Huawei Enterprise Routers Reviews

We use these routers to connect our customers.

We use them for client access, and we use them in the network core. We also use them on the edge, for security. We have some of their security products sitting at the edge of our network, and we use Huawei laptops to connect our customers from their premises. Sometimes, they use their own on-premises equipment.

We have the big NE40-X8 and NE5000E routers everywhere in our infrastructure. In addition to the network core, this includes the client edge, client access edge, and we had them at the internet edge.

We also use their Huawei equipment for our long distance DWDM fiber, so we have the Huawei devices to cover different aspects.

We do not rely solely on Huawei routers. Rather, they make up part of our networking infrastructure.

The configuration syntax makes it easy for us to configure the device and perform troubleshooting when needed.

Huawei needs to be a bit more open with their licensing model. What I find is that when you buy equipment, you expect that you have a particular feature. By the time you want to use that feature, you realize that you need to acquire a license for it. That is the one thing that I think they need to improve on. 

Essentially, they need to open their licensing model such that when a customer buys a device, they have a full view of all of the available licenses for it. It's not at the time of use that the customer will now be informed that they need to purchase an additional license.

I have been working with Huawei Enterprise Routers for more than 10 years.

These routers are stable.

The topic of scalability is tricky because it depends on what the customer is requesting. If you put a device on the network edge, it's practically sized for almost everything that the customer wants to do. This is true except in the case where there is a major change in scope, which may require a corresponding change in device.

Usually, they are scalable, but it means that if you're going to have very big projects then you need to make changes to the equipment that you are using.

Rating the technical support on a scale of one to five, I would score them a three to four. It's not perfect, but it's available. You have to contact them initially, and then they get back to you.

I also have experience with MikroTik, Juniper, and Cisco.

The configuration is not as reduced as it is with Cisco, which makes them quicker to configure.

Personally, I will use MikroTik products because they are the most economical in terms of pricing. They are also the most open in terms of licensing and functionality. However, there are not a lot of people who have the skill set required to maintain the MikroTik environment. This means that when I'm dealing with customers who are not technical, I suggest using a Huawei or a Cisco device. In my own deployment, where I am personally in charge of deployment, I'll use a MikroTik device.

Based on my experience, the initial setup is straightforward. There's no challenge with deployment. The length of time required depends on which particular model you are working with because they don't all take the same amount of time.

For example, if you're implementing and configuring the network core, it is not the same scope as configuring a client.

These routers are not too expensive.

I like to use this product and most of our deployments are now products from Huawei. We don't have any problems with these routers.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

We are basically using the solution for routing, and we have two separate data links and internet links which has been deployed on the router. All the routing ACLs we are using. We also use it for some other things.

More features in terms of troubleshooting

It's a very cost-effective solution. It is very cheap compared to Cisco. 

Over the last two years, there is no issue with the router, et cetera, all are working fine.

The initial setup is easy.

We are very satisfied with the features.

We do occasionally face some bugs. Normally, if we are facing some bugs, then we will coordinate with tech support.

As compared to Cisco, it needs to improve. Cisco is the market leader. As compared to Cisco and Huawei needs to improve more and offer the same things as Cisco. For example, features, deployments, with respect to support, with respect to local partners.

There is not much of a technical team for Huawei available in Pakistan as compared to Cisco with respect to very complex networks. We need to engage some foreign help in order to deploy properly. We didn't have any local technical people available in Pakistan. Normally, we need to turn to either China or Egypt to get the expertise. 

Normally we are using dynamic routing ACL for normal things that we are using currently - such as the IP side, VPN, and everything. All the features are available for the organization's needs. However, for the SD-WAN feature, obviously, we require it nowadays. In Fortinet, we get the SD-WAN feature. Huawei, they are testing this, however, it's not there yet. They need to improve it.

I've used the solution for about two years. 

We have almost 288 sites. In each of these branches, 25 or so people are using the solution. We have deployed Huawei Routers on all the sites and we are connecting via IP, via VRE.

In terms of support, we basically bought from a local partner. They coordinate with Egyptians or with the other nearest support available for Huawei routers. It's pretty good in terms of the help we can get. 

Neutral

We are using a firewall as well, a 6615E.

In the Pakistani market, we normally propose a solution on Backhaul. Cisco is normally used in Pakistan on Backhaul networks. On some access networks, we are normally using Huawei Routers to access the network and distribution. In Pakistan, normally we are using Juniper and Cisco and Backhaul connectivity.

The initial setup is very easy, and very straightforward. It's not very difficult. I also have experience with Cisco routers, and due to that experience, find this setup very simple. 

I use CLI to handle the setup process. 

It's a very normal deployment and doesn't take a very long time.

