AirMagnet Survey PRO 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 6.5, and holds a 17.3% mindshare in the category. Cisco is ranked #3 in Wireless LAN , with an average rating of 8.5, and holds a 11.2% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of NetAlly users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

AirMagnet Survey PRO

Read 39 AirMagnet Survey PRO reviews

3,000 Views
1,642 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

Cisco Wireless

Read 153 Cisco Wireless reviews

13,319 Views
12,077 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

AirMagnet Survey PRO

Cisco Wireless

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

Cisco Wireless and AirMagnet Survey PRO compete in the wireless networking solutions category. Cisco Wireless appears to have the upper hand due to its emphasis on versatility and high security, which are significant for enterprise-level deployments.

Features: Cisco Wireless is versatile, with features like CleanAir, scalability, and seamless roaming. Its management and flexibility in AP configurations stand out. In comparison, AirMagnet Survey PRO excels in planning and predictive surveys, enabling precise AP placements and advanced RF environment analysis.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Wireless could improve cloud integration and cost-effectiveness to simplify configurations and enhance ROI. AirMagnet Survey PRO needs better platform integration and a more user-friendly experience, along with addressing cost and licensing flexibility issues.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Wireless focuses on on-premises deployments, occasionally using public or hybrid cloud solutions, with technical support praised but varying geographically. AirMagnet Survey PRO supports on-premises setups and is commended for its reliable customer support, though users suggest enhancements.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Wireless is seen as expensive for smaller entities, with high upfront and ongoing licensing costs but justified ROI due to strong performance and security. AirMagnet Survey PRO faces criticism for high maintenance and licensing fees despite its valuable capabilities promising quicker ROI with lower initial investment.

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Network Modeling and Simulation

June 2025

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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 PRO

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Modeling and Simulation (2nd), Network Troubleshooting (7th)

Cisco Wireless

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

153

Ranking in other categories

Wireless LAN (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

AirMagnet Survey PRO and Cisco Wireless aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. AirMagnet Survey PRO is designed for Network Modeling and Simulation and holds a mindshare of 17.3%, down 31.5% compared to last year.
Cisco Wireless, on the other hand, focuses on Wireless LAN, holds 11.2% mindshare, down 14.6% since last year.

Network Modeling and Simulation

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

Mark Witherspoon

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.

Read full review

Theesula Majuwanagamage

Head Of ELV and ICT at Intec Systems Solution Pvt Ltd

Bridging capabilities ensure network continuity and reliability in large-scale deployments

The most valuable feature of Cisco Wireless ( /products/cisco-wireless-reviews ) is the bridging capability. If one network fails, there is a link between different access points, which ensures network continuity. Additionally, Cisco offers significant discounts for large projects. The reliability and robust solution are also key aspects, as there have been no errors or failures. The implementation is straightforward, and the user interface connection is easy.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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 is reliable and easy to use (user-friendly). The heat mapping, passive network surveying, and doing the heat mapping of a building's wireless network allows me to see what level of coverage an area has."

"Using the products to ensure the safety of our equipment that we have a lot invested in."

"We use the solution for Wi-Fi and networks."

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

"Clear and easy to use maps."

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

More AirMagnet Survey PRO pros

"There are a lot of valuable features and functions. One example is CleanAir to detect and troubleshoot interference issues. Another is RX-SOP to optimize roaming."

"Compared to other solutions, captive guest network is one of the best isolation and tunneling."

"The most valuable features for network security with Cisco Wireless were the policy enforcement capabilities."

"Support is fantastic. They are helpful and responsive."

"Authentication is the important feature for us. My IT staff no longer has to look after catering to clients who come from overseas."

"The product enables mobility and centralized control."

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

"Some of the valuable features of this solution are security, the controller is simple to configure, devices are easy to install, and we use the software to administrate all the APs."

More Cisco Wireless pros

Cons

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

"The throughput should be more advanced in the future. They need to add more versions of WiFi than just one."

"But it's definitely a more expensive solution than other ones."

"Less time consumed doing the real surveys."

"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."

"The surveying features are in need of improvement, along with general usability."

