Controllerless Networks

A client I'm working for has a mixture of two types of IAP-93 access points and they'd like to purchase a few more. I'm hoping someone can explain the difference between: 

Instant IAP-93 IEEE 802.11n 300 Mbps Wireless Access Point - ISM Band - UNII Band

(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008VM3KMO/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

and

Aruba Networks Instant 93 Wireless Access Point, 802.11a/b/g/n, Dual-Band, Single Radio, Integrated Antenna

(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JJ4N7TO/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0ZGQ1WF7HE2T89X484BR&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846)

The UNII band model is a bit cheaper. Wondering what limitations I'd need to consider if I were to go with that model. 

Thanks for your help

Z

There is only one model of the IAP-93 but with different country codes (US, JP, IL, and rest of world).  So, the difference is just in odd wording of the description.

You might considder steering your customer towards newer IAP models.  The -93 is running out of steam in terms of the ability to support new features.  For example, it does not support the new AppRF feature.  We also recently announced the -9x is going End-of-Sale and the last date to purchase it is November 1, 2014.

http://www.arubanetworks.com/support-services/end-of-life-products/

If cost is a concern I would look at the IAP-103 -- it has the same list price as the -93, fully supports all new features, and is a dual-band / dual-radio AP.

Thank you so much for the quick reply and helpful info, Marcus! I'm not a wireless expert, so please forgive me if this is a dumb question; if we went with the 103 model for the new APs, would there be any issues with having a 93's and 103's making up the same network? Other than 103's having more capabilities than the 93. Mainly just want to be sure there won't be any performance issues. 

Also, one thing I've been curious about but couldn't get a definitive answer on; what is the signal range/footprint of the IAP-93? 

Thanks again! 

There are no dumb questions.........:smileyhappy:

I am glad you asked that question------------this is one caveat you would need to considder.

You can mix and match different IAP models in the same cluster.  If you went with the IAP-103 you would get AppRF on the -103's but not on the -9x.  The different models all run the same version of SW; however, different IAP models have different SW images.   You would need to upgrade the SW on your IAP-93 to a version that the IAP-103 supports. The minimus version for the -103 is v.4.1.0.0.

PLEASE NOTE:  The IAP-9x does not support the initial release of v.4.1.0.0 so be sure you do not upgrade to that version.  We are looking at adding IAP-9x support into v.4.1.0.1 soon.  So, this is one issue you need to be concerned about.  Otherwise, you could look at one of the other IAP models that don't need v.4.1.0.0 like the IAP-115 ($895 US).  You could also deploy the IAP-103 as a second cluster until such time that v.4.1.0.1 is available.

The other issue to be concerned with is that the IAP-9x is a single-radio AP.  As such, you can do 2.4GHz -or- 5GHz....just not both at the same time.   The IAP-103 is a dual-radio AP so you can do both bands simultaneously.  If you mix these in with the -9x you could have coverage holes on the bands that the -9x's are -not-supporting.   Say, for example, the IAP-9x are all supporting 2.4GHz. Now you add one IAP-103 at one end of the building and one IAP-103 at the other end of the building.  If a client attaches to the IAP-103 on the 5GHz radio then gets up and starts walking to the other end of the building there may be a 5GHZ "hole" in the center of the building.  The client would do one of two things: drop and re-associate to the -9x on 2.4 or hang on to the first IAP-103 for dear life before finally deciding to roam to the second IAP-103 which would cause performance issues.  NOTE:  Roaming is a decision the client SW makes and not the AP.  We do have a feature called "ClientMatch" that does help steer the client to the best AP but, ultimately, it is up to the client.

In terms or "rate v. range" that is a discussion to avoid.  Simply put, every environment is different.  Walls, construction materials, RF "noise", etc, will all affect performance.  If you want a general rule of thumb go about 2,500 sq ft per AP and this should be good enough for voice (depending on the environment) and up to around 3,500 sq. ft for general coverage.

Excellent information, thanks a million for taking the time to provide such detail. I definitely understand what you're saying with the mixed mode challenges. Great argument to make with my client for moving away from th 93's. 

The general signal footpring rule of thumb for the APs was all I needed, so that's great to know as well. 

Thanks again Marcus!