Network Engineer at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Easy to set up with good filtering and a relatively fast deployment
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is easy. It's fairly quick to deploy."
  • "The interface could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution in order to provide wireless clients access to our hospital network.

What is most valuable?

The BCO is a great basic feature.

We enjoy having access to the security features and MAC filtering. 

All the files are standard and supported, which is a good thing.

The initial setup is easy. It's fairly quick to deploy.

The product scales well and expands quite easily.

What needs improvement?

The interface could be better.

It's a hospital network; we have a lot of X-ray machines and other machines which may interrupt the WiFi signals. They need to provide more stability with respect to the interference or help us can analyze what is causing the interference issues from the controller side so that we could more effectively troubleshoot.

The pricing of the product is quite high.

I've heard the WiFi 6 is in the market and I would like to explore WiFi 6 features. 

Having a single SSID and adding a personal device or an organizational device that an SSID can automatically pick and connect to would be great.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with the solution for over ten years at this point. It's been a while now. 

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Cisco Wireless
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

While the product is stable, in some areas when the user sees a disconnection, we are not able to identify whether it's an access point issue or if it is due to some interference in that area of the hospital (due to hospital equipment). We need help detecting issues via the controller.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have around 4,000 to 5,000 users on the solution. 

It is easy to scale as it is centralized. You just need to add more access points if you would like to expand the product.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is great. One time, we had a controller issue due to a hardware failure and they replaced it within two days. They are extremely helpful and responsive. We are satisfied with the level of support they provide. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very simple. It's not overly complex or difficult. A company shouldn't have any trouble implementing it. 

Initially, we need to get the hardware and put the basic configurations of network settings in order. I don't think it will take more than one hour to do the basic configuration. More complexity, however, does take time. 

The solution doesn't require too much maintenance. Our access points are very old, however, they are pretty stable. For around 10 years, we have been running on the old hardware and it is time to renew, actually, as the product is almost end of support. However, so far, the maintenance has been quite minimal.

What about the implementation team?

The first time we implemented the solution, we did request vendor support.

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

The product is quite expensive, and it's making us reconsider staying with Cisco. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

As this solution is near its end-of-life, my company is looking into other solutions such as Aruba or Huawei. We have not decided yet on what we will do, however, the Cisco pricing is very costly. We would like to check out other options that are cheaper, and which can offer the same kind of stability and features.

What other advice do I have?

I'm just a customer and an end-user.

We aren't necessarily using the latest version of the solution. Some access points, for example, are so old we cannot upgrade them any longer. 

I'd recommend the solution to other users. If you have the money and budget, Cisco is a good, stable solution.

I would rate the solution at an eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Sreejesh S - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Specialist at COPYCAT LIMITED
Real User
Top 5
Enables mobility and centralized control and has less maintenance cost
Pros and Cons
  • "The product enables mobility and centralized control."
  • "The solution doesn't have much coverage area."

What is our primary use case?

My organization uses the solution for our hospitality industry customers.

What is most valuable?

The product enables mobility and centralized control. Embedded Wireless Controller and Software-Defined Networking are the best features of the product. The product has less maintenance cost.

What needs improvement?

The solution doesn't have much coverage area. The product should improve the licensing structure.

The solution should allow administrators to view and provide more access points to users through the mobile application.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for seven to ten years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

We always contact the support team. The team provides outstanding support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is an easy process for a trained engineer.

What about the implementation team?

The deployment process depends on the use case. To deploy the product, we can configure the physical wireless controller and add all APs one by one. The deployment is time-consuming. We have certified engineers to deploy the product. Two to five engineers are needed to deploy the solution. We do not face any issues in maintaining the product.

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

The license structure is confusing.

What other advice do I have?

I am using the latest version of the product. Overall, I rate the product a ten out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Wireless
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Wireless. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Director of Technology at a individual & family service with 201-500 employees
Real User
High level of control, excellent support, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Cisco Wireless are the level of control and management. I am happy with it."
  • "The reporting tool in Cisco Wireless could improve. If I am trying to receive information about a client or user, it's cumbersome to retrieve the information on the controller system. If I'm trying to find out where a client's been, it's cumbersome. You need another tool for Historical logs, but it should be all in one."

What is our primary use case?

I use Cisco Wireless Wireless across my buildings for education. I have students that use Chromebooks and staff that teach using the tool. 

How has it helped my organization?

