Aruba Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN comparison

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Juniper Logo
4,957 views|3,435 comparisons
100% willing to recommend
HPE Aruba Networking Logo
48,846 views|39,236 comparisons
86% willing to recommend
Ubiquiti Networks Logo
13,315 views|12,636 comparisons
79% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on May 8, 2022

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

  • Ease of Deployment: Users of both solutions tell us the installation and deployment are simple, easy, and straightforward.
  • Features: Users of both solutions are very pleased with their stability and scalability.

    Aruba Wireless users appreciate the aesthetically satisfying GUI and find the role-based authentication and client match to be extremely useful. The solution offers numerous reporting features as well as amazing visual RF maps displaying heatmaps of all the AP signals and client positioning, making tracking much easier. Users would like to see improvement with their current information channels and many mention that upgrades can be very buggy and better testing is needed for future releases.

    Ubiquiti WLAN users appreciate that backups of the controller can be saved locally and exported easily to any location. The solution offers a great management interface and the end-user connectivity is very good. Many users tell us coverage could be improved and that firmware updates/deployments should be handled more effectively, as currently they are somewhat problematic.
  • Pricing: Many users feel that Aruba is expensive to not very cost-effective. Conversely, Ubiquiti users tell us the solution is economically priced and provides many of the desired features of the more expensive brands.
  • Service and Support: Aruba Wireless users for the most part are very satisfied with the response time and level of service they receive. Ubiquiti WLAN users relate that they have many concerns and are not pleased with the level of service they receive and feel service needs to improve.

Comparison Results: Although it may be less cost-effective, users feel that Aruba is a more mature, robust product and provides better reliability and better service and support. Aruba consistently provides seamless trusted connectivity and an excellent secure user experience. Aruba works well for both SMBs and large business enterprises, making it a very versatile desired solution.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba Wireless vs. Ubiquiti WLAN Report (Updated: March 2024).
768,578 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 artificial intelligence feature is very good.""The most valuable feature of the solution is Marvis, the AI-driven network management system.""The most valuable feature of Juniper Mist is the Virtual Network Assistant, powered by artificial intelligence.""The solution is stable.""The simplicity is great.""In terms of reporting, in terms of all the user reports, it's very rich.""The most useful feature of Juniper Wireless AP is the reporting Marvis.""The most valuable feature of Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) is the ability to troubleshoot ports on the network. Additionally, when there is an update on the APs they are able to reboot quickly reducing downtime. Other solutions have a longer downtime when updates are done."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Pros →

"Aruba Wireless is stable.""Reasonably priced and great for small to medium size organizations.""​Our wireless overhaul has reduced the number of wireless related help desk tickets by nearly 90%.​""The access points support a high number of connected clients.""Enterprise wireless LAN solution with good visibility and amazing scalability. Aruba Wireless also offers good technical support.""Aruba is an industry leader. The hardware is on par, and its performance is also on par with anybody else. The Aruba brand really only focuses on wireless, so they're not competing their R&D for switching data center products and cloud security. They're really focused on that and their underlying key pieces. They provide a role-based authentication that is native to the controller. A lot of other systems don't do that. They won't provide you the ability to basically have everybody join the network, regardless of whether or not they share the same network space, the SSID, or the wireless LAN. You can segment it down to a specific user role based on any kind of attributes that you like. That's their differentiator. If you need per user, per device, or per port segmentation, you can get that with Aruba. There isn't another vendor who does it.""Clearpass solution from Aruba.""The network strength is good."

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"The ease of use and simplicity of the solution is its most valuable feature. This tool is best suited for small environments.""Anyone can buy the product off the shelf and configure it.""It is similar to the switches, where it is one of those things where it just works. They are very reliable.""The most beneficial thing about Ubiquiti is that it is simple to deploy.""Firstly, I initially purchased the device to build a VPN, and one very valuable feature for me was the ability to create a layer two VPN, which was available on the legacy ER router. It allowed me to expand a subnet to a remote site, which was essential for my setup. Additionally, I appreciated that the CLI of the router was similar to other Juniper products that I was familiar with.""Ubiquiti WLAN's best feature is the free controller system software.""Great management interface.""The solution is not complex to deploy."

More Ubiquiti WLAN Pros →

Cons
"The price could be better.""If you want to do more specific stuff, it's a bit limited.""The pricing should be made cheaper.""I need a bit more time with it before criticizing the features.""Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) could improve if the MIST platform had a built-in master key. This would be an advantage.""The solution is expensive.""The product should include adaptive Wi-Fi to show a more accurate location.""Juniper Wireless AP can improve by continually improving its reporting and integration with other systems."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Cons →

"There are some issues we occasionally have. However, they are easily remedied.""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.""Currently, the stability of the code is the basic underlying problem for us. They had an 8.6 release that came out two weeks ago, but we had to migrate twice because the code wasn't stable. We can't get things to work the same way. Version 8 was a big change for them. They made a change so that it is forced to be a managed hierarchical system. It means that you make changes at the top, and it pushes them downstream. There are a lot of problems with the 8.6 version code. I ran into four bugs in one week and was informed that we should just move onto the next one because all of those fixes have taken place. The feedback loop for fixes is not always really relayed back to you. I don't have a lot of strong things to say about version 8.6. When we had version 6, the controller was pretty much rock solid. We had no problems. We made a heavy investment to migrate a lot of stuff to take advantage of things like WPA3, Wi-Fi 6, and all that kind of stuff, and we haven't been able to turn those features on because we are not confident that they are going to work just yet. So, right now, we're still very much stumbling through the version 8.6 code and just trying to make sure that it is safe before we turn on some of those features. In terms of the marketplace, they are one of the top three leaders. In some respects, one of the things that they focus on is wireless. Therefore, there are some things that should be beyond reproach, as far as I'm concerned. In terms of the stability of the code, there are always going to be bugs, but the core stability of the code needs to be there. When it is not stable, that's a real problem for me because you lose a lot of confidence in the products.""Access point mounting options could be better.""They should have more support for implementing Aruba Wireless in Smart Cities and outdoor applications.""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.""Aruba Wireless is a little bit complex to use and operate.""The product’s performance got worse with newer releases."

