Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Ubiquiti WLAN comparison

Cisco and Ubiquiti Networks are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Cisco is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.2, while Ubiquiti Networks is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.0. Cisco holds a 12.6% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to Ubiquiti Networks’s 5.0% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 82% of Ubiquiti Networks users who would recommend it.

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Read 119 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN reviews

13,735 Views
11,204 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Ubiquiti WLAN

Read 45 Ubiquiti WLAN reviews

5,373 Views
5,142 Comparison Views

82% willing to recommend

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Ubiquiti WLAN

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and Ubiquiti WLAN compete in the wireless LAN category. Cisco Meraki seems to have the upper hand with its advanced features and ease of management, particularly for larger networks.

Features: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN offers centralized cloud management with intuitive dashboards and comprehensive analytics, ideal for organizations with limited IT staff. It provides advanced features like granular access controls and easy network segmentation. Ubiquiti WLAN is praised for its ease of deployment and affordability, offering a straightforward option for businesses seeking a cost-effective solution without complex setup.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Meraki users often mention improvements needed in technical support and more granular data monitoring. Licensing models are a concern regarding service continuity. For Ubiquiti, enhancements in robust management and monitoring features, as well as support for advanced configuration and troubleshooting, are needed.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Meraki's cloud-based management is favorable for businesses with multiple locations due to its ease and accessibility. Ubiquiti offers an on-premises solution that is simple and cost-effective, appealing to small to mid-sized organizations. Customer service for Cisco Meraki is mixed, whereas Ubiquiti could benefit from clearer documentation and enhanced support.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN may seem expensive due to recurring licensing fees but offers streamlined operations that can offset staffing costs. Ubiquiti is more affordable with a one-time purchase model and no ongoing fees, providing strong ROI in budget-conscious settings where advanced networking features are unnecessary.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. Ubiquiti WLAN Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. Ubiquiti WLAN

June 2025

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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

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

5.1

Number of Reviews

119

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Ubiquiti WLAN

Ranking in Wireless LAN

6th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is 12.6%, up from 12.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubiquiti WLAN is 5.0%, down from 6.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

RezaPradipta

Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk

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…

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Gabriele-Pizzigati

Senior Software and Systems Engineer at SAMU.IT

Managing installations through one interface enhances efficiency but AI features improvement

Ubiquiti Wireless LAN is reliable and offers a good quality product. It provides one interface to manage all installations, allowing me to monitor all customers through the same web interface. The web interface in the controller allows for quick configuration of devices with just one click, which is a significant advantage.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The user interface is very simple and easy to use — our customers are very satisfied."

"It is very stable, very resilient, and very robust."

"Its ability to be cloud-managed is the most valuable feature so if there's a reconfiguration or an issue, we have excellent visibility into the network and we can usually resolve the problem online without having to go onsite."

"It improved the installation time."

"Integrating with the router, firewall, and Wireless Controller is advantageous."

"The product has been very stable over the years."

"Cisco's technical support is very good and better than other vendors."

"The solution is trustworthy. I find it easy and secure."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pros

"Ubiquiti WLAN's best feature is the free controller system software."

"Ubiquiti WLAN is stable."

"The pricing is very competitive and the feature sets are very good. It compares well against more expensive options."

"Ubiquiti is affordable, as it does not require recurring licensing fees."

"Ubiquiti provides good connectivity for the end-user, so I think it's stable."

"The main advantage of Ubiquiti WLAN is the network management. The whole concept has one complete range of products from end to end, with very basic and effective management systems. That's a key benefit in my mind. But the main thing is that it's so competitive—far more competitive than the other leading American brands."

"Ubiquiti WLAN has been stable and is easy to install."

"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."

More Ubiquiti WLAN pros

Cons

"Unfortunately, we have to deal with European privacy laws and as far as we can see, the solution is not compliant with these. It's why we're not able to continue with Cisco Meraki. They need to become compliant with GDPR laws."

"The solution could be cheaper."

"Initially, I liked some of the filtering features, but that's one of the components that we ran into problems with."

"Its pricing could be better."

"The initial setup of the solution can be improved and made easier."

