Wireless Access

Hello everyone,

We have a client who operates several warehouses with large forecourts. They want to equip these areas with Wi-Fi as comprehensively as possible.

We've already achieved relatively good initial results outdoors with the AP-565, AP-567, and AP-574 using ANT-5312 and ANT-5314 antennas.

The client would prefer a single access point (AP) that can be equipped with different antennas for indoor and outdoor use, depending on the specific application.

I'd now like to add the AP-518 to the portfolio as a potential all-rounder and equip it with ANT-311 antennas (6x) for the open areas. However, I lack experience with this AP.

I have several open areas to cover, both indoors and outdoors. Mounting heights range from 6 to 9 meters. Indoors, there are also numerous aisles, and outdoors, long, narrow driveways that need coverage.

Does anyone have experience with this AP and its various antennas?

I was looking at the ANT-311 for open areas and the ANT-348 for narrow aisles and storage lanes in the IRIS system. However, the ANT-348 only has four connectors. The access point, on the other hand, has two 2.4 GHz and four 5 GHz connectors. How would I connect the ANT-348, or another antenna with four connectors? Do I always have to use all six antenna connectors on the AP-518?

The customer is located in the EU. I would be very grateful for any alternative access point or antenna suggestions!

Thank you!

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I'll let others chime in as well, but we've seen many customers go to integrated antenna APs wherever they can. Reason for that is that mounting is much easier, just one unit to mount, and no issues with bad antenna cables or connectors. The AP-518 is not an outdoor AP, it's hardened indoor (IP55 rating) and can be mounted outdoors if it's under a roof or so. There should be no direct rain coming in. Also, the antenna connectors are RP-SMA, typically used indoor, so that's why you need different antennas and from the 6 connectors, 4 are for the 4x4 5GHz radio and 2 are for the 2x2 2.4GHz radio; so you need two antennas for dual band. RP-SMA is a bit less robust than N-Type connectors, especially when you need to water-proof the connections. And yes, you should use all connectors, connectors that you can't use would need a 'RF-terminator' to avoid damage to the radio; and also need to be weather-proofed in outdoor/dusty/harsh conditions.

Then one other option that you could explore is the AP-679 which has a built-in directional antenna that an be switched between 30x30 degrees and 30x90 degrees, which can be really useful for warehouses (or stadium, or other). When used outdoor, the AP-679 cannot use 6GHz in EU.

It may be good to discuss this with your HPE Networking partner, local HPE Networking sales, or get involved with a WiFi specialist that has done many of these deployments (however it sounds a bit like that is you...).

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Herman Robers
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If you have urgent issues, always contact your HPE Aruba Networking partner, distributor, or Aruba TAC Support. Check https://www.arubanetworks.com/support-services/contact-support/ for how to contact HPE Aruba Networking TAC. Any opinions expressed here are solely my own and not necessarily that of Hewlett Packard Enterprise or HPE Aruba Networking.

In case your problem is solved, please invest the time to post a follow-up with the information on how you solved it. Others can benefit from that.
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and here is the ordering guide for it that specifies the antennas 

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If my post was useful accept solution and/or give kudos.
Any opinions expressed here are solely my own and not necessarily that of HPE or Aruba.
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Original Message:
Sent: Feb 12, 2026 02:12 AM
From: Herman Robers
Subject: AP-518 deployment & external antennas

I'll let others chime in as well, but we've seen many customers go to integrated antenna APs wherever they can. Reason for that is that mounting is much easier, just one unit to mount, and no issues with bad antenna cables or connectors. The AP-518 is not an outdoor AP, it's hardened indoor (IP55 rating) and can be mounted outdoors if it's under a roof or so. There should be no direct rain coming in. Also, the antenna connectors are RP-SMA, typically used indoor, so that's why you need different antennas and from the 6 connectors, 4 are for the 4x4 5GHz radio and 2 are for the 2x2 2.4GHz radio; so you need two antennas for dual band. RP-SMA is a bit less robust than N-Type connectors, especially when you need to water-proof the connections. And yes, you should use all connectors, connectors that you can't use would need a 'RF-terminator' to avoid damage to the radio; and also need to be weather-proofed in outdoor/dusty/harsh conditions.

Then one other option that you could explore is the AP-679 which has a built-in directional antenna that an be switched between 30x30 degrees and 30x90 degrees, which can be really useful for warehouses (or stadium, or other). When used outdoor, the AP-679 cannot use 6GHz in EU.

It may be good to discuss this with your HPE Networking partner, local HPE Networking sales, or get involved with a WiFi specialist that has done many of these deployments (however it sounds a bit like that is you...).

------------------------------
Herman Robers
------------------------
If you have urgent issues, always contact your HPE Aruba Networking partner, distributor, or Aruba TAC Support. Check https://www.arubanetworks.com/support-services/contact-support/ for how to contact HPE Aruba Networking TAC. Any opinions expressed here are solely my own and not necessarily that of Hewlett Packard Enterprise or HPE Aruba Networking.

In case your problem is solved, please invest the time to post a follow-up with the information on how you solved it. Others can benefit from that.
------------------------------

Hello Hermann,

Thank you very much for your reply.

I will order the AP-518 and the available antenna models for testing, as well as the version with the AP-679 in Ekahau and Hamina !

-------------------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: Feb 12, 2026 02:12 AM
From: Herman Robers
Subject: AP-518 deployment & external antennas

I'll let others chime in as well, but we've seen many customers go to integrated antenna APs wherever they can. Reason for that is that mounting is much easier, just one unit to mount, and no issues with bad antenna cables or connectors. The AP-518 is not an outdoor AP, it's hardened indoor (IP55 rating) and can be mounted outdoors if it's under a roof or so. There should be no direct rain coming in. Also, the antenna connectors are RP-SMA, typically used indoor, so that's why you need different antennas and from the 6 connectors, 4 are for the 4x4 5GHz radio and 2 are for the 2x2 2.4GHz radio; so you need two antennas for dual band. RP-SMA is a bit less robust than N-Type connectors, especially when you need to water-proof the connections. And yes, you should use all connectors, connectors that you can't use would need a 'RF-terminator' to avoid damage to the radio; and also need to be weather-proofed in outdoor/dusty/harsh conditions.

Then one other option that you could explore is the AP-679 which has a built-in directional antenna that an be switched between 30x30 degrees and 30x90 degrees, which can be really useful for warehouses (or stadium, or other). When used outdoor, the AP-679 cannot use 6GHz in EU.

It may be good to discuss this with your HPE Networking partner, local HPE Networking sales, or get involved with a WiFi specialist that has done many of these deployments (however it sounds a bit like that is you...).

------------------------------
Herman Robers
------------------------
If you have urgent issues, always contact your HPE Aruba Networking partner, distributor, or Aruba TAC Support. Check https://www.arubanetworks.com/support-services/contact-support/ for how to contact HPE Aruba Networking TAC. Any opinions expressed here are solely my own and not necessarily that of Hewlett Packard Enterprise or HPE Aruba Networking.

In case your problem is solved, please invest the time to post a follow-up with the information on how you solved it. Others can benefit from that.
------------------------------