More Aruba Wireless Cons →

"The product needs to improve the user interface in the migration from old to new versions.""The downside is the interface changes, where they are constantly doing firmware updates.""Ubiquiti WLAN needs to expand the models with external antennas. It needs to improve stability.""It is not a stable solution.""Ubiquiti lacks troubleshooting tools. For example, there aren't tools that your clients can use to gather input on the AP itself. There's no visibility in the application layer or reporting. It doesn't have a lot of management features.""I have found they need to work on the stability of the solution.""The solution should improve stability.""Largely we're happy with the product, however, the firmware deployments could maybe be managed a little bit differently."

More Ubiquiti WLAN 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."
  • "I rate the pricing an eight out of ten."
  • More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Partner had been using Cisco. They switched to Aruba, because of price and functionality, also with an option for adding a SW, like AirWave, Meridian, ClearPass, and Central."
  • "Pricing is very competitive."
  • "Pricing support has always been cost-effective."
  • "Licensing is a one time purchase (only the cloud license has to be renewed, which is worth trying out).​"
  • "​We will be buying the ClearPass solution, which will be pricey. However, in the trial version, it has even more tools to manage a busy network.​"
  • "There is so much licensing, you literally pay for every solution, add-on, or cool feature. Compared to others, we were in the middle with pricing, but as you start to invest more into features it will get very pricey."
  • "​Trial different solutions and compare pricing to how well they perform, their stability, how easy it is to maintain, etc."
  • "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."
  • More Aruba Wireless Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "This solution is reasonably priced."
  • "This product is more cost-effective than some others on the market."
  • "It is a cost-effective solution."
  • "There is no licensing cost for this solution."
  • "There is a license required for this solution."
  • "Ubiquiti has a good price compared to the other ones."
  • "When comparing the price of Ubiquiti WLAN to Aruba the price is reasonable."
  • "Ubiquiti WLAN is less expensive than Ruckus, but its price could be improved to make it more affordable and accessible."
  • More Ubiquiti WLAN Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Comparison Review
    Anonymous User
    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:You can easily monitor, manage, and cover all your IT equipment.
    Top Answer:I rate Juniper Mist's pricing a ten out of ten since it is expensive.
    Top Answer:The pricing is very high in the Indian market. Eight to nine OEMs are also available in the market, giving you their… 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:Ubiquiti Wireless is extremely easy to set up and is an excellent option for small businesses, offering enterprise… more »
    Top Answer:We researched Ubiquiti and Aruba when looking for a WLAN solution. Ubiquiti offers good WLAN access both indoors and… more »
    Top Answer:The management features are valuable.
    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
    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."


    UniFi is a revolutionary Wi-Fi system that combines Enterprise performance, unlimited scalability, a central management controller and disruptive pricing.

    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
    NASCAR Grand-AM, Maritime Parc, Outdoor Music Festival, One Republic Tour, British Armed Forces, Arcadia School District, Bartlett School District, Universidad del Azuay, Estelar Hotels, Intercontinental Bali, Moscow - Enforta, Miami - Sling Broadband, Manhattan - MST, Ecuador - Aire.EC
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Educational Organization25%
    Computer Software Company25%
    Newspaper13%
    Healthcare Company13%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company19%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Government7%
    Educational Organization6%
    REVIEWERS
    University18%
    Comms Service Provider14%
    Manufacturing Company9%
    Educational Organization8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    Government7%
    Manufacturing Company6%
    REVIEWERS
    Manufacturing Company22%
    Healthcare Company11%
    Comms Service Provider11%
    Computer Software Company11%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company13%
    Comms Service Provider12%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Government7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business40%
    Midsize Enterprise20%
    Large Enterprise40%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business30%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise53%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business39%
    Midsize Enterprise22%
    Large Enterprise39%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business28%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise55%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business58%
    Midsize Enterprise18%
    Large Enterprise24%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business35%
    Midsize Enterprise18%
    Large Enterprise47%
    Buyer's Guide
    Aruba Wireless vs. Ubiquiti WLAN
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Wireless vs. Ubiquiti WLAN and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    768,578 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Aruba Wireless is ranked 1st in Wireless LAN with 138 reviews while Ubiquiti WLAN is ranked 5th in Wireless LAN with 36 reviews. Aruba Wireless is rated 8.4, while Ubiquiti WLAN is rated 7.4. The top reviewer of Aruba Wireless writes "The portal for centralized management and virtual controller for APs are very valuable". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Ubiquiti WLAN writes "Helps to build VPNs but improvement is needed in stability ". Aruba Wireless is most compared with Cisco Wireless, Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN, Ruckus Wireless, Huawei Wireless and Mist AI and Cloud, whereas Ubiquiti WLAN is most compared with Cisco Wireless, Ruckus Wireless, Omada Access Points, Huawei Wireless and WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi. See our Aruba Wireless vs. Ubiquiti WLAN 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.