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Aruba Airwave vs Cisco DNA Center comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 2, 2025

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

Aruba Airwave
Ranking in Network Management Applications
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco DNA Center
Ranking in Network Management Applications
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
41
Ranking in other categories
Network Monitoring Software (12th), Network Automation (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Aruba Airwave is 6.4%, down from 9.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 25.1%, down from 29.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Management Applications
 

Featured Reviews

Prashant-Patel - PeerSpot reviewer
The solution has multi-vendor support, and it can be used for network management
Aruba Airwave is an on-prem solution, so you have to manage it with your servers to be deployed. You can also deploy it on the cloud if you have your own private cloud. All the configuration guides and the different types of designs you need are available from Aruba Airwave's portal. I would recommend Aruba Airwave to other users. Overall, I rate Aruba Airwave ten out of ten.
AvrahamSonenthal - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficiently manages our wireless network and provides valuable monitoring features
The platform's biggest benefit has been in managing our wireless network. Having a single pane of glass to control all wireless controllers and access points and to monitor activity has been a significant advantage. We're a small federal agency with around 300 network devices, so automation is a minor focus. It's more relevant for larger networks. The main benefits we've seen are in inventory management and the potential for configuration automation. However, I recommend using the DNA Centre only for larger networks with over a thousand devices; otherwise, it may not be cost-effective. Before proceeding, ensure that your devices are compatible with DNA Center, as not all Cisco devices are supported. Also, investing in proper training is different from plug-and-play. I rate it an eight.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It contains valuable features for engineers to C-level executives, who want visibility, performance, statistics, and a platform which can take action for them without manual intervention, saving time and money.​​"
"The most beneficial feature for network monitoring in Aruba Airwave is the Live Heat Map. It helps identify interferences, coverage issues, and user connectivity issues. The device management capability of Aruba Airwave is good. It provides end-to-end visibility from the user to the access point, the switch, and the internet breakout. From a monitoring, management, and orchestration standpoint, it is very effective and can manage any scale of deployment."
"I would rate the overall solution nine out of ten."
"The Clarity feature makes it easy to use and understand what is going on with your network in a nice dashboard.​"
"The technical support services are good."
"Aruba Airwave provides a robust solution for monitoring and configuring Wi-Fi networks."
"The most valuable features of the solution are its dashboard and simplicity."
"It facilitated creating floor maps."
"It enables monitoring of various components such as access points, switch cards, and other elements within the company's solutions."
"Cisco DNA Center is a user-friendly solution."
"DNA Center is scalable."
"Cisco DNA Center provides operational support, compliance support, security vulnerability detection, and automatic scheduling."
"The product offers an intuitive and automated way to manage user networks. It gives me an insight into the network health."
"The monitoring is very valuable to me."
"The automation features are significant, reducing configuration time. This means outstanding functionality. By deploying the controller automatically, the rest becomes automated"
"We can monitor all devices and get the required information using the product."
 

Cons

"When upgrading hardware, there were technical issues with network interfaces and Red Hat, which required escalation to developers."
"I would try to integrate more products from different vendors in future releases. Because that's really good features that Aruba Airway has, but it's so limited."
"Its pricing and support could be improved."
"The solution’s pricing could be improved."
"More devices or vendors should be onboarded to Aruba Airwave."
"I would like to see is “AAS”. Not only Aruba APs with central, but NAC/ClearPass, AirWave, and everything licensed as a Service."
"I want a management solution to manage and monitor everything from a single dashboard. This is not there with Airwave."
"The overall monitoring of this solution could be improved."
"The task failure reporting or provisioning failure reporting could be a little bit better in the UI, with more information given to the user."
"DNA Center has been on the market for a few years and they need to update it."
"The tool's IoT integration should be better."
"From the recent DNA point of view, there are some stability challenges with Cisco, but very minor."
"Cisco could improve the security side of their solutions."
"Requires more focus on the digital side of things."
"The cost is very high."
"Integration with analytic tools and API integrations would be ideal."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing cost for Aruba Airwave increased from $72 to $210 within a few months. It would be better if the pricing for the solution were cheaper."
"Licensing and pricing are extremely straightforward."
"The cost is perfect because the devices have a lifetime warranty, and the licensing is good as well."
"It's device-based licensing. One device requires one license."
"Aruba Airwave is an expensive solution."
"Run a 90 day free Proof of Concept (PoC) for each product by implementing and using it fully in your environment. This way you will be educated on its features, functionality, and manageability."
"The tool is expensive. If one is bad or expensive, and ten is very good or cheap, I rate the product's price as a six."
"AirWave is a very expensive solution. If you implement it in a wide range network, it will cost a lot. There is no option to sell it outside that price segment, which is a problem."
"The product is very costly."
"I do know that Cisco does offer some really good promotions for DNA Center to bring the costs down."
"I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with ten being expensive."
"The tool's licensing may not come across as something that may be friendly for users."
"Cisco DNA Center is expensive."
"The partnership price is notably high, but it ultimately depends on the chosen business model."
"Cisco DNA Center is too expensive."
"The licensing cost for Cisco DNA Center is not more than that of other solutions."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Government
9%
University
8%
Computer Software Company
17%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Airwave?
I would rate the stability a nine out of ten.
What needs improvement with Aruba Airwave?
When attempting to copy a floor plan, it does not copy well, so I often have to redraw the walls. It's somewhat annoying since other Wi-Fi design software we use is easier for drawing walls and inc...
What do you like most about Cisco DNA Center?
The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it gives some kind of ease in operations, especially since our company is moving from CLI to GUI-based configuration.
What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?
The system is working fine for me currently.
 

Also Known As

No data available
DNA Center
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Henkel, University of Findlay, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Iowa
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Airwave vs. Cisco DNA Center and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
849,686 professionals have used our research since 2012.