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Cisco Wireless vs Mist AI and Cloud 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
Mist AI and Cloud
Ranking in Wireless LAN
18th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
23
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 Mist AI and Cloud is 1.9%, down from 3.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN
 

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.
RahulSivanandan - PeerSpot reviewer
Analytics and automation simplify wireless management and proactive troubleshooting
The analytics part of Mist AI and Cloud is really helpful, including correlation and event analysis. These features make Mist AI and Cloud stand out in the market. The automation capabilities are quite impressive, making it easy to manage and maintain. Mist AI and Cloud's orchestration is beneficial for troubleshooting and proactive analysis, offering proactive solutions before issues arise. Additionally, the platform is easy to deploy.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is highly scalable."
"This is a very stable solution that solves complex issues."
"Cisco Wireless is one of the more stable products so their products are scalable."
"The product is easy to manage."
"Cisco Wireless improves mobility and flexibility. The only case we are working on is with hospitals, focusing on the mobility of doctors within the hospital. Everywhere, doctors need to be connected to the network, even within the operating theater, patient rooms, and even the basement, like the radiology department. As far as the solution goes, the coverage is usually very comprehensive."
"The solution offers central management, reliability, and signal, ensures the bandwidth, and segregates the network. It also maintains the authentication process in the compass solution, which is good regarding multiple software."
"I like many of the features that Cisco Wireless has to offer."
"The product has valuable features for integration and authentication."
"Ability to control the access points by groups."
"If you compare wired versus wireless, it's convenient. You don't need to have one place for connectivity. You can move around and it's easier. Sometimes it's a hassle to work with wires, which is why wireless is so convenient."
"Multi PSK (Pre-shared Key) is a very good feature in the solution...Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"Natural language patching is an important feature."
"Mist AI and Cloud have definitely improved the functioning of our organization. The access to the Internet, including its speed and reliability, has significantly improved."
"The tool's best part is the GUI. It is user-friendly and fast due to AI features. The solution can help you fix things with AI, which is impressive."
"The most valuable aspect is that they operate on small microservices, offering numerous open APIs that enhance the value of our Wi-Fi network. This flexibility allows us to optimize various aspects such as workforce planning and occupancy management. The platform is highly open in the market, providing robust APIs for seamless integration with other tools. Currently, we leverage these capabilities at a building site, incorporating IoT sensors to gather data. The collected data is stored in a centralized location, and we plan to use AI for analysis. This analysis will include insights on peak activity times, humidity levels, temperature variations, and other relevant metrics within the building."
"Mist AI and Cloud is the best solution I have seen in the industry, especially from the artificial intelligence perspective, as it helps businesses."
 

Cons

"Cisco Wireless is expensive."
"Code stability is something that needs to be improved."
"We use a Cisco product called Room Kit for meetings. It would be nice if Cisco could improve that. I would also like a cloud solution."
"I wouldn't mind if Cisco allowed their premiere devices to be able to have that cloud-based support as well, or cloud-based management."
"The current issue with Cisco is I don't have centralized management."
"If needs to provide more visibility. It can detect and do it, but as technicians we don't have a lot of visibility into seeing exactly what's happening. It doesn't give us a lot of log information for us to troubleshoot. They probably have additional software you need to purchase to get that kind of information. But I think not all companies can afford additional software to see those kinds of details. So if the wireless controller already had, built-in, those types of things for the technician or wireless engineer, it would be more attractive for the end-user."
"The pricing of the solution is expensive if you compare it to other competitors."
"There is no technology without room for improvement. The main setback with Cisco solutions, not only with Cisco Wireless, is having to update the OS manually. We are now migrating to Miraki, so we've been able to work that out."
"Sometimes it takes a lot of time for the access point to connect with the cloud."
"The solution has various licensing policies. It will be easy to use if it is an open single license."
"Mist AI and Cloud should improve its integrations."
"There could be more integration."
"The inter-functionality with other vendors was a negative for us."
"Juniper should integrate all their dashboards instead of having separate dashboards...Since it lacks the integration of dashboards, Juniper needs to improve it."
"Mist AI and Cloud need to improve the configuration speed."
"The solution lacks documentation."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is fair."
"The solution is very costly."
"It is an expensive solution."
"We opt for a one-time purchasing fee model in our setup. Since we don't utilize a management platform or WLAN controller, there are no recurring costs. The access points we typically use, which support Cisco's wireless masters, are priced at around $250 each. Occasionally, we purchase them in packs of five or as part of extended packs at a prorated cost."
"The product is expensive."
"It's expensive. The pricing is an obstacle."
"The price for this product is a little bit high, which is why I am not using the most recent version."
"We have to pay for the hardware and support is extra and we do pay for the support."
"The solution's price is too high for the end-users. My customers pay 1,000 USD towards the licensing cost of the solution every year."
"The price is about the same compared to other vendors. There is an add-on license, but it's up to you if you want to buy it or not."
"Depending on the features, I think it's quite reasonably priced, especially considering the facilities of the product."
"The price of Mist AI and Cloud is approximately 20 percent less than competitors, such as Aruba and Cisco. However, Cisco has a lifetime warranty for its solutions."
"The price of this product is approximately the same as competing products in the market."
"The solution is expensive in Brazil."
"The annual cost is a significant issue for us, and it notably contributes to the overall price. We have a customer with nearly fifty-eight access points in a multifunctional building, and while the setup was relatively simple, the yearly licensing cost is substantial. For the specific features we utilize, the licensing amounts to about forty thousand euros annually. This is not a trivial expense and significantly impacts the overall cost, making it quite high."
"I rate the pricing a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is low and ten is high."
report
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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…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
17%
Educational Organization
15%
Financial Services Firm
7%
University
7%
 

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...
What do you like most about Mist AI and Cloud?
AI-driven automation helps implement the solution quickly.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Mist AI and Cloud?
Compared with other solutions, Mist AI and Cloud is not that expensive and is considered moderate in pricing. The solution is priced per device.
What needs improvement with Mist AI and Cloud?
The support needs improvement. Since the merger or integration between Mist AI and Cloud and HP, it has affected service quality negatively. The reachability, access, and response time of the suppo...
 

Also Known As

Cisco WLAN Controller
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)
Dartmouth, Hitachi, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Nebraska Furniture Mart, NTT, Okta
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Wireless vs. Mist AI and Cloud and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
861,390 professionals have used our research since 2012.