AshokKumar15 - PeerSpot reviewer
Presales Consultant - Enterprise Networks at Cubit technologies LLC
Real User
Top 10
Robust software, highly reliable, and excellent support
Pros and Cons
  • "Cisco is one of the leading vendors and is at the top of many lists. The access software is robust, and the performance of the devices is excellent."
  • "Cisco Wireless could improve if they had some kind of social media integration. There is some limitation with social media integration and wireless interaction. They need to add some additional components to their wireless devices to complete the solution or requirements."

What is our primary use case?

We use Cisco Wireless for mobile WiFi connectivity to the end-users. It provides mobile device connectivity. They don't need any LAN connectivity to access the network. They can connect any mobile device or wireless device to access the network.

What is most valuable?

Cisco is one of the leading vendors and is at the top of many lists. The access software is robust, and the performance of the devices is excellent.

What needs improvement?

Cisco Wireless could improve if they had some kind of social media integration. There is some limitation with social media integration and wireless interaction. They need to add some additional components to their wireless devices to complete the solution or requirements.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Wireless for approximately 17 years.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cisco Wireless solutions are highly reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

Cisco technical support is excellent. Cisco is well known for its superior support.

How was the initial setup?

I'm taking care of the Cisco Wireless designs. I'm not into the implementation right now. I work designing suitable solutions for our customers. I provide consultancy to our customers and design the solution based on the customer's requirements. I used to work on the implementation, but for the last six years, I'm not into this field of implementation.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Pricing is a little higher for Cisco Wireless than all other vendors. Cisco should work on improving the pricing because there are some other vendors out there in the market which may have the same features or equivalent features that Cisco has at a lesser price.

What other advice do I have?

Cisco Wireless has a large portfolio and is used in many places, such as school campuses. They have many types of deployments, such as on the cloud. Most of the features are available and they're supporting the latest technology.

I rate Cisco Wireless a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
Board Member and Co-Owner at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Real User
Helpful support, easy to set up , and offers good stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The support is very good. Technical support is very helpful."
  • "For all products on the market, the availability of the products may not be ideal. We're waiting on a lot of products simply due to the fact that there's a material shortage. We've ordered products and have had to wait three or four months for anything to get delivered. This is not just Cisco. It's a problem on the market for all components which include semiconductors."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for our company as well as for our clients. 

What is most valuable?

What's the most important for us is the reliability of this product, and that's it. We are sure that they work fine and they are fully developed and add great new functions.

The support is very good.  Technical support is very helpful.

The initial setup is easy - especially in the Mobility Express solution.

The stability is very good. 

What needs improvement?

Cisco proposed a new version of their product, however, I don't have any requirements which are not already met.

For all products on the market, the availability of the products may not be ideal. We're waiting on a lot of products simply due to the fact that there's a material shortage. We've ordered products and have had to wait three or four months for anything to get delivered. This is not just Cisco. It's a problem on the market for all components which include semiconductors.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for 20 years. I've used the solution for a long time. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We've never faced any stability issues. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We use this solution for medium enterprises. 

How are customer service and technical support?

I'm very satisfied with technical support. The technical support of Cisco is the best on the market. They are very helpful and responsive. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I also work with Fortinet. I have much more experience with Cisco. I don't have so much experience with Fortinet.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very straightforward. It's not overly difficult or complex. A company shouldn't have any issues with the process. 

What about the implementation team?

As integrators, we can install the solution for our clients. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

They have different products which can be used by some customers, from small and medium to large enterprises. The portfolio is very wide. It's difficult to say if they are expensive or not as they have expensive products, however, they are very scalable and great for very large objects.

Maybe they are a little bit above the average on the market, however, for what you get, mostly it's worth it.

What other advice do I have?

I'm a system integrator. I'm a Cisco partner. The company is a Cisco Gold Partner.

Cisco is great due to the fact that there is so much documentation online. It's very easy to research it and learn it and to troubleshoot if you need, simply due to the fact that there's so much shared knowledge out there. I'm not sure if that;'s the case for any other solution. 

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
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Cisco Wireless
June 2024
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IT Adviser/Manager at CCSAUDE
Real User
Good manageability and stability; performance and connectivity could be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "Good manageability, and stability."
  • "There are performance issues, particularly with video calls where throughput is not great."

What is our primary use case?

We are customers of Cisco and I'm the company IT advisor and manager.

What is most valuable?

We find this solution very cost effective. We are using the WAP121 model which has good manageability, and stability. 

