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ExtremeCloud IQ vs WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

ExtremeCloud IQ
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
78
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (11th), Network Access Control (NAC) (10th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (18th)
WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
Wireless LAN (22nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

ExtremeCloud IQ and WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. ExtremeCloud IQ is designed for Network Management Applications and holds a mindshare of 2.7%, down 2.8% compared to last year.
WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi, on the other hand, focuses on Wireless LAN, holds 1.2% mindshare, up 0.5% since last year.
Network Management Applications Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
ExtremeCloud IQ2.7%
Cisco DNA Center7.8%
DataMiner5.6%
Other83.9%
Network Management Applications
Wireless LAN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi1.2%
Aruba Wireless12.9%
Ruckus Wireless10.3%
Other75.6%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

Wael Awni - PeerSpot reviewer
Management Board Member And Network Engineer at NewLogics
Unified licensing and AI-driven control have simplified multi-site management and boosted automation
There is a little bit of delay for the analytics in ExtremeCloud IQ, but it is acceptable. The response time in ExtremeCloud IQ is a little slow. The system response time is slow, and the updates on the system, such as the updates for the analytics or for the location-based services, are slow. For example, if I want to update the location-based solution, it takes about one minute to update my location. This is too much time. It's not an accurate location over one minute. They should enhance the response of the system part of location-based services, such as Extreme LPS or Extreme Location Essentials. This needs a huge improvement for the latency and for the updates.
reviewer2562924 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT System Support Administrator at a non-profit with 501-1,000 employees
Configuration offers flexibility but response to incidents needs improvement
We recommend using WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi, but when incidents occur, it can be very difficult to identify why they happen. Normally, the issues are simple to fix, but we recently faced a major incident. We are still trying to identify the cause, which is why I would rate it seven out of ten. Without this incident, I might have rated it eight to nine. Overall, I give the solution a rating of seven.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The cost and feature set to scale for our deployment just made Aerohive a clear winner."
"If you need a wireless infrastructure, you cannot go wrong with Aerohive."
"It gives us the ability to make guest connections to our wireless network easier."
"The cloud-based controller through HiveManager is its most valuable feature. I can manage and configure changes to my access points from anywhere."
"Whenever I have a concern, question, or just need a refresher the helpful staff at AeroHive is there to help me. By far, the ]best relationship I have ever had with a vendor."
"With multiple tasks, Aerohive has been a huge time saver and streamlined our IT tasks."
"The amount of time spent troubleshooting wireless issues is now non-existent so our ROI is priceless as it stands."
"I would recommend Aerohive to anyone seeking a robust cloud-based WIFI system."
"We like that WatchGuard works and integrates directly with the firewalls we use."
"The solution is priced high compared to competitors, however, for the features that are included in the solution, the price becomes more reasonable."
"Cloud analytics that provide all its attributes."
"The solution has been stable."
"The Wi-Fi security features of this solution have been great for our customers who need to strictly control access to their network."
"All you have to do is take it out of the box, plug it in and you're ready to go."
"If I were tasked to set up new WiFi at a single site, or at multiple locations for hundreds of sites, I would make this solution my first choice."
"It makes it easy to obtain all information about the client experience."
 

Cons

"The PoE switches we purchased were/are very difficult to configure."
"I struggled with the documentation."
"The on-premises version of HiveManager NG that we use does not receive updates as soon as the cloud-based version does."
"Pricing is a bit expensive."
"The certification costs from suppliers are getting out of control, and it's not just Extreme. We have the same problem with Cisco and Huawei."
"Having a wizard for customers who are just starting might be helpful."
"There can be an improvement by incorporating two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication for security. Advanced network access control features and application control features should be added to manage applications. Many customers are interested in managing data, such as setting data quotas for individual users."
"ExtremeCloud should invest in an SD-WAN solution or integration with SD-WAN."
"In terms of improvement, one issue I have is that I can't import a user with one click."
"The solution can be scaled but it has limitations from my experience. The access points are rated for 500 people but I think the max is closer to 200."
"The price of this solution needs to reviewed, as it is currently high enough to deter customers from trying it."
"Inability to import a user with one click."
"If a client device had issues with authentication due to out of date browser or similar difficulties, it would be nice to have the ability to migrate the client onto the portal via one click."
"One of the things is if you buy it with a certain subscription, you can't easily change the subscription level."
"The support response can be time-consuming because sometimes issues are very sensitive and require instant attention."
"I don't think they're available at the best price."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are probably cheaper solutions but we invest for stability and performance for the longer haul."
"ExtremeCloud IQ's pricing is high."
"I did a multi-year license. It was a three-year license. It compares well with others in terms of the price. It is about a hundred dollars per year on a three-year scale."
"This solution offers annual licensing that is middle of the range in terms of cost."
"It is easy for customers to use this product because they are able to interchange the license depending on their usage rather than having to buy individual licenses for each asset."
"The product pricing is reasonable."
"It is not the cheapest product but I think that the price is reasonable because you get a lot of support of it's needed."
"Price-wise, it is a reasonable tool."
"The solution is priced high compared to competitors. However, for the features that are included in the solution, the price becomes more reasonable."
"Your licensing and cost, as would be required for many other solutions, being considered for eighty to two hundred and eighty different physical locations, is just about the same amount per access point."
"WatchGuard is on the upper scale for pricing."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Construction Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business46
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise24
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise2
 

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...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ExtremeCloud IQ?
The licensing was a challenge due to budget constraints, and I used ExtremeCloud IQ without a license for a period. The documentation and training courses were also costly, impacting how easily I c...
What advice do you have for others considering ExtremeCloud IQ?
The automated provisioning and zero-touch provisioning in ExtremeCloud IQ help with the deployment of mass products. For example, when I'm going to add 200 CCTV cameras to the network and they are ...
What needs improvement with WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi?
The support response can be time-consuming because sometimes issues are very sensitive and require instant attention. Also, when an incident occurs, the impact can be significantly huge. A recent p...
What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi?
We use WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi because we have used different tools as well, like Ubiquiti. The complexity of Ubiquiti is much more compared to WatchGuard, which provides more flexibility and is ea...
What advice do you have for others considering WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi?
We recommend using WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi, but when incidents occur, it can be very difficult to identify why they happen. Normally, the issues are simple to fix, but we recently faced a major inc...
 

Also Known As

Aerohive Networks, Aerohive HiveManager, HiveManager, ExtremeCloud , ExtremeSecurity
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Henry Ford Health System, Baltimore Ravens, Brandili, Federal University of Alagoas, CEDAE, Caxias do Sul, UNISC Concurrency, CenturyLink Field, Louisiana College, Cricket Tasmania Stadium, Moscow Internet Exchange
Portsmouth Grammar School, HILOTEC
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Fortinet, Skyline Communications and others in Network Management Applications. Updated: July 2026.
909,099 professionals have used our research since 2012.