Aruba Wireless vs Cisco Wireless comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Mar 21, 2022

We performed a comparison between Aruba Wireless and Cisco Wireless based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Ease of Deployment: Reviewers of Aruba Wireless and Cisco Wireless agree that the initial setup of both solutions is straightforward and simple.
  • Features: Reviewers of both solutions found them to be reliable, stable, and scalable. Valuable features of Aruba Wireless include role-based authentication, aesthetically pleasing GUI for configuration, client match, easy deployment of APs, MAC caching, high functionality, great integration capabilities, a good user experience, Airwave, easy implementation and management, visual RF maps, and good reporting. Some Aruba Wireless users say it could benefit from better visibility, and have experienced that most of the access points don't include the chargers. They also complain that the upgrades can sometimes be buggy and that the Help option within the GUI needs to be improved.

    Users of Cisco Wireless mentioned that valuable features include solid functionality, security, easy management, good application visibility, control integration for other analysis software, and ease of configuration. Some users of Cisco Wireless state that the software can sometimes be very clunky, and others would like to see cloud-based support and management as well as some AI capabilities and the introduction of a dashboard.
  • Pricing: Most Aruba Wireless users feel that the pricing is comparable to that of its competitors, while a few select reviewers feel that it is on the expensive side. Users of Cisco Wireless find that it is expensive, with a rigid pricing model in place.
  • Service and Support: Overall, users of Aruba Wireless feel that the service and support are good, and note that they are even available 24/7. Cisco Wireless reviewers confirm that the service and support they receive is excellent, stating that support is responsive and knowledgeable, and that ample documentation is available online.
  • ROI: Aruba Wireless users say that they have not been impressed with the ROI while Cisco Wireless users mention that they have yet to see an ROI.

Comparison Results: When comparing Aruba Wireless and Cisco Wireless, it is evident that Cisco Wireless is the more popular choice. While both have great features, users of Cisco Wireless seem to find fewer things lacking with it and are generally satisfied. In regards to service and support as well, Cisco users are happy with the service they receive. Users do feel that it is an expensive solution, however.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba Wireless vs. Cisco Wireless Report (Updated: September 2023).
734,678 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The solution is stable.""With Mist, every Wednesday they roll out new features.""In terms of reporting, in terms of all the user reports, it's very rich.""The solution is pretty generic and easy to use.""The simplicity is great.""The AI capabilities of Mist Wireless are superior to other OEMs.""The most useful feature of Juniper Wireless AP is the reporting Marvis.""You can easily monitor, manage, and cover all your IT equipment."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Pros →

"It offers an easy initial setup.""The product has been pretty stable...The product is scalable.""The wireless controller and access points are valuable features.""Setup is straightforward.""The most valuable features of Aruba Wireless are the seamless feature and the concurrent user.""We like the centralized configuration and monitoring.""One advantage is the built-in Zigbee-based IoT functionality. You don't need an additional dongle to enable that option.""Aruba Wireless does not have too many distinguishing feature sets. However, tunneling is more flexible in this solution than other solutions, such as Ruckus."

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"The stability is great. It's very reliable.""The integration is great.""The most valuable features are mobility and security.""Cisco Wireless is easy to use.""The solution is scalable.""Creating policies is simple.""Cisco's support team is the best in the industry.""From my experience, I have found Cisco Wireless to be scalable."

More Cisco Wireless Pros →

Cons
"The pricing is very high in the Indian market.""There is room for improvement in terms of support and installation.""If you want to do more specific stuff, it's a bit limited.""They should include SD-WAN features to it.""The price could be better.""The solution is expensive.""Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points’ support services need improvement.""Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) could improve if the MIST platform had a built-in master key. This would be an advantage."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Cons →

"I would like to see a faster web interface in the controller and more troubleshooting tools, including real-time troubleshooting tools.""Configuration for this solution could be made easier, so people could benefit from being able to configure it within a quicker amount of time.""Aruba Wireless is a good product, but it still has some issues, especially at the beginning, where there's inconsistent syncing between the cloud and the APs. Sometimes, there's also a little lag when accessing the query.""The solution's GUI for configuration could be better.""The bad things about the product are the price, the information about the product, and the time it takes to deliver the product.""Sometimes the configuration is difficult.""We needed the help of network consultants to complete the setup for us.""We need security features to recognize the traffic source and to apply Zero Trust security."

More Aruba Wireless Cons →

"There is no technology without room for improvement. The main setback with Cisco solutions, not only with Cisco Wireless, is having to update the OS manually. We are now migrating to Miraki, so we've been able to work that out.""In the future, I would like to have Cisco add video documentation on configuring and overall learning of how to use the solutions. For example, in such areas as, security, authentication, and load balancing.""In the next release, they should add a better reporting feature. The reporting will tell you if you have a problem. That will make the diagnostics easier.""The solution doesn't have much coverage area.""Cisco won't work with any other vendors. That is a significant problem with Cisco.""The current issue with Cisco is I don't have centralized management.""And from an administration point of view, it is a very tedious job to check on each and every control. We have around 30 or 40 controls in our network.""There are some features I would like to have in Cisco Wireless, such as Telemetry and other IoT. However, they are available in the new version of the solution."