"The pricing structure could be improved."

"The logging sometimes doesn't give us the granularity needed. Some of the rules are a bit more complicated. The switch ports on the routers are not individually addressable, in the sense that with a switch you can tell what MAC address is on what port but with the security appliances, you can't, which would be beneficial for troubleshooting."

"The most important improvement needed is to eliminate the limitation of uplinks."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN cons

"The downside is the interface changes, where they are constantly doing firmware updates."

"The logs are not detailed enough. You can't clearly see what is being blocked in Ubiquiti WLAN, making the troubleshooting process a little bit harder."

"The room for improvement is in the controller levels."

"I have never used cloud solutions. My first approach would be something related to the cloud, and backups on the cloud, and maybe an easier way to connect to it because I have an on-premises environment."

"Ubiquiti WLAN would be improved with the addition of individual AP configuration, which would allow for fine-tuning of individual access points and logins."

"The statistics you can get on it are a bit limited from what I have seen so far."

"The product's area of concern revolves around its lack of support."

"Big networks with more than 80 access points are a problem. The network controller stops sometimes, and I think it's because of the high number of access points."

More Ubiquiti WLAN cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"At this price point, I would not mind seeing a four-way channel, instead of a 3x3 or a 4x4, like they do in the Cisco Aironet system with their other brand. For the same price point in this other Cisco brand, it is a lot cheaper, and you can get a slightly better throughput than you can with these."

"It's a pretty good value, but not great. Pricing is on a yearly basis for the Meraki solution."

"These units cost between $800 and $900 per device and on top of that, you have to pay yearly fees for maintenance."

"The tool is reasonably priced."

"The box itself is very cheap. The question here is about the subscription because this is what you will pay every year. In the initial year, for purchasing, Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN gives you an attractive price. While during renewal, we are not given much discount."

"Negotiate the deal put in front of you!"

"Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN's pricing is high."

"Higher subscription fee may be necessary if extra features are required."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pricing and cost advice

"The tool's price is very friendly."

"Ubiquiti has a good price compared to the other ones."

"Ubiquiti WLAN is less expensive than Ruckus, but its price could be improved to make it more affordable and accessible."

"There is a license required for this solution."

"The software to control it is free. The license is when we buy the Cloud Key."

"The tool is affordable."

"Ubiquiti WLAN is a low-priced product."

"Ubiquiti WLAN is fairly well priced and available as a one-time purchase."

More Ubiquiti WLAN pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Government

Educational Organization

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...

See all answers

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...

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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...

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Is Ubiquiti Wireless better than Ruckus Wireless WAN?

Ubiquiti Wireless is extremely easy to set up and is an excellent option for small businesses, offering enterprise features for a one-time fee and no ongoing licensing fees. Ubiquiti Wireless is ve...

See all answers

Which is better - Ubiquiti WLAN or Aruba Instant?

We researched Ubiquiti and Aruba when looking for a WLAN solution. Ubiquiti offers good WLAN access both indoors and outdoors. It provides an enterprise-level WIFI while remaining cost-effective. U...

See all answers

What do you like most about Ubiquiti WLAN?

Anyone can buy the product off the shelf and configure it.

See all answers

Comparisons

Aruba Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 32% of the time

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 14% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 11% of the time

Ubiquiti Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN Competitors

Fortinet FortiAP vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 20% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 18% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 12% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 9% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 7% of the time

More Ubiquiti WLAN Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

June 2025

Download Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN product report

Buyer's Guide

Ubiquiti WLAN

May 2025

Download Ubiquiti WLAN product report

Also Known As

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

No data available

Overview

Cisco Meraki access points are built from the highest grade components and carefully optimized for a seamless user experience. The outcome: faster connections, greater user capacity, more coverage, and fewer support calls. The Cisco Meraki dashboard gives visibility into the network users, their devices, and their applications. Armed with rich analytics, administrators can quickly create access control and application usage policies, optimizing both the end-user experience and network security.

Cisco

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

Ubiquiti Networks

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

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

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. Ubiquiti WLAN

June 2025

Free Report: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. Ubiquiti WLAN

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