Aruba Instant and Cambium Networks Wireless LAN compete in the wireless networking category. Aruba Instant appears to have an edge due to its user-friendly setup and advanced features, which include strong security and integration capabilities.
Features: Aruba Instant offers a user-friendly setup, transparent cloud management, and strong security features. It supports flexible deployment modes and integrates seamlessly with ClearPass. Cambium Networks Wireless LAN emphasizes stability, easy configuration without complex licensing, and effective remote management. Its strong coverage suits varied environments like hospitality and industrial sectors, with mesh Wi-Fi configurations delivering stable connectivity.
Room for Improvement: Aruba Instant could enhance troubleshooting tools, improve IoT compatibility, offer faster roaming, and expand user support per access point. Cambium Networks Wireless LAN needs better pricing structures, advanced bandwidth management, and affordable content filtering options. Additionally, Cambium should improve market visibility to attract more users.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Aruba Instant provides various deployment options with strong cloud capabilities, though customer support can be inconsistent, especially following HPE's acquisition. Cambium Networks offers hybrid and on-premises deployment, praised for straightforward setup and responsive technical support, despite some issues with quick response times.
Pricing and ROI: Aruba Instant is competitively priced as it doesn't require licenses, though hardware can be costly. Rising costs and additional license fees for Aruba Central are concerns, but it provides good ROI. Cambium Networks Wireless LAN has high initial costs but is cost-effective over time due to no license fees. It is priced favorably compared to competitors, offering a good return on investment through lower recurring costs and stable performance.
The technical support from Aruba is of high quality, and I would rate it a ten.
They were always available when needed, which we appreciated.
The local team helps with issues primarily, and if they can't resolve them, they connect to the technical support team in the US, who are very much trained on resolving issues and providing support.
Cisco's support is very good and ranks 10 out of 10.
I find Aruba Instant to be highly scalable.
Allowing deployment of fewer access points while covering more area.
Ruckus provides better area coverage and interference withstanding capacity.
I believe the hardware used in Cambium Networks is pretty robust, and the radios are strong in terms of signal and performance.
An important missing feature is the console port, which allows direct management without the cloud.
Channel management required manual intervention, especially in environments with multiple floors, leading to potential signal interference issues.
Cambium currently lacks such extensive analytics capabilities.
They should also look into getting a more extensive switching portfolio, as they don't have much of one currently.
We do not sell very expensive devices as we move to other products.
However, when compared to entry-level market segments, the price is higher.
Cambium's pricing is better compared to Ruckus, which has multiple components with associated costs, like license support and access point support costs.
Cambium Networks Wireless LAN was well-priced, comparable and not the most expensive nor the cheapest option available.
I highly value Aruba Instant for its ClearPass feature, which is an exceptional product for network access control and works as a NAC solution.
The most beneficial features for network management are the price and the cloud console.
The product was scalable, allowing for fewer access points to cover more area, and supported a high number of clients.
Ruckus offers a more extensive coverage range and has better capacity to withstand interference, which I have experienced with Ruckus products.
The features of Cambium Networks Wireless LAN that I have found most valuable is cloud management, as Cambium has the feature for cloud control, and the UI is very easy, making managing access points and devices very easy in the cloud, which I found very useful.
Aruba Instant delivers the only controllerless Wi-Fi solution that is easy to set-up, and loaded with security and smarts needed to accelerate your business without breaking your budget.
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