What needs improvement?

We sometimes have issues with user load. We have close to 12 users and we have performance issues, especially when we are on video calls. There are lags and connectivity issues in those situations and the throughput is not that good. From our end, performance and connectivity could be improved.

I'd like to see features such as app control, access control, and some level of a firewall feature at the level of the access points, features that are available at the firewall level, so that we can have security and manageability at WiFi level.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for three years. 

How are customer service and technical support?

We have a local support team and whenever we face issues they are very supportive. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very easy. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate this solution a seven out of 10. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Network Consultant at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Good stability, good scalability, and easy installation
Pros and Cons
  • "Its stability is most valuable."
  • "It is not easy to use. It should be made easier to use. They can maybe migrate it to the cloud so that we can manage the WLCs together. I find the licensing part very hard to understand. Cisco is now moving towards smart licensing, so this issue will be addressed soon."

What is our primary use case?

These devices are being used for a large number of sites. We have around 3,000 APs.

For WLC, we are using 5508 and 7500 devices. We will be using 9800 devices soon.

What is most valuable?

Its stability is most valuable.

What needs improvement?

It is not easy to use. It should be made easier to use. They can maybe migrate it to the cloud so that we can manage the WLCs together.

I find the licensing part very hard to understand. Cisco is now moving towards smart licensing, so this issue will be addressed soon.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is very scalable.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their technical support is fine.

How was the initial setup?

It is easy to install. The deployment duration depends on different scenarios. It depends on the site, the number of users, and the technicality of the site, but overall, it doesn't take very long.

What about the implementation team?

I am a consultant. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Its licensing is hard to understand.

What other advice do I have?

I would absolutely recommend this solution. I would rate Cisco Wireless an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
PeerSpot user
Senior Network Engineer at Best Buy Canada
Real User
CleanAir and RRM technology is valuable for building commercial wireless infrastructure
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of this solution are the Cisco CleanAir and Cisco RRM."
  • "I would like to see less dependency on other products such as ISE and Prime for certain implementations."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is wireless infrastructure for retail and enterprise usage.

How has it helped my organization?

This solution has improved our organization.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of this solution are the Cisco CleanAir and Cisco RRM.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see less dependency on other products such as ISE and Prime for certain implementations.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for five years.

What other advice do I have?

Please always keep the Spectrum Expert (SE) connect mode. I feel is useful when troubleshooting.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Technical Specialist at Wipro Technologies
Real User
Installation is easy and the Guest feature works well
Pros and Cons
  • "The Guest feature is pretty good."
  • "Sometimes I've seen some issues come up with the interference. That's an issue users face at times. It becomes very complex when you have a lot of wireless interference in the area, or in your office. It's because of the environment of Cisco. Maybe, in the future, they can work on this area, and fix this issue."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case is for enabling the users to connect wirelessly to the network, to give them seamless mobility if they go to a meeting room. It's always-on connectivity.

How has it helped my organization?

Having Cisco switches in the network also benefits the wireless. Having both in the same network has advantages in regards to compatibilities. It's also pretty easy to get it up and running in a short time, so that's a big advantage. Having the same vendor, Cisco, for switches and wireless, we can roll out more features without having to worry whether they will be supported or not.

What is most valuable?

The Guest feature is pretty good.

What needs improvement?

Sometimes I've seen some issues come up with the interference. That's an issue users face at times. It becomes very complex when you have a lot of wireless interference in the area, or in your office. It's because of the environment of Cisco. Maybe, in the future, they can work on this area, and fix this issue.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The wireless controller runs smoothly, without any issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

For Cisco Wireless, you need to have Cisco access points and a Cisco controller to get it running, but if you want to expand your infrastructure in Wireless, you just need to buy a new AP and get it installed. It's pretty easy.

How is customer service and technical support?

Tech support for Cisco Wireless has been pretty good. They have helped us through problems.

How was the initial setup?

The setup was straightforward. It's a very complex switch, but if you have a person with the ability to follow the steps, it will be up and running.

What other advice do I have?

Cisco wireless is a pretty good product. I would definitely recommend buying it. If you are looking for a wireless solution I would definitely recommend going with Cisco Wireless.

I rate Cisco Wireless at about eight out of 10. It's pretty good, it's very compatible with other Cisco products.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Service integrator.
PeerSpot user
Manager at a tech vendor with 11-50 employees
Real User
Secure solution, it's easy to distribute the SSID, and I like the controller
Pros and Cons
  • "The main features are that it's secure and it's easy to distribute the SSID and control it. I also like the controller."
  • "There is a problem with the controller. When we have to restart the controller, it does not show the time. We have to manually configure the time when we restart it. I have read about this issue, to get some information, and all answers are about having to connect it with a time server, which is very difficult."

