Aruba Airwave vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper comparison

Aruba Airwave vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

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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

Aruba Airwave

Ranking in Network Management Applications

3rd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SolarWinds Network Topology...

Ranking in Network Management Applications

11th

Average Rating

9.6

Reviews Sentiment

2.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Aruba Airwave is 4.3%, down from 7.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper is 2.1%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Management Applications Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Aruba Airwave	4.3%
SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper	2.1%
Other	93.6%

Network Management Applications

Featured Reviews

Edward Zeng

Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology

Troubleshooting obstacles occur but technical support excels

My general opinion on Aruba Airwave is that it's acceptable, but it's not ideal because we are accustomed to Cisco. We didn't use Aruba much, but once you set it up, you probably don't need to worry about it too much. The version we are using is quite old now, probably around version four. I can't remember the version exactly because a lot of the products require Aruba Central, but we haven't used Aruba Central yet. I face challenges with Aruba Airwave, particularly with troubleshooting. When someone has a problem, we try troubleshooting, but the end-to-end users' messages show some details that are not always up-to-date, and sometimes the information from the GUI is not exactly aligned with what's on the website. If Aruba Airwave can apply AI capabilities, that would be even more perfect. I'd appreciate integration with Aruba Central; it would be great if they could incorporate it into Airwave.

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reviewer2687874

Design Engineer at a wholesaler/distributor with 501-1,000 employees

Effective tools simplify network mapping and analysis

I can't really articulate any areas that could be improved with the product right offhand. Just as long as they keep it around, since I know things are going into subscription models. One thing we do appreciate about the tool is that it's essentially a perpetual tool. Once you purchase it and the Engineer's ToolBox, it's been beneficial, serving as another utility tool on the network. I can't think of anything specific offhand for how SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper could improve, because I treat it as a simple utility tool that serves those needs. It scans the network for SNMP and ICMP echoes to map the topologies of the existing network. It's a small utility tool that's very helpful and beneficial, another option for us to utilize, and while there's always room for more features, that typically comes with a cost that we have to weigh.

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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 most valuable features are the error log and intrusion log. It also provides an overview of your assets. It gives a good database for wireless coverage."

"The monitoring and administration allow configurations for checking the association of the user to the network, then to the AP, then to the switch, and back to the controller."

"Aruba Airwave provides a robust solution for monitoring and configuring Wi-Fi networks."

"It facilitated creating floor maps."

"The most valuable features of the solution are its dashboard and simplicity."

"The Clarity feature makes it easy to use and understand what is going on with your network in a nice dashboard."

"It has improved my organization by increasing troubleshooting opportunities which makes things more efficient."

"The powerful features we can put forward in Aruba Airwave are clarity, report creation, and VisualRF."

More Aruba Airwave pros

"One of the best features of SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper is that it has over 60 utility tools to utilize, so it offers a lot of different features, more than I have time to discuss at this moment, making it a good extra set of utility tools that we can incorporate onto our network."

"It's user-friendly."

Cons

"Its pricing and support could be improved."

"When upgrading hardware, there were technical issues with network interfaces and Red Hat, which required escalation to developers."

"My general opinion on Aruba Airwave is that it's acceptable, but it's not ideal because we are accustomed to Cisco."

"I want a management solution to manage and monitor everything from a single dashboard. This is not there with 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 including floor plans."

"Pricing for Aruba Airwave could be cheaper, which is an area for improvement in the solution."

"More devices or vendors should be onboarded to Aruba Airwave."

More Aruba Airwave cons

"This is a relatively expensive product."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Aruba Airwave is an expensive solution."

"The licensing is on an yearly basis."

"We must buy a new license to connect more devices to scale up the 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."

"It is an expensive solution."

"It's device-based licensing. One device requires one license."

"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."

"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."

More Aruba Airwave pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

10%

Computer Software Company

Educational Organization

13%

Government

12%

Energy/Utilities Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	14

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Airwave?

I think the solution is quite affordable.

What needs improvement with Aruba Airwave?

They have other sensors which can manage and control all the sites. There is an IoT component where we can restrict internet services such as Facebook and YouTube. These things can also be managed....

What is your primary use case for Aruba Airwave?

For Aruba Airwave, I am using the wireless devices for the Wi-Fi for the full company with access points. This is the top product I feel, and I see in the Gartner also. It is a good product and eas...

What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?

What is your primary use case for SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?

In general, I use it for scanning IT and OT devices for networks and laying out their topology mapping. The industry I use it for is manufacturing. We specifically don't use it as our network manag...

What advice do you have for others considering SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?

The Engineer's Toolset is something I use hand-in-hand with the Topology Mapper, and it complements it well. Regarding pricing and licensing with SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper, I haven't faced...

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Product Reports

Aruba Airwave

Download Aruba Airwave product report

Network Management Applications

Download SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper product report

SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper report

Also Known As

No data available

SolarWinds NTM

Overview

Offering granular visibility into wired and wireless networks, AirWave is the only management platform designed with mobile devices and apps in mind. By proactively monitoring the health and performance of all things connected, AirWave lets IT gain the insights they need to support the digital workplace.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Automate device discovery and mapping
Build multiple maps from a single scan
Export network diagrams to Visio
Auto-detect changes to network topology
Perform multi-level network discovery
Address regulatory PCI compliance

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

Henkel, University of Findlay, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Iowa

Information Not Available

Aruba Airwave vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper