Sophos APX Series access points are now supported on every platform: Sophos Central, XG Firewall, and Sophos SG UTM (from v9.7). With our latest generation of access points, you can offer an attractive replacement for every one of our legacy AP Series indoor models. Sep 10 2020 By Barbara Hudson The APX 320X outdoor access point will be launching for Sophos Central management in the next few days. Software staging is planned to complete by September 21 and therefore, the first customer shipment will align with that date. This new model will be supported in Sophos Central only for the time being. The Sophos APX series is a growing portfolio of synchronized security ready access points. With 802.11ac Wave 2 technology, they are custom-built for increased throughput at load and better performance and security. With the APX 320 you get one of the first security heartbeat enabled access points from Sophos. Powered by 802.11ac Wave 2 technology, the APX 320 performs reliably even under heavy load. To manage this access point, you will need either Sophos Central Wireless 2.0 or an XG firewall (since v17.5.3).
Sophos APX Series access points are now supported on every platform: Sophos Central, XG Firewall, and Sophos SG UTM (from v9.7). With our latest generation of access points, you can offer an attractive replacement for every one of our legacy AP Series indoor models. You can learn more about the benefits of the APX Series in this Partner Portal blog post. Please note that all APX Series access points have a five-year warranty.
Last month we sent an email to all partners who have sold any AP Series model to give advance notice of the final order (End-of-Sale) date for the current indoor AP Series models and the subsequent lifecycle milestones.
All platforms allow you to manage all current AP and APX Series in a mixed environment. This means that your customers who have only recently purchased their AP Series access points are under no pressure to upgrade straight away. They can simply add newer APX models as they extend or make changes to their deployment. Our lifecycle plan gives you sufficient time to plan a gradual transition to the APX Series with your customers over a three-year period.
Why are we starting the End-of-Life process for the AP Series?
Wireless technology and standards are constantly evolving. The use of Wi-Fi in most environments has increased considerably over the past five-plus years, predominantly due to the number of mobile and other Wi-Fi connected devices now available. The majority of the current AP Series models have been in the Sophos portfolio since 2015 (the AP 100 since 2014) and these models do not support the most commonly used Wi-Fi standards available today. Newer standards, such as 802.11ac Wave 2 (which is still the most commonly used standard in business environments) include technology innovations to offer better performance, even when a larger number of clients are connected simultaneously. They are also built to handle the applications more commonly used today, such as voice and video, and so provide a better user experience.
Which models are affected?
| Model / SKU | End-of-Sale | End-of -Support | End-of-Life | APX Alternative |
| AP 15 | March 31, 2020 | March 31, 2021 | March 31, 2023 | APX 120 |
| AP 15C | March 31, 2020 | March 31, 2021 | March 31, 2023 | APX 120 |
| AP 55 | March 31, 2020 | March 31, 2021 | March 31, 2023 | APX 320* |
| AP 55C | March 31, 2020 | March 31, 2021 | March 31, 2023 | APX 320* |
| AP 100 | March 31, 2020 | March 31, 2021 | March 31, 2023 | APX 530 (or APX 740) |
| AP 100C | March 31, 2020 | March 31, 2021 | March 31, 2023 | APX 530 (or APX 740) |
* Under some circumstances, the dual-radio APX 120 may be a viable, lower-cost alternative.
What will these dates mean for your customers?
We have made every effort to provide advance notice and therefore make the transition as easy as possible and avoid any disruption for your customers. We will continue to process RMAs for all customers with a valid support contract (e.g. as part of their subscription) until the End-of Life date.
The lifecycle milestones are described in detail below.
End-of-Sale: March 31, 2020
The AP Series models mentioned below will no longer be sold by Sophos:
- Indoor only: AP 15, AP 15C, AP 55, AP 55C, AP 100, AP 100C
Software SKUs for the following subscriptions can no longer be ordered:
- Central Wireless Standard – Entry
- Central Wireless Standard – Performance (unless for AP 100X)
After this date the product:
- will not receive any new features
- will receive only critical security patches and bug fixes but only until March 31, 2021
- Will not be supported by any new hardware models released after this date
Your access point will continue to operate as normal.
End-of-Support: March 31, 2021
After this date:
- Sophos will process RMAs but no longer offer support
- The affected AP models will no longer receive any software updates or bug fixes of any kind
- APs will continue to operate on the last supported firmware version
RMAs: Will be processed for any AP Series model with a valid warranty or support license (if the same model is not available, an equivalent model will be supplied as a replacement).
Support: Technical support is no longer provided. Hotline calls will only be accepted for RMA processing.
Sophos Access Points
End-of-Life: March 31, 2023
From this date, management support for the above-mentioned AP Series models will no longer be included in new software releases for Sophos Central Wireless, XG Firewall (SFOS), and SG UTM.
Sophos Apx 120
Please reach out to your local Sophos sales team before this date to discuss the hardware refresh options for your customers to ensure a smooth transition to newer technology.
What about the AP 100X?
Please note that the AP 100X outdoor model is not affected by this announcement and will continue to be sold until an equivalent APX model is available (in early May 2020) and the support dates on all platforms are clear.
What about older AP Series access points?
Should any of your customers still be using the much older AP Series access points, such as the AP 5, AP 10, AP 30, and AP 50 with either Sophos UTM or XG Firewall, those models have already been End-of-Life since at least 2018, and therefore management support cannot be guaranteed for those models on any platform. By using End-of-Life hardware, your customers may be risking interruptions in the correct functioning of their Wi-Fi network or their connectivity as a whole. In some scenarios, this could also affect their compliance status. We would request that all partners work with these customers to refresh their access points to models which are still supported.
What should I do with End-of-Life hardware?
After the End-of-Life of any hardware device, Sophos suggests that you dispose of the unit responsibly and in accordance with the environmental requirements in your region.
Sophos Apx 320 Access Point Einrichten
Sophos Apx 740
Who can I contact to get more help?
Sophos Apx 320 Access Point Review
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your local Sophos team. They can help you to find the optimal plan for a managed lifecycle for your customers’ hardware.