What is our primary use case?

We use it to distribute our internet connection. We use it in some departments for accessing systems, but in the main, it is for internet access. The performance of the network, the connection and stability, are very good. Perfect.

What is most valuable?

The main features are that it's secure and it's easy to distribute the SSID and control it. I also like the controller.

What needs improvement?

There is a problem with the controller. When we have to restart the controller, it does not show the time. We have to manually configure the time when we restart it. I have read about this issue, to get some information, and all answers are about having to connect it with a time server, which is very difficult.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

As a wireless solution, it's very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No issues with scalability.

How are customer service and technical support?

I tried to get support, to get a solution for this "time" problem I mentioned. We have other Cisco products and the support is perfect. But for the wireless, we haven't gotten an answer to this problem.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We were using another option. It was not professional, something like D-Link. We had to configure each router separately. That's why we use Cisco, because I like the controller.

There is a company here, a Cisco partner or distributor. They advised us to use the system, and they brought it to us.

I have also used another Cisco product but at another company, Cisco Meraki. It's easier in terms of the configuration and the cloud. I liked it.

How was the initial setup?

You only have to set up the controller and everything is working; all the configuration. I like it.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It's good to compare pricing, but it's Cisco and I trust Cisco.

What other advice do I have?

I would strongly advise any company, but especially in business, to use this wireless solution.

I rate Cisco Wireless at nine out of 10 because, as I said, I like the performance, stability, the easy implementation and the controller. There is just that one problem with the controller, so that's why I gave it a nine and not 10.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user901734 - PeerSpot reviewer
User at renault
Real User
RX-SOP helps to optimize roaming, but the controller web-interface could be better
Pros and Cons
  • "There are a lot of valuable features and functions. One example is CleanAir to detect and troubleshoot interference issues. Another is RX-SOP to optimize roaming."
  • "The web interface for Cisco controllers could be better. It could be more user-friendly. Sometimes I have to remember how to access some functionalities or how to enable or execute some functions. If it were more user-friendly it would save time."

What is most valuable?

There are a lot of valuable features and functions. One example is CleanAir to detect and troubleshoot interference issues. Another is RX-SOP to optimize roaming.

What needs improvement?

The web interface for Cisco controllers could be better. It could be more user-friendly. Sometimes I have to remember how to access some functionalities or how to enable or execute some functions. If it were more user-friendly it would save time.

For how long have I used the solution?

Three to five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not encountered any issues around the stability of this product. I'm satisfied with this aspect. It provides good functionality and hierarchy for a wireless network.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

For the moment, I haven't had any issues with scalability.

How are customer service and technical support?

As of now, I have not had to contact technical support. I generally resolve all problems by myself.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I moved to Cisco because it's a solution that many companies use. I already had experience with Cisco routers and switches, so it was easier to configure and to manage Cisco products.

How was the initial setup?

I found the initial setup really easy because the facts, the documentation, explanations, and support are available on the internet. If I had any problem I could find the solution on the internet. There are a lot of facts and documentation there.

What was our ROI?

The ROI generally takes four to five years.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

This product's pricing is good. It's not too expensive.

Whether the pricing is a good value depends on the product. I was looking for some Cisco products and found that some are expensive, like the Cisco Spectrum Expert Wireless adapter.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have compared it with some other products like Aruba and Aerohive to see what the functionality and performance are like. I have seen, for example, that the Aerohive already has some access points in the new 802.11ax. It's the new transmission technology that provides wireless bandwidth to 4 or 5 Gbps. I haven't seen any Cisco products like that, so I think they are a little late in this regard.

What other advice do I have?

I started first with the 1440, without a wireless controller in an autonomous access point. Two years after that, I moved to the 2504 Wireless Controller - a 40-access-point deployment. The next year I was working in a car manufacturer's warehouse. I managed three warehouses. One of them was a 5520 with 300 access points. Another site was with the 5508 with less than 200 access points.

I would rate Cisco Wireless at seven out of 10 because, when we compare it with other solutions like Aruba or Aerohive, Cisco is behind in technology and just a little more expensive. Aerohive, as I mentioned, has some access points in the new 802.11ax standard and Aruba, in many cases, is more user-friendly to configure and to manage.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
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