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Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs iBwave Unity comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

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 Meraki Wireless LAN
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.1
Number of Reviews
119
Ranking in other categories
Wireless LAN (4th)
iBwave Unity
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
Network Modeling and Simulation (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and iBwave Unity aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is designed for Wireless LAN and holds a mindshare of 12.6%, up 12.3% compared to last year.
iBwave Unity, on the other hand, focuses on Network Modeling and Simulation, holds 10.5% mindshare, down 11.6% since last year.
Wireless LAN
Network Modeling and Simulation
 

Featured Reviews

RezaPradipta - PeerSpot reviewer
Streamline network management with a unified dashboard for seamless device integration
The primary use case for Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is mostly for enterprise wireless, including guest Wi-Fi and enterprise Wi-Fi. I use it across various industries with a focus on retail Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN offers a single pane of glass management. It only comes with a controller on the…
Gopi R S - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced accuracy in design projects with advanced three-dimensional modeling and great support
I am using iBwave Wi-Fi for a project where we are designing on campus. It is used for large venue designs such as a university campus, and my work involves optimizing and validating the designs for accuracy before site surveys Using iBwave Wi-Fi, I am able to provide more accurate results for…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution's most valuable features at that time were the ease of managing on the cloud without having a server and the authentication using RADIUS integrated with the server on the cloud."
"The most valuable features include key elements like creating SSIDs, networking configurations, and the ability to manage all devices through a single console."
"The most valuable feature of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is that it is fast and does the job."
"I would recommend Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN simply because of the ease of deployment and its reliability."
"The solution is easy to install."
"Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is a user-friendly solution that has good performance and stability."
"It is cloud-based. It has a GUI rather than a command line, and it just works."
"You can scale the solution easily."
"Compared to other tools, iBwave Wi-Fi provides 95% accuracy and generates heatmaps."
"The 3D Coverage is a good feature that shows the signal propagation in three dimensions."
"It can speed up design."
"The stability and feature set of the application are top notch and can't be matched."
"iBwave Wi-Fi's tech support is great. They pick up their phones. I have no complaints."
"The most valuable features of iBwave Wi-Fi include the critical three dimensional modeling capabilities, which are necessary for tasks like locating access points, determining their height, and cable routing."
"I find the high-quality Heatmap generation, multi-floor, and wire mapping features to be most valuable."
"The solution's 3D imaging is amazing."
 

Cons

"I would like to see them improve their support where an assigned engineer can take the case all the way to closure. Usually, you get a different engineer calling regarding the same ticket."
"The price could be slightly lowered to make it more competitive in the market."
"They're great. If there's anything that they need to change, it is just simplifying the site to which you go to make changes on the admin side."
"The throughput of the switches for wireless could be improved."
"The annual maintenance is something that needs to be changed."
"Quality of technical support varies."
"Our only concern at this stage is how it's licensed."
"The product's pricing needs improvement."
"The cost of the solution could be improved. It's extraordinarily expensive."
"Areas of improvement would include more functionality in the Mobile App, expanded reporting features, and some shortcut features."
"iBwave Wi-Fi doesn't have a distributor feed platform."
"iBwave Wi-Fi could be improved by adding a plot for overall improvement, allowing us to see where we are failing in design parameters, similar to features in Ekahau."
"I am currently looking for an alternative due to my reluctance with the reliability of this product."
"It would do iBwave well to become more involved with their clients."
"I would like to be able to see two buildings at the same time so that you can create a campus view."
"It would be good if we could involve a visual while designing the backhaul."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"You have to renew your contract every year, or for three or for five years. If you do not pay right away they will suspend your subscription."
"The platform is expensive."
"This solution is slightly more expensive than others, such as Ruckus Wi-Fi."
"Cost could be better."
"The pricing is on the higher side."
"We do a three-year or five-year license and support. Its price could be better, but overall, we get competitive prices. A lot of times, Cisco puts itself out of range, especially with Meraki. I've dealt with a lot of business development from Cisco, and they have always been accommodating, especially in dealing with hospitals or government. There is also a right time to buy it. July is when they are eager to sell a lot of things because that is the end of their calendar year."
"Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is not a reasonably priced product for home use. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is a reasonably priced product for enterprise-sized businesses."
"Cisco Meraki requires either a one year or three year license for a standard enterprise license."
"The solution's pricing is cheap."
"I advise others to treat the cost as you would any tooling cost and use the monthly option as needed."
"iBwave Wi-Fi is an expensive solution, but it is worth the cost."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Educational Organization
14%
Construction Company
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 have some feature that I need or want, I wouldn't consider them. Do you have expe...
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 be very reliable and to consistently run very efficiently. Cisco Wireless helpe...
How does Ruckus Wireless compare to Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?
Cisco’s Meraki Virtual MX is a virtual instance of the Meraki SD-WAN appliance. We liked the Meraki. The Wifi APs are a great feature. The dashboard is a simple interface and easy to learn. It feat...
What do you like most about iBwave Wi-Fi?
Compared to other tools, iBwave Wi-Fi provides 95% accuracy and generates heatmaps.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iBwave Wi-Fi?
Both iBwave Wi-Fi and Ekahau are costly tools. They're considered high in cost because the license needs to be renewed yearly.
What needs improvement with iBwave Wi-Fi?
iBwave Wi-Fi could be improved by adding a plot for overall improvement, allowing us to see where we are failing in design parameters, similar to features in Ekahau.
 

Also Known As

MR18, MR26, MR32, MR34, MR66, MR72, Meraki Wireless LAN, Meraki WLAN
iBwave Wi-Fi
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Advanced Medical Transport, Banco de Guayaquil, Baylor Scott & White Health, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, Calligaris, Children's Hospital Colorado, City of Biel, Del Papa Distributing, Department of Justice, Dimension Data, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Hertz, K&L Gates , LightEdge, Lone Star College System, Management Science Associates, Mindtree, NBC Olympics, Quest, Sony Corporation, The Department of Education in Western Australia, Valley Proteins
ARRIS
Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless LAN. Updated: June 2025.
859,438 professionals have used our research since 2012.