Aruba 550 Series Wireless Access Points Data Sheet

802.11ax access point, 802.11ax, 802.11ax standard, 802.11ax wi-fi, BSS coloring, MU MIMO, Multi user MIMO, OFDMA, Target Wake Time, Wi-Fi 6, wireless standards, access poin, wireless access point, wireless networking, wireless networking, alway on wifi

Dave Chen

Aruba 550 Series Wireless Access Points Data Sheet

This reduces the manual configuration of SSIDs, VLANs and ACLs. PEF also serves as the underlying technology for Aruba Dynamic Segmentation . HIGH-DENSITY CONNECTIVITY Like the 530 Series AP, each 550 Series AP provides connectivity for a maximum of 1024 associated clients per radio (3072 in total). In real-world scenarios, the maximum

Advantages of OFDMA. This capability allows Aruba's APs to handle multiple Wi-Fi 6 capable clients on each channel simultaneously, regardless.

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DATA SHEET
ARUBA 550 SERIES WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS
Extreme Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) performance with triradios

Aruba Wi-Fi 6 access points provide high-performance connectivity for any organization experiencing growing numbers of IoT and mobility requirements. With a maximum real-world aggregate data rate of 5.37 Gbps (HE80/HE20), the 550 Series deliver the speed and reliability needed for any enterprise

INCREDIBLE EFFICIENCY The 550 Series APs are also designed to optimize user experience by maximizing Wi-Fi efficiency and dramatically reducing airtime contention between clients.
Features include Orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA), bi-directional multi-user MIMO and cellular optimization. With optional tri-radios, up to 4 spatial streams (4SS) and 160MHz channel bandwidth (VHT160), the 550 Series provides groundbreaking wireless capabilities for any enterprise.
Read the Multi-User 802.11ax white paper for further information.
Advantages of OFDMA This capability allows Aruba's APs to handle multiple Wi-Fi 6 capable clients on each channel simultaneously, regardless of device or traffic type. Channel utilization is optimized by handling each transaction via smaller sub-carriers or resource units (RUs), which means that clients are sharing a channel and not competing for airtime and bandwidth.
The following table highlights the number of available resources units per Wi-Fi Channel used:
Aruba Air SliceTM for Extended Application Assurance Initially, APs in controller-less mode (Instant) can provide SLA-grade performance by allocating radio resources, such as time, frequency, and spatial streams, to specific traffic types. By combining Aruba's Policy Enforcement Firewall (PEF) and

KEY FEATURES ·5.37 Gbps maximum real-world speed (HE80/HE20) ·WPA3 and Enhanced Open security ·Built-in technology that resolves sticky client issues for Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 5 devices ·OFDMA and MU-MIMO for enhanced multi-user efficiency ·IoT-ready Bluetooth 5, NFC, and Zigbee support ·Optional tri-radio mode with two 5GHz and one 2.4Ghz radio (4x4 MIMO)

NUMBER OF CONCURRENT CLIENTS PER CHANNEL PER RADIO*

Prior Wi-Fi generations Wi-Fi 6 in 20 MHz Wi-Fi 6 in 40 MHz Wi-Fi 6 in 80 MHz Wi-Fi 6 in 160 MHz

1 at a time Up to 9 at a time Up to 18 at a time Up to 37 at a time Up to 74 at a time

* Client density varies based on configured network settings

Layer 7 deep packet inspection (DPI) to identify user roles and applications, the APs will dynamically allocate the bandwidth needed. Non-Wi-Fi 6 clients can also benefit.
Air SliceTM for APs uses Aruba Central for management. Controller-based APs will be supported in a future software release.

