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Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Juniper WLC Series comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 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 Meraki Wireless LAN
Ranking in Wireless LAN
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
4.4
Number of Reviews
122
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Juniper WLC Series
Ranking in Wireless LAN
19th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is 9.3%, down from 12.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper WLC Series is 1.6%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN9.3%
Juniper WLC Series1.6%
Other89.1%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

DolfKrikke - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Architect at Previder
Centralized management has simplified remote branch control and improved network visibility
Cisco Meraki Wireless is very powerful and very easy to manage. The solution is also integrating Cisco Catalyst Wireless products into their portfolio, and they are managing the Catalyst switches as well. The seamless roaming capabilities function well. I monitor network performance with Meraki's real-time analytics. The most useful metrics to my team are the internet performance metrics, as there is a lot of information in the dashboard that I can access. All auditing and event logs are centralized in the dashboard. When I need to apply to compliance requirements or other regulatory needs, I can have my auditing in one place, which is an advantage. I use Cisco Meraki Wireless's Layer 7 application traffic shaping with the MX and the Meraki MX Firewalls.
RN
National Marketing Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
AI-driven optimization enhances network management and reduces hardware needs
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. Furthermore, the knowledge of the product's capabilities is not understood properly by those selling it, leading to overselling and overquoting.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is the stability. It works and doesn't stop."
"It makes life easier; you don't have to go cabling, it saves time, it saves man hours, it's just better."
"The initial setup of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN was very easy."
"The most valuable feature is the technology of the security that is offered."
"Its flexibility, ease of management via the portal, and the variety of access points are the most valuable features."
"What I liked about these is that they worked."
"Cisco's technical support is very good and better than other vendors."
"The most valuable aspect of this solution is the single pane of glass management and reliability."
"Juniper WLC Series is a very high-performance device designed for indoor wireless deployment."
"It prevents a large number of unauthorized modifications of access point devices."
"Its cloud machine has AI and machine learning, and therefore, it can help ensure IT has good monitoring and quicker response time as well as good troubleshooting capabilities."
"It is a very stable solution."
"The AI integration with Marvis is very valuable."
"It's easy to set up, and I feel it's very secure. I also prefer its reporting feature. The devices are quite good."
"There weren't any scalability issues, the product did what it had to do."
"The AI integration with Marvis is very valuable."
 

Cons

"The user interface needs to be improved."
"Currently, with Meraki, a controller is required to direct guest and user traffic to the internet. Improvement is needed in the portal for enhanced visibility into activities. Additionally, addressing multiple bugs, especially those arising with new releases, is crucial to ensure system stability."
"Meraki should share their viability roadmap. It is really hard to know which functionality will appear or when they will be available. It is also hard to know which features are available now but are not visible on the dashboard."
"The only concern is when the license has expired and it will no longer function, the entire network goes down, without any notification, or warning."
"It would be nice to have licensing that stays in place while the system is being renovated or changed."
"The quality of technical support varies, sometimes it's very good, sometimes not."
"The only thing that always causes problems with Meraki is the license. It's a bit of a bugbear with Meraki, and it remains today. So it's an unusual concept compared to the other products in the marketplace, but then it does cause a bit of a nuisance from time to time."
"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 network coverage of Juniper WLC Series and Cisco is different. We need to add additional access points."
"Juniper WLC Series has certain shortcomings in traffic monitoring."
"The support on offer to other vendors switching - like Aruba or Ruckus - could be improved."
"The solution could offer more integration with other products."
"There could be a high level of security."
"The solution should create configuration documentation."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its licensing is on a yearly basis. It can be for three, five, or ten years. I'm happy with the pricing. You basically pay for what you get. It is that simple. When you look at Ubiquiti or Aruba, Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN far outweighs what you get. If you're in the UK, Ubiquiti gives a three-year or five-year warranty, whereas here in the UAE, they only give a one-year warranty, which is no good to me. Who buys a piece of equipment with only one year warranty on it? It doesn't make sense."
"My client has made comments on the price, indicating it is expensive, however you do receive a lot for the money that you did spend on the solution. The price of the annual renewal of the licensing of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is a little high. We wish the price would drop."
"The platform is expensive."
"The pricing is based on a subscription and is a bit high at the moment."
"I would say that they have adequate pricing."
"We are on a SmartNet contract. All of our Cisco products are licensed under one contract. I do not think there are any additional costs."
"Its price is okay for an enterprise. Its licensing is the most painful. If you hear anything bad about Cisco, it's about that. We're supposed to be one of the resellers but had to come back down to become a user. It's really bizarre."
"It is super expensive for what you get. You also have to buy a license every year. Otherwise, it stops working."
"The licensing cost is quite high, but considering it's an enterprise solution, the complexity justifies the price."
"Juniper WLC Series is a bit pricey but worth its cost."
"The product is relatively affordable for enterprise companies."
"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."
"The solution's pricing is reasonable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business70
Midsize Enterprise27
Large Enterprise31
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 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 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 network access control engine. Some customers find it challenging as they do no...
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 retail.
 

Also Known As

MR18, MR26, MR32, MR34, MR66, MR72, Meraki Wireless LAN, Meraki WLAN
Juniper WLAN
 

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
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 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. Juniper WLC Series and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.