Aruba Instant vs SonicWall Wireless Network Manager comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and SonicWall are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.6, while SonicWall is ranked #29. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 2.1% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to SonicWall’s 0.2% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution.

Aruba Instant

Read 52 Aruba Instant reviews

2,019 Views
1,938 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

SonicWall Wireless Network ...

Read 1 SonicWall Wireless Network Manager review

201 Views
201 Comparison Views

0% willing to recommend

Aruba Instant

SonicWall Wireless Network ...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Aruba Instant and SonicWall Wireless Network Manager based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless LAN.

To learn more, read our detailed Wireless LAN Report (Updated: October 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Wireless LAN

October 2025

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Helped 872,869 peers since 2012

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

9th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SonicWall Wireless Network ...

Ranking in Wireless LAN

29th

Average Rating

0.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Instant is 2.1%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall Wireless Network Manager is 0.2%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Aruba Instant	2.1%
SonicWall Wireless Network Manager	0.2%
Other	97.7%

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

SreejeshSoman

Technical Consultant at Vertex Techno Solutions (B) Pvt Ltd

Has supported mid-market deployments with cloud-based centralized management and reliable wireless performance

I faced challenges earlier with a limitation of 50 APs in single sites, but that has enhanced to 100 numbers, eliminating that challenge for Aruba Instant On team. Additionally, some features are not listed in the cloud management platform and still require offline access, so enhancing the cloud management features would be better for us.

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Darshil Sanghvi

Consultant at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees

Extremely easy management of access points; user friendly dashboard

I like the ease of use this product offers; you can manage it from home and don't need to take the console access or go on the specific IP. It is very easy to manage the access points. The product has a user friendly dashboard with all the options and features.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The tool's most valuable feature is Captive Portal, which we employ for our guest network. It enables us to create a separate virtual subnet for guests, ensuring their network traffic remains isolated from our office network. Another valuable feature is its role-based access control. This functionality allows us to assign different access privileges to users based on their roles within the organization."

"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 most valuable features of the solution are in the areas like routing and VLAN."

"The access it grants to wifi is the solution's most valuable feature."

"This is a very solid product. It is very powerful."

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

"I like the Instant On switches and the AP22"

"What I like best about Aruba Instant is that it serves as a virtual controller, so you don't need to buy other equipment to manage all your access points. I also like that the solution is easy to use."

More Aruba Instant pros

"Very easy to use and can be managed remotely."

Cons

"Embedding a heatmap tool within the product would make it easier to conduct a wireless survey."

"The management component is difficult to understand and not very user-friendly which increases deployment time."

"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 restart time should be improved."

"The tool's support quality has changed since HPE acquired it. It is also impossible to tell the log dates."

"It is a software characteristic, and it is during the reboot. During the startup of the AP, the AP tells you that you are using the wrong password. However, I have realized that this is not true."

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

"They could offer a new model for access points that are outdoors."

More Aruba Instant cons

"Initial integration with the cloud was problematic."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing cost is somewhere around $20,000."

"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."

"Some aspect of the price of Aruba Instant is very economical because if the customer is requiring more features the customer needs to pay a higher amount."

"The cost was affordable."

"I personally would rather pay that little bit more and get what I need because I know what I'm getting, as opposed to going for something cheaper that's not as manageable and doesn't give as much."

"The product is reasonably priced."

"Aruba Instant is affordable."

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

More Aruba Instant pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	31
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	14

No data available

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...

See all answers

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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Comparisons

Omada Access Points vs Aruba Instant

Compared 31% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Aruba Instant

Compared 14% of the time

Aruba Instant On Access Points vs Aruba Instant

Compared 12% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Aruba Instant

Compared 10% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Aruba Instant

Compared 9% of the time

More Aruba Instant Competitors

Omada Access Points vs SonicWall Wireless Network Manager

Compared 100% of the time

More SonicWall Wireless Network Manager Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant

November 2025

Download Aruba Instant product report

Buyer's Guide

Wireless LAN

October 2025

SonicWall Wireless Network Manager report

Download SonicWall Wireless Network Manager product report

Also Known As

No data available

SonicWall WiFi Cloud Manager (WCM)

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

SonicWall Wireless Network Manager (WNM) is a cloud-based Wi-Fi network management system designed for businesses of all sizes. It offers centralized control, simplifying the deployment, management, and monitoring of SonicWave Wi-Fi access points and compatible SonicWall switches. WNM allows IT administrators to configure, monitor, and troubleshoot all devices from a single platform, eliminating the need for individual device management. It is scalable, handling networks from a few access points to thousands across multiple locations. With simplified onboarding, real-time monitoring of network health and performance, and advanced features like guest Wi-Fi access, bandwidth management, and application control, WNM optimizes wireless network performance. As a cloud-based solution, it requires no additional on-site hardware or software, simplifying deployment and maintenance.

SonicWall

Sample Customers

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

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Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless LAN. Updated: October 2025.

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