Cisco Wireless provides network access for students. The benefits of using Cisco Wireless are we have enhanced education, and help kids learn and research. Additionally, it helps the staff teach.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Cisco Wireless are the level of control and management. I am happy with it.

What needs improvement?

The reporting tool in Cisco Wireless could improve. If I am trying to receive information about a client or user, it's cumbersome to retrieve the information on the controller system. If I'm trying to find out where a client's been, it's cumbersome. You need another tool for Historical logs, but it should be all in one.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Wireless for approximately 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cisco Wireless is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I can add more access points if needed, Cisco Wireless is a scalable solution.

We have approximately 3,000 users using this solution. We are using the solution extensively.

How are customer service and support?

My experience with Cisco support has been excellent.

How was the initial setup?

The setup of Cisco Wireless is straightforward and it took a couple of days to complete.

What about the implementation team?

I outsource some of the implementations and the planning stage can be the largest issue.

I do most of the maintenance of the solution, such as patching.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend a third-party integrator if they need help implementing the  Cisco Wireless, they can help out a lot.

I rate Cisco Wireless an eight out of ten.

Overall Cisco Wireless meets my needs, it has been in place for a while, and I am happy with the solution.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Sr.Manager at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Enables high throughput for video but it can be tedious to manage compared to cloud-based solutions
Pros and Cons
  • "Setting up Cisco Wireless is pretty straightforward. It takes about an hour or two, and we can handle it in-house. To deploy one project, it takes two to three for a single controller."
  • "And from an administration point of view, it is a very tedious job to check on each and every control. We have around 30 or 40 controls in our network."

What is our primary use case?

We have a variety of segments in retail and hospitality, and each has different requirements. We are using this desk with IC for wireless, and we have high throughput access points depending upon the need and the number of footfalls. So we have designed for high throughput or traffic for video. We have a lot of video sessions — Teams meetings — so it definitely helps.

What needs improvement?

Cisco Wireless should have a single administration point, so we don't need to log into different controllers. It should be a single pin where we can centrally manage all the controllers in something like Prime. We are using Arista, so I would recommend a service that offers that kind of cloud setup for wireless.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Cisco Wireless for more than 10 years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I wouldn't say Cisco Wireless is scalable. I would definitely recommend a more cloud-based setup, like the UCS, which we have for a call manager. It should be on that the lines. So let's compare Cisco Wireless products to other networks that have a cloud-based solution where you can manage thousands of lacks of access points through a single interface. In Cisco Wireless control, we have to log in to each and every appliance, and the clients can support a maximum of 6,000 or 10,000 access points. So it isn't scalable. You have to install a different box. And from an administration point of view, it is a very tedious job to check on each and every control. We have around 30 or 40 controls in our network. 

How are customer service and support?

Cisco technical support is pretty good. It is pretty much the same as other products.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up Cisco Wireless is pretty straightforward. It takes about an hour or two, and we can handle it in-house. To deploy one project, it takes two to three for a single controller.

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

We have a yearly license.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Cisco Wireless seven out of 10. I wouldn't recommend Cisco Wireless. I would advise others to look into a cloud-based setup like Arista. Cisco should improve on that part because it is tedious to manage different controllers

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Karthick Chandrasekaran - PeerSpot reviewer
Solutions Architect at Espina IT
Real User
Top 10
Stable product with integration and authentication features
Pros and Cons
  • "The product has valuable features for integration and authentication."
  • "They should introduce zero interference capabilities."

What is our primary use case?

We have deployed 5000 customer access points to provide product navigation and Wi-Fi connectivity.

How has it helped my organization?

Cisco Wireless enables end-to-end connectivity for endpoints. We can deploy wireless access points indoors and outdoors as well.

What is most valuable?

The product has valuable features for integration and authentication.

What needs improvement?

They should introduce zero interference capabilities.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Cisco Wireless for 14 years. At present, we use the latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable. Cisco provides good support services in case of outages.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have six medium and large businesses as customers for Cisco Wireless. We have integrated it with multiple solutions. I rate the scalability an eight out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

Cisco provides quick and efficient support services. Whenever you call them, they immediately assign the engineers. This is the first time I have seen any other vendor responding this quickly. It is the part of the product.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup process takes two to four months. We collect the essential information for the network implementation document. Further, we deploy a few controllers and integrate the application. Later, we add endpoints to the existing network and create server IDs. We test the connection's speed efficiency and the signal's strength. This is how we complete the deployment process.

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

The platform is expensive for small-scale businesses. There are no extra costs included. We can add essential features to the on-premise version as required.

