HPE Aruba 518 Series Wireless Access Points Model Overview
The HPE Aruba Networking 518 Series Ruggedized Access Point offers advanced Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) performance specifically designed for harsh environments such as industrial freezers and warehouses. With superior 4x4:4 MU-MIMO capability and integrated Bluetooth for location services, this access point ensures fast, reliable connectivity with maximum aggregate data rates of up to 3 Gbps. Built to withstand extreme temperatures and moisture, alongside featuring dynamic OFDMA and ClientMatch technologies, the 518 Series delivers an optimized user experience for a diverse range of applications and client devices.
Key features:
High Performance Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with up to 3 Gbps throughput.
Durable Design for extreme conditions, including temperature and moisture protection.
Advanced Technology with integrated Bluetooth for IoT applications.
ClientMatch technology ensures optimal connectivity for all clients.
Intelligent Power Monitoring for efficient energy consumption management.
Data Rate: Up to 4.8 Gbps on 5 GHz and 575 Mbps on 2.4 GHz
Operating Temperature: -40°C to +55°C
Moisture Protection: IP55 rated
Client Capacity: Supports up to 512 clients per radio
Power Consumption: Max 32.0W (dual ports)
Mounting: Compatible with various mounting kits
Bluetooth Support: Bluetooth 5 and Zigbee for IoT deployments
HPE Aruba R4H02A Wireless Access Points Overview
High performance Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) for harsh weather-protected and indoor environments
The hardened, Aruba 518 Series access point delivers high Wi-Fi 6 performance in harsh, weather-protected environments such as warehouses, industrial freezers or enclosures in extreme environments such as stadiums. It delivers 4x4:4SS MU-MIMO capability, Aruba's advanced ClientMatch and integrated Bluetooth to enable Aruba location services.
Purpose-built to survive in the harshest outdoor environments, 518 Series APs withstand exposure to extreme high and low temperatures, persistent (non-precipitant) moisture, and are sealed to keep out airborne contaminants. All electrical interfaces include industrial strength surge protection.
Aruba Wi-Fi 6 access points provide high-performance connectivity in dense mobile and IoT environments. With maximum aggregate on air data rate of 3 Gbps (HE80/HE40), the 518 Series APs deliver the speed and reliability needed for demanding environments.
INCREDIBLE EFFICIENCY
The 518 Series APs are designed to optimize user experience by maximizing Wi-Fi efficiency and dramatically reducing airtime contention between clients.
Features include Uplink and Downlink Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Downlink Multi-User MIMO (MU MIMO) and cellular co-location. With up to 4 spatial stream and 160 MHz channel capability, the 518 provides groundbreaking wireless capabilities for any application.
Advantages of OFDMA
This capability allows Aruba Wi-Fi 6 APs to handle multiple Wi-Fi 6 enabled clients simultaneously on a single radio. Channel utilization is optimized per transaction by matching allocated bandwidth in a channel to the offered user load. These sub divisions of the channel are referred to as Resource Units (RU).
Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO)
The 518 Series APs support downlink MU-MIMO similar to Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac Wave 2) APs. With the introduction OFDMA in Wi-Fi 6, the overhead for this capability is reduced and MU-MIMO effectiveness is substantially improved for large client counts.
Wi-Fi 6 and MU-MIMO aware client optimization
Aruba's patented AI powered ClientMatch technology ensures that all clients are attached to their best serving Access Point. Session metrics, network metrics, applications and client type are used to identify and maintain the best connection.
Advanced Cellular Coexistence (ACC)
The ACC feature uses built in filtering to automatically minimize the impact of interference of high power cellular base stations, in building distributed antenna systems as well as small cell and femtocell equipment.
Intelligent Power Monitoring (IPM)
Aruba APs continuously monitor and report hardware energy consumption. APs can be configured to enable or disable capabilities based on the available PoE power - ideal when wired switches have exhausted their power budget.
IOT PLATFORM CAPABILITIES
Aruba Wi-Fi 6 APs include an integrated Bluetooth 5 and 802.15.4 radio (for Zigbee support) to simplify deploying and managing IoT-based location services, asset tracking services, security solutions and IoT sensors. This allow organizations to leverage the 518 as an IoT platform, which eliminates the need for an overlay infrastructure and additional IT resources.
Wireless Access Points, HPE Aruba 518 Series, AP-270-MNT-ADP AP-228 to AP-270-MNT-XX Outdoor Mount Adapter (required for AP-270-MNT-X and AP-OUT-MNT-X)
Item on backorder — chat for lead time
$43.72
Top Wireless Antennas Purchased With HPE Aruba R4H02A
What Wi-Fi 6 performance specifications does the HPE Aruba AP-518 deliver?
The AP-518 features a 4×4:4 MIMO radio on 5 GHz and 2×2:2 MIMO on 2.4 GHz with HE160 support, delivering up to 4.8 Gbps on 5 GHz to individual clients and 575 Mbps on 2.4 GHz. The access point uses OFDMA and MU-MIMO technology to simultaneously serve hundreds of clients with optimized spectrum efficiency and minimal interference.
Is the AP-518 suitable for outdoor or harsh environmental conditions?
Yes, the AP-518 is engineered for harsh environments with an IP55-rated, dust- and water-resistant sealed chassis and built-in surge arrestors on all ports. It operates reliably across temperatures from –20 °C to +55 °C and humidity levels of 5–95 % RH, making it ideal for warehouses, outdoor deployments, and industrial settings.
What antenna options are available with the AP-518?
The AP-518 includes six RP-SMA external antenna connectors—four for 5 GHz and two for 2.4 GHz—allowing you to deploy high-gain directional or sector antennas tailored to your coverage requirements. This flexibility enables optimization for specific deployment geometries and signal propagation challenges.
Does the AP-518 support IoT and indoor location services?
Yes, the AP-518 includes onboard Bluetooth 5 and Zigbee radios that create a turnkey IoT and indoor-location platform without requiring additional hardware. These integrated radios enable real-time asset tracking, sensor networks, and location-based services alongside primary Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.
What power and connectivity options does the AP-518 require?
The AP-518 supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) via 802.3af/at or 12 V DC input with typical power draw of 18 W. It includes two 1 GbE PoE ports for uplink and management, one additional 1 GbE port, and a USB-C port for out-of-band management access.
How does the AP-518 optimize roaming and minimize RF interference?
The AP-518 leverages Aruba's ClientMatch technology to enable seamless roaming across the network and Adaptive Client Coexistence (ACC) to dynamically optimize RF performance and avoid interference from neighboring networks. Additionally, Target Wake Time features help extend battery life for connected IoT sensors and mobile devices.
Full specifications (PDF)
