Aruba Instant vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Cisco are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.4, while Cisco is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.3. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 2.0% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to Cisco’s 12.7% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Aruba Instant

Read 51 Aruba Instant reviews

2,729 Views
2,098 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Read 119 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN reviews

15,495 Views
12,588 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Aruba Instant

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 9, 2025

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and Aruba Instant compete in the wireless networking space. Cisco Meraki may have an edge with its ease of use and rich feature set for organizations with diverse networking needs, complemented by a centralized cloud-based management. However, Aruba Instant appeals to smaller and mid-sized businesses with its cost-effectiveness and simplicity.

Features: Cisco Meraki offers centralized cloud-based management through an intuitive dashboard, simplifying configuration, monitoring, and reporting. It provides excellent network visibility and security with Layer 7 protections and is known for straightforward deployment. Aruba Instant is notable for its ease of setup and management without needing a controller, strong mobility support, and the ability to integrate easily with other tools, making it suitable for smaller IT teams.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Meraki could benefit from more detailed error logs, better technical support, and increased integration with other Cisco products. Enhancements in customization and advanced routing features are also desired. Aruba Instant faces challenges with IoT compatibility and requires more robust troubleshooting tools and comprehensive documentation. Improving technical support response times would also be beneficial.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Meraki excels in its easy deployment process with cloud management, providing flexibility for various environments. Customer service is strong, although technical support receives mixed reviews. Aruba Instant offers straightforward deployment, appealing to small to medium businesses, and supports both hybrid and on-premises setups. Customer service is reliable, although technical support proficiency could be improved for complex issues.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Meraki is perceived as expensive due to licensing that can terminate service if not renewed, although it provides solid ROI with advanced features and management ease. Aruba Instant is more cost-effective, praised for its affordable pricing and lack of licensing fees, delivering significant ROI for organizations prioritizing straightforward solutions and minimal operating costs.

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

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant vs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

April 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

Ranking in Wireless LAN

11th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Ranking in Wireless LAN

3rd

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 May 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Instant is 2.0%, down from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is 12.7%, up from 12.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

Prashant-Patel

Senior Presales Consultant - Networking Solutions at Mannai

A highly stable and easy-to-deploy solution that is free and provides excellent deployment guides

The setup is very straightforward. There is no complexity at all. It took us 15 minutes. We need IP address details, DNS, a gateway, DHCP servers, and SSIDs. Single access points can act as controller-based, controller-less, and cloud-based solutions. That is the beauty of Aruba. If I have an on-premise solution and want to move to the cloud, I don't need separate hardware. The same hardware can be utilized in the cloud. The deployment guides that we get from Aruba are excellent. We have every piece of detail.

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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 most valuable feature is that it provides a redundant wireless connection for a client."

"The cost is low, and there is controller-less architecture."

"The product is easy to configure."

"The products offer a lot of flexibility. Almost everything can be configured. It works very well for providing remote services."

"The deployment is easy."

"It's practical. It does what it needs to do."

"Aruba Instant is easy to manage."

"The integration with ClearPass is the most valuable feature."

More Aruba Instant pros

"For Meraki, the ease of deployment and management is most valuable."

"The most valuable feature is that the solution is friendly to manage."

"What I like best about Meraki is that I can change it from anywhere."

"Cisco Meraki is HIPAA compliant."

"The initial setup of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN was very easy."

"It is easy to set up. You can do everything on the GUI. You don't need to trace cables. You don't need to connect to the switch. Everything is there, right in front of you."

"The most valuable features are the multiple types of user groupings and access management."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is the application visibility, which is one of the main features."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pros

Cons

"It would be better if Aruba Instant could provide more security for customers."

"Aruba Instant is a simple and scalable solution that works well, but the costs you incur from access points could be cheaper."

"It uses a different portal and has limitations from the customer side as it's not refined for MSP."

"It is not powerful enough and lacks features recommended for larger dimensions, making it unsuitable for big companies with requirements like 100 access points."

"There is a problem in the preferred portal access points when I'm using the portal."

"The product’s GUI must be improved."

"The connectivity of the solution can use some improvement."

"The meshing could use improvement but aside from that nothing else really needs improvement."

More Aruba Instant cons

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

"We face a bottleneck on the gateway while using the solution for large enterprises."

"I'd like better integration with security providers."

"It would be better if they enable full integration with Cisco's cloud-based network in the next release."

"There should be better Spanish-language technical support."

"Its price could be improved."

"In the next release, I would like to see a third-party high tech center to connect multiple users to a particular network."

"We would like the solution to work on the pricing of the solution. It would be ideal if it could bring the overall costs down."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There’s no licensing required to use the tool."

"It's a one time cost, including the upgrades, but you have to pay on a yearly basis if you want support. The price is in the middle in comparison to that of competitors' products."

"The tool's pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."

"The setup cost varies based on each organization's requirements but it is within reason."

"The product is reasonably priced."

"It is not expensive. Its price is fair. You get many features with the normal licensing. If I look at Cisco, it is very expensive if I need similar things."

"The pricing is reasonable."

"The customers do not have to pay for licensing."

More Aruba Instant pricing and cost advice

"The tool is reasonably priced."

"The solution is pretty expensive."

"Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is an expensive solution."

"We don't like the licensing model and we think that it needs to be improved significantly."

"It is an expensive solution."

"It could be more affordable than other solutions."

"The solution's pricing is a little higher."

"Its licensing is on a yearly basis. It can be for three, five, or ten years. I'm happy with the pricing. You basically pay for what you get. It is that simple. When you look at Ubiquiti or Aruba, Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN far outweighs what you get. If you're in the UK, Ubiquiti gives a three-year or five-year warranty, whereas here in the UAE, they only give a one-year warranty, which is no good to me. Who buys a piece of equipment with only one year warranty on it? It doesn't make sense."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

19%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

Which is better - Ubiquiti WLAN or Aruba Instant?

We researched Ubiquiti and Aruba when looking for a WLAN solution. Ubiquiti offers good WLAN access both indoors and outdoors. It provides an enterprise-level WIFI while remaining cost-effective. U...

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What do you like most about Aruba Instant?

I find network management features related to monitoring Wi-Fi usage and visited sites particularly valuable. Content filtering is also important to prevent access to malicious or inappropriate web...

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

In my experience, Aruba Instant's price is reasonable compared to premium products like Ruckus, Cisco, or Juniper. However, when compared to entry-level market segments, the price is higher. Overal...

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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

Omada Access Points vs Aruba Instant

Compared 41% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Aruba Instant

Compared 13% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Aruba Instant

Compared 10% of the time

ExtremeCloud IQ vs Aruba Instant

Compared 5% of the time

Aruba Instant On Access Points vs Aruba Instant

Compared 5% of the time

More Aruba Instant Competitors

Aruba Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 32% of the time

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 15% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 11% of the time

Ubiquiti Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 7% of the time

ExtremeWireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 1% of the time

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant

April 2025

Download Aruba Instant product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

April 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

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.

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

Purdue University, Orlando Magic, Brussels Airport Company, Molecaten Holiday Parks

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 vs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

April 2025

Free Report: Aruba Instant vs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

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