First it was critical to
find the best access point for use with audio systems
All the top access points
got tested
The important aspects were
radiated RF noise outside the WiFi bands and a extreme flexibility in
configuration with the ability to tweak esoteric settings and load
specific wifi chip drivers to have fine control of the WiFi signal
All the access points tested had a TON of RF energy mostly related to
Switch Mode Regulators inside the unit. Most access points and wifi
routers radiate a surprisingly large amount of RF noise. They all had very
few WiFi Signal tweak settings
It was also imperative to be able to drive the access point with a linear
power supply because PoE and normal switched mode supplies are horribly
noisy in the RFI band below 10Mhz
The Aruba industrial /
commercial line of devices stood out right away because of how they are
engineered and built.
They are designed to handle NSA/DoD/FBI classified information. One of
the aspects of this is that it is designed to not radiate any RF besides
wifi to thawrt side channel hacking by spies
These units are also
stunningly well built. I cover this in this video
_______________
A quest ensued to
completely rethink WiFi for audio use
WiFi is used in audio systems to control a music server and most
audiophiles have a WiFi access point or Wifi Router close to audio gear.
Control of a audio server is a very low speed application. The iPad will
also be be used in the same room
WiFi access points / WIFi routers are engineered to be as fast as possible
and as powerful as possible to cover a whole house. This is VERY bad for
use around audio gear blasting WIFi energy out at the highest legal power
with the widest channel for distance and speed. Audio Interconnects and
gear can pick this up and it can cause issues. The high power WiFi will
saturate audio interconnects and get into gear that is close to the access
point or WiFi router. RFI & WiFi will travel down the ethernet or power
wires and get into audio gear which is typically connected with wire
ethernet connections and a network switch
WiFi for audio use is a
different animal. It should not radiate excessive power and it should be a
narrow wifi channel which is far less overall channel power and much
better at maintaining a clean solid connection
Investigations into the energy being absorbed into interconnects and gear
showed that WiFi 6 used a different modulation to get to higher speeds,
but was way worse in what was absorbed into gear. The WifFi 6 chips also
have more jitter.
WIFi 5 was clearly the
best way to go
After a LOT of testing of different devices by Aruba the IAP-325 used the
best chip set for this application. The next step was testing various
firmware and chip set drivers. A very specific firmware was found to be
best. Then came a LOT of settings, some very atypical. This required a
special modified wifi chipset driver.
The WiFi from the unit is not like any other access point because it
targets a very specific application. It is also fully compliant with all
standards and works with
everything that can work on a 5Ghz band.
This all resulted in a
stunning drop in radiated WiFi energy getting into/onto
audio system interconnects and gear.
The modified Aruba is combined with the DeJitter IT noise canceling linear
power supply and a specific cable to match the impedance of the power
system in the Aruba.
The Aruba radiates
no RF I can measure below 10Mhz which is critical around audio gear and
has a VERY clean WiFi signal without any out of band spurious radiation
The IAP-325 is not made
anymore. Many of the best things in life are from the past :)
The Dejiiter It units are
refurbished and fully Warrantied
