Aruba Wireless vs Cisco Wireless comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Mar 21, 2022

We performed a comparison between Aruba Wireless and Cisco Wireless based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Ease of Deployment: Reviewers of Aruba Wireless and Cisco Wireless agree that the initial setup of both solutions is straightforward and simple.
  • Features: Reviewers of both solutions found them to be reliable, stable, and scalable. Valuable features of Aruba Wireless include role-based authentication, aesthetically pleasing GUI for configuration, client match, easy deployment of APs, MAC caching, high functionality, great integration capabilities, a good user experience, Airwave, easy implementation and management, visual RF maps, and good reporting. Some Aruba Wireless users say it could benefit from better visibility, and have experienced that most of the access points don't include the chargers. They also complain that the upgrades can sometimes be buggy and that the Help option within the GUI needs to be improved.

    Users of Cisco Wireless mentioned that valuable features include solid functionality, security, easy management, good application visibility, control integration for other analysis software, and ease of configuration. Some users of Cisco Wireless state that the software can sometimes be very clunky, and others would like to see cloud-based support and management as well as some AI capabilities and the introduction of a dashboard.
  • Pricing: Most Aruba Wireless users feel that the pricing is comparable to that of its competitors, while a few select reviewers feel that it is on the expensive side. Users of Cisco Wireless find that it is expensive, with a rigid pricing model in place.
  • Service and Support: Overall, users of Aruba Wireless feel that the service and support are good, and note that they are even available 24/7. Cisco Wireless reviewers confirm that the service and support they receive is excellent, stating that support is responsive and knowledgeable, and that ample documentation is available online.
  • ROI: Aruba Wireless users say that they have not been impressed with the ROI while Cisco Wireless users mention that they have yet to see an ROI.

Comparison Results: When comparing Aruba Wireless and Cisco Wireless, it is evident that Cisco Wireless is the more popular choice. While both have great features, users of Cisco Wireless seem to find fewer things lacking with it and are generally satisfied. In regards to service and support as well, Cisco users are happy with the service they receive. Users do feel that it is an expensive solution, however.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba Wireless vs. Cisco Wireless Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"In terms of reporting, in terms of all the user reports, it's very rich.""The artificial intelligence feature is very good.""The most useful feature of Juniper Wireless AP is the reporting Marvis.""The solution is pretty generic and easy to use.""The simplicity is great.""The most valuable feature of the solution is Marvis, the AI-driven network management system.""With Mist, every Wednesday they roll out new features.""You can easily monitor, manage, and cover all your IT equipment."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Pros →

"Aruba is an industry leader. The hardware is on par, and its performance is also on par with anybody else. The Aruba brand really only focuses on wireless, so they're not competing their R&D for switching data center products and cloud security. They're really focused on that and their underlying key pieces. They provide a role-based authentication that is native to the controller. A lot of other systems don't do that. They won't provide you the ability to basically have everybody join the network, regardless of whether or not they share the same network space, the SSID, or the wireless LAN. You can segment it down to a specific user role based on any kind of attributes that you like. That's their differentiator. If you need per user, per device, or per port segmentation, you can get that with Aruba. There isn't another vendor who does it.""The initial setup was very simple.""It provides excellent performance and security through the use of available features and policies, reducing the reliance on external firewall configurations while ensuring a secure and reliable network environment.""It offers an easy initial setup.""Although there are other solutions available and some with a lower initial cost, they don't offer the same level of integration with IoT as this solution without having to add additional hardware, which ends up costing more.""Aruba Wireless offers a good user experience.""The access points support a high number of connected clients.""The stability is the best. It's very reliable."

More Aruba Wireless Pros →

"It is a reliable and robust solution. Access and Mobility Groups are useful. We don't use anything very fancy.""The most valuable features for network security with Cisco Wireless were the policy enforcement capabilities.""From my experience, I have found Cisco Wireless to be scalable.""Good manageability, and stability.""The solution offers central management, reliability, and signal, ensures the bandwidth, and segregates the network. It also maintains the authentication process in the compass solution, which is good regarding multiple software.""Before COVID, the emphasis was primarily on wireless connectivity in specific areas like conference rooms. However, with the shift to remote work and increased mobility, coverage areas needed to be expanded to accommodate users throughout the entire location. We are beginning to expand our infrastructure.""The initial setup was quite easy. We have a very good relationship with our integrator and our integrator has a good relationship with Cisco. The integrator that installs Cisco is quite knowledgeable about the technology. They are trained and have a good relationship with their tech. We cannot be experts in each domain and we have to be supported by an integrator.""The most valuable features of this solution are the Cisco CleanAir and Cisco RRM."