DATA SHEET ARUBA 550 SERIES WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS

Bi-directional Multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) Similar to downlink MU-MIMO in Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac Wave 2), the 550 Series can simultaneously connect clients use downlink ­ and now ­ uplink spatial streams. The added benefit is the ability to multiply the number of clients that can now send traffic, thus optimizing client-to-AP spatial stream diversity.
Wi-Fi 6 and MU-MIMO aware client optimization Aruba's patented AI-powered ClientMatch technology eliminates sticky client issues by placing Wi-Fi 6 capable devices on the best available AP. Session metrics are used to steer mobile devices to the best AP based on available bandwidth, types of applications being used and traffic type ­ even as users roam.
Aruba Advanced Cellular Coexistence (ACC) This feature uses built-in filtering to automatically minimize the impact of interference from cellular networks, distributed antenna systems (DAS), and commercial small cell or femtocell equipment.
Intelligent Power Monitoring (IPM) Aruba APs continuously monitor and report hardware energy consumption. They can also be configured to enable or disable capabilities based on available PoE power ­ ideal when wired switches have exhausted their power budget.
IOT PLATFORM CAPABILITIES Like all Aruba Wi-Fi 6 APs, the 550 Series includes 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. It also enables NFC to easily display AP status information and streamline deployment. This allows organizations to leverage the 550 Series as an IoT platform, which eliminates the need for an overlay infrastructure and additional IT resources.
Target Wake Time (TWT) Ideal for IoTs that communicate infrequently, TWT establishes a schedule for when clients need to communicate with an AP. This helps improve client power savings and reduces airtime contention with other clients.

ARUBA SECURE INFRASTRUCTURE The Aruba 550 Series includes components of Aruba's 360 Secure Fabric to help protect user authentication and wireless traffic. Select capabilities include:
WPA3 and Enhanced Open Support for stronger encryption and authentication is provided via the latest version of WPA for enterprise protected networks.
Enhanced Open offers seamless new protection for users connecting to open networks where each session is automatically encrypted to protect user passwords and data on guest networks.
WPA2-MPSK MPSK enables simpler passkey management for WPA2 devices ­ should the Wi-Fi password on one device or device type change, no additional changes are needed for other devices. Requires ClearPass Policy Manager.
VPN Tunnels In Remote AP (RAP) and IAP-VPN deployments, the Aruba 550 Series can be used to establish a secure SSL/IPSec VPN tunnel to a Mobility Controller that is acting as a VPN concentrator.
Trusted Platform Module (TPM) For enhanced device assurance, all Aruba APs have an installed TPM for secure storage of credentials and keys, and boot code.
SIMPLE AND SECURE ACCESS To simplify policy enforcement, the Aruba 550 Series uses Aruba's policy enforcement firewall (PEF) feature to encapsulate all traffic from the AP to the Mobility Controller (or Gateway) for end-to-end encryption and inspection. Policies are applied based on user role, device type, applications, and location. This reduces the manual configuration of SSIDs, VLANs and ACLs. PEF also serves as the underlying technology for Aruba Dynamic Segmentation.
HIGH-DENSITY CONNECTIVITY Like the 530 Series AP, each 550 Series AP provides connectivity for a maximum of 1024 associated clients per radio (3072 in total). In real-world scenarios, the maximum recommended client density is dependent on environmental conditions.

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DATA SHEET ARUBA 550 SERIES WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS

FLEXIBLE OPERATION AND MANAGEMENT A unique feature of Aruba APs is the ability to operate in either controllerless (Instant) or controller-based mode.
Controller-less (Instant) mode In controllerless mode, one AP serves as a virtual controller for the entire network. Learn more about Instant mode in this technology brief.
Mobility Controller mode For optimized network performance, roaming and security, APs tunnel all traffic to a mobility controller for centrally managed traffic forwarding and segmentation, data encryption, and policy enforcement. Learn more in the ArubaOS datasheet.
Management options Available management solutions include Aruba Central (cloudmanaged) or Aruba AirWave ­ a multi-vendor on-premises management solution.
For large installations across multiple sites, APs can be factoryshipped and can be activated with Zero Touch Provisioning through Aruba Central or AirWave. This reduces deployment time, centralizes configuration, and helps manage inventory.
ADDITIONAL WI-FI FEATURES Each AP also includes the following standards-based technologies:
Transmit beamforming (TxBF) Increased signal reliability and range
Passpoint Wi-Fi (Release 2) (Hotspot 2.0) Seamless cellular-to-Wi-Fi carryover for guests
Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) Optimized use of available RF spectrum
Maximum Ratio Combining (MRC) Improved receiver performance
Cyclic Delay/Shift Diversity (CDD/CSD) Greater downlink RF performance
Space-Time Block Coding Increased range and improved reception
Low-Density Parity Check (LDPC) High-efficiency error correction for increased throughput

