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Aruba Wireless vs Cisco Wireless vs Juniper WLC Series 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 Wireless is 11.0%, down from 13.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper WLC Series is 1.0%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Aruba Wireless15.7%
Cisco Wireless11.0%
Juniper WLC Series1.0%
Other72.3%
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.
Theesula Majuwanagamage - PeerSpot reviewer
Bridging capabilities ensure network continuity and reliability in large-scale deployments
The most valuable feature of Cisco Wireless is the bridging capability. If one network fails, there is a link between different access points, which ensures network continuity. Additionally, Cisco offers significant discounts for large projects. The reliability and robust solution are also key aspects, as there have been no errors or failures. The implementation is straightforward, and the user interface connection is easy.
Matilda Elwell - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers visibility and cost benefits
The tool has given us more visibility, but I'm not very technical, so I can't comment on specific features. However, the diagnostic tools for identifying system issues have greatly improved, which we appreciate. We still use Cisco ICE for authentication on the Juniper network, as we did before. We've seen cost benefits with the Juniper WLC Series, which was a key factor in our decision-making during the proof of concept. Besides cost improvements, we've also noticed better resolution of issues and faults in our help desk, thanks to the enhanced features.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The access points support a high number of connected clients."
"I have not experienced any bugs, software, or hardware issues with Aruba."
"It helps the user to have a better vision of what is happening in their network."
"​Our wireless overhaul has reduced the number of wireless related help desk tickets by nearly 90%.​"
"The user interface is great."
"Clearpass solution from Aruba."
"​It has improved overall IT efficiency across the board."
"I recommend this solution due to its simple installation, easy management, high scalability, and high availability."
"Cisco Wireless technology allows us to logically segregate networks, to segregate the traffic between multiple types of endpoint devices, connected to the network. For example, corporate laptops are connected to one network, corporate iPhones will go through a different network."
"Cisco's support team is the best in the industry."
"We were able to utilize the elements of the core and provide a solution to our customers similar to that of Cisco Meraki."
"The most valuable feature of Cisco Wireless is the bridging capability."
"Creating policies is simple."
"The most valuable feature for us is management of the systems. We can easily access all features."
"The ability to make different types of networks, such as land networks, is the most valuable part of the solution."
"I find this solution easy to configure and use."
"The installation process is nice and easy."
"There weren't any scalability issues, the product did what it had to do."
"It is a very stable solution."
"It prevents a large number of unauthorized modifications of access point devices."
"Juniper Wireless is reasonable, with a bit of complexity compared to Alibaba and SQL."
"It's easy to set up, and I feel it's very secure. I also prefer its reporting feature. The devices are quite good."
"The AI integration with Marvis is very valuable."
"The AI integration with Marvis is very valuable."
 