Vendor team with excellent expertise

Smooth operations

It is very cost-effective. Obviously, in Pakistan, we are definitely looking for a cheap cost solution. That is why we moved to Huawei rather than Cisco.

Yes, Cisco

I'm a customer and end-user.

Normally Cisco is used on the Backhaul network. I prefer Cisco and Juniper on Backhaul. In the access network, we can use Huawei and I prefer that.

I'd rate the solution six out of ten.

For an SME organization, Huawei is obviously affordable. Normally, SMEs are using it. However, on large networks like within the banking sector, they prefer to use Cisco rather than Huawei. They normally use an access site, and Backhaul is on Cisco.

This company uses Huawei Enterprise Routers for VPN connections, as well as some OSPF routers and VOIP protocols. 

The configuration is not very complex.

Huawei Enterprise Routers are simple. And nowadays, I believe, we have a lot of instructions on the internet, which is one of Huawei's advantages, because it was difficult to find information on how to configure some details and test how it works, for example, five years ago.

There is a lot of information available about routers and how to configure Huawei Routers right now.

It's difficult for me to explain which direction Huawei routers should improve because I have never used one in a large service provider, but I have experience with Cisco and Juniper and have worked with fragments of both, so I can compare how Huawei works. However, when it comes to small software devices and branch devices, Huawei devices are all the same, in my opinion, and they should follow the same guidelines as large providers. For example, some techniques such as SD-WAN or something similar. But I'm not sure whether Huawei uses SD-WAN or not.

I am aware that Huawei manufactures a wide range of devices. I am familiar with both storage and Huawei storage. I was very surprised to discover that they work well and make use of their internal OEM processor. If Huawei can use its own OEM processor, it could be a good step up for future use in the network devices.

I first started working with Huawei Enterprise Routers five years ago, and I used it six months ago for a project I was working on.

I was working with version 6280.

Huawei Enterprise Routers are stable. I have not had any problems.

Huawei Enterprise Routers are scalable. 

We were not required to scale for this project. However, for our new project, we will buy four routers up to 80 which will be based on SDN, software-defined networking, and Huawei Routers, and we will use them with plans to scale them.

We intend to use them in the future. Two, or three months is optimistic, but it could be a half year or more.

I have not contacted technical support.

The initial setup is easy.

It takes about the same amount of time to deploy as Cisco and Juniper, approximately two or three hours.

There are additional licensing costs.

I am aware of additional licenses and which services are added to the router.

The project was purchased by the company. They make no distinction between the license being cheaper or expensive. We buy the license because we require it.

My recommendation is that you use Huawei Routers; they are good, and they don't have any problems. For example, in my situation, it is better to get support from Huawei directly because, where many companies have left Russia.

I would rate Huawei Enterprise Routers a nine out of ten.

I have an issue with Huawei; when we can't solve a project problem, support will say, "Oh, this will be from next year, we don't want to create support, for example, Huawei Router." We can also provide you with three years of use. This is one of the minor issues that we may encounter if we use Huawei devices.

When we started, the connection was amazing for the 100G between the switches and the co-switch. What the students typically use for school is a maximum is 40 so they now have faster technology.

We've only been testing the solution for a month and our main concern is stability. We wanted to see if it's as stable as, for example, Cisco. So far, that has not been the case. The router recently failed on us, and we had to end the test.

In my country we don't have Huawei technology, we only have Huawei routers for ISP. There is no agent for Huawei in Egypt.

In the end, the router was incompatible with the bundles.

It's difficult to get the scalability right.

There's a gap between their online support and documentation.

Currently, we've been testing the solution. We've been testing it for one month now.

The stability ended up not being what we hoped, therefore, we reverted back to Cisco routers, which are much more stable.

The scaling wasn't a smooth experience at all. If you need to scale the product, you'll run into issues.

We had about 2,000 users on the solution before we decided to switch to Cisco.

In Egypt, there is no Huawei in the local market, and therefore there isn't any support.  You can only go through an Independent Service Provider. When you have issues, you need to connect to and ISP, and that can sometimes be difficult.

We're a firm that handles multiple schools around the Middle East. Most of the schools use Cisco Solutions and FortiGate as a firewall. Therefore, we often use a variety of products, not just Huawei.

The price of the product is good and is quite a bit less than Cisco. I don't have exact pricing, however.

We're simply a customer.

While we've tried the solution for a month, we're finding the stability isn't where we need it to be. Cisco is much more stable.

I would recommend the solution to others as it does offer good pricing. However, you need to have good support in your area. If you have a good technical person who can help you set up your network accurately and have access to good support, it might work out fine.

You also have to be careful not to overwhelm the router with users due to scalability issues. We have a school in the Gulf doing amazing however the school only needs to handle around 300 users we never hit full capacity in the first year of using it. We'll see if the hardware acts up after another year and possibly more users.  

