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Cisco Wireless vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
2.3
Cisco Wireless boosts productivity, reduces downtime, improves connectivity, and offers cost savings with robust security and manageability.
Sentiment score
1.0
Users found value in Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points with enhanced connectivity and support, despite challenges in ROI calculation.
A comparison from standalone to distributed WLC-controlled access points provides some decent ROI.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.3
Customer service is mostly praised for professionalism and efficiency, though some users experience slow response times and regional differences.
Sentiment score
6.5
Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points support is praised for effectiveness but some report slower response times than competitors like Cisco.
The technical support from Cisco is of high quality.
Head Of ELV and ICT at Intec Systems Solution Pvt Ltd
We received responses quickly after logging our problem.
Group IT Head at Euracare
The refresh cycle is not as aggressive with Aruba, meaning they will continue supporting products for longer durations without facing end-of-life and end-of-sale situations as frequently as Cisco does.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
My impression of Juniper support is generally good, and I would rate it probably a 9.
Managing Director at Altostratus Tech (Pty) Ltd
Technical support is very good.
Senior Network and Cyber Security Engineer (Team Lead) at Excel Technologies ltd
From my past experience, I would rate Juniper support around six.
Pre Sales Network at a wholesaler/distributor with 10,001+ employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.8
Cisco Wireless offers scalable solutions for enterprises, praised for flexibility and seamless expansion, despite some cost concerns.
Sentiment score
7.9
Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points offer top-tier scalability and seamless cloud-based expansion for diverse environments and extensive deployments.
Installing new licenses with the number of access points that the device WLC is expected to support makes it scalable.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The cloud, which operates on Amazon Web Services (AWS), can support unlimited access points.
Technical Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
It's built for larger environments.
Infrastructure Engineer at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees
For scalability or the ability to expand, I would rate it again at 9.5 plus.
Pre Sales Network at a wholesaler/distributor with 10,001+ employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Cisco Wireless is praised for its stability and reliability, with minimal downtime and robust performance in production environments.
Sentiment score
7.2
Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points are praised for exceptional stability and reliable performance, even in challenging environments like Nigeria.
The performance is excellent, rating 10 out of 10.
Group IT Head at Euracare
The best aspect is that even if the WLC goes down, the access points stay up and remain functional.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Wireless struggles with complex UI, high costs, integration issues, and inadequate support, affecting user satisfaction and performance.
Juniper Mist needs improved customization, AI, support, pricing, UI, and logistics to compete effectively and expand market reach.
Sometimes, integration with other Cisco products requires manual intervention for tasks such as firmware upgrades, which should be automated.
Network Security at Tech Mahindra Limited
We would prefer if we could increase the controller to a 10 gig interface because we want to connect our controller to a 10 gig interface.
Group IT Head at Euracare
In the long term, there could be a cost reduction because it does not require much maintenance.
System Engineer at DANAT IT FOR BUSINESS
Juniper products are still coming to market, HP offers its own access point range, which competes with Juniper's premium Mist access points intended for enterprise customers.
Owner at a transportation company with 11-50 employees
Regarding gaps for improvement for Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points, I think pricing is a complicated issue since Cisco can drastically reduce prices, unlike Juniper.
Pre Sales Network at a wholesaler/distributor with 10,001+ employees
The reporting logs require improvement in terms of clarity.
Senior Network and Cyber Security Engineer (Team Lead) at Excel Technologies ltd
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Wireless is costly but valued for quality; licensing is complex and varies by enterprise size and project scope.
Juniper Mist's pricing is seen as high yet valuable, with costs comparable to Meraki and Cisco but negotiable.
Cisco generally is expensive.
Group IT Head at Euracare
The setup cost involves licenses.
System Engineer at DANAT IT FOR BUSINESS
The licensing of Cisco Wireless is competitive.
Network Security at Tech Mahindra Limited
Juniper Mist is cheaper than Meraki, placing it in the middle of the pack.
Infrastructure Engineer at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees
The price is very high, which is why not all enterprises can purchase this product.
Senior Network and Cyber Security Engineer (Team Lead) at Excel Technologies ltd
Regarding pricing, Juniper's cost rates as a seven on a scale where one represents a high price and ten represents a low price.
Technical Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Wireless provides scalable, easy management with robust security, seamless roaming, high performance, and advanced integration capabilities.
Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points offer AI-driven troubleshooting, cloud management, security, and analytics for efficient network performance optimization.
If one network fails, there is a link between different access points, which ensures network continuity.
Head Of ELV and ICT at Intec Systems Solution Pvt Ltd
The advantages of Cisco Wireless include helping me aggregate all the access points, managing one point connection for my users easily, controlling rogues, and addressing hotspots effectively.
Group IT Head at Euracare
The primary benefit is the ability to triage and identify what is where, and when users report issues, we can identify the users, location, endpoint, and nuances such as signal strength and signal-to-noise ratio.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
I have gained valuable insights from the Mist Cloud's analytics and network insights, as it tells you a lot of things, including details about Microsoft Teams calls, identifying which calls were good or bad, and correlating that to the client's signal and which access point the client was connected to at the time.
Managing Director at Altostratus Tech (Pty) Ltd
It's a cloud solution with Mist, which helps troubleshoot and provides visibility to look at different access points.
Infrastructure Engineer at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees
From my perspective, the Juniper reporting logs are clear and provide necessary data, which supports better management and diagnosis.
Senior Network and Cyber Security Engineer (Team Lead) at Excel Technologies ltd
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Wireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.2
Number of Reviews
155
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Juniper Mist Wireless Acces...
Ranking in Wireless LAN
8th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Cisco Wireless is 9.5%, down from 11.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points is 5.0%, down from 5.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Wireless9.5%
Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points5.0%
Other85.5%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

EvansEsezobor - PeerSpot reviewer
Group IT Head at Euracare
Has enabled centralized user management and improved wireless access point aggregation
To improve Cisco Wireless, the ports on the access points are all 100 Meg, not 1 gig. We have not gotten a gigabyte interface of about 1,000, but the controller we have is just 1 gig. We would prefer if we could increase the controller to a 10 gig interface because we want to connect our controller to a 10 gig interface, which currently limits us to 1 gig. When we want to move higher capacity data via wireless, it limits us to 1 gig.
AmbikaBhunia - PeerSpot reviewer
Pre Sales Network at a wholesaler/distributor with 10,001+ employees
AI insights have improved wireless visibility and now proactively prevent network issues
I am somewhat uncertain about the room for improvement for Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points because I am sure that some concepts will be incorporated in the future. Recently, HP acquired Juniper, and now under the HP umbrella, we have both Aruba and Juniper Mist, which raises questions about how to compete in the market. Customers often ask me to compare them, and I have to pitch both even though they are from the same organization. Regarding gaps for improvement for Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points, I think pricing is a complicated issue since Cisco can drastically reduce prices, unlike Juniper.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Wireless LAN solutions are best for your needs.
881,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user212721 - PeerSpot reviewer
President at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
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…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business78
Midsize Enterprise40
Large Enterprise74
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise9
 

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...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series)?
Regarding pricing, Juniper's cost rates as a seven on a scale where one represents a high price and ten represents a low price.
What needs improvement with Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series)?
I am somewhat uncertain about the room for improvement for Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points because I am sure that some concepts will be incorporated in the future. Recently, HP acquired Juniper...
 

Also Known As

Cisco WLAN Controller
Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series), Mist Access Points
 

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)
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Wireless vs. Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.