Cons

"Aruba Wireless can improve the assigning of access points. We have times that the nearest access point is not assigned but one far away. The integration between access points could improve."
"There is a long queue whenever we reach out to support, and we have to wait for them to answer calls. Once we get in touch with them, we have to coordinate with different teams, so our engineers struggle to understand who are the correct team members. I think support is another area where Aruba needs to improve."
"Configuration for this solution could be made easier, so people could benefit from being able to configure it within a quicker amount of time."
"​The ARM functionality does not always seem to perform how I would like. In some cases, I have had to manually assign channels to avoid channel confusion."
"The product should be more affordable, especially the cloud and console for the Aruba product as it is currently very expensive."
"The access points could be cheaper."
"Aruba’s poor performance and random upgrade issues caused too much time consuming maintenance and troubleshooting."
"The urgent areas of improvement would be customer support, better tuned default settings, and documentation."
"The integration with our CM and other technologies could improve this solution."
"The solution is stable but it could be improved. However, this could be because there are not enough APs."
"The solution could improve by having more advanced features, such as AI that is able to do diagnosis on the network or detect incorrect configurations and is able to tell you what is the recommended practice. Additionally, it would be a benefit to have smart antennas that are able to track your movement, Wi-Fi 6 support, better transfer rates, low latency, stronger signals that can penetrate thick walls, and zero packet losses."
"The new GUI interface and the newer version OS are a little bit more complex than the older version, however, it just might take some getting used to."
"It requires a few tweaks in order to stabilize it. Its portal is complex. Cisco solutions are complex in general."
"Before deploying a wireless solution, you have to read and plan every role, every windows system, put in your access point, and then make the audit. This solution is not the best one to do this. We use another solution that is called Eko. In the future, if this solution could have better auditing capabilities it would be better."
"Assurance capabilities must be improved."
"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."
"We would prefer it if the solution could be less expensive."
"The solution should create configuration documentation."
"Juniper WLC Series has certain shortcomings in traffic monitoring."
"In my region, access to the product is very difficult and presents a logistical nightmare. Also, pricing is a big problem and a barrier to entry when selling Juniper against competitors."
"There could be more information from the controller, and it could be easier to work with the controller lights. It's not easy to bring up the upgrades."
"The biggest issue was that Juniper stopped developing, so we had to look for another solution."
"In my region, access to the product is very difficult and presents a logistical nightmare."
"Juniper lacks a network access control agent similar to solutions like Alubakya Path and Cisco ISE."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I think they should lower their prices."
"The product is expensive."
"The pricing has increased and it was always more costly than some of the other solutions available."
"The price of Aruba Wireless is fairly reasonable. It was within our budget."
"​Price is fairly expensive, however it is worth it. If the “master” fails, another AP can take over the role.​"
"Licensing is a one time purchase (only the cloud license has to be renewed, which is worth trying out).​"
"If you compare it to other solutions then it's reasonably priced."
"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.​"
"The price for this product is a little bit high, which is why I am not using the most recent version."
"The product is expensive."
"I think it's affordable. Maybe there are little differences, but it's not very expensive. But with all Cisco products, you have to pay more for the power supply. You'll have to pay for the PoE converter."
"The price of Cisco Wireless equipment is expensive."
"Its licensing is not simple. There are additional license costs for features, which is frustrating for us. There are some features that are included for free in the base Aruba product, but they are available at additional costs in this solution."
"Pricing is a bit on the high side compared to its competitors but we have to consider the support and usages of the solution. Licensing is now RTU and smart licensing. We need three types of licenses. One for each of the: APs, HA, controller."
"The solution is a little expensive compared to other brands."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"There is a certain amount that needs to be paid towards the licensing charges associated with the product, but though I am not sure, I feel the licenses that we have in our company are for three years."
"Juniper WLC Series is a bit pricey but worth its cost."
"The product is relatively affordable for enterprise companies."
"The licensing cost is quite high, but considering it's an enterprise solution, the complexity justifies the price."
"The solution's pricing is reasonable."
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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%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
University
6%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Educational Organization
7%
 

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 Business73
Midsize Enterprise42
Large Enterprise74
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise4
 

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...
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 Cisco Wireless?
Cisco Wireless improves mobility and flexibility. The only case we are working on is with hospitals, focusing on the ...
What do you like most about Juniper WLC Series?
Juniper WLC Series is a very high-performance device designed for indoor wireless deployment.
What needs improvement with Juniper WLC Series?
Juniper lacks a network access control agent similar to solutions like Alubakya Path and Cisco ISE. There should be a...
What is your primary use case for Juniper WLC Series?
I work with Juniper service provider solutions. I have a service provider customer and some enterprise customers in r...
 

Also Known As

Aruba WLAN, HP WLAN, HP Wireless, Aruba Instant On AP Series Access Point
Cisco WLAN Controller
Juniper WLAN
 

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
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)
Apollo Hotel Papendrecht, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Bajaj Capital, Baloise Insurance, BAS Group, Borealis, Danish Crown, Deloitte Belgium, Jan Yperman Hospital, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, MercaSID, S.A., NHTV Breda University, Parklands College and Christopher Robin Pre-Primary, San Antonio Community Hospital, Sandia National Laboratories, Springfield Public Schools (SPS), St. Catherine University, TalkTalk, The Education Village, University of Copenhagen, University of the Highlands and Islands, University of the West of Scotland (UWS), Valdosta State University, Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec), zulily
Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless LAN. Updated: August 2025.
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