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.
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.
"The simplicity is great."
"The solution is pretty generic and easy to use."
"The most useful feature of Juniper Wireless AP is the reporting Marvis."
"The fact that Aruba Wireless has a virtual controller onboard the internet access points makes it cheaper than other solutions."
"The solution is quite stable and very robust."
"The functionality is very high and we can properly meet the clients' requirements."
"The most valuable feature is the client match."
"Aruba Wireless offers a good user experience."
"We like the centralized configuration and monitoring."
"Aruba Central is a valuable feature because I can monitor access points remotely, even if I'm not in the office."
"This is the second time I've implemented and installed this solution and I think it is outstanding. The support is excellent and so is the hardware. We don't need much support because nothing really goes wrong."
"The mobility that it provides is really helpful."
"Cisco Wireless is quite convenient for mobile and laptop access."
"It integrates with Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA)."
"This product has a long life and you don't have any issues with it."
"Overall, Cisco was stable and worked well for all our needs until we started having more and more students and teachers using YouTube and Zoom — what with classes being isolated and everything — which put a lot of strain on our Wi-Fi network."
"The most valuable features of Cisco Wireless are the level of control and management. I am happy with it."
"Its stability is most valuable."
"For me, the most valuable thing about Cisco Wireless is its ease of use and stability."
"If you want to do more specific stuff, it's a bit limited."
"Juniper Wireless AP can improve by continually improving its reporting and integration with other systems."
"I need a bit more time with it before criticizing the features."
"The pricing could always be better."
"The stability and management could be improved."
"Making the setup more simple is an area for improvement in Aruba Wireless. Security-wise, this solution also needs work."
"The solution is now taking eight to 12 months to deliver the product."
"They should have more support for implementing Aruba Wireless in Smart Cities and outdoor applications."
"Better integration with equipment from other vendors would ease the deployment process in some cases."
"I would like to see a faster web interface in the controller and more troubleshooting tools, including real-time troubleshooting tools."
"The upgrades tend to be buggy and better testing is needed before they are released."
"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."
"I wouldn't mind if Cisco allowed their premiere devices to be able to have that cloud-based support as well, or cloud-based management."
"The installation is not too difficult but the solution could improve by making the configuration easier."
"Cisco won't work with any other vendors. That is a significant problem with Cisco."
"It's end-of-life, it will be end-of-support in the next two years. The APs are also end-of-life."
"The pricing could be reduced."
"The pricing of Brazil is very expensive. When you look at other options, they are much cheaper."
"The stability could improve, there are some issues. We were told the version of the software we are using on all of the controllers is best for Cisco IOS, but we might need to update our software, this might fix the stability issues we are experiencing."
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Aruba Wireless is ranked 1st in Wireless LAN with 41 reviews while Cisco Wireless is ranked 3rd in Wireless LAN with 76 reviews. Aruba Wireless is rated 8.0, while Cisco Wireless is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Aruba Wireless writes "Overall a good product that provides role-based authentication native to the controller, but has code stability issues". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Cisco Wireless writes "Robust with a good level of performance and very helpful technical support". Aruba Wireless is most compared with Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN, Ubiquiti WLAN, Ruckus Wireless, Fortinet FortiWLM and Mist AI and Cloud, whereas Cisco Wireless is most compared with Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN, Ruckus Wireless, Huawei Wireless, Ubiquiti WLAN and Fortinet FortiWLM. See our Aruba Wireless vs. Cisco Wireless report.
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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.
On the most basic level, Cisco Wireless can offer a rather straightforward initial setup. In the span of about three hours, the basic framework can be set up. Step-by-step instructions are available to ease the deployment of the Cisco wireless network. A small business will now be able to make use of this wireless product without being worried about having to make a massive investment of either time or resources. This peace of mind extends to the actual maintenance of the product as well. Cisco wireless’s network does not require very much in the way of maintenance. It does require occasional upgrades to keep it running smoothly, but other than that, a team tasked with maintaining it has very little to worry about. Organizations of all sizes will be able to benefit from both of these aspects of Cisco wireless’s design.
Cisco wireless provides a very robust service that will continue to run over long periods of time and under heavy usage. Furthermore, the teams that are responsible for assisting users and resolving any potential issues that may arise are highly professional. These are two additional features that make Cisco wireless a valuable product. The wireless service is capable of running for years without any real need for replacements to be made to the hardware.
Although no system is perfect, Cisco’s Wireless network shows that products can still be made to last. Long spans of time can pass without issues arising. When they do, Cisco’s technical support team is well-equipped to help handle it. They respond quickly to inquiries and they are extremely knowledgeable. They bring the kind of professionalism that one would hope to have in a product’s support team.
Aruba Wireless can support many devices and provide the features that one would expect for this type of product. It is relatively cheap when compared to other products like Cisco Wireless. For that relatively cheap price, Aruba offers hardware whose performance can match anything offered by its competitors. It advertises what it can do and follows through with its promises. It is also very easy to configure. However, they do not guide users in different industries through the best practices that they should be employing when using Aruba Wireless.
Conclusion
Cisco Wireless offers an effective service. In terms of cost it is more expensive than Aruba Wireless. They both have a lot to offer. The price tag might just be the deciding factor.
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.