Aruba Instant On Access Points vs D-Link Wireless comparison

Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. D-Link Wireless

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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

D-Link Wireless

Ranking in Wireless LAN

12th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

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 D-Link Wireless is 2.2%, down from 2.3% 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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NadirShahzad

System Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

Wireless projects run smoothly with more access point support and competitive pricing

D-Link Wireless offers more supported APs to the WLC with the default license compared to other brands like Cisco. With Cisco, only four to five APs are connected with the default license, but D-Link Wireless provides more flexibility. Local support in Pakistan is necessary for those with limited budgets, creating a reach in the market.

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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

"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."

"Regarding access points, the customer typically considers low-cost plans, and Ruckus Unleashed Access Points are commonly used. These access points are managed through the Microsoft console and can be accessed either with or without ports. The management is done through a controller. The main benefits customers see include cost-effectiveness, especially for those with budget constraints. Aruba, in particular, provides a good user experience. Some customers might choose Huawei, but enterprise access points are also considered. Additionally, the unified access point capabilities are valuable, allowing management from the same account. However, there is a limitation of twenty-five access points, and if a customer requires more, they need to create another site or account. If the customer exceeds twenty-five access points, they need to generate another site or virtual business to manage additional access points, as the external number is limited to twenty-five."

"I would rate the stability of this solution a ten out of ten."

"The solution's most valuable features include a simple deployment phase, easy management, and scalability."

"I find Aruba Instant On Access Points easy to monitor and appreciate the notifications they provide if there is a problem in the network."

"The initial setup is very simple."

"The solution is scalable."

"The advantages of Aruba Instant On Access Points include using a mobile application to control various aspects, making it a user-friendly solution for home use."

More Aruba Instant On Access Points pros

"This is an affordable product that offers good performance. This is why it is popular with our customers. It offers good speed and bandwidth."

"D-Link Wireless is a tool that is used since it is an easy and user-friendly product."

"The product's initial setup phase is easy."

"The most valuable feature of D-Link Wireless is its durability."

"It's scalable, user friendly, and easy to manage."

"Overall, I rate D-Link Wireless nine out of ten as a solution."

"D-Link is a good product that is quite affordable and I recommend it."

"The tool supports new technologies."

More D-Link Wireless pros

Cons

"The solution can be more integrated with other brands."

"The security aspect needs improvement."

"The challenging point for Aruba Instant On is the roaming capability, as it doesn’t perform as strongly as enterprise solutions."

"While it is mostly scalable, there are some limitations."

"With Aruba, the documentation on the website is not too easy to use, and some information is not found."

"If there's a way to get a floor map of our office space so we can place the access points on a map to be able to see what's what, where everything is going, where the most traffic is being connected, that would be a nice feature."

"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."

"It's only suitable for smaller offices. It doesn't scale well."

More Aruba Instant On Access Points cons

"Password restriction: Sometimes we set a password and it uses that password but, after some days/months, the password gets changed and a few laptops still use old the password while a few use the new password. The password restriction option needs to improve."

"The stability could be a bit better."

"D-Link has some catching up to do in terms of advancing and improving its technology."

"Sometimes, the solution needs to be restarted."

"The support offered by the product needs to be faster with better technical personnel."

"D-Link Wireless should include the 'cleaner' feature similar to Cisco's APs. This feature reduces signal interference with access points."

"The solution doesn't have hotspots. Users can't set it up so that visitors can log in via Facebook or social media as they can at, for example, airports. D-Link should include hotspots that offer integration with social media. That way, visitors don't need to be asking people for passwords. They can just use Facebook."

"In future releases, it can keep improving on countering the new patterns of security attacks."

More D-Link Wireless cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

"It needs a license."

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

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

"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."

"The product's price falls on the cheaper end of the spectrum. The price of the product is one of the biggest benefits that it offers."

"Aruba Instant On Access Points are license-free. It's a very good and cheap solution for wireless networks. It can be compared with solutions from Ubiquiti and TP-Link, but it is in a different class. Aruba Instant On Access Points are cheaper than those from Cisco, Ruckus, and Motorola. It's perhaps the cheapest one. They do not use licenses, so it is a solution from the box. You don't need to pay extra money or deal with hidden payments."

More Aruba Instant On Access Points pricing and cost advice

"D-Link pricing is very competitive when you consider other OEMs."

"This solution is more affordable than others on the market."

"The cost can range from $100 to $400."

"D-Link Wireless is cheaper than Ruckus or Cisco."

"D-Link Wireless' price is the same as Aruba's. You need to pay one-time costs for the product."

"The product is affordable."

"There is no licensing fee for the solution."

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is very cheap and ten is very expensive, I rate the pricing an eight out of ten."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

30%

Computer Software Company

Construction Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Comms Service Provider

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Educational Organization

10%

Manufacturing Company

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.

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 wireless solution would you choose - Huawei or D-Link?

Huawei wireless is a strong and solid product that has a lot of features - and for all that it offers, it happens to be very cost effective. As a wireless solution, it is simple and its user interf...

What do you like most about D-Link Wireless?

The tool supports new technologies.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for D-Link Wireless?

D-Link Wireless is notably more affordable than Cisco and Juniper. It suits SMB needs without the financial burden of purchasing additional licenses for extended APs.

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Product Reports

Aruba Instant On Access Points

Download Aruba Instant On Access Points product report

D-Link Wireless

Download D-Link Wireless product report

Also Known As

No data available

D-Link 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

D-Link Wireless offers a wide range of robust wireless Access Points (APs) operating in both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands, supporting the latest wireless standards including 802.11ac and 802.11n. These access points can be managed independently as standalone devices, or collectively by using Central Wi-Fi Manager, a free centralized controller software that can be installed on a Windows server or PC.

D-Link

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Metropolitan Public Defender, Mission Motorcycles

Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. D-Link Wireless