Leon Rautenbach - PeerSpot reviewer
Group IT Manager at Meridian
Real User
Good stability so far
Pros and Cons
  • "The stability of Aruba Wireless has been good."
  • "Aruba Wireless has room to improve the connection from one AP to another."

What needs improvement?

Aruba Wireless has room to improve the connection from one AP to another.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Aruba Wireless for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of Aruba Wireless has been good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have not required scaling at this point.

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May 2024
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How are customer service and support?

I would rate solution's technical support a 7 out of 10.

What other advice do I have?

If you are considering Aruba Wireless, make sure you have the best implementation team possible. One that knows the product.

Overall, I would rate this solution an 8 out of 10.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Head Of Information Technology at Jekson Vision Pvt Ltd
Real User
Good functionality, straightforward to set up, and the technical support is okay
Pros and Cons
  • "The functionality is very high and we can properly meet the clients' requirements."
  • "When we connect to Wi-Fi devices it could be easier because sometimes, it takes a lot of time to complete."

What is our primary use case?

We are using this solution to provide office internet for our clients.

What is most valuable?

The functionality is very high and we can properly meet the clients' requirements.

What needs improvement?

When we connect to Wi-Fi devices it could be easier because sometimes, it takes a lot of time to complete.

It is not as easy as some other products to configure, including setting policies.

Otherwise, everything is fine.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Aruba Wireless for the past four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not found any bugs or glitches in this product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have more than 100 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is alright.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is okay. It is straightforward and we have no issues with it.

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

The price of Aruba Wireless should be cheaper.

What other advice do I have?

For the most part, there is nothing that needs to be added and I can recommend this product.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Aruba Wireless
May 2024
Learn what your peers think about Aruba Wireless. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
770,765 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Networking Solution Architect at ALE
Real User
We can select the applications we want to use and block on our network
Pros and Cons
  • "The performance and the application monitor. You can select the applications you want to use and block on your network"
  • "I would like to be able to customize Captive Portals."

What is our primary use case?

For campus wireless coverage, and it is performing very well.

What is most valuable?

The performance and the application monitor. You can select the applications you want to use and block your network. Most importantly, it has a lot of bandwidth and good connections.

What needs improvement?

I would like to be able to customize Captive Portals.

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is very good. You can use it from SME through to enterprise companies. It provides full coverage.

How is customer service and technical support?

We provide technical support ourselves.

How was the initial setup?

I have been involved in setups for our customers. It's not too complex. Of course, you need to know the solution very well.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend it for the performance and support.

For me, the most important criteria when selecting a vendor are

  • performance
  • reliability
  • support.

I rate Aruba at eight out of 10 because every software has problems at times. It also doesn't fit all our customers' requests.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller.
PeerSpot user
it_user30798 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Network Engineer at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees
Consultant
Ease of adding and being able to configure APs on the fly are key for us
Pros and Cons
  • "Its manageability of APs is the most valuable feature: ease of adding APs and the ability to configure the APs on the fly. Also, their support engineers are great to work with."
  • "I believe it would benefit from more reporting, other than just a dashboard. It needs some type of report builder so you can have PDFs to show upper management what is going on in the wireless network."

What is our primary use case?

It is our primary wireless solution. We use a HA paired controller in our main DC. We use the 7200 model. We provide a corporate and guest SSID.

What is most valuable?

Its manageability of APs is the most valuable feature: ease of adding APs and the ability to configure the APs on the fly. 

Also, their support engineers are great to work with.

What needs improvement?

I believe it would benefit from more reporting, other than just a dashboard. It needs some type of report builder so you can have PDFs to show upper management what is going on in the wireless network.

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.

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

We had a small Cisco wireless environment originally and to upgrade or expand that environment it would have been a very expensive purchase. Also, instead of one controller that does everything we needed it to do, it would have taken two to three other devices with Cisco to make it work.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user180984 - PeerSpot reviewer
System Architect - Networks at a university with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
The initial setup required a lot of work however the scalability is the key for the solution

What is most valuable?

The scalability is the key here. We operate in a multi-vendor environment, running proprietary and open source software as well as pretty much every OS in it. We have to be able to adjust features as we need them throughout the WLAN.

How has it helped my organization?

WLAN is one of the major functions that allows employee movement without re-doing cabling etc.

What needs improvement?

I haven't encountered an area for improvement and am quite satisfied with the product.

For how long have I used the solution?

We implemented WLAN 4 years ago.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

We haven't encountered any major issues with the deployment. Normal minor glitches as usual, but nothing major. I'd expect to face the same issues with any brand of WLANs.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

All stability issues have been due to configuration changes. Currently as the WLAN expands we are starting to have some issues that aren't directly dependent on Arubas' solution, but issues in aggregate and core network layers.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have no issues in scalability.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

8 out of 10.