On a scale from one to ten, I'd rate it at a six. My experience is slightly biased, as we don't have support in my country, so when we run into issues we tend to be on our own. However, if stability, support, and market availability come together, it has the potential to be a great product.

The most valuable feature of Huawei Enterprise Routers is if have two networks at different geographical locations with a great deal of distance they work together as if they are on the same cloud network.

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.

In an upcoming release, they should add more integration for mobile applications with the capability of management monitoring the network remotely.

I have been using Huawei Enterprise Routers for approximately one year.

Technology is changing very rapidly and Huawei Enterprise Routers is stable. We have not had any complaints from clients.

Huawei Enterprise Routers is scalable in my study. However, it can depend on the load.

In the country I am from we have Huawei Enterprise Routers support teams everywhere. They are responsive and knowledgeable.

I rate the support from Huawei Enterprise Routers a five out of five.

I have used Cisco devices and in the past and they have been in the market for a long time. They know the ins and outs of the industry. With most of the protocols and architecture of networking, Cisco has been involved. Cisco is at the forefront, and Huawei Enterprise Routers are trying to adapt to the environment and markets.

The initial setup of Huawei Enterprise Routers is straightforward when compared to other similar solutions. The full setup process took approximately two hours per unit.

I rate the Huawei Enterprise Routers a four out of five.

The manufacturers have specified the kind of attention that is required for maintenance, the cooling system conditions, and other aspects. Since we installed the Huawei Enterprise Routers, there has not been any major maintenance needed on the devices.

I rate Huawei Enterprise Routers an eight out of ten.

Huawei Enterprise Routers provides core and access switches. I'm an integrator and rate this solution nine out of 10. 

The best feature about Huawei is the cost, particularly when you compare it to Cisco which has a much more expensive licensing model. The features of both solutions are almost the same and Huawei competes very well with Cisco. 

I'd like to see an improvement in market availability; it's easier to get Cisco off the shelf than Huawei.

I've been using this solution for three years. 

The product is relatively stable. 

The support is good. 

Positive

If you have a good knowledge of Cisco, it's relatively easy to deploy Huawei because the command structures are similar. If you're dealing with a very large enterprise network, deployment can take a week or two. If it's not too large and the configurations and the setup are straightforward and don't require advanced traffic engineering, implementation can be achieved within a couple of days.

Licensing costs for Huawei are generally around five times cheaper than for Cisco. 

In the enterprise space, Cisco seems to be performing better than Huawei. When you look at all the features, particularly regarding component availability, then Cisco has plenty of proprietary features that Huawei does not have. With Cisco, you can patch and update without the need to reboot and the system will function. That aspect is lacking in Huawei. 

Huawei is the poor man's option to Cisco. You pay for every feature in Cisco, whereas Huawei has some features that you can get without having to pay for them. Budget will likely determine which solution you will choose. 

I rate this product nine out of 10. 

We use the solution as part of our data center, and also for data replication to provide disaster recovery for our clients.

This product uses a non-proprietary command line, which makes it compatible across many different systems.

The integration process of the solution could be improved, to reduce the amount of reconfiguration needed. 

Also, it would be better if local storage management was more flexible, so that unused data could be easily removed.

We have been using the solution for three to four years.

We have found the solution to be stable.

The solution is scalable, but integrating new nodes into the cluster may be challenging.

We found that working with technical support was difficult due to a language barrier, and this needs to be improved.

Neutral

The initial setup of the solution was straightforward, but it took several weeks to fully deploy in order to get the usable storage levels right.

The solution was implemented through a vendor team, so that they could troubleshoot any issues that arose.

Deployment and maintenance of the product can be carried out by one person, but they would need to have in-depth knowledge of the solution.

The solution is unique in terms of commands, and how to configure the devices. So I would recommend that anyone looking at this solution makes sure they really understand the product for it to be effective.

I would rate this solution as six out of ten.

Our clients needed to deploy a student management system that included a head office and several branches and included an additional SD-WAN solution for the routers. We are a reseller and partner of Huawei and provide support to our clients. I'm a system engineer.  

The solution offers good customer support, ease of deployment, and good performance. 

There are some complexities with the configuration; if they could improve that it would make a big difference.

I've been using this solution for three years. 

The solution is generally stable. Of course there could be issues down the line with patching support or software upgrades but for now we're happy and everything works well.

The solution is scalable. 

Technical support provided a quick response. 

Neutral

The initial setup is straightforward, the CLI codes are simple. We prepared the low-level design in advance, so deployment just took a few days. 

We've taken out a three-year license that includes support. The licensing is not cheap but it's a fair price. 

I rate this solution eight out of 10.