I rate the pricing an eight or nine out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

They provide good support services for the tenure of the contract and software upgrade. I rate it an eight 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
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Technology Manager at International School Of Dakar
Real User
Highly stable, scalable, and secure
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Cisco Wireless are security and the ability to manage everything easily. Other solutions, such as Aruba are not as simple."
  • "Cisco Wireless does not have a dashboard that would make it easier for people to manage the solution, such as Cisco Meraki where you are able to monitor the network through the dashboard and everything is visible making it easier."

What is our primary use case?

We use Cisco Wireless for networking in an education center.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Cisco Wireless are security and the ability to manage everything easily. Other solutions, such as Aruba are differentiation.

If you use the EAP for wireless security it is good. The only setback is the user has to have their own login, it is easy to do. If you make a user group for many students because they do not know the password. Having everyone use a group user account is not good. It is best for every student to have their own login. The connectivity will be better.

What needs improvement?

Cisco Wireless does not have a dashboard that would make it easier for people to manage the solution, such as Cisco Meraki where you are able to monitor the network through the dashboard and everything is visible making it easier. There are many things you can do with the dashboards. With Cisco Wireless if you have to manage the switches, backbone, or update the controllers you have to have someone with Cisco certification or know someone who can support you with the management of the solution. I have colleagues that have difficulties when I am away making changes to the Cisco Wireless devices and this is one of the reasons we are switching this solution to Cisco Meraki.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Wireless for approximately 14 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. However, I had some issues last month with older Cisco wireless solutions. The certificates for some access points had expired and did not want to connect to the WLC.
Finally, I found a solution and got them all to work fine.

Why did I say it is stable. Since, we had installed it from 2009 until 2020 we had no major problem.
We started with a single SSID then with 2 SSIDs then we went up to 4 SSIDs. All 3 used authentication with a radius server. The fourth was managed by the WLC as Guest wifi.
This situation had to be foreseen because Cisco had announced on June 30, 2016 the dates of discontinuation and end of life of the range of our access points. The end date of routine failure analysis and new service provision had been declared on December 29, 2017.
It took 4 years later to face this certification problem.
Our network system of Cisco was really user-friendly:
-With printing with google cloud before it is stopped.
Our new MYQ system is too
- With our IP phone system
- With all practices (Windows, Mac, Tablets, phones and chromebooks)
- With our accounting system.
We really say Alhamdoulila.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution has good coverage and people can have access quickly.

We have approximately 700 students with Chromebooks connecting to the network.

How are customer service and support?

I have not used technical support but if you want technical support it costs money.

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

I have used HPE and Apple wireless solutions previously.

How was the initial setup?

The installation of the solution is easy but it might not be for others. I have used the solution for a long time.

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

Cisco Wireless solutions should have a price reduction for educations centers. Education centers are there to help people grow and there are not large budgets. The solution tends to be expensive and it can cause difficulties when purchasing them here in Africa.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have evaluated other solutions, like Aruba through my nephew. This is the system he used at university in the US.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to anyone, Cisco is the best. We are migrating to Cisco Meraki next week.

I rate Cisco Wireless a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Gerente División Plataforma at Sonda S.A.
MSP
Stable with good basic features and extremely scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is pretty straightforward."
  • "In Latin America, Cisco is very expensive in comparison to other technologies."

What is our primary use case?

We are primarily using the solution for wireless connectivity and expedience.

What is most valuable?

The basic features of the solution are excellent. 

The product has very good internet and internal systems for general applications.

Technical support is pretty good.

We've found the product to be fairly stable.

The solution can scale.

The initial setup is pretty straightforward.

What needs improvement?

For the customer, it would be ideal if the solution had more global reach. It's a bit complicated to explain, however.

The documentation can be a bit confusing. It would be better if it was easier to follow.

We're hoping that the solution will work well with 5G.

In Latin America, Cisco is very expensive in comparison to other technologies.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for maybe one year at this point.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. There are issues with bugs or glitches. It's reliable. It doesn't crash or freeze at all.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is extremely scalable. Cisco makes it very easy for a company to expand the offering if they need to. It's a good selling feature.

How are customer service and technical support?

I would say 60% of the technical support team are very experienced in the solution. They are quite good to work with, for the most part. We're quite satisfied with the level of support we get from them. That said, I wish that the documentation provided by the company could be better.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex at all. Cisco makes the implementation very, very easy.