Technical Support:

8 out of 10.

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

I'm familiar via my career with other manufacturers solutions and have worked with those too. In my current position we have used Arubas' WLAN from the start.

How was the initial setup?

As always in complex systems, initial setup required a lot of work that might be seen as complex. On the other hand it was also logical and among the professionals, straightforward. Initial setup of single equipment is easy, but it only allows you to start configuring it.

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation in-house with a technical person from the manufacturer.

What was our ROI?

Every AP implemented takes out around 3 switch interfaces. Also work can be done away from the desk, and much faster in certain positions. I'd say that it took about three years to get an ROI.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did a massive comparison with most of the WLAN vendors and from those we chose Aruba.

What other advice do I have?

Main thing is to have a clear vision of what is needed from the WLAN and of course, the expertise of the staff is one key factor. Pretty much, the rest is just pricing of the solution, acquisition and running costs.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user375078 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user375078Senior Network Engineer/Mobility Specialist at CCSI - Contemporary Computer Services, Inc.
Real User

Aruba is a very solid product with options that allow it to keep up with all the competitors.

An Quang Vu Phan Phan - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Networking Pre-sales Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
MSP
Simple initial setup, beneficial product lifetime warranty, and integrates well
Pros and Cons
  • "The main features of Aruba Wireless in my country is its popularity, long hardware warranty when compared to other solutions, and it integrates well with our network access control solution."
  • "The dashboards that represent the network access control in Aruba Wireless could improve."

What is our primary use case?

We have many customers in the retail business using Aruba Wireless for their network.

What is most valuable?

The main features of the Aruba Wireless are universal and effective, covering most uses, a lifetime hardware warranty that sets it apart from the competition and it integrates seamlessly with the network access control solution - Aruba Clearpass

What needs improvement?

The GUI dashboards should more user-friendly.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Aruba Wireless for approximately four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I found the Aruba Wireless to be a stable solution. It is more stable than competitors especially in roaming.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable and stable 

How are customer service and support?

We have opened a support ticket with technical assistance and I would rate the support from Aruba Wireless a four out of five when comparing it to Cisco or Juniper.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

I have used Juniper and Cisco networking products previously.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was simple to do.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to others that want to implement Aruba Wireless is they have to study the solution and have a good understanding. Aruba has a good academy for studying.

I rate Aruba Wireless a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
it_user839694 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator
Real User
Easy to use, the 335-AP provides reliability, stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The 335-AP provides reliability, stability."

    What is our primary use case?

    We have made a full 32-site school transition from Mary to Aruba wireless.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Reliability, stability, and best use of our network.

    What is most valuable?

    The Aruba 335-AP.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    Three to five years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    There were stability issues, but only on initial deployment.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Very few scalability issues, mostly user error.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Great support.

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

    We used Meru. We switched to Aruba for the newer technologies they presented.

    How was the initial setup?

    It was pretty straightforward.

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

    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.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    Meru, Cisco, Aerohive. 

    What other advice do I have?

    It's a great product, easy to use, easy monitoring, and great tech support. Plan out placement as thoroughly as possible.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    it_user364641 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Infrastructure Consultant at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Vendor
    The most useful feature of Aruba Wireless is the software and controls. The stability is only decent as you have to be careful to properly configure it.

    Valuable Features

    The most useful feature of Aruba Wireless, as with all Aruba products generally, is the software and controls. Wireless has many APs and client management software. They're able to push clients based on profile matching to different nearby APs. For example, if there are 75 APs in one area, such as a lobby entrance, you can have an AP next door with one client on Aruba software, and the APs will be able to push a set number of clients.

    Improvements to My Organization

    In our hospital lobby, we have on average 700 clients trying to connect at the same time. Using the software, we've been able to make sure that everyone's able to connect.

    Our entire switching and LAN infrastructure is based on HP along with Cisco. We have about 10,000 access points, but Aruba provides our the client solution. So far, two smaller controllers are able to handle our entire guest infrastructure, which is something around 15,000 concurrent users on the wireless network.

    Use of Solution

    We've had it for about three years now.

    Deployment Issues

    It deploys well for us.

    Stability Issues

    The stability is only decent. You shove in an extra controller and it works generally, but you have to be careful to properly configure it.

    Scalability Issues

    The licensing works during peak hours but not during non-peak hours. We're expecting in the near future around 15,000 handheld devices as well as 9,000 BYOD, probably next year.

    Customer Service and Technical Support

    We've had no problems with technical support. We know the Aruba technicians in Denmark.

    Other Solutions Considered

    We evaluated Cisco APs. Aruba's APs are nice and the management solutions are pretty good. Cisco and Aruba play nicely together.

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