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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 September 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Wireless is 15.7%, down from 21.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is 11.6%, down from 12.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ruckus Wireless is 14.0%, up from 13.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Aruba Wireless15.7%
Ruckus Wireless14.0%
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN11.6%
Other58.7%
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

"I do not need to buy a controller for the access point since the Aruba Access Point has a built-in virtual controller."
"It provided an easy WiFi solution for our branch offices to deploy​. We could usually have them up and running from out-of-the-box in about 10 minutes."
"Clearpass solution from Aruba."
"​The feature that I love the most is being able to broadcast different SSIDs with different protocol requirements. ​"
"It is easy to install and deploy."
"The Aruba Wireless solution has excellent roaming capabilities, ensuring seamless connectivity."
"Aruba Wireless has been straightforward to set up."
"Although there are other solutions available and some with a lower initial cost, they don't offer the same level of integration with IoT as this solution without having to add additional hardware, which ends up costing more."
"The graphic user interface is very nice."
"The flexibility, since it's a cloud service, is the most valuable feature of this solution."
"I can control any number of sites globally with a lean IT team."
"The primary value lies in the ease of configuration; these products seamlessly integrate, and work well together."
"The settings of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN can be very granular. You can lock down and block devices with the controls. For example, we have four different wireless settings, such as guest, employee, security, and backup. For example, the settings for the employees, if they use laptops, they're required to have certain settings, such as an antivirus installed. If they do not then Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN will not let them connect. This is very good protection because the network works on the bringing your own device(BYOD) principle. It's a BYOD environment now, and you also don't want them to bring infection into the environment because these people are connecting to the LAN via wireless connections. We have to be careful because we're managing it, we have to be very strict with regards to the rules and policies."
"The solution has worked very well in our campus environment."
"The most valuable feature is that the solution is friendly to manage."
"I have found it to be stable."
"Key features are integrated WiFi client performance tools, sophisticated user access controls, and easy and understandable controls and interfaces."
"It's stable."
"The most valuable feature of Ruckus Wireless is its AI capability, which automatically scales up and down the coverage areas."
"I haven't heard any complaints about the WiFi equipment at all causing problems."
"The list of options you have is great: throttling guest networks, the controller dashboards for administration, on-the-fly configuring, settings, hours of use."
"The initial setup is pretty straightforward."
"The most valuable feature is that this solution is reliable."
"The most valuable feature is the coverage, which is exceptional."
 

Cons

"Aruba needs to be more competitive with newer products. Their legacy makes that more difficult for them."
"The latest design of their APs removes the console port and requires purchasing an expensive proprietary cable just to access the console."
"I had some problems with Wi-Fi coverage in the workshop, which required purchasing more devices."
"The certification for licensing could be better."
"The speed could be better. I heard that Aruba is trying to shape the speed inside the wireless controller, but that has not been adopted yet. If they put some kind of mechanism inside the wireless controller for the speed such that, "Okay, this many users will have 20 by 20 - 20 in the upload, 20 in the download. Just this many users. And this many users will have that type of speed." I think it would be very good if they actually bring that functionality inside the wireless controller."
"The product should be more affordable, especially the cloud and console for the Aruba product as it is currently very expensive."
"I would have liked to see more manufacturer driven events and outings to drive brand recognition and familiarity.​"
"We would like to declare a specific number of devices that an employee or a user can use to access their Wi-Fi."
"It would be nice to have licensing that stays in place while the system is being renovated or changed."
"The solution should be more secure."
"We would like to see Wi-Fi 6 support for devices sold in the Middle East."
"I would like to see Cisco Meraki improve the accessibility by region level here in Latin America."
"Initially, I liked some of the filtering features, but that's one of the components that we ran into problems with."
"We face a bottleneck on the gateway while using the solution for large enterprises."
"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."
"They're great. If there's anything that they need to change, it is just simplifying the site to which you go to make changes on the admin side."
"The solution should have more analytics capabilities."
"Its interface could be a little bit more user friendly."
"Its pricing and licensing can be improved. Its UI can also be more user-friendly. Currently, in the Unleashed mode, the information that you have about the switches that you add to the controller is quite limited. I would like more information regarding switches. In this mode, an access point acts as a controller, so you don't need a controller. It is for deployments with less than 125 access points, and you can use an access point as a controller."
"Sometimes doing mass changes on their products can be challenging."
"The delivery time of the hardware needs to be improved."
"There is some strain with Ruckus because of various buyouts involving the company used for data centers and the cluster."
"Wi-Fi 6E and the cloud are areas with shortcomings in the solution that need improvement."
"Its security can be improved. It doesn't use Wireless IPS. Therefore, we have to combine WatchGuard that uses a Wireless IPS but is a separate solution. These two solutions work in conjunction. We are using the WatchGuard as a sensor and Wireless IPS, and Ruckus is like a platform that is used for the connectivity of the network."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have some licenses for the solution, and we need not renew licenses. But we need to pay a hundred thousand if you want to renew our subscription and renew the hardware."
"The price is low. There is an additional cost for maintenance."
"The support pricing for Juniper Mist is higher than Aruba."
"​Trial different solutions and compare pricing to how well they perform, their stability, how easy it is to maintain, etc."
"The price of Aruba Wireless is expensive."
"Licencing can be surprising and needs improvement. Look into all features, what you need versus what you want, and know that nothing comes without some kind of license."
"Besides paying for the APs, you need to pay a license each year for their use. Therefore, watch out for that and do the best you can to keep costs down.​"
"Aruba is comparable to competing solutions when it comes to price."
"The price of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is per unit and it has annual maintenance costs."
"Its price is high and should be reduced."
"It is expensive, but it is a good product."
"The solution could improve the licensing structure and the price is expensive."
"This solution is slightly more expensive than others, such as Ruckus Wi-Fi."
"Pricing could be better."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."
"When compared to other vendors, Cisco's pricing is higher."
"I would rate their pricing 3 out of 5. There is no annual licensing cost."
"It is reasonably priced. I would rate the price a three out of five."
"With Ubiquiti, there's no annual cost to keep the software upgraded, whereas with Ruckus, you have to pay an annual fee or three-year fee. That makes it a little more pricey."
"Cost-wise, the product is priced above average, considering its competitors in the market."
"The price of Ruckus Wireless is less expensive than other solutions, such as Cisco."
"The setup that I have at the moment does not require licensing, although I am not sure whether a bigger project will mean that I have to spend more."
"Ruckus Wireless is an expensive solution."
"If you walk into any restaurant or hotel you will find Ruckus Wireless solutions because it is economical when it comes to pricing. There is a basic subscription for the license and support."
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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
16%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business76
Midsize Enterprise46
Large Enterprise73
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business68
Midsize Enterprise26
Large Enterprise31
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business69
Midsize Enterprise20
Large Enterprise25
 

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: August 2025.
868,304 professionals have used our research since 2012.