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Aruba Instant vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

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
10th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
51
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 is 2.0%, up from 2.0% 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

Alessandro Salvadori - PeerSpot reviewer
Comes at a good price and has a good cloud console
We usually sell Aruba Instant where there is no need for more than four or five switches. It is generally recommended for very small companies where we don't need more than three or four switches We are using it only for very small companies. We have had a reduction in time, but it is not that…
RezaPradipta - PeerSpot reviewer
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…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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 websites. It is reliable and simple."
"The solution is stable, and we are satisfied."
"It's a good solution for small businesses because it's easy to figure out. It's simple to set Aruba up in any configuration, like link aggregation or static loads. It's suitable for less complicated configurations, whereas Cisco devices are bigger and more difficult to implement."
"The access it grants to wifi is the solution's most valuable feature."
"You don't have to deal with licenses."
"This is a very solid product. It is very powerful."
"Aruba's mobility features, which facilitate seamless switching between wireless access points, are also quite impressive. Users don't even notice the transition, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted experience."
"It is easy to use, manage, and implement."
"The most valuable features are the multiple types of user groupings and access management."
"The solution is very easy to use."
"From a security perspective, this product has several advantages."
"The visibility of the site is most useful."
"If you're trying to identify one of the switches or pinpoint a computer or pinpoint something, you could find it just like that and change the IP address. It's easiest to do it that way."
"It will allow me to integrate another system very quickly, as we continue expanding for our client."
"It enables quick deployment within all branches for the users."
"I really love their cloud-based dashboard which allows me to see all my locations from one location."
 

Cons

"For on-premises, I would rate the scalability a seven out of ten. For on-prem, if I want to integrate two more controls, and I want to extend my network , and add a couple of access points that need to be integrated with my network, I have to do the configurations and all. So that will be each and every time, as and when the users expand, the Wi-Fi solution expands; I need to do the configuration settings on all other controllers."
"They should enhance reporting and add more features."
"The tool's support quality has changed since HPE acquired it. It is also impossible to tell the log dates."
"The restart time should be improved."
"The product’s GUI must be improved."
"The Central cloud management (optional) is far behind the competition in features, ease of use, and dependability. I have tried Aruba Central a few times over the years and, in my option, it is not where it needs to be for serious consideration in production environments."
"The captive portal through Facebook doesn't work."
"Doesn't support enough access points in one cluster."
"The initial setup could be made easier."
"The wireless infrastructure scalability has room for improvement."
"The price could be slightly lowered to make it more competitive in the market."
"When it comes to switching, Meraki lacks categories of features."
"The licensing model is a terrible idea."
"Our only concern at this stage is how it's licensed."
"The only concern is when the license has expired and it will no longer function, the entire network goes down, without any notification, or warning."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing cost is somewhere around $20,000."
"In my region right now, Aruba Instant comes with a default two-year cloud access license."
"I rate the product’s pricing a two out of ten."
"Two years ago, I paid INR 12,000 for access points, but now, I will have to pay double the amount, which comes up to INR 24,000, making it a costly product."
"We only pay for the support and the contract licenses from Aruba Instant."
"I would rate the pricing a five out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive."
"The product is competitively priced"
"Aruba Instant is affordable."
"These units cost between $800 and $900 per device and on top of that, you have to pay yearly fees for maintenance."
"The pricing is based on a subscription and is a bit high at the moment."
"Having a good price is important when we are providing quotations for projects."
"As is always the case, the price could be better, although I do not recall exactly how much this comes out to."
"Cost could be better."
"I would say that they have adequate pricing."
"Meraki is a very good solution, but the price is quite high for small markets."
"It is expensive, but it is a good product."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Construction Company
6%
Computer Software Company
18%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
 

Also Known As

No data available
MR18, MR26, MR32, MR34, MR66, MR72, Meraki Wireless LAN, Meraki WLAN
 

Overview

 

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
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Instant vs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
859,687 professionals have used our research since 2012.