Aruba Access Points Reviews

We are using it in the office for the Wi-Fi network. We implemented the solution for our office in 2015, but in 2017, we implemented the solution for our warehouse. We have also implemented the solution in one of our branch offices.

Aruba's virtual controller is the most important feature.

I also have TP-Link, Huawei, and D-Link access points, and normally those solutions have a controller, which is a separate software or hardware used to control all of these. But Aruba's virtual controller basically sits in one of the access points, and if that particular access point goes down, the controller automatically migrates to the next available access point. With this feature, I firstly don't need any additional hardware for a controller. Secondly, I don't need maintenance for it. A virtual controller that roams around from one device to another automatically makes life very easy for me.

My access points are nearly ten years old, so though they now have 2.4 and 5 GHz options, features like the captive portal for the guest Wi-Fi, avoiding sticky clients between two Aruba devices, reduced authentication, and the ability to look at the IDS are all still very advanced.

When I implemented their access points, Aruba was a separate company, and customer support used to come directly from them. But recently, HP has taken over Aruba, and how we receive support has changed. If I am looking at a new solution from Aruba, I have to go via HP's process, which is not as good as Aruba's used to be. I understand HP has its own access point solution, though I do not know whether that is why Aruba is not given much preference.

I have been working with Aruba access points since 2015.

When I first bought my current units, their lifespan was five years, but I'm still using them happily. They came with a lifetime hardware warranty at the time, but I still have not been able to use that warranty because none of them have broken down, so I rate the stability of the product a ten out of ten.

I rate the solution's scalability a nine out of ten. We have approximately 500 users.

Tech support used to be very easy because I would just call or email them, and tech support would respond within an hour. It was very seamless. But now I have to go through HP and raise a different kind of support ticket, so I have to spend more time going through various layers of approval. The engineer might still be an Aruba engineer, but I have to go through the HP process first.

We implemented another solution from TP-Link two years ago, but their features are still ten years behind Aruba's. One of the features I use in Aruba is reduced authentication. I have reduced authentication assigned to my active directory. For that to work, I should have a controller set in my active directory. The active directory speaks to the controller, and the controller speaks to all the access points.

It is a little different with TP-Link. Even though I have a separate controller, which is software that has to be installed on another machine, that feature does not work. I think it's called Omada Controller. I cannot set the controller because if I set it in my active directory, it cannot speak to all the access points. So I must set every access point with their IP addresses and names for the active directory to listen to. It is not a big deal if you have four or five access points. But you can't do that in a big company with something like 50 access points. It's ridiculous.

The initial setup was very easy because it is out of the box, where you have to go "next, next, next" to give you the default setup. After that, you can go in and set what you want in detail, whether you want to set the clients or set whether it's visible/not visible, all those things. It had this feature as well, I still remember from 2015, where once you configure one access point, information can automatically be transferred to other access points, and they can be set up automatically. So if I have five access points running and buy a sixth one today, I don't need to do anything for that sixth device. I need to turn it on, and as soon as it connects to the same Wi-Fi network, it picks the settings from the other units and sets itself up.

We do not require anyone to maintain the solution.

The price point in 2015 was really low compared to other enterprise-level access points, and I'm not talking about consumer access points like D-Link and TP-Link. I implemented seven access points in 2015 and only spent $6,000 for the whole project.

The only other devices I consider to be at the same level would be the access points from Meraki. Feature-wise and technical-wise, Aruba is really good. However, when it comes to support, which may be local to my market in Australia, I don't see Aruba being that easy to update or get support for, even when talking to HP or whomever the partners are. It is much easier to speak to tech support with Meraki and even Juniper Mist and access those devices.

I would have downloaded information on them because I'm looking at a new product. I'm looking at three products, Aruba, Meraki, and Juniper Mist. Just like I downloaded information from your site, I looked at the websites of these three companies, and Juniper's guys immediately called me and even offered to send me two devices to test in my environment. They also told me they would do the site surveys for free if I gave them the plans for my new site.

When it comes to features, scalability, or ease of use, I rate Aruba in the top three. But when looking at the technical part, we also need to look at how easy it is to get the devices or talk with the vendor.

We use Aruba access points for wireless connectivity, like connecting 30 to 40 users' laptops to the office Internet through WiFi access points.