More Cisco Wireless Pros →

Cons
"There is room for improvement in terms of support and installation.""They should include SD-WAN features to it.""The product should include adaptive Wi-Fi to show a more accurate location.""The pricing is very high in the Indian market.""Juniper Wireless AP can improve by continually improving its reporting and integration with other systems.""The price could be better.""I need a bit more time with it before criticizing the features.""Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) could improve if the MIST platform had a built-in master key. This would be an advantage."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Cons →

"The latest design of their APs removes the console port and requires purchasing an expensive proprietary cable just to access the console.""Every month Aruba has new firmware. I don't know if it's good or bad but it's not good in terms of production. We can't upgrade our firmware every month, especially an enterprise company, because if we upgrade our firmware based on the latest firmware that Aruba has, that firmware is not stable. They're not 100 percent sure about it.""We would like to declare a specific number of devices that an employee or a user can use to access their Wi-Fi.""The console is difficult to use. The firewall settings could be improved.""They should simplify the configuration flow.""Access point mounting options could be better.""​Some additional reporting features about the clients would be nice when not combined with the AirWave management package.​""One area for improvement in Aruba Wireless is its dashboard or interface because in some cases, it's not as easy to use as it should be, but overall, it's okay. Pricing for the product is also on the higher side. Another area for improvement in Aruba Wireless is technical support because it's hard to reach when issues arise and the speed of answer could be faster. Other areas for improvement in the product include integration and configuration."

More Aruba Wireless Cons →

"The installation is very tiring and painful, the process could be easier.""I would like to see less dependency on other products such as ISE and Prime for certain implementations.""The software quality could be improved, in particular for the new Cisco Aironet Series 2800/3800 Access Point which is pretty Linux-based.""We use a Cisco product called Room Kit for meetings. It would be nice if Cisco could improve that. I would also like a cloud solution.""The main problem that traditional solutions like this one have is that you need to buy packages to deliver a similar solution as a Meraki one.""Improvements can be made to the telemetry. The licensing gets in the way here. It makes it impossible to record the different flows across the wireless network.""The solution doesn't have much coverage area.""The new licensing model isn't as good as what they had before."

More Cisco Wireless Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "We pay maybe 1000 SEK per year, per access point."
  • "Juniper Wireless AP's price is a little more expensive than other solutions, but you get what you pay for."
  • "The pricing is something Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) can work on. The pricing is very high compared to the competition."
  • "The pricing is too high."
  • "The solution is expensive."
  • "I rate Juniper Mist's pricing a ten out of ten since it is expensive."
  • "I rate the pricing an eight out of ten."
  • More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Partner had been using Cisco. They switched to Aruba, because of price and functionality, also with an option for adding a SW, like AirWave, Meridian, ClearPass, and Central."
  • "Pricing is very competitive."
  • "Pricing support has always been cost-effective."
  • "Licensing is a one time purchase (only the cloud license has to be renewed, which is worth trying out).​"
  • "​We will be buying the ClearPass solution, which will be pricey. However, in the trial version, it has even more tools to manage a busy network.​"
  • "There is so much licensing, you literally pay for every solution, add-on, or cool feature. Compared to others, we were in the middle with pricing, but as you start to invest more into features it will get very pricey."
  • "​Trial different solutions and compare pricing to how well they perform, their stability, how easy it is to maintain, etc."
  • "Licencing can be surprising and needs improvement. Look into all features, what you need versus what you want, and know that nothing comes without some kind of license."
  • More Aruba Wireless Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "It is an expensive solution."
  • "Expensive."
  • "As far as I know Cisco is very competitive, price-wise. Talk to your third-party vendor. It all depends on the company size - how many employees, how big the building is. If it's wireless, and you have only 50 employees but you're using a large building floor, in that case you need many access points. But if you have 50 employees using two or three rooms, then you probably don't need it and it's going to be high density, so there is a different design. So you need to talk to a subject matter expert. Talk to them and design accordingly."
  • "Cisco is more on the expensive side, as compared to Aruba, but I must say Cisco's quality is unmatched, for sure."
  • "I am not a fan of Cisco's software pricing model. Their management software is far too expensive."
  • "The pricing is high. It could be cheaper."
  • "Never pay the full GPL price."
  • "Pricing is a bit on the high side compared to its competitors but we have to consider the support and usages of the solution. Licensing is now RTU and smart licensing. We need three types of licenses. One for each of the: APs, HA, controller."
  • More Cisco Wireless Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Comparison Review
    Anonymous User
    Answers from the Community
    Netanya Carmi
    Chi Kieu - PeerSpot reviewerChi Kieu
    User

    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.

    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:You can easily monitor, manage, and cover all your IT equipment.
    Top Answer:I rate Juniper Mist's pricing a ten out of ten since it is expensive.
    Top Answer:The pricing is very high in the Indian market. Eight to nine OEMs are also available in the market, giving you their… more »
    Top Answer:Depends.  I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them.  Extreme I am not, so unless they have… more »
    Top Answer:At my organization, we researched Ruckus Wireless among other solutions but ultimately chose Aruba wireless. What did… more »
    Top Answer:On the most basic level, Cisco Wireless can offer a rather straightforward initial setup. In the span of about three… more »
    Top Answer:Cisco Wireless is very robust, very rugged, and can handle indoor and outdoor coverage extremely well. We found it to be… more »
    Top Answer:Ruckus Wireless offers users the benefit of being both easy to set up and get running as well as being very user… more »
    Top Answer:The solution is very good at supporting IoT applications.
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series), Mist Access Points
    Aruba WLAN, HP WLAN, HP Wireless, Aruba Instant On AP Series Access Point
    Cisco WLAN Controller
    Learn More
    Overview

    Juniper Wireless Access Points work in conjunction with Juniper Mist Cloud Services and Mist AI to deliver premier wireless access capabilities. The Juniper Mist Edge extends microservices to the campus to bring agility and scale while enabling new applications at the edge.