I'm not an IT technician and therefore don't know exactly how long a deployment takes. I don't install the solution personally by myself.

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

The cost of the solution is quite high in our region. It would be better if they could take cost into consideration in Latin America to make it more reasonable for local companies.

What other advice do I have?

We're a partner with Cisco. We aren't just a customer.

Overall, I would rate the solution eight out of ten. If it was more reasonably priced for the local market, I might create it a bit higher.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Shrijendra Shakya - PeerSpot reviewer
Shrijendra ShakyaC.T.O at Sastra Network Solution Inc. Pvt. Ltd.
Real User

Yes, agree to the review and its extremely stable and scalable platform.

Sr. System Analyst at NSUT
Real User
Top 20
Has good durability, we can rely on this solution and it is easy to configure
Pros and Cons
  • "The feature that I have found most valuable is its durability because we can rely on this solution. It is also easy to configure. Lastly, if something happens, we get good support from Cisco."
  • "One thing which we really don't like about Cisco is that it is very expensive."

What is our primary use case?

We use it to provide wireless access to our students, faculty, and non-teaching staff because we are a university, an educational institution. I am one of the non-teaching staff who takes care of the networking side.

What is most valuable?

The feature that I have found most valuable is its durability because we can rely on this solution. It is also easy to configure. Lastly, if something happens, we get good support from Cisco.

What needs improvement?

One thing which we really don't like about Cisco is that it is very expensive. If we compare it to other brands like Ruckus or Aruba, it seems to be almost double in price. So that is a major concern. Recently, I have been looking for something comparable to Cisco which is a lower price.

Cost is a major area because if you look at the technical features with other solutions, they seem to be the same in every feature, with no big differences. For example, if you support a 1.5k ACL with two parallel lines, others are supporting 2,000. It's not a major difference, but it is there. I think you can show that it as at par with the competitors.

I would say that the product is best-in-class. The only thing is the price because whether you're a government institution or a private organization, everyone looks for the best price. If we just compare to the competitors on the financial side and we have to pay twice, then it's very difficult for us to go for something even if we know it is very good. So the price should be much less.

Another improvement Cisco Wireless could make is if they provided a calculation document or study on requirements for wall thickness, signal range, switch location, etc.

Additionally, I think it is already very advanced and potentially supports 5G. That is perfectly fine, but it would be good if they could increase their signal strength, because sometimes we face difficulty getting signals, even from a wifi access point in the next room. This goes hand-in-hand with the document I mentioned calculating the range area of the product, etc. There are international standards and/or limitations on that. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I personally have been using Cisco for a only few years, since I was hired, but my institution has been using it for around seven or eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good. 

For wireless, I would say it is good. But when we were using the Cisco firewall we found some difficulties setting up and our internet was breaking up or something like that. But from a wireless point of view, it is fine.

Also, one point which just came to my mind about Cisco is if we could have some kind of calculation for the access points because then maybe we could make a web off of all of them. "How much of that access point is required. This access point is covering this much area." If we can have that kind of information it would be easier for us to calculate the capacity. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. We are currently looking at the scalability so that we can provide the infrastructure to some other blocks, as well. I haven't tried it yet or discovered what problems I'm going to face, but I think that it should be able to scale. I think we will be able to do that, but I'm not sure right now.

During peak time, there are around 5,000 or 6,000 users. Now, in COVID-19-like situations, there are maybe a hundred or 200.

We don't have any plans to just switch to another product because we don't have that flexibility. We will just go for open tendering. We will make some generic technical aspects of the product and throw it in the market. Everyone will be invited. We can't just ask for Cisco only. That's why I was worried about their price because if they are the most expensive we will not pay them if they qualify.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not that difficult, it is just technical. For example, if I am looking to set up Cisco, then I should have the skills required to install it. So I would say that the setup is fine. It does not need to be changed. In fact, the product which we have has a controller on our premise that Cisco is now offering to our controllers for switches. So I think this concern is handled over there because controlling through the cloud is a little easier than this centralized controller product, particularly for an institution or organization.

What other advice do I have?

I would say that it's a good solution. Everything is there and I have nothing to point out. 

I would definitely recommend this product, but at the same time, I would say that they should bring their price down. 

Like every solution, it has pros and cons. It's just part of the process.

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Cisco Wireless a nine. From the product side, I would rate it nine, but if you ask me about the return on investment, I would probably say a six or seven because the investment is huge here.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
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Updated: March 2024
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