Model 556 is a very stable and good product for users to access the Internet without any interference and disturbance while getting good speed. WiFi technologies are growing day by day. Where we had 2.4GHz and 5GHz earlier, OEMs now give devices that support 6GHz.

Aruba access points protect connectivity, and we don't get interference. The hardware is a throughput point and handles the required number of users. The product's capacity is proper, and we are not facing any challenges.

These days, every OEM gives services on their cloud. We want to move the wireless controller to our cloud. If a company has multiple offices in multiple locations, we need to direct connectivity without depending on any other location. Going with a cloud solution will make dependency no longer a challenge from a connectivity point of view. If you move an account, you get the freedom. You're not dependent on any other locations selling the same product.

I've worked with Aruba Access Points for approximately ten years.

I rate Aruba access points' stability an eight out of ten. We've been using the product for a long time, and it is a very stable product.

If you go with the cloud version, it's a good endpoint for user scalability. In-house you'll need to upgrade or change the hardware if the number of users or company size grows. I rate the scalability an eight out of ten. Approximately 500 users are using Aruba access points 24/7.

I rate the initial setup an eight out of ten because the deployment is easy.

The deployment was a physical deployment that involved cabling parts, physically mounting the product on walls, and installing the AP on a roof. If you set up the product in an office, it will take one to two days.

While we needed one man to deploy the solution, we needed three or four people to handle the physical cabling and mounting. One person is sufficient for maintenance.

We implemented the product in-house.

I rate the pricing a six out of ten because it's not cheap or expensive.

Someone considering using Aruba access points' cloud solution can choose it with WiFi 6 connected. As for the on-prem version, it depends on their requirements. If it's not a large setup, without many APs, they can choose the in-house solution.

I rate Aruba access points an eight out of ten.

The product is quite accessible and reliable. It needs less or no maintenance. Once you install the solution, it keeps working. It needs very few upgrades. Aruba devices are quite reliable. We have found no defaults in the devices so far. The product is easy to use and easy to set up. Its durability is quite good.

The product should provide more coverage. The coverage provided should be equivalent to that of Cisco. It will be good if the product’s device provides coverage of at least 50 to 60 feet. The solution should increase security. The devices need to be more secure. Anyone who wants to hack or access the product can easily do it. The users do not receive any alerts if somebody is trying to access the tool.

I have been using the solution for the last five years.

The stability is quite good. It is excellent. We bought the devices two to three years ago, and they still work constantly without any failure.

The solution’s scalability must be improved. It should cover more number of people and area. I rate the scalability a seven out of ten. It will be great if scalability is increased a little more.

We have not contacted support yet. If we have any problems, our local vendor is capable of supporting us. The product’s support would be great. If a local vendor can support us, then if I contact someone directly from Aruba, they would definitely be able to support us.

Aruba and Ruckus work similarly. Cisco is a bit advanced in terms of security and manageability. We manage Cisco access points through one particular console. If anything goes wrong, then we can identify it easily. Cisco products are a little better in manageability. We frequently receive updates, but we can manage them well in advance through the console.

The initial setup is quite easy. It is not a problem at all. We need not do much. We need an expert to set up Cisco. Deploying Aruba and Ruckus is as easy as plug-and-play.

The deployment doesn’t even take ten minutes.

The pricing is reasonable. The product is also good. I would rate the pricing an eight or nine out of ten. For four devices, we pay around INR 30,000. We only pay for the license and the device. There are no additional costs associated with the tool.

The solution is fairly good. Anyone can use it. I will recommend Aruba. Overall, I rate the product an eight out of ten.

We use them for internal or external wireless LAN, and indoor or outdoor access points. We have on-premises controllers, switches, access switches, installation switches, and core switches. The network is big.

We have many projects, and this is a good product.

The integration with their other products, like ClearPass, and the security features they have. These are good features.

The ICT dynamic is important. Every other vendor is innovating with new features and ideas. They need to compete and implement these things to stay ahead.

So, I would suggest Aruba continue to gain the competitive edge. 

I have been using this product for 10+ years.

I would rate the stability a nine out of ten. It is a stable product.

It is a scalable product. It is easy to scale. I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten. It is okay. 

We have enterprise-level clients. 

The customer service and support are good.

Positive

I also have experience with ExtremeWireless (Extreme) and Ruckus. I have parallel experience with Cisco, HP, Aruba, and Huawei.

The initial setup is easy. Our customers mostly opt for on-premises deployment. Customers aren't interested in cloud-based solutions because they need that on-premises control.

