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Q: What’s better than a Wi-Fi access point that has enterprise-grade Wi-Fi and security, is simple and really easy to use, fits perfectly into the customer budget, and has a great feature set for businesses?

A: The same AP with periodic software updates that provide a whole bunch of new and useful features at no extra cost!

Aruba Instant On customers get more value and more amazing features with every software release.  Instant On release 1.3 came out in early November, so without further ado, let’s look at the new features to understand how your business can benefit by using the latest and greatest Aruba Instant On.

1. Hassle-free deployment with an integrated router, gateway and firewall. Aruba understands the challenges of small and midsize businesses. Most SMBs don’t have the luxury of an IT admin at each location. And you might connect to the Internet in different ways, such as cable or DSL. Whether your network is simple or complex, we want to ensure your deployment choice is supported and AP setup is simple.

Instant On APs now have a built-in router, so if you only have a modem in your network, you can simply connect your Instant On AP directly to the modem, set it to Wi-Fi router mode and that’s it! Pre-built access control lists (ACLs) in the APs prevent malicious traffic from entering your network, and you have peace of mind that your internal network is protected. Since this security is ready to go in the AP, you don’t need to setup any complex security rules or firewalls. We call it “hassle-free” security.

Our APs also can be the DHCP and NAT server for your organization’s entire internal network. This means that the Instant On AP can provide IP addresses to all the infrastructure (whether other meshed APs or wired APs) as well as the clients. The APs also can represent all the internal network’s IP addresses as a single IP to the external internet (using NAT). Hiding the internal IP addresses enhances security.

The Instant On AP11D includes three wired downlink ports and is ideally suited to be used as the router/gateway for your network. If you just want to extend your network through wireless mesh, then any of the Instant On APs may be used as the router.

2. Block undesired applications and websites with greater traffic visibility. We know you care about the kind of content that your workers and guests can access at your locations, and you want to ensure that there is no misuse of the Wi-Fi service to view threatening or adult content. We listened and now you can block specific app categories.

In our first release of Instant On, we offered the ability to look at the websites visited, and now we have expanded our enterprise-class deep-packet inspection capability on the AP to identify tens of categories of apps. Don’t worry, we ensure anonymity of user data and privacy. The best part is that all website and application visibility comes without the need for any external gateway (and additional costs) and the control is at your fingertips.

3. Gain insights into customers with captive portal integration. Understanding your customers is the key to delivering the products and services they want. To do this, your business needs analytics—data about who your loyal customers are, their demographics, how many customers visited on any given day, what are their likes and interests, how to improve loyalty and so on.

Our goal at Aruba is to help you serve your customers in the best possible way. That’s why we now support captive portal integrations with some of the popular vendors.

4. Get Facebook “Likes” for your business via Facebook Wi-Fi. People everywhere use Facebook, so it’s no surprise that many people want to use their Facebook credentials to get guest access to the Wi-Fi. Instant On now supports Facebook Wi-Fi so when people access the Wi-Fi at your locations, they are redirected through your business’ Facebook page. It’s convenient for them and improves customer loyalty and insights for you.

5. Simplify troubleshooting with Bluetooth. At Aruba, we know that business owners don’t want to waste time configuring and fixing the network. You’re happiest when the network setup is smooth and easy. By leveraging the enterprise-grade Bluetooth module within the Instant On APs, we can now help you troubleshoot any network issues on the AP using your Instant On mobile app. It can’t get easier than this!

6. Enhanced visibility into ports and AP hostnames. The Instant On AP11D is a desk/wall AP with wired downlink ports to connect to a local printer, a VoIP phone, a desktop or other wired devices. We now can provide a wealth of information about the ports, including status (on/off), throughput, and whether there are any loops in the network. Whether your network is small or large, we want it to be extremely easy to manage.

Your network administrator can name the APs in the network, which are tied to their DHCP IP addresses, to make the experience more intuitive. Admins also can easily identify the AP name in the DHCP scope.

7. Let the installation wizard do the work. At the heart of Instant On is simplicity. We have a guided wizard that walks you through every single step during the setup and configuration of your network.

8. Go local with multiple languages. Instant On is sold worldwide to ensure everybody enjoys our awesome Wi-Fi. Korean and traditional Chinese are newly added to the list of supported languages. Instant On now supports 10 languages, making it a better experience wherever you are.

We at Aruba are constantly listening to your needs so we can continue to deliver great Wi-Fi for businesses.