Aruba Wireless and Cisco Wireless are industry leaders, offering robust solutions for building and managing wireless networks. Users prefer the robust stability of Cisco Wireless after a longer setup process, while Aruba Wireless offers quicker deployment with seamless integration and strong security features. Cisco Wireless excels in performance and customization options, but needs improvement in range and connectivity. Consider your existing network infrastructure. If you heavily rely on Cisco products, Cisco Wireless might offer smoother integration.
The summary above is based on 64 interviews we conducted recently with Cisco Wireless and Aruba Wireless users. To access the review's full transcripts, download our report.
"You can easily monitor, manage, and cover all your IT equipment."
"The AI capabilities of Mist Wireless are superior to other OEMs."
"The solution is pretty generic and easy to use."
"The most useful feature of Juniper Wireless AP is the reporting Marvis."
"The artificial intelligence feature is very good."
"With Mist, every Wednesday they roll out new features."
"In terms of reporting, in terms of all the user reports, it's very rich."
"It provides private network access, helping us protect our company’s devices."
"What I like most about Aruba Wireless is its stability, functionality, and performance."
"It is easy to install and deploy."
"Aruba is easier than Juniper."
"The most valuable feature of Aruba Wireless is the controller. It is easy to use."
"The solution is quite stable and very robust."
"Aruba Wireless is stable and we plan to continue using it in the future."
"When support is needed, the Aruba engineers are normally quick to respond to problems."
"The most valuable feature is the client match."
"Authentication is the important feature for us. My IT staff no longer has to look after catering to clients who come from overseas."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is reliability."
"The support is very good. Technical support is very helpful."
"The stability is great. It's very reliable."
"The most valuable features are mobility and security."
"It gave us the ability to view wireless traffic, unwanted devices on the network, and how they affected overall network performance."
"The installation process is very easy."
"Cisco's technical support is very good, I've never had an issue with their technical support."
"Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points’ support services need improvement."
"The solution is expensive."
"The price could be better."
"The pricing should be made cheaper."
"Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) could improve if the MIST platform had a built-in master key. This would be an advantage."
"Improving third-party integration is key for Juniper Mist's next release."
"The product should include adaptive Wi-Fi to show a more accurate location."
"If you want to do more specific stuff, it's a bit limited."
"To enhance the system, more work on integration would be beneficial."
"They should have more support for implementing Aruba Wireless in Smart Cities and outdoor applications."
"The Return Material Authorization procedure is time-consuming and needs improvement."
"The coverage, concurrent user life, and visualization are the most valuable features of these solutions."
"They could work on energy consumption as this equipment needs a lot of energy."
"Configuration could be made easier with more bandwidth than they offer at the moment."
"Aruba is missing some features that are available in other solutions, such as the email notifications. It's a bit complex to configure the notification part. Mainly I'm talking about the rogue WiFi detection. This email notification is crucial for us, but it isn't possible to configure with the built-in software. You need something else, like an external system log collector or another Aruba software. These notifications are essential in hospitality for PCI compliance. My colleagues in famous luxury hotel chains need that report."
"The network times for protocol synchronization can be improved."
"It should be fully compatible with other devices."
"In Latin America, Cisco is very expensive in comparison to other technologies."
"It's expensive."
"The price of Cisco Wireless could be lower."
"The installation is very tiring and painful, the process could be easier."
"The solution could be cheaper and have a better web interface."
"The classic Cisco wireless interface is difficult for users to learn."
"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."
More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Pricing and Cost Advice →
Aruba Wireless is ranked 1st in Wireless LAN with 138 reviews while Cisco Wireless is ranked 2nd in Wireless LAN with 146 reviews. Aruba Wireless is rated 8.4, while Cisco Wireless is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Aruba Wireless writes "The portal for centralized management and virtual controller for APs are very valuable". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Cisco Wireless writes "Allows us to deploy a wide range of wireless products with stable WiFi". Aruba Wireless is most compared with Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN, Ruckus Wireless, Ubiquiti WLAN, Huawei Wireless and Mist AI and Cloud, whereas Cisco Wireless is most compared with Ruckus Wireless, Ubiquiti WLAN, Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN, Mist AI and Cloud and Omada Access Points. See our Aruba Wireless vs. Cisco Wireless report.
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On the most basic level, Cisco Wireless can offer a rather straightforward initial setup. In the span of about three hours, the basic framework can be set up. Step-by-step instructions are available to ease the deployment of the Cisco wireless network. A small business will now be able to make use of this wireless product without being worried about having to make a massive investment of either time or resources. This peace of mind extends to the actual maintenance of the product as well. Cisco wireless’s network does not require very much in the way of maintenance. It does require occasional upgrades to keep it running smoothly, but other than that, a team tasked with maintaining it has very little to worry about. Organizations of all sizes will be able to benefit from both of these aspects of Cisco wireless’s design.
Cisco wireless provides a very robust service that will continue to run over long periods of time and under heavy usage. Furthermore, the teams that are responsible for assisting users and resolving any potential issues that may arise are highly professional. These are two additional features that make Cisco wireless a valuable product. The wireless service is capable of running for years without any real need for replacements to be made to the hardware.
Although no system is perfect, Cisco’s Wireless network shows that products can still be made to last. Long spans of time can pass without issues arising. When they do, Cisco’s technical support team is well-equipped to help handle it. They respond quickly to inquiries and they are extremely knowledgeable. They bring the kind of professionalism that one would hope to have in a product’s support team.
Aruba Wireless can support many devices and provide the features that one would expect for this type of product. It is relatively cheap when compared to other products like Cisco Wireless. For that relatively cheap price, Aruba offers hardware whose performance can match anything offered by its competitors. It advertises what it can do and follows through with its promises. It is also very easy to configure. However, they do not guide users in different industries through the best practices that they should be employing when using Aruba Wireless.
Conclusion
Cisco Wireless offers an effective service. In terms of cost it is more expensive than Aruba Wireless. They both have a lot to offer. The price tag might just be the deciding factor.
Aruba is our choice for our WIFI solution as Aruba has a lot of features that can do the same with Meraki.
Aruba is saving costs vs Meraki in a long time operation.