The deployment depends on the client's site. For around ten access points and wireless controllers, it takes less than two days. 

The pricing is competitive. It is neither cheap nor expensive. It is moderate. It offers better price than Cisco and other competitors. 

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten.

The tool's most valuable feature is better connectivity. 

Aruba Access Points should improve its automation. 

I have been using the product for three years. 

I rate Aruba Access Points' stability a nine out of ten. 

The tool's scalability is good. 

Aruba Access Points' support is good. 

Aruba Access Points' deployment is straightforward and completed in one to two days. 

The tool's pricing is not expensive. It is perfect as per the features. 

I rate the tool a ten out of ten. You should go for it. You can get better manageability, support, and stability. 

We use Aruba Wireless to provide wireless solutions and services to some of the biggest IT customers for multiple use cases.

The solution provided by Aruba Wireless fulfills most of today's IT services requirements.

The product’s most valuable feature is its ability to offer wireless connectivity to any service provider, and ease of integration with 3rd party vendors. It is also stable.

Technical support services needs improvement.

We have been using Aruba Access Points for more than four years.

We encounter stability issues with some old IAPs.

It is a scalable platform.

We contacted the product’s technical support team regarding OpenLDAP integration with WLC for dot1x authentication. They said the OpenLDAP support dot1x. But later we checked the solution OpenLDAP is compatible with WLC but OpenLDAP itself doesn't support dot1x. The overall support requires improvement.

Positive

The product’s initial setup process is easy if you have specific knowledge. If you use Aruba Central, enter the MAC address and serial number on Aruba Central.

Port 443 should be open on the firewall. It is zero-touch provisioning. The AP will automatically be provisioned to Aruba Central. It takes around 10 - 15 minutes to provision.

The price is better when compared with the competitors.

Compared to Cisco, the product has a user-friendly interface. It is easy to configure as well.

I advise others to analyze if the product is relevant for their production. There is no need for bandwidth. It is suitable for all types of complexity.

I rate Aruba Access Points a 9.5 out of 10.

Aruba is a very popular brand, running from Access, and they have very competitive pricing. When compared to Cisco, they have a very good range. Most of the clients also prefer Aruba in India. It's the working environment.

The interest funds are valuable. 

The pricing can be improved. 

I have been using Aruba Access Points for a year and a half.

It is a scalable solution. We have ten users.

The initial setup is straightforward. 

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. 

It is a tool that provides wireless Wi-Fi services in different locations, specifically in corporate locations. It has many features, such as power adapters and high efficiency.

The integration capabilities of the product with the tools from other vendors is an area of concern where improvements are required.

I have experience with Aruba Access Points.

It is a stable solution.

It is a scalable solution.

The product can be used to provide service to around 50 users.

The solution's technical support is very active.

The product's initial setup phase is very easy due to Aruba Instant Mode.

The solution can be deployed in less than five minutes.

The product is cheap, in my opinion, since I don't have to buy a hardware controller with it.

There is a need to pay the licensing charges for the product. If I consider the market prices, then I won't say it is an expensive tool, but I feel that it is a moderately priced tool that is available at a price higher than Cisco and Huawei.

The tool can manage IoT devices like Aruba Meridian, which are mostly used in hospitals and airports.

The high throughput and high efficiency offered by the product are its most powerful features. The product doesn't need a controller since it already has a virtual one. I don't need to apply a hardware controller to the product. In Aruba Access Points, there is a built-in virtual controller.

In terms of the product's security features, I would say that it has all types of authentication, including enterprise authentication, which depends on AAA authentication. It can integrate with Aruba RADIUS server and ClearPass. The product can also integrate with an AAA server. The tool has interference protection, along with protection of Layer-1 and Layer-2 networking areas.

The management software simplifies your network administration tasks as it is integrated with the TACACS+ Server. The product's privilege mode option can also be used. It has a basic feature, and it can be enabled when integrated with a mobility controller. The network traffic control is encrypted, which is a powerful security feature.

The tool has all the features that are accessible in the mobility controller, and the same features exist in Aruba Instant APs.

The AI-powered insight feature offered by the product is something that is too early to discuss right now.

When starting with the networking part, it is good to go with Aruba. The portfolio offered by Aruba is good which consists of switches under Aruba Instant On.

I rate the tool a nine out of ten.