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Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Huawei Enterprise Routers comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
Ranking in WAN Edge
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
94
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (6th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (2nd)
Huawei Enterprise Routers
Ranking in WAN Edge
8th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Routers (4th)
 

Featured Reviews

Igor Van Den Ouden - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables secure and flexible branch connectivity with application-aware routing
The valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN include its security policies and zone-based firewall that are applied to every site, as well as application-aware routing. Security is standard compliant, eliminating config drift that was prevalent before manual configurations. Application-aware routing offers flexibility in using different lines for traffic, depending on the policy implemented.
Udochi Ododo - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to configure and troubleshoot, but they need more visibility in the licensing model
Huawei needs to be a bit more open with their licensing model. What I find is that when you buy equipment, you expect that you have a particular feature. By the time you want to use that feature, you realize that you need to acquire a license for it. That is the one thing that I think they need to improve on. Essentially, they need to open their licensing model such that when a customer buys a device, they have a full view of all of the available licenses for it. It's not at the time of use that the customer will now be informed that they need to purchase an additional license.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"There is minimum blind space in this solution."
"I like the feature that lets you transfer from old devices to new devices without changing the hardware and subscription."
"Cisco SD-WAN's collaborative features are unique and sustainable. I also like the protocols, which use two SD-WAN."
"If I have to give a neutral view of all the SD-WAN platforms that I have known so far, Cisco is good in routing."
"Installation is easy."
"The reliability is high and we have only had to restart it once or twice over the years."
"Customizing SD-WAN is very easy because you can define two colors. You can define two different operators. You can deploy a partial mesh, a full mesh, or hub-and-spoke totally differently. If you want to do this on a DMVPN solution, that's really hard."
"Application-aware routing offers flexibility in using different lines for traffic, depending on the policy implemented."
"The product has valuable support services."
"We use the solution for point-to-point connectivity, aggregation, and radio connectivity on mTLS."
"This product uses a non-proprietary command line, which makes it compatible across many different systems."
"Overall we have found the solution to be satisfactory."
"The configuration syntax makes it easy for us to configure the device and perform troubleshooting when needed."
"There is a lot of information available about routers and how to configure Huawei Routers right now."
"The setup is simple."
"The product is good, easy to manage , and works fine."
 

Cons

"The initial setup could be a bit less complex."
"The security features could be improved."
"Cisco products are a little bit complicated, so making them a little bit easier would be an improvement."
"We need them to start focusing on the SD-WAN compatibility with other environments and not being so vendor locked with Cisco environments."
"If you don't have an in-house design team or outsource to a third party with expertise, the setup will be difficult."
"Cisco SD-WAN could improve on the ease of integration, the configuration should be easier. At the moment the process is more command line based and it would be better if it was able to be done through an interface."
"Simplifying the definition and implementation could add significant value, as it can be complex due to multiple product integrations and customization requirements."
"Some configurations or procedures could be more user-friendly. Adding a bandwidth management feature would make Cisco SD-WAN more scalable and less resource-intensive."
"In the next release of this solution, I would like to see better bandwidth management, more granular web filtering, and portal authentication."
"If Huawei can use its own OEM processor, it could be a good step up for future use in the network devices."
"There isn't really any scalability potential."
"We'd like the product to be more flexible so that we could more easily manipulate some of the features."
"The configuration is complex and should be simplified."
"Huawei Enterprise Routers can improve by enhancing their security. The software architecture and the operating system that runs on their router and the security capability are not as strong when compared to Cisco."
"The documentation is somewhat lacking and not easy to navigate."
"The solution's technical support could be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For 600 links, the license for Cisco SD-WAN costs us US$250k a year."
"You can get subscriptions for three or five years."
"The license consists of an annual fee."
"The product is not too expensive."
"The cost is reasonable. I would rate the price as seven out of ten."
"On a scale of one to five, I would rate Cisco's pricing as a three."
"We can only buy three-year licenses, not monthly. The cost seems high for us, especially since we're in Vietnam, which isn't a rich country. But we still like the product because it is good."
"80 percent reduction in WAN costs. There are no MPLS or P2P circuits left in the organization."
"These routers are not too expensive."
"There are additional licensing costs. I am aware of additional licenses and which services are added to the router."
"The price of the solution is fair."
"There is no licence for this solution, but the solution could be cheaper."
"The solution is cheap compared to Cisco."
"The product is inexpensive, but there is an extra cost for replacement of the device."
"Huawei Enterprise Routers’s cost is average. I rate its pricing a five out of ten."
"The price is reasonable compared to Cisco's."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
43%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
4%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Comms Service Provider
9%
University
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco SD-WAN?
When considering the most valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN, the decoupling of self-monitoring stands out significantly.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco SD-WAN?
The pricing of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is rated between eight and nine out of ten, where ten is the most expensive.
What needs improvement with Cisco SD-WAN?
The durability of the switches could be improved. In the past, Cisco devices had a longer lifespan. Now, they change frequently, making it difficult to obtain long-term support.
What do you like most about Huawei Enterprise Routers?
The solution provides support for 5G connectivity.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Huawei Enterprise Routers?
The product is very cheap and offers a huge discount as they are trying to enter the market. However, you have to pay extra for some services and support.
What needs improvement with Huawei Enterprise Routers?
The documentation is somewhat lacking and not easy to navigate. There are some errors and misleading information. The general appearance of the company site is also not user-friendly for downloadin...
 

Also Known As

Cisco SD-WAN
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates
Bus Online, VisionChina Media Inc. (VisionChina), China Network Television (CNTV), Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, ABC, BovenIJ hospital
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Huawei Enterprise Routers and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
849,686 professionals have used our research since 2012.