HPE reveals Wi-Fi 7 APs with 30% more capacity over rivals

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has introduced its innovative Wi-Fi 7 access points (APs), offering up to 30% more capacity than rival products for wireless traffic. Managed by HPE Aruba Networking Central, these new access points were designed to augment network security and amplify location-based services to deliver connectivity for demanding applications aligned with AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), location and security.

Distinguished as a player in enterprise wireless and an 18-time Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Wired and Wireless LAN Infrastructure, HPE Aruba Networking takes a further step forward with the introduction of Wi-Fi 7 APs that surpass standard requirements. This performance is delivered by HPE's patented ultra tri-band hardware technology that utilises the 5GHz and 6GHz bands, eliminating wasteful contention continuously and automatically.

Mark Ablett, Vice President, Asia Pacific and Japan, HPE Aruba Networking, said, "As enterprises embark on data-first modernisation, there's a rising demand for reliable, secure and high-performance connectivity to reinforce their growing IoT network and accommodate bandwidth-intensive applications such as AI. With our new Wi-Fi 7 APs, managed by HPE Aruba Networking Central, we maintain our industry leadership and dedication to providing optimal network capabilities, enhancing operational efficiency and performance, securing networks and characterising the environment, all of which allow our customers to realise their business objectives in today's digital world."

The new Access Points are designed to eliminate the need to deploy an IoT network overlay by delivering built-in hardware support for a wide variety of IoT protocols, such as Zigbee and Bluetooth, among others. They also provide a secure connectivity platform for the increasing number of IoT devices at the network's edge, like cameras, motor sensors, energy sensors and motion detectors.

These APs offer a wealth of data for AI training and inferencing, allowing an extensive ecosystem of business solutions from over 350 HPE technology partners, facilitating organisations to efficiently secure, capture, and transport IoT-sourced data, thereby offering real-time business insights and helping build their AI data lakes. This data can then be used to train and activate their AI models for solutions, such as predictive maintenance, digital twins and personalised customer user experiences.

Chris DePuy, Principal Analyst at 650 Group, noted, "Optimised connectivity is now mission-critical. Customers always want to make smart investments in their wireless infrastructure, considering the need to future-proof the network and provide desired business outcomes. With the huge growth in IoT devices, demand for ubiquitous security, and the need for backward compatibility to accommodate legacy devices, Wi-Fi 7 provides the processing power, flexibility, speed, reliability and capacity that today's enterprises are looking for when making network upgrade decisions."

HPE's new Aruba Networking 730 Series Campus APs benefit enterprises by maximising the value of their wireless investments with enhanced features, including more Wi-Fi performance for demanding use cases, enhanced wireless security, elimination of IoT Overlay Networks, wider support for IoT protocols, the AP acting as a data processing solution, precision location services, and sustainability and energy savings through an AI-powered, dynamic power save mode.

The HPE Aruba Networking 730 Series Access Points will be available globally from July 2024, with a limited lifetime warranty. These APs are managed via HPE Aruba Networking Central, which is available as a subscription. This service is also included as part of an HPE GreenLake (NaaS) subscription and is available through the HPE GreenLake edge-to-cloud platform.