SPECIFICATIONS

Hardware variants ·AP-555: Internal antenna models

Wi-Fi radio specifications ·AP type: Indoor, dual/tri-radio, 5GHz and 2.4GHz 802.11ax

4x4 MIMO

·5GHz radio (dual-radio operation): Eight spatial stream

Single User (SU) MIMO for up to 4.8Gbps wireless data

rate with individual 8SS HE80 (or 4SS HE160) 802.11ax

client devices, or with eight 1SS or four 2SS HE80

802.11ax MU-MIMO capable client devices simultaneously

·5GHz radio (tri-radio operation): Four spatial stream

Single User (SU) MIMO for up to 2.4Gbps wireless data

rate with individual 4SS HE80 (or 2SS HE160) 802.11ax

client devices, or with four 1SS or two 2SS HE80 802.11ax

MU-MIMO capable client devices simultaneously

·2.4GHz radio: Four spatial stream Single User (SU) MIMO

for up to 1,147Mbps (574Mbps) wireless data rate with

individual 4SS HE40 (HE20) 802.11ax client devices or with

two 2SS HE40 (HE20) 802.11ax MU-MIMO capable client

devices simultaneously

·Support for up to 1,024 associated client devices per

radio, and up to 16 BSSIDs per radio

·Supported frequency bands (country-specific restrictions

apply):

--2.400 to 2.4835GHz (radio 1) --5.150 to 5.250GHz (radio 0 and 0L) --5.250 to 5.350GHz (radio 0 and 0L) --5.470 to 5.725GHz (radio 0 and 0U) --5.725 to 5.850GHz (radio 0 and 0U) ·Available channels: Dependent on configured regulatory

domain

·Dynamic frequency selection (DFS) optimizes the use of

available RF spectrum

·Supported radio technologies:

--802.11b: Direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) --802.11a/g/n/ac: Orthogonal frequency-division
multiplexing (OFDM)

--802.11ax: Orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) with up to 37 resource units (for an 80MHz

channel)*

·Supported modulation types:

--802.11b: BPSK, QPSK, CCK --802.11a/g/n: BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, 256-QAM
(proprietary extension)

--802.11ac: BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, 256-QAM, 1024-QAM (proprietary extension)

--802.11ax: BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, 256-QAM,

1024-QAM

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DATA SHEET ARUBA 550 SERIES WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS

·802.11n high-throughput (HT) support: HT20/40 ·802.11ac very high throughput (VHT) support:
VHT20/40/80/160 ·802.11ax high efficiency (HE) support: HE20/40/80/160 ·Supported data rates (Mbps):
--802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11 --802.11a/g: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 --802.11n: 6.5 to 600 (MCS0 to MCS31, HT20 to HT40),
800 with 256-QAM --802.11ac: 6.5 to 1,733 (MCS0 to MCS9, NSS = 1 to 4,
VHT20 to VHT160), 2,166 with 1024-QAM --802.11ax (2.4GHz): 3.6 to 1,147 (MCS0 to MCS11, NSS =
1 to 4, HE20 to HE40) --802.11ax (5GHz): 3.6 to 4,804 (MCS0 to MCS11, NSS = 1
to 8, HE20 to HE160) ·802.11n/ac/ax packet aggregation: A-MPDU, A-MSDU ·Transmit power: Configurable in increments of 0.5dBm ·Maximum (aggregate, conducted total) transmit power
(limited by local regulatory requirements): --2.4GHz band: +24dBm (18dBm per chain) --5GHz band: +27dBm in dual-radio mode, +24dBm in tri-
radio mode (18dBm per chain) --Note: conducted transmit power levels exclude antenna
gain. For total (EIRP) transmit power, add antenna gain. ·Advanced Cellular Coexistence (ACC) minimizes the impact
of interference from cellular networks ·Maximum ratio combining (MRC) for improved receiver
performance ·Cyclic delay/shift diversity (CDD/CSD) for improved
downlink RF performance ·Space-time block coding (STBC) for increased range and
improved reception ·Low-density parity check (LDPC) for high-efficiency error
correction and increased throughput ·Transmit beam-forming (TxBF) for increased signal
reliability and range ·802.11ax Target Wait Time (TWT) to support low-power
client devices
Wi-Fi antennas ·Integrated downtilt omni-directional antennas for 4x4 MIMO in 2.4GHz with peak antenna gain of 4.3dBi, and 8x8 MIMO in 5GHz with peak antenna gain of 5.8dBi in 5GHz. In tri-radio mode, the peak gain of the antennas for each of the 4x4 5GHz radios is 5.5dBi (radio 0L, lower half of 5GHz) and 5.6dBi (radio 0U, upper half of 5GHz). Builtin antennas are optimized for horizontal ceiling

