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AirMagnet Survey PRO vs Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 15, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

AirMagnet Survey PRO
Ranking in Network Modeling and Simulation
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
39
Ranking in other categories
Network Troubleshooting (3rd)
Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)
Ranking in Network Modeling and Simulation
3rd
Average Rating
6.0
Reviews Sentiment
3.2
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Network Modeling and Simulation category, the mindshare of AirMagnet Survey PRO is 7.0%, down from 17.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is 7.6%, down from 13.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Modeling and Simulation Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
AirMagnet Survey PRO7.0%
Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)7.6%
Other85.4%
Network Modeling and Simulation
 

Featured Reviews

Mark Witherspoon - PeerSpot reviewer
Wireless Services Manager at Veritas Managed Solutions
A solution for site verifications and enhanced with adapters that provide more realistic readings, but needs to support Wi-Fi 6E
Ekahau and AirMagnet Survey have their own pros and cons, in my opinion. For example, the APs are not visible in Ekahau but AirMagnet Survey allows us to see what APs and channels are being used in a live view, which Ekahau lacks. In Ekahau, the signal from the AP it's capturing at that time is visible which is a bit of an inconvenience. The predictive planner of AirMagnet's is better. However, Ekahau has advantages over AirMagnet because it groups all the SSIDs into one AP, whereas with AirMagnet, one needs to group them manually. Ekahau also supports Wi-Fi 6E, but its licensing is restrictive and more costly.
OB
CEO at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Limited support and costly setup detract from potential benefits
The stability of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is not very good. The iOSs consume so much memory that most typical machines do not have sufficient memory to utilize. For example, the Cisco 9200 iOSs require 24 gigabytes of memory to run in that tool, and that is only one image.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"By using an offset of -7 across all 5GHz channels, the Proxim adapter can now closely emulate what a Cisco 8821 Wireless IP handset looks like in an active survey."
"If they want a good feel of the network, it has all the tools and information you need to know for problems with coverage and signal strength."
"Technical support is very good."
"We use the solution for Wi-Fi and networks."
"WiFi planning, RF measurements and roaming capability."
"It’s the essential tool for conducting an audit and identifying interference sources on a wireless network and improve the channel tuning."
"Customer Service: Excellent. Technical Support: Excellent."
"The most valuable feature is the predictive survey. The antennas' RF patterns are reflected correctly on the drawing when preparing predictive heat maps."
"The ease of use of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is very valuable to me because it is straightforward."
"The initial setup of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is straightforward, but the images are complex and expensive to set up because they do not provide those for free."
 

Cons

"Without creating a custom adjustment, there can be at times a 5 to 10dBm RSSI difference between what the AirMagnet adapter indicates during the survey and what the Cisco 8821 indicates in the same location as shown below."
"It has not been entirely stable."
"The surveying features are in need of improvement, along with general usability."
"The pricing needs improvement."
"I would like to see a clearer representation of different power readings/levels when the survey tool renders heat maps."
"I would like it to be able to automatically calculate the best way to place the access points; more like hybrid manual planning."
"If anything, the rendering speed when doing or looking at large surveys could be faster, but I understand that sheer volume of information is the issue."
"When pausing during the middle of a survey, I often have issues when restarting because the survey tool can’t determine exactly where I am in the building when I click on the map."
"Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) could improve by providing more in-depth switch options. For example, I cannot lab stacking at all."
"The stability of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is not very good. The iOSs consume so much memory that most typical machines do not have sufficient memory to utilize."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For technical support, you need an annual license, but it is not worth it."
"The tool's pricing is medium."
"The licensing of AirMagnet Survey is different when compared to Ekahu. It is a third of the cost of Ekahau but there are no dedicated laptops to the Sidekick. AirMagnet allows you to license an adapter and share that adapter."
"The moment we began needing more of the vendor's support, the cost became very high; we switched to another solution."
"The pricing needs improvement."
"This product is very expensive."
"There is an annual cost of the solution. There are some additional charges, such as support and maintenance."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
8%
Construction Company
8%
Government
8%
University
7%
Comms Service Provider
12%
University
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business21
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise10
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with AirMagnet Survey?
AirMagnet Survey needs to support Wi-Fi 6E otherwise they can lose to the competition. They also need to allow better grouping of SSIDs to one AP, removing the need to filter manually. At the momen...
What is your primary use case for AirMagnet Survey?
We use AirMagnet Survey, for site verifications after the wireless system has been installed. We conduct pre and post-install surveys with it. We have reduced the use since now our customers requir...
What advice do you have for others considering AirMagnet Survey?
The AI simulation capabilities, especially the predictive feature in AirMagnet, have been somewhat helpful for network planning. However, both AirMagnet and other tools like Ekahau have accuracy is...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)?
On a scale of 1 to 10, Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is about eight or nine in terms of expense.
What needs improvement with Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)?
There are other areas where they could improve the product in my opinion.
What is your primary use case for Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)?
I have always used Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) in lieu of building practical labs and buying products for the labs so I can simulate configurations and test interoperability and things of that nature.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Houston Methodist Hospital, Love's Travel Stops
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about AirMagnet Survey PRO vs. Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,838 professionals have used our research since 2012.