AirMagnet Survey vs Cisco Wireless comparison

The compared NetAlly and Cisco solutions aren't in the same category. NetAlly is ranked #2 in NM , with an average rating of 6.7, and holds a 18.4% mindshare in the category. Cisco is ranked #4 in Wireless LAN , with an average rating of 8.6, and holds a 11.4% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of NetAlly users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

AirMagnet Survey

Read 39 AirMagnet Survey reviews

3,146 Views
1,714 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

Cisco Wireless

Read 153 Cisco Wireless reviews

15,312 Views
14,009 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

AirMagnet Survey

Cisco Wireless

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 9, 2025

Cisco Wireless and AirMagnet Survey compete in the wireless networking category. Cisco Wireless appears to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive management capabilities and robust integration with existing systems, making it suitable for enterprise environments.

Features: Cisco Wireless offers centralized management, security features like CleanAir, and ease of troubleshooting. Its integration with existing systems and ease of installation are crucial for enterprises. Meanwhile, AirMagnet Survey is tailored for WiFi planning and spectrum analysis, excelling in precise network design and real-time troubleshooting.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Wireless is criticized for a complex interface and high costs. Users desire cloud integration, simplified licensing, and better RF interference management. AirMagnet Survey needs improved feature integration, support for the latest WiFi standards, and better documentation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Wireless benefits from a mature support structure and comprehensive documentation, though setup can be complex. Experiences vary; some users find it easy to install, while others encounter challenges. AirMagnet Survey provides dedicated support and simpler setup, although some face licensing issues and seek better deployment resources.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Wireless is considered expensive, but its feature set and reliability justify the cost for some. ROI experiences vary, with price sensitivity a persistent issue. AirMagnet Survey is also seen as costly; however, its specific network design capabilities are deemed valuable by certain users. Cisco's licensing complexities contribute to perceived high costs, while AirMagnet faces issues primarily with support renewals.

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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

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Modeling and Simulation (2nd), Network Troubleshooting (8th)

Cisco Wireless

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

153

Ranking in other categories

Wireless LAN (4th)

Mindshare comparison

AirMagnet Survey and Cisco Wireless aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. AirMagnet Survey is designed for Network Modeling and Simulation and holds a mindshare of 18.4%, down 32.2% compared to last year.
Cisco Wireless, on the other hand, focuses on Wireless LAN, holds 11.4% mindshare, down 14.9% since last year.

Network Modeling and Simulation

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

David Olofson

Manager at DD&P Services LLC

It fixes so many problems quickly that we don't regret spending more on high-end tools than most companies

It would be nice to have some more training resources for younger techs. We can use them if we need some assistance, but that usually requires one of us who knows what we're doing to calibrate the programs properly. There's one thing our nXG handhelds do that AirMagnet doesn't do out of the box. The nXG devices can analyze the wired and wireless networks simultaneously and map the networks out. We find it handy. However, if I have that plugged into our older OptiView XG tablets or our laptops, I have no way to analyze both the WiFi and the wired network at the same time and build a single picture with all that data. So far, that's something only our nXG handhelds can do. It would be nice if there were a way to integrate all the network discovery, troubleshooting, and mapping of the WiFi and the wired at the same time. There are almost no products that do that currently. If they managed to do that, they'd probably open up their market pretty quickly.

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GulfrazAhmad

Division Head Enterprise Infrastructure (SVP) at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Integrates with ISE, and is secure, reliable, and easy to deploy

The main concern is the length and overlapping. We have to put on four to six access points on the same floor, and we face the issue of overlapping areas. If Cisco can extend the range of their indoor APs, we would need to install just one or two access points, and it would eliminate the problem of the overlapping area. They should provide built-in features for safe authentication. Right now, we integrate with ISE and FortiClient for this feature. We first check the NAC, and after the NAC and before the domain, a token password installed on their mobile or a physical token is required to join the network. If Cisco had built-in authentication, we would be able to eliminate one product from our network.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The benefit is with the ease of use of the software, I am able to show the customer, "Here is what your wireless coverage looks like." It is set up in a fashion that non-technical people can understand it."

"The predictive survey is the most valuable feature. I use it quite often."

"Clear and easy to use maps."