mounted orientation of the AP. The downtilt angle for maximum gain is roughly 30 degrees. --A mix of horizontally and vertically polarized antenna
elements is used --Combining the patterns of each of the antennas of
the MIMO radios, the peak gain of the combined, average pattern is 2.4dBi in 2.4GHz and 2.0dBi in 5GHz (dual-radio mode). --In tri-radio mode, the peak gain of the combined, average pattern is 2.7dBi (radio 0L, lower half of 5GHz) and 1.8dBi (radio 0U, upper half of 5GHz)
Other interfaces ·E0, E1: HPE SmartRate port (RJ-45, maximum negotiated speed 5Gbps) --Auto-sensing link speed (100/1000/2500/5000BASE-T) and MDI/MDX --2.5Gbps and 5Gbps speeds comply with NBase-T and 802.3bz specifications --POE-PD: 48Vdc (nominal) 802.3at/bt POE (class 4 or higher) --802.3az Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) ·Link aggregation (LACP) support between both network ports for redundancy and increased capacity ·POE power can be drawn from either port (single source, or set to prioritize) or both ports simultaneously (set to combine). When set to prioritize, the AP draws power from E0 and may failover to E1. ·DC power interface: 48Vdc (nominal, +/- 5%), accepts 1.35mm/3.5mm center-positive circular plug with 9.5mm length ·USB 2.0 host interface (Type A connector) --Capable of sourcing up to 1A / 5W to an attached device ·Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE5.0) and Zigbee (802.15.4) radio (2.4GHz) --BLE: up to 8dBm transmit power (class 1) and -99dBm receive sensitivity (125kbps) --Zigbee: up to 8dBm transmit power and -97dBm receive sensitivity --A pair of integrated omnidirectional antennas (polarization diversity) with roughly 30 degrees downtilt and peak gain of 4.5dBi ·Visual indictors (two multi-color LEDs): for System and Radio status ·Reset button: factory reset, LED mode control (normal/off) ·Serial console interface (proprietary, micro-B USB physical jack) ·Kensington security slot

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DATA SHEET ARUBA 550 SERIES WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS

Power sources and power consumption ·The AP supports direct DC power and Power over Ethernet (POE; on port E0 and/or E1) ·When POE power is supplied to both Ethernet ports, the AP can be configured to combine or prioritize power sources ·When both DC and POE power sources are available, DC power takes priority over POE ·Power sources are sold separately; see the ordering Information section below for details ·When powered by DC, 802.3bt (class 5) POE or 2x 802.3at (class 4) POE, the AP will operate without restrictions. ·When powered by 1x 802.3at (class 4) POE and with the IPM feature disabled, the AP will disable the USB port, disable the other Ethernet port, operate the 5GHz radio in 4x4 mode, and disable tri-radio operation ·In the same configuration but with IPM enabled, the AP will start up in unrestricted mode, but may dynamically apply restrictions depending on the POE budget and actual power. The feature restrictions and order can be programmed. ·Operating the AP with an 802.3af (class 3 or lower) POE source is not supported. ·Maximum (worst-case) power consumption (dual-radio operation): --DC powered: 32.6W --POE powered (802.3bt or dual 802.3at): 38.2W --POE powered (802.3at, IPM disabled): 25.1W --All numbers above are without an external USB device connected. When sourcing the full 5W power budget to such a device, the incremental (worst-case) power consumption for the AP is up to 6.0W (POE powered) or 5.4W (DC powered). ·Maximum (worst-case) power consumption in idle mode (dual-radio operation): 15.0W (POE) or 15.1W (DC). ·Maximum (worst-case) power consumption in deep-sleep mode: 3.8W(POE) or 3.6W (DC)
Mounting details
·A mounting bracket has been pre-installed on the back of the AP. This bracket is used to secure the AP to any of the Aruba mount kits (sold separately); see the ordering Information section below for details.

Mechanical specifications ·Dimensions/weight (AP-555; unit, excluding mount bracket): --260mm (W) x 260mm (D) x 58mm (H) / 10.2" (W) x 10.2" (D) x 2.3" (H) --1,570g / 55.4oz ·Dimensions/weight (AP-555; shipping): --320mm (W) x 303mm (D) x 108mm (H) / 12.6" (W) x 11.9" (D) x 4.3" (H) --2,230g / 78.7oz
Environmental specifications ·Operating conditions --Temperature: 0C to +50C / +32F to +122F --Humidity: 5% to 93% non-condensing --AP is plenum rated for use in air-handling spaces --ETS 300 019 class 3.2 environments ·Storage and transportation conditions --Temperature: -40C to +70C / -40F to +158F --Humidity: 5% to 93% non-condensing --ETS 300 019 classes 1.2 and 2.3 environments
Reliability ·Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF): 855,000hrs (98yrs) at +25C operating temperature.
Regulatory compliance ·FCC/ISED ·CE Marked ·RED Directive 2014/53/EU ·EMC Directive 2014/30/EU ·Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU ·UL/IEC/EN 60950 ·EN 60601-1-1, EN60601-1-2
For more country-specific regulatory information and approvals, please see your Aruba representative.
Regulatory model numbers ·AP-555: APIN0555
Certifications ·UL2043 plenum rating ·Wi-Fi Alliance: --Wi-Fi CERTIFIED a, b, g, n, ac, ax --WPA, WPA2 and WPA3 ­ Enterprise with CNSA option, Personal (SAE), Enhanced Open (OWE) --WMM, WMM-PS, Wi-Fi Vantage, W-Fi Agile Multiband --Passpoint (release 2) ·Bluetooth SIG

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DATA SHEET ARUBA 550 SERIES WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS WARR ANT Y Aruba's hardware limited lifetime warranty. MINIMUM OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE VERSIONS ArubaOS and Aruba InstantOS 8.5.0.0 (with some restrictions). For unrestricted operation, use 8.6.0.0 or later.
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DATA SHEET ARUBA 550 SERIES WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS

RF PERFORMANCE TABLE
Band, rate
2.4GHz, 802.11b 1Mbps 11Mbps 2.4GHz, 802.11g 6Mbps 54Mbps 2.4GHz, 802.11n HT20 MCS0 MCS7 2.4GHz, 802.11ax HE20 MCS0 MCS11 5GHz, 802.11a 6Mbps 54Mbps 5GHz, 802.11n HT20 MCS0 MCS7 5GHz, 802.11n HT40 MCS0 MCS7 5GHz, 802.11ac VHT20 MCS0 MCS9 5GHz, 802.11ac VHT40 MCS0 MCS9 5GHz, 802.11ac VHT80 MCS0 MCS9 5GHz, 802.11ac VHT160 MCS0 MCS9 5GHz, 802.11ax HE20 MCS0 MCS11 5GHz, 802.11ax HE40 MCS0 MCS11 5GHz, 802.11ax HE80 MCS0 MCS11 5GHz, 802.11ax HE160 MCS0 MCS11