    Aruba Wireless is a secure, high-performance, multi-user wireless LAN supporting Wi-Fi 6. As workplaces and user expectations change, users can now maintain hybrid workplaces and IoT without compromising performance, reliability, or security. Aruba Wireless delivers better performance and capacity and greater AIOps visibility throughout all devices and users. In addition, through built-in network intelligence, network operations are made simpler while keeping everything secure through user and guest encryption.

    Aruba Wireless, offered through Aruba Networks, is helping achieve digital transformation and IoT with seamless connectivity through multiple Wi-Fi access points. For the user’s convenience, Aruba Wireless provides indoor, outdoor, and remote access points to help boost faster and safer connectivity.

    Choosing Aruba Wireless can help improve your organization’s user experience with wireless LAN in many ways, including:

    • Transforming hybrid workplaces: Employees can move seamlessly between home and office, with reliable internet and without compromising security.

    • Connect and protect IoT: With built-in AP support for BLE, Zigbee, and USB-port extensions, users can extend visibility, control, and connectivity to IoT devices and applications.

    • Expand the 5G experience to the enterprise network: Empower users to experience 5G with Wi-Fi 6 by automatically enabling cellular devices to join Aruba Wireless LAN securely and reliably.

    Aruba Gateways and Controllers

    Small organizations as well as large enterprises require excellent performance and security for cloud, mobility, and digital transformation. Therefore, in addition to the access points, Aruba Wireless also offers a variety of gateways and controllers, including:

    • 9000 Series: With SD-WAN capabilities, it’s excellent for small campus networks looking for enhanced Wi-Fi scalability and security.

    • 7200 Series: Perfect for campus WLAN scalability or branch SD-WAN and VPN Concentrator capabilities, the 7200 Series optimizes Wi-Fi performance to guarantee smooth roaming.

    • 7000 Series: Acting as a controller or gateway to provide WAN intelligence, the 7000 Series is a policy-based router and an excellent solution for small to mid-sized campuses.

    • Mobility Controller Virtual Appliance: Maximizes Wi-Fi and network services in an economical, virtualized environment.

    • SD-WAN Virtual Gateways: Orchestrate virtual gateways in public cloud infrastructure, like Amazon Web Services (AWS).

    • Mobility Conductor Hardware Appliance: While enhancing the scalability and reliability for large campus WLANs, Aruba Mobility Conductors bring the full capability of ArubaOS.

    • Mobility Conductor Virtual Appliance: To scale large campus deployments, Aruba Mobility Conductors simplify the deployment and management of up to 1,000 Mobility Controllers.

    • ArubaOS Network Operating System: Great for remote workers in mid-sized and large companies who need seamless connectivity to and security over Wi-Fi.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Aruba Networks is aiding organizations in transforming to a hybrid work environment with Aruba Wireless. Users especially love its ability to work with many devices and its ability to group and manage access points.

    A senior IT solutions architect at a manufacturing company says, "The most valuable feature is the fact that it can work with many devices. It supports everything that we need it to."

    Gary F., a network administrator at wireless at Abilene Christian, notes, "I like the way it groups and manages access points."

    With Cisco Wireless you will successfully plan, deploy, monitor, troubleshoot, and report on indoor and outdoor wireless networks - all from a centralized location.
    Sample Customers
    Information Not Available
    Consulate Health Care, Los Angeles Unified School District, Science Applications International Corp (SAIC), San Diego State University, KFC, ACTS Retirement-Life Communities
    Aegean Motorway, Baylor Scott & White Health, Beachbody, Bellevue, Brunel University London, Bucks County Intermediate Unit , Chartwell School, Children's Hospital Colorado, Cisco Live Milan, City of Biel, City of Mississauga, Dundee Precious Metals, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Erickson Living, Goldcorp, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS)
    Top Industries
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company19%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Government7%
    Educational Organization6%
    REVIEWERS
    University18%
    Comms Service Provider14%
    Educational Organization8%
    Computer Software Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    Government7%
    Manufacturing Company6%
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider13%
    Government11%
    Manufacturing Company9%
    Computer Software Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Government7%
    Comms Service Provider7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business42%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise42%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business30%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise53%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business39%
    Midsize Enterprise22%
    Large Enterprise39%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business28%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise55%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business38%
    Midsize Enterprise22%
    Large Enterprise40%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise59%
    Buyer's Guide
    Aruba Wireless vs. Cisco Wireless
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Wireless vs. Cisco Wireless and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Aruba Wireless is ranked 1st in Wireless LAN with 138 reviews while Cisco Wireless is ranked 2nd in Wireless LAN with 143 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.

    See our list of best Wireless LAN vendors.

    We monitor all Wireless LAN reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.