Aruba's New Adaptive Radio Management (ARM) Software

ARM software uses patent-pending infrastructure-based controls to deliver more reliable, higher performance wireless networking.

Acting on their own, Wi-Fi clients do not always work together cooperatively, or select the optimal band, channel, and access point. ARM solves these problems by using infrastructure-based controls that leverage information from Aruba's centrally-managed WLAN infrastructure to optimize client behavior: By automatically adjusting how Wi-Fi clients interact, ARM ensures that data, voice, and video applications have sufficient network resources, including airtime, to operate properly. By closing the gap between the theoretical performance of Wi-Fi clients and what is achieved in real-world deployments, ARM delivers a better wireless experience for end users.

• ARM works with all Wi-Fi clients and is compatible with 802.11 standards
• ARM does not require any special client software
• ARM can be used in Aruba deployments, both old and new
• ARM is free to all Aruba customers with a current support agreement

Key ARM features include:

• Band steering – actively guides faster 802.11a/n clients to the best available wireless channel. The result is better noise immunity, fewer sources of interference, and more available channels. If a client supports both 2.4GHz and higher speed 5GHz bands, this feature will automatically direct it to the 5GHz band for best performance
• Spectrum load balancing – enables Aruba access points and Multi-Service Mobility Controllers to dynamically shift Wi-Fi clients to access points on channels with available bandwidth. This technique is intended to prevent degraded network performance due to over-subscription
• Coordinated access – coordinates access to a wireless channel, across all access points that share that channel, to overcome the challenges of densely populated deployments such as lecture halls, airport lounges, and conference centers
• Co-Channel Interference Mitigation – adjusts access point rate adaptation to control interference and shifts access points with excess capacity to air monitor mode
• Airtime fairness – scheduled access for dense deployments delivers equal access to all Wi-Fi clients. This feature works with all 2.45GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi clients, regardless of wireless chip manufacturer or standard operating system supplier
• Performance protection – prevents higher speed clients using 802.11n from being compromised by slower 802.11b/g clients

Click here to contact Aruba for additional details about ARM and secure mobility solutions.