HPE AP-518 802.11ax Wireless Access Point — 4.69 Gbit/s, TAA Compliant

Discover the HPE AP-518, a purpose-built wireless access point engineered to thrive in the harshest indoor environments. This Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) device blends blistering throughput with rugged durability, delivering reliable performance in high-density spaces such as classrooms, hospitals, manufacturing floors, and busy corporate facilities. Its sealed enclosure protects against extreme temperatures, persistent moisture, and airborne contaminants, while industrial-strength surge protection guards every electrical interface to minimize downtime. As part of the Aruba family, the AP-518 integrates with Aruba Central or on-premises controllers for centralized management, easy provisioning, and scalable growth, all while meeting government procurement requirements with its TAA-compliant design.

• Rugged reliability for harsh indoor environments: A purpose-built, sealed enclosure shields the AP-518 from extreme temperature swings, humidity, and airborne contaminants. This makes it ideal for data centers, manufacturing floors, school campuses, healthcare facilities, and other demanding indoor spaces where consistent wireless performance matters.
• Wi‑Fi 6 performance for dense deployments: The AP-518 delivers high-throughput Wi‑Fi 6 with up to 4.69 Gbps aggregate data rate, enabling fast, lag-free wireless experiences for video conferencing, real-time collaboration, and large file transfers. It leverages OFDMA and MU‑MIMO to efficiently support many clients simultaneously, reducing airtime contention and improving user experience in crowded environments.
• Industrial-grade protection and reliability: All electrical interfaces feature surge protection, guarding connected devices from power fluctuations. This protection helps maintain network uptime in facilities where electrical transients or unstable power conditions are common, supporting mission-critical operations.
• Flexible, scalable management: The AP-518 is designed for procurement in government environments (TAA compliant) and integrates with Aruba Central for cloud-based management or with compatible on-premises controllers for centralized policy, analytics, and firmware updates. This flexibility simplifies rollout across campuses, enterprise campuses, and large facilities.
• Secure, energy-conscious deployment: Supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) for simple installation and centralized power management, along with enterprise-grade security features and streamlined provisioning to secure networks and accelerate deployment at scale.

Technical Details of HPE AP-518

• Product family: AP-518, a Wi‑Fi 6 indoor access point from the Aruba/HPE family
• Standards: IEEE 802.11ax (Wi‑Fi 6)
• Max data rate: Up to 4.69 Gbps aggregate throughput
• Frequency bands: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
• Environment: Indoor, rugged design with sealed enclosure to resist contaminants and moisture
• Protection: Industrial-strength surge protection on all electrical interfaces
• Compliance: TAA-compliant for government procurement

How to install HPE AP-518

• Plan coverage and placement: Assess your site for high-density areas and determine optimal mounting locations (ceiling or wall) to maximize signal coverage and minimize interference. Use a floor plan or RF heat map to guide placement decisions and ensure consistent performance across large spaces.
• Prepare power and network: Ensure your switch or PoE injector provides adequate power (PoE/PoE+) and has the necessary uplink bandwidth to support the AP-518’s throughput. Run Ethernet cabling with appropriate cable management to keep a clean, scalable installation.
• Mount and connect: Secure the AP-518 in the chosen location and connect the Ethernet cable to the device’s uplink port. Verify physical stability and cable integrity before powering on.
• Adopt and configure: Use Aruba Central or your on-premises controller to adopt the AP-518. Configure SSIDs, security policies, guest access, and RF features such as OFDMA and MU‑MIMO to optimize performance for your users. Apply firmware updates if prompted to ensure the latest features and security patches are in place.
• Monitor and tune: After deployment, monitor client performance, channel utilization, and interference levels via the management portal. Adjust radio settings, allocate channels, and implement policies to maintain a high-quality user experience across your facility.

Frequently asked questions

• Q: What is the primary advantage of the AP-518? A: It delivers Wi‑Fi 6 capabilities with high throughput and robust reliability in harsh indoor environments, designed for high-density deployments and easy centralized management through Aruba Central or on‑premises controllers.
• Q: Is the AP-518 suitable for government procurement? A: Yes. The device is TAA-compliant, making it eligible for procurement in applicable government programs and agencies.
• Q: How is the AP-518 powered? A: It supports Power over Ethernet (PoE), enabling simple installation by delivering power and data over a single Ethernet cable and simplifying cable management and scalability.
• Q: Can the AP-518 be managed remotely? A: Yes. It integrates with Aruba Central for cloud-based management or can be managed via compatible on-premises controllers, providing centralized policy, analytics, and firmware updates.
• Q: What deployment scenarios benefit most from the AP-518? A: Large campuses, hospitals, manufacturing facilities, and enterprise environments with high client density, stringent reliability requirements, and a need for rugged indoor hardware benefit most from this access point.