Aruba Instant On Access Points vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Cisco are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.6, while Cisco is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.2. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 1.1% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to Cisco’s 12.3% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Aruba Instant On Access Points

Read 32 Aruba Instant On Access Points reviews

1,622 Views
887 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Read 119 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN reviews

12,623 Views
10,448 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Aruba Instant On Access Points

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and Aruba Instant On Access Points compete in the wireless networking category. Cisco Meraki seems to have the upper hand due to its rich enterprise-grade features and robust cloud management capabilities, while Aruba shines with affordability and ease of use.

Features: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN offers robust cloud management capabilities, centralized control for multiple infrastructures, seamless connectivity, SSID creation, and advanced networking configurations. Aruba Instant On Access Points focus on user-friendliness, offering a Virtual Controller for flexible management, ease of setup, and clustering capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Meraki users highlight high costs, restrictive licensing, scalability issues, and lack of advanced features as areas for improvement. Aruba Instant On Access Points could enhance security, integration, and support for more access points for larger deployments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Meraki is versatile with public cloud, on-premises, and hybrid solutions, simplifying deployment. Customer service is comprehensive but occasionally costly. Aruba predominantly offers an on-premises setup, ideal for small to medium setups, with a straightforward support approach but could improve advanced troubleshooting.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Meraki has a higher cost structure with recurring licensing, making it expensive for smaller businesses but justified for its features. Aruba Instant On Access Points offer competitive pricing without ongoing fees, appealing to budget-conscious users but may not match the ROI for larger, complex deployments.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

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

Aruba Instant On Access Points

Ranking in Wireless LAN

9th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Ranking in Wireless LAN

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

5.1

Number of Reviews

119

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Instant On Access Points is 1.1%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is 12.3%, down from 12.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

Ricardo Quintero

Infrastructure/Telcom Coordinator at Schnellecke Group AG & Co. KG

Affordable and offers an easy setup phase

I was working on the on-premises solutions, like IronNet, Aironet, and some other tools from Cisco, but not with Meraki. The last Aironet model that we have here in Mexico, in the corporate office, and in some of the other regions of Mexico is Cisco Aironet 3700 and Cisco Aironet 3800, so it is just two or three devices. Aruba Instant On Access Points was working with Aruba 2540 and Cisco 3850 In Cisco, I found some issues. I was working well with a vendor. I was working with Cisco Catalyst 9200 and Cisco Catalyst 9300, along with Cisco Catalyst 2916M XL Switch. With all devices, we got a report. During the immigration, we choose another vendor, which Aruba. We have some issues with Aruba Instant On Access Points in iOS that are targeting the devices, and I have seen some problems with the DHCP solution.

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RezaPradipta

Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk

Streamline network management with a unified dashboard for seamless device integration

The primary use case for Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is mostly for enterprise wireless, including guest Wi-Fi and enterprise Wi-Fi. I use it across various industries with a focus on retail Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN offers a single pane of glass management. It only comes with a controller on the…

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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 coverage Aruba provides across the physical area is much better. Most probably because of the new technology, the 4x4 antenna, and everything around it. It's just a much better, easier to use, and easier to manage product."

"The product is easy to set up, providing value for time since it is very quick."

"The virtual controller feature is very beneficial because it removes the need for a physical controller."

"The most valuable feature of Aruba Instant On Access Points is they are easy to manage."

"The configuration is very simple."

"When an error or alert happens, I receive it in the application. I do not have to be there to know if something is wrong."

"It's super user-friendly."

"It's really easy to set up. And, you don't have to pay for the cloud solution. That's really interesting for our clients. And the other thing is, the roaming is also quite good."

More Aruba Instant On Access Points pros

"The interface makes it easy to manage."

"The user interface is very simple and easy to use — our customers are very satisfied."

"The solution is fast."

"From a security perspective, this product has several advantages."

"The settings of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN can be very granular. You can lock down and block devices with the controls. For example, we have four different wireless settings, such as guest, employee, security, and backup. For example, the settings for the employees, if they use laptops, they're required to have certain settings, such as an antivirus installed. If they do not then Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN will not let them connect. This is very good protection because the network works on the bringing your own device(BYOD) principle. It's a BYOD environment now, and you also don't want them to bring infection into the environment because these people are connecting to the LAN via wireless connections. We have to be careful because we're managing it, we have to be very strict with regards to the rules and policies."

"This product has allowed us to easily create custom SSIDs for clients and carve out the necessary bandwidth for clients needs."

"The product's most beneficial feature impacting network security is the ability to provide centralized security management."

"The tool's most valuable feature is report generation. Its dashboard helps me a lot with user analytics."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pros

Cons

"The security aspect needs improvement."

"The customer service and support are terrible."

"I want the product to be made available at a cheaper price point."

"Software-wise, I would like to have a way of moving APs from site to site and wish there would be a way to add more APs to one site. I know the limit is 25 APs per site and I wish there were more."

"The product's machine or equipment can cater to around 20 connections and cannot go beyond 50 simultaneous connections, because of which I think the tool's scalability is limited."

"The Unifi Controller is slower compared to other options like Aruba."

"The security aspect needs improvement."