Maximum transmit power (dBm) per transmit chain
18 18
18 16
18 14
18 10
18 16
18 14
18 14
18 12
18 12
18 12
18 12
18 10
18 10
18 10
18 10

Receiver sensitivity (dBm) per receive chain
-98 -89
-92 -75
-92 -73
-92 -64
-91 -74
-91 -72
-88 -69
-91 -68
-88 -65
-85 -62
-82 -59
-91 -62
-88 -58
-85 -56
-82 -53
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DATA SHEET ARUBA 550 SERIES WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS
ANTENNA PATTERNS Horizontal planes (top view) Showing azimuth (0 degrees) and 30 degrees downtilt patterns (averaged patterns for all applicable antennas)

2.45GHz Wi-Fi (radio 1)

5.5GHz Wi-Fi (radio 0, dual-radio mode)

5.18GHz Wi-Fi (radio 0L, tri-radio mode)

5.875GHz Wi-Fi (radio 0U, tri-radio mode)

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DATA SHEET ARUBA 550 SERIES WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS
Vertical (elevation) planes (side view, AP facing down) Showing side view with AP rotated 0 and 90 degrees (averaged patterns for all applicable antennas)

2.45GHz Wi-Fi (radio 1)

5.5GHz Wi-Fi (radio 0, dual-radio mode)

5.18GHz Wi-Fi (radio 0L, tri-radio mode)

5.875GHz Wi-Fi (radio 0U, tri-radio mode)

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DATA SHEET ARUBA 550 SERIES WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS

ORDERING INFORMATION

Part Number

Description

Aruba 550 Series Campus Access Points

JZ353A

Aruba AP-555 (EG) Dual Radio 8x8:8 / 4x4:4 802.11ax Internal Antennas Unified Campus AP

JZ354A

Aruba AP-555 (IL) Dual Radio 8x8:8 / 4x4:4 802.11ax Internal Antennas Unified Campus AP

JZ355A

Aruba AP-555 (JP) Dual Radio 8x8:8 / 4x4:4 802.11ax Internal Antennas Unified Campus AP

JZ356A

Aruba AP-555 (RW) Dual Radio 8x8:8 / 4x4:4 802.11ax Internal Antennas Unified Campus AP

JZ357A

Aruba AP-555 (US) Dual Radio 8x8:8 / 4x4:4 802.11ax Internal Antennas Unified Campus AP

JZ356ACM

Aruba CM AP-555 (RW) Dual Radio 8x8:8 / 4x4:4 802.11ax Internal Antennas Unified Campus AP

JZ357ACM

Aruba CM AP-555 (US) Dual Radio 8x8:8 / 4x4:4 802.11ax Internal Antennas Unified Campus AP

JZ363A

Aruba AP-555 (EG) TAA Dual Radio 8x8:8 / 4x4:4 802.11ax Internal Antennas Unified Campus AP

JZ364A

Aruba AP-555 (IL) TAA Dual Radio 8x8:8 / 4x4:4 802.11ax Internal Antennas Unified Campus AP

JZ365A

Aruba AP-555 (JP) TAA Dual Radio 8x8:8 / 4x4:4 802.11ax Internal Antennas Unified Campus AP

JZ366A

Aruba AP-555 (RW) TAA Dual Radio 8x8:8 / 4x4:4 802.11ax Internal Antennas Unified Campus AP

JZ367A

Aruba AP-555 (US) TAA Dual Radio 8x8:8 / 4x4:4 802.11ax Internal Antennas Unified Campus AP

Note: All hardware SKUs can be managed by Aruba Central. Central Managed (CM) SKUs are used for simplified ordering within US and Canada only.
For more ordering information and compatible accessories, please refer to the ordering guide.

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© Copyright 2020 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for Hewlett Packard Enterprise products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. Hewlett Packard Enterprise shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. DS_AP550Series_SK_072320 a00064820enw
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