"The addition of the AirMapper software on the nXG and our AirCheck G2s has helped a lot because we're mostly not drilling down into the data. Local managers only need to see the coverage on their end and whether there are performance bottlenecks. These things are easy enough for us to ascertain with iPerf."

"It allows us to prepare more real designs. Later, we validate them with actual surveys."

"The most valuable feature is the predictive survey. The antennas' RF patterns are reflected correctly on the drawing when preparing predictive heat maps."

"The heat maps are quite good, and some features are easy to use."

"Customer service is great."

More AirMagnet Survey pros

"It is a very scalable solution."

"Cisco Wireless is mostly stable with a low downrate and the signal rate is good. It is also easy to use."

"Cisco Wireless always has the latest technology that supports WiFi 5 and 6."

"It is an extremely stable and scalable solution. Its documentation and support are also very good."

"Identity PSK helps save SSIDs."

"The mobility that it provides is really helpful."

"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."

"The solution is easy to use and its stable."

More Cisco Wireless pros

Cons

"Printouts are JPEG printouts. The AirMagnet software is proprietary. I can't send my customers a file, because it is AirMagnet file, even for building projects. I can only send JPEGs or screenshots of heat maps."

"It'd be nice if it was cheaper, however, you get value for your money."

"I would say some of our newer techs that are going out to job sites can be a little bit intimidated by the interface."

"When you conduct an active survey and then want to use it for design work, it's actually not very useful."

"AirMagnet Survey doesn't cover certain devices in the system."

"The user interface needs a lot of improvement. The auto-placement of access points is not accurate."

"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 moment, you can filter by channel or SSID, but grouping all those SSIDs together is a difficult task."

"Less time consumed doing the real surveys."

More AirMagnet Survey cons

"Controllers could be improved."

"An expensive solution that small companies cannot afford."

"For all products on the market, the availability of the products may not be ideal. We're waiting on a lot of products simply due to the fact that there's a material shortage. We've ordered products and have had to wait three or four months for anything to get delivered. This is not just Cisco. It's a problem on the market for all components which include semiconductors."

"The media stream and Mojo settings are not sufficiently supported."

"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."

"The product’s interface must be improved."

"It's very scalable, but when you shift gears sometimes, you have to do more work than people anticipate."

"In the next release, I would like to see some AI capability deployed. Other competitors like Mist and Juniper already have it. So, AI features need to be introduced next year."

More Cisco Wireless cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For technical support, you need an annual license, but it is not worth it."

"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."

"There is an annual cost of the solution. There are some additional charges, such as support and maintenance."

"This product is very expensive."

"The tool's pricing is medium."

"The pricing needs improvement."

"The moment we began needing more of the vendor's support, the cost became very high; we switched to another solution."

"Never pay the full GPL price."

"We have to pay for the hardware and support is extra and we do pay for the support."

"It is an expensive product. I would rate the pricing a nine out of ten, with ten being expensive."

"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."

"The pricing is high. It could be cheaper."

"We opt for a one-time purchasing fee model in our setup. Since we don't utilize a management platform or WLAN controller, there are no recurring costs. The access points we typically use, which support Cisco's wireless masters, are priced at around $250 each. Occasionally, we purchase them in packs of five or as part of extended packs at a prorated cost."

"The product is expensive."

"Its licensing is not simple. There are additional license costs for features, which is frustrating for us. There are some features that are included for free in the base Aruba product, but they are available at additional costs in this solution."

More Cisco Wireless pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user212721

President at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Mar 24, 2015

Cisco vs. Aruba Wireless Solutions

Cisco or Aruba Networks? If you are considering wireless access solutions, this is a common question that you are probably asking. You probably have sales people knocking at your door. How do you make sense of all the stories that you are presented with. If you have done any research, you are…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Educational Organization

Government

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

16%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about AirMagnet Survey?

We use the solution for Wi-Fi and networks.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

Which is better - Cisco Wireless or Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?

Cisco Wireless is very robust, very rugged, and can handle indoor and outdoor coverage extremely well. We found it to be very reliable and to consistently run very efficiently. Cisco Wireless helpe...

See all answers

Which is better - Ruckus Wireless or Cisco Wireless?