More Cisco Wireless Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "We pay maybe 1000 SEK per year, per access point."
  • "Juniper Wireless AP's price is a little more expensive than other solutions, but you get what you pay for."
  • "The pricing is something Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) can work on. The pricing is very high compared to the competition."
  • "The pricing is too high."
  • "The solution is expensive."
  • "I rate Juniper Mist's pricing a ten out of ten since it is expensive."
  • More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Aruba Wireless is very attractive cost-wise."
  • "My main concern about this product is the price. The cost is causing me to look at other vendors and competing products."
  • "The price of Aruba Wireless is fairly reasonable. It was within our budget."
  • "The price is reasonable."
  • "The price of Aruba Wireless has a more competitive price than other solutions."
  • "The price is low. There is an additional cost for maintenance."
  • "In terms of pricing, the pricing for Aruba Wireless is not bad for large-sized companies, but for medium-sized companies, it's on the higher end, but because Aruba has a good company image, medium-sized companies still go with Aruba Wireless."
  • "Aruba Wireless is much cheaper than our previous solution by Cisco. It is a significant saving, measured in thousands of dollars per year."
  • More Aruba Wireless Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The price of Cisco Wireless is expensive and there is an additional cost for support."
  • "Cisco Wireless solutions should have a price reduction for educations centers. Education centers are there to help people grow and there are not large budgets. The solution tends to be expensive and it can cause difficulties when purchasing them here in Africa."
  • "There are no subscription fees."
  • "There are annual subscriptions to use this solution. I have not been able to understand the licensing of Cisco. Some of the Cisco executives were not able to understand them either. When you first start out the price is zero but when it comes to a time of renewal you have to pay."
  • "We are on an annual license. The license and the hardware are expensive."
  • "We have to pay for the hardware and support is extra and we do pay for the support."
  • "There is no license required to use Cisco Wireless solutions."
  • "However, when you integrate the access point and the controller with the DNAT across multiple sites, you need a DNAT cluster, which is a costly solution. Every site has a controller, and a DNAT cluster is not a good option in a global framework. It's okay for a small office or a few offices. But when you're talking about 500 offices, the cost becomes enormous."
  • More Cisco Wireless Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Answers from the Community
    Netanya Carmi
    Chi Kieu - PeerSpot reviewerChi Kieu
    User

    Aruba is our choice for our WIFI solution as Aruba has a lot of features that can do the same with Meraki. 


    Aruba is saving costs vs Meraki in a long time operation.

    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:It provides private network access, helping us protect our company’s devices.
    Top Answer:The solution is expensive. I rate its pricing a seven out of ten.
    Top Answer:Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points’ support services need improvement. We require a knowledgeable support executive to… more »
    Top Answer:Depends.  I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them.  Extreme I am not, so unless they have… more »
    Top Answer:At my organization, we researched Ruckus Wireless among other solutions but ultimately chose Aruba wireless. What did… more »
    Top Answer:On the most basic level, Cisco Wireless can offer a rather straightforward initial setup. In the span of about three… more »
    Top Answer:Cisco Wireless is very robust, very rugged, and can handle indoor and outdoor coverage extremely well. We found it to be… more »
    Top Answer:Ruckus Wireless offers users the benefit of being both easy to set up and get running as well as being very user… more »
    Top Answer:You cannot use them together if you want central management. This is because they are independent products.
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series), Mist Access Points
    Aruba WLAN, HP WLAN, HP Wireless, Aruba Instant On AP Series Access Point
    Cisco WLAN Controller
    Learn More
    Overview

    Juniper Wireless Access Points work in conjunction with Juniper Mist Cloud Services and Mist AI to deliver premier wireless access capabilities. The Juniper Mist Edge extends microservices to the campus to bring agility and scale while enabling new applications at the edge.

    Aruba Wireless is a secure, high-performance, multi-user wireless LAN supporting Wi-Fi 6. As workplaces and user expectations change, users can now maintain hybrid workplaces and IoT without compromising performance, reliability, or security. Aruba Wireless delivers better performance and capacity and greater AIOps visibility throughout all devices and users. In addition, through built-in network intelligence, network operations are made simpler while keeping everything secure through user and guest encryption.

    Aruba Wireless, offered through Aruba Networks, is helping achieve digital transformation and IoT with seamless connectivity through multiple Wi-Fi access points. For the user’s convenience, Aruba Wireless provides indoor, outdoor, and remote access points to help boost faster and safer connectivity.

