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Aruba Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Ruckus Wireless 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:
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Wireless is 17.1%, down from 23.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is 12.7%, up from 12.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ruckus Wireless is 14.2%, up from 12.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad_Faisal - PeerSpot reviewer
Experience seamless connectivity with top-notch roaming capabilities
The Aruba Wireless solution has excellent roaming capabilities, ensuring seamless connectivity. Once installed, Aruba Wireless works robustly without overheating issues. This is particularly effective compared to other products I've used, like FortiMonitor and FortiAPs, which sometimes heat up. I am very satisfied with the roaming feature, as it ensures connectivity when moving from one location to another. The product's stability, after setting it up, adds to its value.
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…
Xander Janse Van Rensburg - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable and high-performance wireless networking with exceptional stability, scalability, and robust feature set
One of the most valuable features I appreciate is auto channelization, facilitated by a proprietary product called ChannelFly. This feature enables APs in a specific zone to automatically adjust their channels, optimizing performance. Additionally, Ruckus Wireless stands out for its ability to reuse certain beams, resulting in smaller data spots. In my experience with various products, Ruckus Wireless consistently delivers unparalleled throughput, coverage, and reliability in wireless networking across different environments. As a noteworthy point, the newly launched WiFi 7 standard is measured against Ruckus's WiFi 7 AP, establishing it as the global benchmark. When it comes to WiFi, Ruckus sets the standard, outperforming competitors with its superior performance and capabilities.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The fact that Aruba Wireless has a virtual controller onboard the internet access points makes it cheaper than other solutions."
"If we really want to know where a specific user is connected, it gives us the ability to see that and how that user is actually receiving. We can know the speed and their IP, their MAC address and, most of the time, how much bandwidth they're using per day."
"Aruba Wireless has been straightforward to set up."
"HA: Apps failover without reboot."
"It offers an easy initial setup."
"I like the analytics feature."
"The web-based GUI is much simpler to use than similar products by Cisco."
"The 335-AP provides reliability, stability."
"The initial setup of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN was very easy."
"The most valuable features in Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN are that we were able to see all the registered users for each particular WAP, which is a big help. The roaming allows us to have continuous wireless throughout the building. The signal can carry over from one WAP to another. Which is probably the most important feature."
"The solution is fast."
"The most valuable features are the multiple types of user groupings and access management."
"The stability of the Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is very good."
"The management and upgrades are very simple and straightforward."
"For Meraki, the ease of deployment and management is most valuable."
"The dashboard to keep track of 30 or so APs, switches, routers and logs, is invaluable. I liked the UX on this."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"Mesh networking and antenna patterns are the most valuable features of the solution."
"The speed between client to client is really nice. It is better than any other vendor, but officially, I cannot say that to people."
"Provides us with the features we need: walled garden, client isolation, 802.1x with dynamic VLAN, guest passes, etc."
"I really like Ruckus Unleashed, which is the feature that provides a quick solution for me to control the APs."
"The most valuable feature is that this solution is reliable."
"The solution manages and updates itself."
"The APs themselves have been pretty solid. We haven't had too many of them go bad or anything like that. The wireless performance seems pretty good. The ability to provision the devices is pretty good, and the back end is also pretty good."
 

Cons

"The product should be more affordable, especially the cloud and console for the Aruba product as it is currently very expensive."
"The urgent areas of improvement would be customer support, better tuned default settings, and documentation."
"The Help option within the GUI needs to be improved."
"Better integration with equipment from other vendors would ease the deployment process in some cases."
"Initial setup was complex."
"Aruba Wireless has room to improve the connection from one AP to another."
"The upgrades tend to be buggy and better testing is needed before they are released."
"Because it's cloud-based, it takes time for the floor maps and the heat map to load."
"The throughput of the switches for wireless could be improved."
"There needs to be some work done on security because, with time, some viruses may emerge that one may not know about."
"It would be useful to have a service management platform integrated within this solution where we can measure the customer experience."
"The biggest pain point is that they limit you through firewall throughput. I understand why they do it, but that really grates me. For instance, for 450 Mbps throughput, you're looking at £800 for a router, whereas if you look at the one gig connection, for some of us are lucky enough to have a gig connection, you could almost be spending £3,000 for the option to have one gig connectivity. That's one of the pain points I've got. I don't mind paying for throughput, but I should at least have the option to be able to update that throughput, maybe through extra licensing or something else. It is crazy expensive to jump through to the next one."
"We face a bottleneck on the gateway while using the solution for large enterprises."
"It is expensive. Juniper seems to have a lot more to offer for future expansion. Juniper has some features that are not there in this solution."
"The initial setup of the solution can be improved and made easier."
"It is not a very stable solution."
"They lack in some hardware stratification."
"The price has room for improvement."
"They can improve the cloud portion. Other vendors have a cloud controller, and they can provide the same so that we can see everything."
"The software should be made more stable."
"What would be interesting to see is if they had more of an ability for their customers to capture revenue. They should offer some sort of gateway functionality that you could tie through radius authentication, so you can bill the customers. That way, when you go in, you could just have a device and set up a hotspot, and it's a totally billable tool at that point."
"There is some strain with Ruckus because of various buyouts involving the company used for data centers and the cluster."
"It is very difficult to convince the customer to choose Ruckus because of the price."
"The solution needs to have some sort of security offering, like a firewall, for example."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pricing is very competitive."
"The price could be better. Competitors offer more features for a similar cost."
"My main concern about this product is the price. The cost is causing me to look at other vendors and competing products."
"Aruba is comparable to competing solutions when it comes to price."
"When you look at the price it is a higher price than Cisco."
"The price point is pretty high compared to Ubiquiti and other equipment."
"I would rate the cost as an eight out of ten, with ten being the most expensive."
"Aruba Wireless is very attractive cost-wise."
"I don't deal with pricing directly, however, it's my understanding that it is around $40 per unit."
"My client has made comments on the price, indicating it is expensive, however you do receive a lot for the money that you did spend on the solution. The price of the annual renewal of the licensing of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is a little high. We wish the price would drop."
"Cisco Meraki requires either a one year or three year license for a standard enterprise license."
"The price is good, but it could be improved."
"The pricing is based on a subscription and is a bit high at the moment."
"It could be more affordable than other solutions."
"It is an expensive solution."
"Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is an expensive solution."
"Its price is reasonable for me."
"The price is high and I give the price a four out of ten."
"It's quite expensive, but that is what you get with these types of solutions."
"We have a yearly license for our multiple mode 200 or 300 Ruckus Wireless systems. It's a good price."
"Ruckus is more expensive than Meraki, but the performance moves in parallel with the cost."
"The tool’s pricing is competitive with other alternative solutions’ pricing."
"The price of Ruckus Wireless is more expensive than other options."
"Licensing is subscription-based."
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Comparison Review

it_user212721 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 24, 2015
Cisco vs. Aruba Wireless Solutions
Cisco or Aruba Networks? If you are considering wireless access solutions, this is a common question that you are probably asking. You probably have sales people knocking at your door. How do you make sense of all the stories that you are presented with. If you have done any research, you are…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
19%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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 h...
Aruba Wireless or Ruckus Wireless?
At my organization, we researched Ruckus Wireless among other solutions but ultimately chose Aruba wireless. What di...
How does Cisco Wireless compare with Aruba Wireless?
On the most basic level, Cisco Wireless can offer a rather straightforward initial setup. In the span of about three ...
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...
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...
Which is better - Ubiquiti Wireless or Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?
Ubiquiti Wireless offers a wide range of WLAN products. We tested their devices before ultimately choosing Cisco Mera...
Which is better - Ruckus Wireless or Cisco Wireless?
Ruckus Wireless offers users the benefit of being both easy to set up and get running as well as being very user frie...
What do you like most about Ruckus Wireless?
Ruckus Wireless is an easy to manage solution.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ruckus Wireless?
Ruckus Wireless is quite economical compared to Meraki or Cisco Umbrella ( /products/cisco-umbrella-reviews ) APs. It...
 

Also Known As

Aruba WLAN, HP WLAN, HP Wireless, Aruba Instant On AP Series Access Point
MR18, MR26, MR32, MR34, MR66, MR72, Meraki Wireless LAN, Meraki WLAN
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Consulate Health Care, Los Angeles Unified School District, Science Applications International Corp (SAIC), San Diego State University, KFC, ACTS Retirement-Life Communities
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
American University of Sharjah, Baruch College, Centro Escolar Liceo Santo Tomšs, Chevalier College, Chico Unified School District, Colegio de Fomento El Prado, Columbia Public Schools, Delta School District, Dordt College, Douglas County School District, Drew University, Armonea, Central Utah Clinic, Grove Hill Medical Center, Inner South Community Health Service, Midwest Surgical, Satilla Regional Medical Center, Lyndoch Living, Polonus, Roaring Fork School District, Sonora State, Vivid, Sydney, Players Club, Sandals, Scandic Hotels, Sheraton LAX, Sunbird
Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless LAN. Updated: April 2025.
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