Wireless Access

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  • 1.  IAP 304 - 2.4 Ghz poor signal

    Posted Dec 08, 2022 10:29 AM
    Hello community,

    I managed to get IAP 304 (without external antennas) for my personal usage (home wifi). It is powered via ethernet (PoE)  and my problem is that I have poor signal on 2.4Ghz. There is no issue with 5Ghz band.

    Some information:
    - As I mentioned I have no external antennas.
    - I use IAP in my apartment which has 3 rooms (65m2) and IAP is placed in the middle room.
    - IAP is not mounted on the roof, I leaned it on the wall in height cca 2 meters.
    - IAP use version 6.5.4.21_81611
    - I use ARM for signal strength (min tX - 6, max Tx - Max)

    I tested signal strength with my smartphone. When I am in another room I have poor signal. When I came closer it is increasing but very slowly. I have average signal when I am 1 meter away from AP and good signal strength when I am 0,5m away from AP.

    This is very disappointing for me because I thought that Aruba IAP should cover 1 small apartment with default setting without any issues.

    I am thinking that it must be some trivial configuration mistake but I am not able to figure it out. I would be very grateful if you could help me figure it out.

    Mikrotik router which is placed under AP on the desk has no issues to cover whole area with 2,4GHz band. When I tested AP, mikrotik router was turned off.

    Thank you in advance,
    Milan



  • 2.  RE: IAP 304 - 2.4 Ghz poor signal

    Posted Dec 11, 2022 10:04 AM
    External Antennas are not optional.  Your coverage will be very limited without external access points and provisioning the db for them.  For now, increase the max tx to max and see if that makes a difference.

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    Any opinions expressed here are solely my own and not necessarily that of Hewlett Packard Enterprise or Aruba Networks.

    HPE Design and Deploy Guides: https://community.arubanetworks.com/support/migrated-knowledge-base?attachments=&communitykey=dcc83c62-1a3a-4dd8-94dc-92968ea6fff1&pageindex=0&pagesize=12&search=&sort=most_recent&viewtype=card
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  • 3.  RE: IAP 304 - 2.4 Ghz poor signal

    Posted Dec 14, 2022 05:02 PM
    Hello Joseph,

    First of all, thank you for your answer. I didn´t know that I have to use antennas. I configured TX on max=51dbm without antennas but I do not see any difference.

    Would you be so kind and recommend antennas for my setup? Do I need 3 antennas or 1 is enough?

    Thank you in advance
    Milan


  • 4.  RE: IAP 304 - 2.4 Ghz poor signal

    Posted Dec 15, 2022 04:09 AM
    You can check the AP-300 series Ordering Guide for recommended Antennas. You will need to have 3 antennas or one integrated antenna that has 3 or more connectors. The main reason of using external antennas is a specific directional antenna pattern, for home use you probably are fine with omnidirectional antenna (3x ANT-1W).

    For personal use it may be hard to find these original Aruba antennas and dual-band (2.4+5Hz) antennas with an RP-SMA connector should fit. The quality of external sources antennas may differ and Aruba cannot guarantee the working of those, which is why the official antennas are recommended at least in locations where you need a fully supported deployment.

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    Herman Robers
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    If you have urgent issues, always contact your Aruba partner, distributor, or Aruba TAC Support. Check https://www.arubanetworks.com/support-services/contact-support/ for how to contact Aruba TAC. Any opinions expressed here are solely my own and not necessarily that of Hewlett Packard Enterprise or Aruba Networks.

    In case your problem is solved, please invest the time to post a follow-up with the information on how you solved it. Others can benefit from that.
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  • 5.  RE: IAP 304 - 2.4 Ghz poor signal

    Posted Dec 23, 2022 04:43 PM
    Hello, 

    so I bought and installed 3 antennas. Now signal strength increased and finally I have good connection.


    One more question regarding my IAP 304. There is OS version 6.5.4.21_81611. I did automatic check for new version and it shows me that there is new version available 8.9.0.2-8.9.0.2_83074.

    My question:
    Is it safe to upgrade it by clicking "Upgrade Now" button and it will be upgraded to newer version for free or do I need to pay for some kind of licence? I am not familiar with Aruba licencing system.

    Thank you very much.


  • 6.  RE: IAP 304 - 2.4 Ghz poor signal

    Posted Dec 23, 2022 04:45 PM
    You can upgrade to the latest version shipping with new access points for free.  You should be fine.

    ------------------------------
    Any opinions expressed here are solely my own and not necessarily that of Hewlett Packard Enterprise or Aruba Networks.

    HPE Design and Deploy Guides: https://community.arubanetworks.com/support/migrated-knowledge-base?attachments=&communitykey=dcc83c62-1a3a-4dd8-94dc-92968ea6fff1&pageindex=0&pagesize=12&search=&sort=most_recent&viewtype=card
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