Aruba Switches

Aruba Switches Buying Guide

Aruba switches come from HPE Aruba Networking, the networking business of Hewlett Packard Enterprise. The lineup runs from Instant On switches for small businesses up to CX access and aggregation switches and modular chassis switches for campus networks. To compare other brands, see all of our network switches.

Instant On Switches

Instant On is Aruba's switch line for small businesses. 1430 models are unmanaged, so they work right out of the box with no configuration. 1830 models are smart managed Layer 2 switches you set up from the Instant On mobile app or a web browser. 1930 models add Layer 3 static routing, and the 24 and 48 port versions include SFP+ slots for 10G uplinks. 1960 models add 10GBASE-T and SFP+ uplinks and stack up to four switches as one. Cloud management on 1930 and 1960 models comes with no subscription or license fees.

CX Access Switches

CX switches run Aruba's AOS-CX operating system and work with Aruba Central for cloud management.

CX 6000 and 6100 models are gigabit access switches with Layer 2 management and static routing, and their fanless versions run quietly in small workspaces.

CX 6200F and 6200M models are Layer 3 access switches with VSF stacking, which links up to eight switches and manages them as one. 6200M models also support redundant power.

CX 6300 models are built for faster connections. Smart Rate multi-gig ports run at 1, 2.5, or 5 Gbps over existing cabling, or up to 10G on select models, and SFP56 uplinks reach 50G. PoE goes up to Class 8 on select models, and 6300M models stack with VSF.

The CX 4100i is a ruggedized, fanless switch rated IP30 for DIN rail installs outside the office.

2930F and 2930M Switches

2930F and 2930M models are Layer 3 gigabit access switches with PoE+ options. 2930F switches include SFP or SFP+ uplinks and stack up to eight units with VSF. 2930M switches use backplane stacking and include a module slot for adding uplinks.

Aggregation, Core, and Modular Switches

CX 8100 switches aggregate 10G SFP+ connections and hand off to the core over 40G or 100G QSFP28 uplinks, with support for redundant power.

Modular chassis switches let you add line cards as the network grows. The CX 5420 has six module slots and runs AOS-CX with VSX for high availability, and the 5406R zl2 and 5412R zl2 chassis hold 6 and 12 modules. Find transceivers for these uplink and fiber ports in our SFP modules collection.

PoE on Aruba Switches

PoE switches are rated by a PoE class for each port and a total power budget for the whole switch. Class 4 ports deliver up to 30W, Class 6 up to 60W, and Class 8 up to 90W for high power devices like PTZ cameras. Every powered device draws from the same budget, so check the total on each listing against the devices you plan to connect. For PoE models from every brand, see our PoE switches.

Aruba Switch FAQs

Is Aruba owned by HPE?

Yes. Aruba is part of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and its switches are sold under HPE names like HPE Aruba Networking CX and HPE Instant On, which is why they're listed under HPE.

What's the difference between Instant On and CX switches?

Instant On is designed for small businesses. Its managed models are set up from the Instant On mobile app or a web browser, and 1430 models are unmanaged. CX switches run AOS-CX and work with Aruba Central for cloud management, with Layer 3 routing, VSF stacking, and multi-gig ports on select series.

Can Aruba switches be stacked?

Yes, on these series. Instant On 1960 switches stack up to four units, CX 6200 and 2930F switches stack up to eight with VSF, CX 6300M switches stack with VSF, and 2930M switches use backplane stacking.