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Aruba Networks Wireless WAN vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
5.2
Users report mixed ROI from Aruba Networks Wireless WAN, with varied cost savings and satisfaction in network features and integration.
Sentiment score
1.0
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN provides cost savings, ease of use, and management, though high costs may deter larger businesses.
It delivers everything we need for our wireless network, including security, authentication, and integration with other platforms.
Network Administrator at a government with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.0
Aruba Networks Wireless WAN support is generally good, with variations in response speed and channel effectiveness noted by users.
Sentiment score
4.3
Meraki support is efficient and accessible, yet users note inconsistent assistance and desire enhanced knowledge base resources.
I would rate their support as a nine out of ten.
Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology
I would rate the direct support an eight out of ten.
Network Administrator at a government with 5,001-10,000 employees
I would rate Cisco support a 10, as the response time and process via the dashboard are easy, and response times are always within the SLA.
Independent Information Technology and Services Professional at a non-profit with 1-10 employees
It would be better if the SLA of technical support was less than four hours.
Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk
There are some problems with their technical support when it comes to the whole Meraki system.
Senior Network Architect at Previder
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
Aruba Networks Wireless WAN offers scalable, flexible, and adaptable solutions for diverse organizations, despite occasional hardware constraints.
Sentiment score
4.2
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is praised for its scalable cloud-based system, despite cost and configuration challenges.
Meraki is not scalable enough since it straightforwardly maps its products to segmented specifications.
Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is highly stable and reliable, praised for consistent performance and low failure rates.
Sentiment score
4.4
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is stable with high user satisfaction, though firmware updates and outages may occasionally cause issues.
Stability is not an issue for me because it comes with Cisco's proven manufacturer quality.
Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk
We have experienced many instances where we have experienced a lag in our network, and I am not sure if it is due to their devices or our network.
Manager, Information Technology at a performing arts with 11-50 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Aruba Networks needs improved management software, setup ease, hardware variety, pricing, and enhanced security and support features.
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN users seek improved error logs, advanced features, better support, competitive pricing, and enhanced third-party integration.
If Aruba could combine all of their products together, it would be great to have a single pane of glass.
Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology
The licensing scheme and price could be improved.
Network Administrator at a government with 5,001-10,000 employees
The most important improvement needed is to eliminate the limitation of uplinks.
Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk
Some of the newer models of the Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN access point have encompassed the new wireless protocols and increased the strength of their antennas.
Manager, Information Technology at a performing arts with 11-50 employees
The solution supports Wi-Fi 6.
Senior Network Architect at Previder
 

Setup Cost

Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is expensive but justifiable, offering flexible pricing, competitive rates, and reliable performance compared to competitors.
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is stable but expensive; negotiate with resellers for trials and discounts, especially for SMBs.
Compared to Cisco, it is a bit cheaper, but still not enough to switch over to Aruba.
Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology
The price is a little bit expensive.
Network Administrator at a government with 5,001-10,000 employees
The pricing of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is not competitive enough for the SMB market compared to other brands.
Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is on par with other devices in that category, offering competitive pricing.
Manager, Information Technology at a performing arts with 11-50 employees
My experience with the pricing of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is that it is competitive with other providers offering paid subscriptions.
Independent Information Technology and Services Professional at a non-profit with 1-10 employees
 

Valuable Features

Aruba Networks Wireless WAN offers easy installation, robust security, seamless connectivity, scalability, Wi-Fi 6 compatibility, and centralized management.
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN simplifies cloud management with robust features enhancing network operations, integration, and analytics for enterprises.
We are very satisfied with the solution as it delivers everything we need for our wireless network, including security, authentication, and integration with other platforms.
Network Administrator at a government with 5,001-10,000 employees
When assessing the performance of Aruba's built-in threat protection and encryption features, I ask what kind of protection are you referring to—the Wi-Fi?
Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology
It also manages security clients and switches, providing a single dashboard to manage multiple network infrastructures.
Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN has helped optimize network traffic very effectively, as we do prioritization for streaming and web conferencing apps, resulting in a clear, visible improvement in performance.
Independent Information Technology and Services Professional at a non-profit with 1-10 employees
The ability to program all access points from the Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN dashboard, view the status of all of them, and examine the individual devices connected to each access point is very valuable.
Manager, Information Technology at a performing arts with 11-50 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Networks Wireless WAN
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
51
Ranking in other categories
Wireless WAN (5th)
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
4.4
Number of Reviews
122
Ranking in other categories
Wireless LAN (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Networking solutions, they serve different purposes. Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is designed for Wireless WAN and holds a mindshare of 8.7%, up 2.5% compared to last year.
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN, on the other hand, focuses on Wireless LAN, holds 10.3% mindshare, down 13.1% since last year.
Wireless WAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Aruba Networks Wireless WAN8.7%
Ubiquiti Wireless31.7%
Ruckus Wireless WAN25.0%
Other34.599999999999994%
Wireless WAN
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN10.3%
Aruba Wireless13.4%
Ruckus Wireless12.4%
Other63.9%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

Edward Zeng - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology
Faced deployment successfully but configuration complexity needs to be reduced
I think the layout is a bit complicated. There are so many different layers to set up, and it is very easy to miss out or make configuration mistakes because they are hierarchical. You need to be very careful about which one has been in use. Aruba ClearPass is also complicated as well. If Aruba could combine all of their products together, it would be great to have a single pane of glass. Currently, the Aruba sensor does not work together with other products. There is no single pane of glass for location configuration, so you need to log into different websites to check the user experience.
DolfKrikke - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Architect at Previder
Centralized management has simplified remote branch control and improved network visibility
Cisco Meraki Wireless is very powerful and very easy to manage. The solution is also integrating Cisco Catalyst Wireless products into their portfolio, and they are managing the Catalyst switches as well. The seamless roaming capabilities function well. I monitor network performance with Meraki's real-time analytics. The most useful metrics to my team are the internet performance metrics, as there is a lot of information in the dashboard that I can access. All auditing and event logs are centralized in the dashboard. When I need to apply to compliance requirements or other regulatory needs, I can have my auditing in one place, which is an advantage. I use Cisco Meraki Wireless's Layer 7 application traffic shaping with the MX and the Meraki MX Firewalls.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Marketing Services Firm
19%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
6%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business27
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise19
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business69
Midsize Enterprise27
Large Enterprise31
 

Questions from the Community

Do you recommend Aruba Network Wireless WAN?
I recommend Aruba Networks Wireless WAN. I have been using Aruba for approximately a decade. It has a great centralized management system, which means we don’t need wireless LAN controllers at ever...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Networks Wireless WAN?
The pricing is not cheap. Compared to Cisco, it is a bit cheaper, but still not enough to switch over to Aruba. The benefits are not sufficient.
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

The Pittsburgh Golf Club, Rio Rancho Public Schools, Amwaj Rotana - Jumeirah Beach Residence - Dubai, Trevecca Nazarene University
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 Ubiquiti, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless WAN. Updated: January 2026.
881,821 professionals have used our research since 2012.