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

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

More AirMagnet Survey PRO cons

"I wouldn't mind if Cisco allowed their premiere devices to be able to have that cloud-based support as well, or cloud-based management."

"The coverage provided by the solution is an area of concern in some cases, making it an area where improvements are required."

"The solution could improve by having an advanced model with a controller. Additionally, the solution could be more secure."

"Even though the tool offers a cloud-based central management option, the product needs to work on improving the security part a bit since it is an area of concern."

"The new licensing has no added value and seems to be Cisco's effort to take advantage of customers."

"The installation is very tiring and painful, the process could be easier."

"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."

"Older versions used to be hard to deploy. The latest OS, however, has made things a lot easier. While deployment is much better, it could always be even easier."

More Cisco Wireless cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool's pricing is medium."

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

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

"This product is very expensive."

"The pricing needs improvement."

"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."

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

"The price of Cisco Wireless equipment is expensive."

"The pricing is reasonable."

"There is a need to renew the licenses for Cisco Wireless every three years. My company needs to pay around 25 percent of the budget meant for the tools we purchase towards the price of Cisco Wireless."

"I rate the tool's pricing a ten out of ten. It is expensive compared to Aruba and Juniper."

"I rate the tool's pricing a seven out of ten."

"However, when you integrate the access point and the controller with the DNAT across multiple sites, you need a DNAT cluster, which is a costly solution. Every site has a controller, and a DNAT cluster is not a good option in a global framework. It's okay for a small office or a few offices. But when you're talking about 500 offices, the cost becomes enormous."

"I feel the product's pricing is a good value."

"The solution is very costly."

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%

Government

Educational Organization

Retailer

Computer Software Company

15%

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...

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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 AI Pro vs AirMagnet Survey PRO

Compared 76% of the time

iBwave Unity vs AirMagnet Survey PRO

Compared 5% of the time

AirCheck G3 vs AirMagnet Survey PRO

Compared 4% of the time

Wireshark vs AirMagnet Survey PRO

Compared 3% of the time

NetAlly EtherScope nXG vs AirMagnet Survey PRO

Compared 3% of the time

More AirMagnet Survey PRO 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 PRO

June 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Cisco Wireless

June 2025

Download Cisco Wireless product report

Also Known As

No data available

Cisco WLAN Controller

Overview

AirMagnet Survey PRO provides efficient wireless network surveying and design capabilities, optimizing access point placement with dual passive-active surveys, spectrum integration, and real-time analysis.

AirMagnet Survey PRO offers comprehensive tools for wireless coverage optimization. It facilitates accurate SNR/RSSI data collection and features multi-floor planning with robust reporting capabilities. The software enables efficient spectrum analysis, predictive mapping, and simultaneous 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz surveys, saving significant time. Users appreciate its intuitive interface, which aids technical assessments and visual displays. However, they suggest improvements in multi-floor integration, file import options, and a more dynamic license system. Enhanced cloud storage support, improved auto-placement features, and better device compatibility are also on the wishlist.

What are the key features of AirMagnet Survey PRO?

Dual Passive-Active Surveys: Streamline access point placement with dual survey types.
Antenna Customization: Tailor antenna parameters for optimal performance.
Predictive Mapping: Visualize potential coverage areas before deployment.
Spectrum Integration: Analyze interference and optimize signal paths.
Simultaneous 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Surveys: Conduct faster, comprehensive surveys across frequency bands.

What benefits should users look for in reviews of AirMagnet Survey PRO?

Accurate Data Collection: Highly precise SNR/RSSI measurements improve network assessments.
Time Efficiency: Reduce survey duration with dual-band simultaneous assessments.
User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies complex tasks with intuitive visual tools.
Comprehensive Reporting: Offers detailed analysis and insights into network performance.
Cost Savings: Efficient planning and troubleshooting lead to reduced deployment costs.

In industries like hospitality, education, and healthcare, AirMagnet Survey PRO is instrumental in wireless network surveying and design. These sectors rely on the software for precise Wi-Fi coverage assessments, spectrum analysis, and real-time signal checks, using heat maps to identify dead zones for pre and post-installation verifications. Some opt for alternatives to support newer technologies like Wi-Fi 6E.

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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June 2025

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