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Cisco Wireless vs Huawei Wireless comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 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 Wireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
153
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Huawei Wireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
11th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
36
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Cisco Wireless is 11.0%, down from 14.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Huawei Wireless is 6.2%, up from 4.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN
 

Q&A Highlights

SS
Feb 08, 2021
 

Featured Reviews

Theesula Majuwanagamage - PeerSpot reviewer
Bridging capabilities ensure network continuity and reliability in large-scale deployments
The most valuable feature of Cisco Wireless ( /products/cisco-wireless-reviews ) is the bridging capability. If one network fails, there is a link between different access points, which ensures network continuity. Additionally, Cisco offers significant discounts for large projects. The reliability and robust solution are also key aspects, as there have been no errors or failures. The implementation is straightforward, and the user interface connection is easy.
Shahnawaz Nusrat - PeerSpot reviewer
Effective and extensive campus Wi-Fi with room for better frequency management
We have deployed Huawei CCTV solutions at multiple universities in Pakistan. This includes Huawei Wireless for Smart Campus projects, where we provide blanket Wi-Fi coverage and Safe Campus projects, where we deploy security cameras and multiple devices to monitor the campus Huawei Wireless has…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The installation process is very easy."
"From my experience, I have found Cisco Wireless to be scalable."
"It is a stable solution. The performance was good."
"For me, the most valuable thing about Cisco Wireless is its ease of use and stability."
"The most valuable features are mobility and security."
"Identity PSK helps save SSIDs."
"The most valuable feature is the coverage."
"The solution is very good at supporting IoT applications."
"The solution offers very good value for money."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is its simplicity."
"The solution has high performance and we are using Wi-Fi 6 that we have found to be the best coverage."
"It provides high-speed network connections."
"What I like most about Huawei Wireless is that it's customizable. It has many unique features, such as encryption, spatial streams, hiding features for different scenarios, low-density and high-density areas, and smart antennas."
"The reliability has had a positive impact on our operations."
"That would be more of engineering at this point. I'm from more of the business side. It's pretty much doing the standard installations with portal integrations and integrations with the Mac."
"The solution's roaming feature is very nice. When you move to another place it automatically changes the access point. It's one of the most valuable features."
 

Cons

"Code stability is something that needs to be improved."
"The main problem that traditional solutions like this one have is that you need to buy packages to deliver a similar solution as a Meraki one."
"Cisco Wireless needs to improve pricing. I understand that Cisco products are typically more expensive than other vendors. Therefore, I believe that adjusting the pricing could potentially be beneficial. Discounts may be available depending on the customer or type of purchase, which could help offset the higher costs."
"It would be better if some utility lets us know the best place to install the system. Every time we install it, we have to change it, and we have to add more access points. This is a problem we have all the time. It would be better if it integrated seamlessly with products from other vendors. It'll also help if they included a device diagnostics feature in the next release."
"The main disadvantage of Cisco Wireless is its cost - it's expensive. Its interface is not easy. However, I like it since I am an engineer."
"Room for improvement wise, the wireless coverage of Cisco's equipment could be better for the price position. That is, I think that the radius for the coverage could be better to make it worth the price that we pay for it."
"The solution could improve by having an advanced model with a controller. Additionally, the solution could be more secure."
"And from an administration point of view, it is a very tedious job to check on each and every control. We have around 30 or 40 controls in our network."
"Improving the visibility, control offered, and cloud management would all be very helpful. Also how you can monetize the information you get from Wi-Fi controllers should be improved."
"What needs improvement in Huawei Wireless is after-sales support. I've faced many after-sales support issues, so that's the area I want Huawei to improve. Having an SLA with customers is what I'd suggest to Huawei Wireless."
"The speed could be a bit better."
"Huawei Wireless has a small technical problem. When you use a power injector, it needs to be specially configured for the switch to which it is connected. It tries to take power not from the power injector but from the switch. The funny thing when you look at it is that you have three switches or maybe four or five that are theoretically capable. However, the port on these switches is disabled. When you connect the access point to a power injector, the access point checks for features from the switch, but on this port, the switch doesn't do power. So, the access point changes these features to energy save mode and cuts off some features, especially WiFi 6. It took me two weeks to find out what's going on and how to mitigate this sort of problem. It is very easy to fix. You need to disable LLDP on the port on which you connect the access point to the power injector. Power injectors aren't quite commonly used, but I have 54 access points, and I have used about 27 power injectors. So, about half of the access points were working at reduced speed, not full speed, for two weeks."
"They should include more security features in the solution."
"While technically proficient, enhancing communication skills would greatly benefit the customer experience."
"The solution needs to include a captive portal."
"The solution should offer more integration with third-party servers and devices."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"However, when you integrate the access point and the controller with the DNAT across multiple sites, you need a DNAT cluster, which is a costly solution. Every site has a controller, and a DNAT cluster is not a good option in a global framework. It's okay for a small office or a few offices. But when you're talking about 500 offices, the cost becomes enormous."
"Its cost is a little bit higher than other products. Fortinet and Huawei are cheaper. If we were not a bank, I would go for Huawei or Fortinet because they are cheap, and I don't need that much security. A financial institute, a university, or a medical institute would need security to protect the customer data. That's why we buy this high-end product that has integrated security features."
"Pricing is a little higher for Cisco Wireless than all other vendors. Cisco should work on improving the pricing because there are some other vendors out there in the market which may have the same features or equivalent features that Cisco has at a lesser price."
"Because the Cisco architecture is quite complex, you may end up having to add more components and licenses. So, the cost could go up."
"It might be around $100 for a license. The internal ones are far cheaper than that."
"The pricing is high. It could be cheaper."
"Users have to pay a yearly licensing fee for Cisco Wireless."
"I rate the tool's pricing a seven out of ten."
"Huawei comes at a cheaper price than competitors like Cisco and Aruba."
"I rate Huawei Wireless' pricing a five out of ten."
"It is very cost-effective."
"Huawei Wireless is one of the cheapest options in the marketplace."
"Right now, my company made a one-time purchase of Huawei Wireless. It depends, but in most of the projects where customers buy hardware with some software, it's a one-time purchase. Customers pay a yearly fee for other projects for support and additional software features, such as email protection firmware updates for cybersecurity. You'll also receive information about the latest attacks and get more protection if you pay an additional fee apart from the standard license fee. You'll also get an additional warranty for Huawei Wireless, a yearly contract."
"The price of Huawei Wireless is reasonable. The licenses are active, and everything is working fine as per the license agreement."
"The price of Huawei Wireless is very good."
"Its price is very good. This wireless system totally costs about 30,000 euros, and some of the other solutions cost about 45,000 euros. It is a difference of 15,000 euros, which is quite a lot of money."
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Comparison Review