Ruckus Wireless offers users the benefit of being both easy to set up and get running as well as being very user friendly. This user-friendly quality also renders it easy to learn how to use and ma...

See all answers

How does Cisco Wireless compare with Aruba Wireless?

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 availabl...

See all answers

Comparisons

Ekahau Site Survey vs AirMagnet Survey

Compared 81% of the time

iBwave Wi-Fi vs AirMagnet Survey

Compared 6% of the time

AirCheck G3 vs AirMagnet Survey

Compared 4% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs AirMagnet Survey

Compared 3% of the time

NetAlly EtherScope nXG vs AirMagnet Survey

Compared 3% of the time

More AirMagnet Survey Competitors

Aruba Wireless vs Cisco Wireless

Compared 28% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Cisco Wireless

Compared 27% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Cisco Wireless

Compared 8% of the time

Fortinet FortiAP vs Cisco Wireless

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Cisco Wireless

Compared 7% of the time

More Cisco Wireless Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

AirMagnet Survey

April 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Cisco Wireless

April 2025

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Also Known As

No data available

Cisco WLAN Controller

Overview

AirMagnet Survey PRO enables network professionals to design, deploy, and validate Wi-Fi 6 networks for optimal performance, security, and compliance. It also calculates the ideal quantity, placement, and configuration of APs for a successful wireless LAN deployment. AirMagnet Survey PRO goes beyond simply verifying RF coverage by plotting actual end-user network performance in terms of connection speed, throughput, and packet statistics by allowing you to use any Wi-Fi adapter or AirMapper™ Site Survey on the AirCheck™ G2 and EtherScope® nXG. Survey PRO helps you get Wi-Fi installations right the first time, preventing costly rework and user complaints.

NetAlly

Cisco Wireless is a comprehensive suite of wireless solutions designed to deliver secure, high-performance connectivity for enterprises of all sizes. Offering a range of access points, controllers, and advanced management tools, Cisco Wireless ensures seamless and reliable network access, enhancing mobility and productivity.

Cisco Wireless solutions provide robust, scalable wireless networks capable of supporting high-density environments and diverse applications. With features such as seamless roaming, advanced security protocols, and detailed analytics, Cisco Wireless addresses the needs of modern businesses. The solutions include the Cisco Catalyst and Aironet series access points, wireless LAN controllers, and the Cisco DNA Center for centralized management and automation.

What are the key features of Cisco Wireless?

High-Density Performance: Optimized for environments with a high number of devices, ensuring reliable connectivity and performance.
Advanced Security: Incorporates robust security measures such as WPA3, Secure Boot, and segmentation to protect data and devices.
Seamless Roaming: Enables uninterrupted connectivity as users move across different areas within the network.
Centralized Management: Cisco DNA Center provides a single pane of glass for managing and automating wireless networks, enhancing operational efficiency.
Flexible Deployment Options: Supports various deployment models, including on-premises, cloud-managed, and hybrid solutions.

What benefits should users look for in reviews when evaluating Cisco Wireless?

Improved Mobility and Productivity: Users often highlight how Cisco Wireless enhances user mobility and productivity through reliable and consistent connectivity.
Scalability: Reviews frequently mention the scalability of Cisco Wireless, making it suitable for growing businesses.
Ease of Management: Many users appreciate the centralized management capabilities, which simplify network administration and troubleshooting.
Enhanced Security: The advanced security features are often noted for providing peace of mind and compliance with industry standards.
User Experience: The overall user experience, including ease of use and seamless integration with other Cisco products, is a common point of praise.

Cisco Wireless solutions are implemented across various industries, including healthcare, education, retail, and manufacturing. In healthcare, they support critical applications like patient monitoring and electronic health records. Educational institutions use Cisco Wireless to provide reliable internet access for students and staff. Retailers benefit from enhanced customer experiences through in-store connectivity, while manufacturers use wireless networks to improve operational efficiency and automation.

Pricing and licensing for Cisco Wireless solutions are typically based on the scale of deployment and specific product selections. Cisco offers various support plans, including 24/7 customer service, technical support, and access to software updates and patches.

In summary, Cisco Wireless provides robust, scalable wireless networking solutions that enhance connectivity, security, and management for diverse enterprise environments.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Houston Methodist Hospital, Love's Travel Stops

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)

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April 2025

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