Wireless Access

I am trying to setup a Wifi network in my office for employees to use. It is going to be a spearate network with no access to business resources. I would go the cheap route and just hook up a bunch of Linksys routers but I would like something that is easier to manage and better features.

As I look through the available products, I see that there are two modes, Instant and Controller managed mode. From what I can understand, Instant is a cloud service which would have a reoccuring cost per AP and Controller managed would require each AP to connect to it for it to function.

Is there any mode where I can just plug each AP into any router that I have and just us the APs to provide wireless acess?

If purchase them as IAPs, the cloud-based management is optional.  You can indeed manage them individually.

Thanks for the reply. Are there any demo online for your interfaces?

Also, is there a comparison page for all your APs? I would like an at glance view to see what each one offers that is different from the other. 

The AP Matrix is located on the public website:  http://www.arubanetworks.com/pdf/products/MAT_AP.pdf

You should work with a local partner or Aruba sales team if you want a demo of the interfaces.

For self-paced online training on the InstantAP product line click here:http://cloud.arubanetworks.com/learn

then scroll down till you see "Training" and click on one of the links.  As mentioned in a previous post you do not need the cloud-based management subscription which is called Aruba Central.  It is a cool add-on as it does allow you to manage multiple remote sites through a single cloud-based interface.   There is a subscription cost of $140 per AP per year for Aruba Central.  

These videos are based on an older version of SW and there are many new features but the videos will give you the base understanding of the product, capabilities, and show you how to configure them.   They are incredibly easy to configure!  When you have several InstantAPs (IAP) connected to the same Vlan they find eachother and one of the APs becomes the "Virtual Controller" and becomes the central point of configuration and monitoring for all APs in the group.

If APs are managed indivitually without a physical controller, is there an easy way for me to see which features I would be missing out on? or are the same features availble if I went controller-less and used one of the APs as a virtual controller? Do all IAPs offer the virtual controller capability?

Any AP that is designated as an "InstantAP (IAP)" uses the Virtual Controller (VC) technology.  Be careful as there is a IAP version, that can run as an IAP or be converted to run with a controller, and there is a controller version only.   The IAP's always have "IAP-" as the beginning of the part number.  IAPs are regionalized as well so be sure to order the correct part based on where in the world they will be deployed.

This list of features between the controllers and IAP is extensive.  I would suggest working with your local Aruba SE or local reseller SE to see which best suits your deployment requirements.