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Aruba Instant On Access Points vs Cisco Wireless comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 21, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
1.8
Organizations find Aruba Instant On Access Points offer great performance and easy management, justifying costs despite financial evaluation concerns.
Sentiment score
1.0
Cisco Wireless improves productivity and stability, offering quick returns, cost savings, and reliability for various organizations.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.2
Aruba Instant On Access Points have mixed reviews, praised for fast support but criticized for delays and language issues.
Sentiment score
5.2
Cisco Wireless support is praised for responsiveness and expertise, though service quality varies by location and engineer expertise.
The technical support from Aruba is rated seven due to limitations, such as support issues when the controller is on the VM side.
There are still issues with the language barrier and the overall quality of support.
The Cisco forum also has good questions that help resolve problems and issues.
The technical support from Cisco is of high quality.
The technical support from Cisco is good.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Aruba Instant On Access Points are scalable for SMBs but limited for enterprises, suitable for smaller, budget-conscious implementations.
Sentiment score
6.5
Cisco Wireless scales well for larger users, but smaller organizations may face higher costs and infrastructure challenges.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Aruba Instant On Access Points provide reliable connectivity for up to 25 users, praised for stability and minimal issues.
Sentiment score
7.4
Cisco Wireless is highly stable, praised for reliability, minimal issues, and quick glitch resolution, making it a dependable choice.
The stability of Aruba Instant On Access Points is generally good.
 

Room For Improvement

Aruba Instant On Access Points need better integration, scalability, and user-friendly features to improve usability and customer satisfaction.
Cisco Wireless users seek improved management, lower costs, better interface, stronger coverage, and enhanced Apple and third-party compatibility.
The default configuration can be overridden to enhance performance beyond the default settings.
There is not enough focus on security across networking vendors, and they often add features without testing them thoroughly.
In future updates, more AI for intelligence and the option for a separate network could be beneficial.
We would prefer if we could increase the controller to a 10 gig interface because we want to connect our controller to a 10 gig interface.
Sometimes, integration with other Cisco products requires manual intervention for tasks such as firmware upgrades, which should be automated.
In the long term, there could be a cost reduction because it does not require much maintenance.
 

Setup Cost

Aruba Instant On Access Points offer affordable, all-inclusive pricing under $200, contrasting with competitors like Cisco with no recurring fees.
Cisco Wireless solutions are costly with complex licensing, but offer high quality and features, making them a premium option.
When comparing pricing with Cisco, Aruba Instant On Access Points are competitively priced, making them affordable solutions for SMBs, rather than being higher priced.
The pricing of Aruba Instant On Access Points is competitive compared to Cisco, and they are actually cheaper.
Aruba Instant On Access Points work without a list price, suggesting that they are open source and no additional licensing costs are incurred.
Cisco generally is expensive.
The price of Cisco Wireless is pretty expensive.
Cisco has provided significant discounts for large-scale deployments.
 

Valuable Features

Aruba Instant On Access Points provide easy cloud management, seamless integration, and cost-effective security for small to medium-sized sites.
Cisco Wireless offers security, scalability, seamless integration, and excellent support, making it ideal for diverse environments.
We have implemented approximately 300 plus devices on one premise without receiving any complaints about malfunctioning or functionality errors; it runs smoothly.
Customers choose Aruba because it is more stable, has superior radio management, and offers features like mesh and a stateful firewall.
The virtual controller feature is very beneficial because it removes the need for a physical controller.
The advantages of Cisco Wireless include helping me aggregate all the access points, managing one point connection for my users easily, controlling rogues, and addressing hotspots effectively.
If one network fails, there is a link between different access points, which ensures network continuity.
When I install it, I can forget about it because there is no need for ongoing maintenance, and no other problems occur.
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Instant On Access Points
Ranking in Wireless LAN
8th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
33
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Wireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
4.9
Number of Reviews
154
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Instant On Access Points is 1.4%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Wireless is 11.0%, down from 13.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Wireless11.0%
Aruba Instant On Access Points1.4%
Other87.6%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

ANKIT GAJJAR - PeerSpot reviewer
Have faced challenges with visibility and support while exploring more accessible alternatives
I have been working with Aruba Instant On Access Points for the last five years, implementing the HP Enterprise series grade Wi-Fi in the Surat Diamond Bourse. HP Aruba is easily available in the India market, so sometimes customers are preferring the HP Aruba Central solution. When we talk about Cisco WireWorks, my thoughts about Advanced Threat Detection indicate that Cisco needs to improve the visibility of its products in the India market, as there is very much less visibility right now. I would rate the stability of Aruba Instant On Access Points as the best one. Overall, I rate Aruba Instant On Access Points eight out of ten, as Aruba is a most versatile solution. I can definitely recommend Aruba Instant On Access Points to others.
EvansEsezobor - PeerSpot reviewer
Has enabled centralized user management and improved wireless access point aggregation
To improve Cisco Wireless, the ports on the access points are all 100 Meg, not 1 gig. We have not gotten a gigabyte interface of about 1,000, but the controller we have is just 1 gig. We would prefer if we could increase the controller to a 10 gig interface because we want to connect our controller to a 10 gig interface, which currently limits us to 1 gig. When we want to move higher capacity data via wireless, it limits us to 1 gig.
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Comparison Review

it_user212721 - PeerSpot reviewer
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…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
8%
Performing Arts
7%
Hospitality Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Educational Organization
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business23
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise9
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business76
Midsize Enterprise41
Large Enterprise74
 

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.
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.
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.
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...
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...
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...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Cisco WLAN Controller
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
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)
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Cisco Wireless and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
872,706 professionals have used our research since 2012.