Digitizing 6 Campuses with 800+ Access Points Over 13 Years

Challenge

• Frequent disconnections and slow speeds impacting student experience
• No centralized visibility or bandwidth management
• Growing reputational risk due to student complaints
• Requirement for seamless roaming across campuses (Delhi, Noida, Jaipur, Mumbai, Bangalore)
• Rapid campus expansion with increasing device density
• End-of-life hardware cycles and evolving wireless standards
• Need for integration between wireless and switching infrastructure

Solution

• Designed a controller-based enterprise wireless architecture using Aruba mobility platforms
• Standardized SSIDs and VLAN structures across all campuses
• Implemented MAC-based authentication for students/faculty and Active Directory integration for management
• Deployed redundant controller clusters for high availability
• Executed phased hardware lifecycle upgrades (AP-105 → AP-205 → AP-305 → AP-505)
• Introduced VM-based Aruba controllers for modernization at select campuses
• Integrated HP ProCurve switching fabric for unified wired + wireless control
• Standardized on Aruba AOS 8 for modern feature enablement

Implementation

• Step 1: Delhi campus pilot (2012–13) – 1 × Aruba 3400 controller + 60 AP-105s across 8–9 buildings
• Step 2: Expansion to Noida and Mumbai (Phase 1 & 2) with additional 3400 controllers and ~125 APs
• Step 3: Jaipur deployment with 2 × Aruba 7030 controllers (redundant cluster) + ~50 AP-205s
• Step 4: Delhi Rajouri Garden expansion (2017) – 2 × Aruba 7210 controllers + ~340 APs with VLAN/SSID segmentation
• Step 5: Bangalore campus (2020) – Aruba 7030 controller + ~55 AP-505s, integrated with HP ProCurve switching
• Step 6: Migration of legacy controllers and APs to newer hardware and VM-based controller environments
• Step 7: Standardization of roaming architecture and cross-campus configuration templates

Tech Stack

• Network: HP ProCurve 5510 (L3) and 5130 (L2) switching fabric
• Security: MAC-based authentication, Active Directory integration, VLAN/SSID segmentation
• Wireless: Aruba AP-105, AP-205, AP-305, AP-505; Aruba 3400, 7030, 7210, VM controllers
• Monitoring / Tools: Centralized Aruba Mobility Controllers with standardized AOS 8 environment