PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Aruba (HPE) AP-735
Aruba (HPE) AP-735
★ 3.5 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Wi-Fi Standard: Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be), backward compatible with 802.11ax/ac/a/b/g/n; Bluetooth 5.4 LE and Zigbee radio
  • Spatial Streams (MIMO): 2x2 MU-MIMO on each of the 3 radios (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz)
  • Aggregate Throughput: 9.3 Gbps tri-radio aggregate (HPE rating)
  • Radios (bands): Tri-radio: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz (concurrent), plus dedicated BLE/Zigbee radio
  • Uplink Port Speed: 2x 5GBASE-T multigig RJ-45 (auto-negotiating 100 Mbps / 1 / 2.5 / 5 Gbps), 1x USB-C console/USB, 2x USB
  • Max Clients: 512 associated clients per radio; up to 16 BSSIDs per radio
  • PoE Requirement: 802.3bt (Class 5, 40 W) for unrestricted operation; 802.3at (Class 4, 25.5 W) runs in restricted mode; 802.3af (Class 3) supports staging only. Worst-case draw 24 W on PoE (36 W with USB devices); DC power 20 W (31 W with USB)
  • Form Factor: Indoor campus access point, internal antennas, ceiling or wall mount
  • Product Status: End of life per some reseller listings (SHI); verify availability before purchase

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Wi-Fi 7 tri-band radio with 9.3 Gbps aggregate throughput at a lower price than the AP-755; Two 5GBASE-T multigig uplinks support 2.5 and 5 Gbps wired backhaul without a switch upgrade; Supports up to 512 clients per radio, suitable for dense campus or office deployments; Fully managed through HPE Aruba Central or AOS 10 with the same feature set as the 730 Series; Low worst-case power draw (24 W PoE) fits within 802.3bt Class 5 budgets; Dedicated BLE/Zigbee radio enables IoT and location services
  • ✘ Cons: Only 2x2 spatial streams per band, so per-client throughput and capacity lag 4x4 Wi-Fi 7 APs like the AP-755; Uplink is multigig but not 10GbE, which limits throughput on high-density or 6 GHz heavy deployments; Requires 802.3bt Class 5 PoE for unrestricted operation, so older 802.3at switches disable USB and run in restricted mode; Some reseller listings show it as end-of-life, so availability and support may be limited; Pricing varies widely by region and SKU (for example S1G42A vs S0H13A) and sellers may show discounts from the US list price of $1,995
  • Est. Price: $1,250 - $1,995

Compare Against

Cisco Catalyst 9178i
Cisco Catalyst 9178i
★ 4.3 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Wi-Fi Standard: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
  • Spatial Streams (MIMO): 4x4 MU-MIMO per client-serving radio (4 spatial streams per radio)
  • Aggregate Throughput: 24 Gbps aggregate (concurrent 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz radios)
  • Radios (bands): 4 client-serving radios: tri-band 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz / 6 GHz with a 4th radio (quad-radio design)
  • Uplink Port Speed: 2x 10 Gbps mGig ports (multi-gigabit Ethernet)
  • Max Clients: 1200 (400 per radio)
  • PoE Requirement: 802.3bt (PoE++) required for full operation; 802.3at/af supports reduced functionality; draws approx. 30-52 W

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Wi-Fi 7 with tri-band 2.4/5/6 GHz and 4x4 MU-MIMO on every radio; 24 Gbps aggregate throughput for high-density environments; dual 10 Gbps mGig uplinks avoid a 1 Gbps bottleneck; rated for up to 1200 clients; supports 802.3bt PoE on the mGig ports with at/af fallback; manageable from Catalyst 9800 WLC/Catalyst Center or Meraki cloud depending on SKU
  • ✘ Cons: Requires 802.3bt PoE for full functionality, which raises switch and injector cost; needs Catalyst 9800 controller running IOS XE 17.15.2 or later for the Catalyst SKU; Wi-Fi 7 benefits need Wi-Fi 7 clients to be realized; list pricing varies widely by reseller and SKU (CFG vs Global vs RTG), and reseller spec figures differ in places; cloud-managed (Meraki) deployment requires separate licensing; premium cost compared with Wi-Fi 6E alternatives
  • Est. Price: $1,681 - $2,996

Popular Comparisons

Aruba (HPE) AP-735 vs Ubiquiti UniFi U7 Pro Aruba (HPE) AP-735 vs Ubiquiti U6 Pro Aruba (HPE) AP-735 vs Cisco Catalyst 9178i Aruba (HPE) AP-735 vs Cisco Catalyst 9176I (CW9176I) Aruba (HPE) AP-735 vs Cisco Catalyst 9166 Series (CW9166)