it_user212721 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 24, 2015
Cisco vs. Aruba Wireless Solutions
Cisco or Aruba Networks? If you are considering wireless access solutions, this is a common question that you are probably asking. You probably have sales people knocking at your door. How do you make sense of all the stories that you are presented with. If you have done any research, you are…
 

Answers from the Community

SS
Feb 8, 2021
Feb 8, 2021
All are good selections, and this question is difficult to answer without knowing your throughput requirements, as each vendor has multiple models within there series. Personally I recommend looking at Arista Networks’ cognitive Wifi, where controllers are a thing of the past.
2 out of 7 answers
AT
Feb 17, 2020
Hi, It is all dependent on the size of the controllers in question. Though I would suggest getting a cloud base technology so you are limited by any controller and have much better redundancy. Take a look at Arista Cognitive Wireless
IA
Feb 17, 2020
Hi, Every one of the mentioned solutions is good but you need to check the needs which are security since the firms you are working with need protection and tracking of data. For this reason, I recommend: - if you have FortiGate installed then go for Fortinet Wireless since they can be integrated with the Fortigate without buying a controller and they work perfectly together and you will get the advantage of applying rules to the client himself whether mobile or computer, easily managed & monitored, more visibility over your network and incident notifications. If the above doesn't apply then you can go with the best one that fits your budget and security needs which for me doesn't fall on the mentioned solution but to go with ARUBA Instant Access Wireless Solution and the reasons are as such: - Cisco is too much expensive and you got to pay smart support with some complexity in configuration and you need to buy a controller - Ruckus is good but when you want to have the security you need to buy a controller with licenses and it won't give you the security needed since it is just a wireless solution - Huawei is not a stable company since it had many ups and downs and they can reach with you to have all the solutions nearly free so that you install their brand. Whereas Aruba you don't need a controller in the Instant access points and you will get the minimum security with radius integration and what is important a lifetime warranty on the access points. In addition, if the number of access points increased and you want more detailed management and more advanced configurations, you can buy a controller either on-premises or on-cloud with Aruba. The above information is based on my experience with all the solutions and their POC. If you need any more details and consultancy, kindly feel free to contact me. Regards.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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...
Which is better - Ruckus Wireless or Cisco Wireless?
Ruckus Wireless offers users the benefit of being both easy to set up and get running as well as being very user friendly. This user-friendly quality also renders it easy to learn how to use and ma...
How does Cisco Wireless compare with Aruba Wireless?
On the most basic level, Cisco Wireless can offer a rather straightforward initial setup. In the span of about three hours, the basic framework can be set up. Step-by-step instructions are availabl...
Which wireless solution would you choose - Huawei or D-Link?
Huawei wireless is a strong and solid product that has a lot of features - and for all that it offers, it happens to be very cost effective. As a wireless solution, it is simple and its user interf...
What do you like most about Huawei Wireless?
The reliability has had a positive impact on our operations.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Huawei Wireless?
For SMB customers with limited wireless users, Huawei Wireless may not be suitable due to the lack of multiple access points and the need for a centralized SSID. However, for large-capacity custome...
 

Also Known As

Cisco WLAN Controller
Huawei WLAN
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Aegean Motorway, Baylor Scott & White Health, Beachbody, Bellevue, Brunel University London, Bucks County Intermediate Unit , Chartwell School, Children's Hospital Colorado, Cisco Live Milan, City of Biel, City of Mississauga, Dundee Precious Metals, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Erickson Living, Goldcorp, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS)
Anhui Agricultural University (AAU), China Everbright Bank
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Wireless vs. Huawei Wireless and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
859,957 professionals have used our research since 2012.