 5GHz the channel width was 80MHz. Although some devices can operate in the 5GHz band with 160MHz channel width, due to the still limited number of end devices (phones/laptops), we have omitted these tests now.

Test network diagram

The testing device was MacBook Pro A1502 equipped with built-in AirPort Extreme wireless card (Broadcom BCM4360 3x3, 1.3 Gbps PHY) working in 802.11a/b/g/n/ac standards.
Before the speed tests we verified the maximum performance of the LAN network and iperf3 server. The aforementioned laptop was connected with a 10/100/1000Mbps network card to a Gigabit switch.
Wireway, we obtained the following maximum speeds for one TCP stream:

• downloading: 894Mbps
• downloading: 958Mbps

To make a signal map we used AirSurvey software, well known to Apple users.

To read the signal levels correctly please note the color legend at the bottom of the picture. Access Point locations are marked with appropriate icons. The device on the "ground floor" has been connected to switch via 1Gbps Ethernet port.

Of course, in order to make our wireless performance tests as reliable as possible, we conducted a whole series of speed measurements. The tests were performed using WiFiPerf application and the speed test server was iperf3 software. The whole series of tests was carried out using TCP protocol, duration cycle 60 seconds. Below we present the results of the obtained speeds in the wireless network built with A screw Instant On AP22. The highest value in each cycle is included.

• The measuring point No. 1

Download 271Mbps

Upload 558Mbps

• The measuring point No. 2

Download 214Mbps

Upload 550Mbps

• The measuring point No. 3

Download 217Mbps

Upload 406Mbps

• The measuring point No. 4

Download 216Mbps

Upload 334Mbps

• The measuring point No. 5

Download 60Mbps

Upload 21Mbps

• The measuring point No. 6

Download 152Mbps

Upload 70Mbps

DISADVATAGES:

• Theoretically, the MU-MIMO 2x2 with 802.11ax standard does not support WiFi 6E
• When adding more devices, long (up to 5 minutes) radio search for devices
• Lack of Polish language in application and documentation On-Line
• Poor download speeds max ~200Mbps

ADVANTAGES

• support for the "Kensigton Lock"
• The bracket allows for mounting on a ceiling, wall and dropped ceilings
• Good coverage

Authors:
Leszek Błaszczyk
Wojciech Repiński