Tag: small business

What Is Aruba Instant On? APs & Network Switches for Small Business

What is Aruba Instant On?

Aruba Instant On Wireless Access Points and Instant On Network Switches are network devices designed to help small businesses deploy fast, secure, & reliable wireless connectivity in just a few minutes. Put another way, administrators can manage Instant On networks from anywhere with ease and trust that the latest security intelligence protects their networks around the clock. 

Aruba Instant On takes advantage of Smart Mesh Wi-Fi to provide reliable wireless performance with built-in router functionality. On top of that, check out these other attractive benefits of Instant On:

  • Multi-Site Management allowing administrators to easily secure and maintain multiple networks under one platform
  • Site Inventory features that make it easy to see all the switches, access points, and other devices on your network at a glance
  • Application Visibility and Control to ensure bandwidth is always routed to your most important services
  • Easy Guest Access to connect customers and visitors
  • Enterprise-Grade WiFi that smoothly hands off connected devices between access points

How Does Aruba Instant On Work?

An Aruba Instant On AP acts as a network router as well. In short, this means plugging in directly to the Internet right out of the box allows network setup to begin immediately.

Aruba Instant On devices require no licenses, subscriptions, renewals, or prepaid contracts. In other words, Instant On APs and network switches include all needed software and services, right out of the box.

How Do I Set Up Aruba Instant On?

Deploying and configuring an Instant On AP or Switch is as easy as downloading the Instant On smartphone app. The mobile app provides guided setup and plug-n-play deployment. So no experts required.

Need to set up wireless access in an especially tricky location like an outdoor stadium or campus? The Aruba Instant On AP17 includes a ruggedized chassis that withstands the wear and tear of an outdoor deployment.

How to Manage Instant On

Remember that mobile app for network set up? Use the same Instant On application to remotely manage, monitor, and edit network settings from anywhere, any time. Prefer working on the big screen? The web-based  portal.arubainstanton.com shares all the same great features as the Instant On app, but on a browser.

From the app or web portal, you’ll be able to restrict resource allocation to stop bandwidth hogs, block unwanted clients, and easily create separate networks for guests and employees.

Are Aruba Appliances Expensive?

Surely something with this many positives must have a big drawback, right? Well, it’s not going to be the price-point. Instant On access points are competitively priced to meet the needs of lean budgets and small offices.

For instance, small offices can join in the WiFi 6 revolution at the modest price-point of $220 MSRP for the Instant On AP22.

Top 3 Wireless Firewalls for 2021 – Which Wireless Firewall is Right for You?

Top 3 Wireless Firewalls for 2021

Wireless firewalls simplify deployments for small businesses. Small offices are sometimes, well, small. Sometimes that power outlet is just a few feet too far to reach your desk. Or the Internet line from your ISP is juuust out of reach of your rack. Looking to shed the cords and cables for a hassle-free network security deployment? Wireless firewalls allow greater flexibility, mobility, and can even save on Total Cost of Ownership.

For the best wireless firewall to simplify your network security setup, Firewalls.com recommends:

 

What’s the difference between a wired & wireless firewall?

Wired firewalls pass data between the public Internet and other wired devices on your network through a physical ethernet cable connection. Wireless firewalls operate over a radio frequency that allows wireless devices to communicate with one another and the Internet without being hard-wired into a switch, firewall, or router.

While the wired setup has its advantages, it can be frustrating or sometimes impossible to deploy a firewall in an exact desired location as you are at the mercy of cord length and outlet placement. Plus, once a device is plugged into wired infrastructure, that machine needs to stay in that spot or risk coming unplugged.

A wireless firewall on the other hand, can be deployed in just about any location and users on the wireless network can move their machines wherever they like—assuming they stay in wireless signal range! Wireless firewalls also cut down on clutter and excessive equipment by reducing the number of cables, power supplies, and network switches needed to keep your network infrastructure powered and connected.

Fortinet FortiWifi FWF-40F Wireless Firewalls

The Fortinet FortiWifi FWF-40F wireless firewall can pump a serious amount of data over the airwaves! With a Threat Protection Throughput of up to 600 Mbps, most small offices will boast more than enough performance and security for their purposes.

This wireless firewall secures your network against advanced cyber threats with a SOC4 (system-on-a-chip) internal security processor that enables SD-WAN, accelerates performance, and integrates into the Fortinet Security Fabric.

The Fortinet Secure Fabric consolidates security tasks with automated tools and strategies such as:

  • Security-driven networking that unifies user experience across the network
  • Zero trust access which protects remote workers and users both on- and off-network.
  • Automated security operations driven by AI to prevent, detect, isolate, and respond to incidents automatically
  • Dynamic cloud security to guard cloud infrastructure and secure cloud applications

Wireless Support: 3×3 MU-MIMO 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wave 2 with 3 External Antenna (or antennas, or antennae)

SonicWall TZ270 Wireless-AC Firewalls

The TZ270 wireless firewall is a new addition to the SonicWall firewall family, released in the last quarter of 2020. Wireless networking tag teams with Zero-Touch Deployment to make installing this firewall on a small business network a snap. With the new features of SonicOS 7.0 powering it, the TZ270 wireless firewall integrates firewalling, switching, and wireless capability with a single-pane-of-glass management dashboard to put superb visibility and control of your wireless network right at your fingertips.

Wireless Support: 2×2 802.11ac Wave 2 with 2 External Antennas

 

Meraki MX64W Wireless Firewalls

The Meraki MX series of wireless firewalls are 100% cloud managed with SD-WAN capabilities, application-based firewalling, and auto-provision VPN, among many more advanced features. Plus, Meraki firewalls piggyback on the Cisco SNORT engine to deliver real-time signatures for up-to-the-minute threat intelligence generated from millions of security sensors around the world.

In addition to simplifying deployments in physical space, Meraki further simplifies network security with seamless firmware updates and an intuitive browser-based management.

Wireless Support: Dual-band 802.11n/ac Wave 2, 2×2 MU-MIMO with 2 spatial streams & 2 External Antenna