"I believe there's room for improvement in the validation process, especially for customers facing compliance issues when managing access points from the cloud. It would be beneficial if the access points could also be managed from an on-premises controller. Regarding additional features, customers express interest in enhancing the controller, specifically improving the capability to manage a higher number of access points from the same controller. This feature is crucial for better scalability. Another feature that customers would appreciate is the ability to increase the number of access points. However, the current process for obtaining this permission can be time-consuming, and customers would like to see improvements in this regard."

More Aruba Instant On Access Points cons

"It lags a bit in providing reports for Wi-Fi performance."

"The logging sometimes doesn't give us the granularity needed. Some of the rules are a bit more complicated. The switch ports on the routers are not individually addressable, in the sense that with a switch you can tell what MAC address is on what port but with the security appliances, you can't, which would be beneficial for troubleshooting."

"The cost of the devices and the solution itself could be more competitive."

"I would like to see integration with sensors."

"The commercial version of the solution could be cheaper."

"Our only concern at this stage is how it's licensed."

"Quality of technical support varies."

"It is not a very stable solution."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate the product's pricing a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive."

"You buy it for $165 an AP, which is what we paid."

"There is a need to make yearly payments towards the standard licensing charges associated with the product. There are some additional costs associated with the product since I have seen customers who purchase three-year or five-year plans."

"It is competitively priced. It was at a price point that made sense for me to put in my home, and that says something. The cost of the solution includes everything we need to manage and upgrade our Wi-Fi network, including the mobile management app. Having the licensing and all the functionality built into the base price of the product is really important for me. There are no extra costs for the security feature or automatic software/firmware updates, which is really important to me."

"I would rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."

"It is expensive."

"The price of Aruba Instant On Access Points is reasonable. They are competitively priced. I've even used it in my home at one time because of the low price."

"Its price is fair. It is not really cheap, and it is also not expensive. It is in the middle."

More Aruba Instant On Access Points pricing and cost advice

"This solution is quite costly and there are costs in addition to the licensing fees."

"We pay licensing fees."

"It could be more affordable than other solutions."

"Higher subscription fee may be necessary if extra features are required."

"Its price is higher than other products. It is above the expectation of customers. So, every time we need to fight for a good price."

"The price of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN could be improved, it is too expensive. We pay for the solution on an annual basis."

"Cisco products are generally recognized for their performance and quality, which may justify the higher price point compared to other options on the market."

"The solution could improve the licensing structure and the price is expensive."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

26%

Computer Software Company

Construction Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Instant On Access Points?

It's really easy to set up. And, you don't have to pay for the cloud solution. That's really interesting for our clients. And the other thing is, the roaming is also quite good.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Instant On Access Points?

The cost of Aruba Instant On Access Points is reasonable; however, I do not have information on the exact pricing, such as cost per user or annual license fees.

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What needs improvement with Aruba Instant On Access Points?

We can improve Aruba Instant On Access Points by tuning some of the parameters of the radio. The default configuration can be overridden to enhance performance beyond the default settings.

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What are pros and cons of Aruba 515 Series AP vs. Cisco Meraki or Extreme Networks?

Depends. I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them. Extreme I am not, so unless they have some feature that I need or want, I wouldn't consider them. Do you have expe...

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

How does Ruckus Wireless compare to Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?

Cisco’s Meraki Virtual MX is a virtual instance of the Meraki SD-WAN appliance. We liked the Meraki. The Wifi APs are a great feature. The dashboard is a simple interface and easy to learn. It feat...

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Comparisons

Fortinet FortiAP vs Aruba Instant On Access Points

Compared 12% of the time

Aruba Instant vs Aruba Instant On Access Points

Compared 12% of the time

Cambium Networks Wireless LAN vs Aruba Instant On Access Points

Compared 11% of the time

Omada Access Points vs Aruba Instant On Access Points

Compared 11% of the time

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points vs Aruba Instant On Access Points

Compared 9% of the time

More Aruba Instant On Access Points Competitors

Aruba Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 32% of the time

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 13% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 11% of the time

Ubiquiti Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 6% of the time

Ekahau AI Pro vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 1% of the time

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant On Access Points

July 2025

Download Aruba Instant On Access Points product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

July 2025

Download Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN product report

Also Known As

No data available

MR18, MR26, MR32, MR34, MR66, MR72, Meraki Wireless LAN, Meraki WLAN

Overview

Ingredients for success.

Fast 802.11ac Wave 2, secure employee and guest access, easy-to-use web, and mobile app management.

Say yes to secure Wi-Fi access.

Pre-built access control lists (ACLs) and built-in firewall in the access points prevent malicious traffic from entering your network – we call it “hassle-free” security.

Never drop an important call.

With Instant On, voice and video business applications are automatically prioritized, so you stay connected with your peers.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Cisco Meraki access points are built from the highest grade components and carefully optimized for a seamless user experience. The outcome: faster connections, greater user capacity, more coverage, and fewer support calls. The Cisco Meraki dashboard gives visibility into the network users, their devices, and their applications. Armed with rich analytics, administrators can quickly create access control and application usage policies, optimizing both the end-user experience and network security.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Advanced Medical Transport, Banco de Guayaquil, Baylor Scott & White Health, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, Calligaris, Children's Hospital Colorado, City of Biel, Del Papa Distributing, Department of Justice, Dimension Data, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Hertz, K&L Gates , LightEdge, Lone Star College System, Management Science Associates, Mindtree, NBC Olympics, Quest, Sony Corporation, The Department of Education in Western Australia, Valley Proteins

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

June 2025

Free Report: Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.

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