    Choosing Aruba Wireless can help improve your organization’s user experience with wireless LAN in many ways, including:

    • Transforming hybrid workplaces: Employees can move seamlessly between home and office, with reliable internet and without compromising security.

    • Connect and protect IoT: With built-in AP support for BLE, Zigbee, and USB-port extensions, users can extend visibility, control, and connectivity to IoT devices and applications.

    • Expand the 5G experience to the enterprise network: Empower users to experience 5G with Wi-Fi 6 by automatically enabling cellular devices to join Aruba Wireless LAN securely and reliably.

    Aruba Gateways and Controllers

    Small organizations as well as large enterprises require excellent performance and security for cloud, mobility, and digital transformation. Therefore, in addition to the access points, Aruba Wireless also offers a variety of gateways and controllers, including:

    • 9000 Series: With SD-WAN capabilities, it’s excellent for small campus networks looking for enhanced Wi-Fi scalability and security.

    • 7200 Series: Perfect for campus WLAN scalability or branch SD-WAN and VPN Concentrator capabilities, the 7200 Series optimizes Wi-Fi performance to guarantee smooth roaming.

    • 7000 Series: Acting as a controller or gateway to provide WAN intelligence, the 7000 Series is a policy-based router and an excellent solution for small to mid-sized campuses.

    • Mobility Controller Virtual Appliance: Maximizes Wi-Fi and network services in an economical, virtualized environment.

    • SD-WAN Virtual Gateways: Orchestrate virtual gateways in public cloud infrastructure, like Amazon Web Services (AWS).

    • Mobility Conductor Hardware Appliance: While enhancing the scalability and reliability for large campus WLANs, Aruba Mobility Conductors bring the full capability of ArubaOS.

    • Mobility Conductor Virtual Appliance: To scale large campus deployments, Aruba Mobility Conductors simplify the deployment and management of up to 1,000 Mobility Controllers.

    • ArubaOS Network Operating System: Great for remote workers in mid-sized and large companies who need seamless connectivity to and security over Wi-Fi.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Aruba Networks is aiding organizations in transforming to a hybrid work environment with Aruba Wireless. Users especially love its ability to work with many devices and its ability to group and manage access points.

    A senior IT solutions architect at a manufacturing company says, "The most valuable feature is the fact that it can work with many devices. It supports everything that we need it to."

    Gary F., a network administrator at wireless at Abilene Christian, notes, "I like the way it groups and manages access points."

    With Cisco Wireless you will successfully plan, deploy, monitor, troubleshoot, and report on indoor and outdoor wireless networks - all from a centralized location.
    Offer
    Learn more about Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points
    Learn more about Aruba Wireless
    Learn more about Cisco Wireless
    Sample Customers
    Information Not Available
    Consulate Health Care, Los Angeles Unified School District, Science Applications International Corp (SAIC), San Diego State University, KFC, ACTS Retirement-Life Communities
    Aegean Motorway, Baylor Scott & White Health, Beachbody, Bellevue, Brunel University London, Bucks County Intermediate Unit , Chartwell School, Children's Hospital Colorado, Cisco Live Milan, City of Biel, City of Mississauga, Dundee Precious Metals, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Erickson Living, Goldcorp, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS)
    Top Industries
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company19%
    Government7%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Educational Organization6%
    REVIEWERS
    University19%
    Comms Service Provider14%
    Educational Organization9%
    Computer Software Company9%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Government8%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    Educational Organization7%
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider14%
    Computer Software Company9%
    Government9%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Government8%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Educational Organization7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business42%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise42%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business29%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise54%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business38%
    Midsize Enterprise24%
    Large Enterprise38%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business28%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise55%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business36%
    Midsize Enterprise24%
    Large Enterprise40%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise59%
    Buyer's Guide
    Aruba Wireless vs. Cisco Wireless
    September 2023
    Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Wireless vs. Cisco Wireless and other solutions. Updated: September 2023.
    734,678 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Aruba Wireless is ranked 1st in Wireless LAN with 50 reviews while Cisco Wireless is ranked 2nd in Wireless LAN with 33 reviews. Aruba Wireless is rated 8.2, while Cisco Wireless is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Aruba Wireless writes "Simple to install, easy to use, and cost-effective". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Cisco Wireless writes "Integrates with ISE, and is secure, reliable, and easy to deploy". Aruba Wireless is most compared with Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN, Ruckus Wireless, Ubiquiti WLAN, Mist AI and Cloud and ExtremeWireless, whereas Cisco Wireless is most compared with Ubiquiti WLAN, Ruckus Wireless, Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN, Mist AI and Cloud and NETGEAR Insight Access Points. See our Aruba Wireless vs. Cisco Wireless report.

    See our list of best Wireless LAN vendors.

    We monitor all Wireless LAN reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.