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Huawei Enterprise Routers vs Steelhead comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

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

Huawei Enterprise Routers
Ranking in WAN Edge
12th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Routers (4th)
Steelhead
Ranking in WAN Edge
14th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
WAN Optimization (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the WAN Edge category, the mindshare of Huawei Enterprise Routers is 2.4%, down from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Steelhead is 1.2%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
WAN Edge
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad Amir Khan - PeerSpot reviewer
A stable and easy-to-manage solution with good security and firewalls
The product is good, easy to manage , and works fine.  We have encountered issues while integrating the product with Enterprise Management Systems. Huawei platform is good for Huawei but we face issues when we integrate it with other models.  I have been working with the product for one and a…
Raj Metkar - PeerSpot reviewer
Auto-optimization mode enhance efficiency & bandwidth saving, best layer 7 QoS shaping policy can be achieved with ease
There are several features specific to branches, like keeping data hot and active on Steelhead devices. These features prevent unnecessary data travel across the international MPLS. Additionally, functions like acting as an NTP server, DNS, DHCP for branches and auto-optimization mode enhance efficiency along with really good QoS for bandwidth shaping.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's simple to use and offers good connectivity."
"I use the product to connect to various access points to extend my network."
"The setup is simple."
"I have been able to connect the solution to many platforms such as Windows, Apple, and Android."
"The product is very reasonably priced."
"The product is easy to improve and deploy in terms of configuration for engineers and technical executives."
"Internet access is a good feature."
"The product is good, easy to manage , and works fine."
"Scalable data referencing is a great feature."
"Steelhead has drastically improved user experience."
"The connectivity to speed is the valuable feature."
"Steelhead is stable, and it can even help you avoid service interruption in the event of a power outage. If your hardware fails, technical support will replace your device quickly."
"There are several features specific to branches, like keeping data hot and active on Steelhead devices. These features prevent unnecessary data travel across the international LAN."
"It is very easy to install the solution."
"The most valuable feature of Steelhead is its optimization capabilities."
"One of our most valuable features is Steelhead's cloud migration optimization. Moving to the cloud helped optimize our workflow, improving performance for end-users."
 

Cons

"We'd like the product to be more flexible so that we could more easily manipulate some of the features."
"We have encountered issues while integrating the product with Enterprise Management Systems. Huawei platform is good for Huawei but we face issues when we integrate it with other models."
"The only problem I see is configuration loss."
"We have found we have to restart the routers or reconfigured them a lot of the time, this issue should improve. The quality of the hardware needs to be more durable."
"In my country we don't have Huawei technology, we only have Huawei routers for ISP. There is no agent for Huawei in Egypt."
"The solution's technical support could be improved."
"They should include features like IPS for security and response."
"Huawei Enterprise Routers can improve by enhancing their security. The software architecture and the operating system that runs on their router and the security capability are not as strong when compared to Cisco."
"The application response time of the solution can be improved."
"One area for improvement is related to monitoring and visibility."
"The product should offer more integration capabilities."
"Steelhead is considered an expensive solution in our country. On a scale of one to ten for expense, it would be rated an eight."
"I would like to see improvement in the solution’s configuration and protocol aspects. We have got some configurations that are not set. I would also like to simplify the call detection of some protocols."
"Application response time and network performance could be improved."
"If we load a primary firewall, the secondary firewall usually handles all the active connections, but in Riverbed, this isn't the case. We lose all the active connections at the moment of failure."
"The solution needs to have alert notifications."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool's licensing is yearly."
"The price is reasonable compared to Cisco's."
"The solution's price is reasonable."
"The product is expensive."
"These routers are not too expensive."
"The price of the solution is fair."
"The solution is cheap compared to Cisco."
"There are additional licensing costs. I am aware of additional licenses and which services are added to the router."
"Across our 12 data centers, we spend around $150k annually."
"The solution is expensive and the service contacts are costly too. The cost of the device makes the value proposition borderline acceptable for us. The service contract fees we pay is approximately $30,000 annually."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
19%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Government
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Huawei Enterprise Routers?
The solution provides support for 5G connectivity.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Huawei Enterprise Routers?
The product is very cheap and offers a huge discount as they are trying to enter the market. However, you have to pay extra for some services and support.
What needs improvement with Huawei Enterprise Routers?
The documentation is somewhat lacking and not easy to navigate. There are some errors and misleading information. The general appearance of the company site is also not user-friendly for downloadin...
What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?
We just did an assessment for our 47 datacenters around North America. The top two enterprise-level network monitoring solutions were ExtraHop first, Riverbed SteelCenter second. Their negotiated c...
What do you like most about Riverbed Steelhead?
One of our most valuable features is Steelhead's cloud migration optimization. Moving to the cloud helped optimize our workflow, improving performance for end-users.
What is your primary use case for Riverbed Steelhead?
In the past, we have sold a lot of Steelhead ( /products/steelhead-reviews ) for retail companies, insurance companies, some finance companies, and some engineering companies. Steelhead ( /products...
 

Also Known As

No data available
RIverbed Steelhead
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Bus Online, VisionChina Media Inc. (VisionChina), China Network Television (CNTV), Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, ABC, BovenIJ hospital
ElAraby, SFK Leblanc, Bobst Group, Northwest Pipe Company, Halkbank, Tradebridge, EFG Hermes
Find out what your peers are saying about Huawei Enterprise Routers vs. Steelhead and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
857,162 professionals have used our research since 2012.