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IT Operations Manager at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Real User
​Our wireless overhaul has reduced the number of wireless related help desk tickets by nearly 90%
Pros and Cons
  • "​Our wireless overhaul has reduced the number of wireless related help desk tickets by nearly 90%.​"
  • "​The ARM functionality does not always seem to perform how I would like. In some cases, I have had to manually assign channels to avoid channel confusion."

What is our primary use case?

We currently have 500 access points deployed and operated by two controllers. Recently, all of the AP-125 models were replaced as part of a three year site wide upgrade, using AP-205H, AP-215, AP-225, and AP-325 models. 

How has it helped my organization?

Our wireless overhaul has reduced the number of wireless related help desk tickets by nearly 90%.

What is most valuable?

I work in a concrete fortress built 70 years ago. It obviously was not designed with wireless internet in mind. The software available allows me to make very specific changes to individual access points when throttling power/settings, which are critical to good working wireless signals. 

What needs improvement?

The ARM functionality does not always seem to perform how I would like. In some cases, I have had to manually assign channels to avoid channel confusion. Overall, it is a small task to worry about. 

Buyer's Guide
Aruba Wireless
April 2025
Learn what your peers think about Aruba Wireless. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

Three to five years.

How are customer service and support?

HPE Aruba technical support is a nine out of 10. 

What other advice do I have?

Quality of the product and the OS interface are a nine out 10.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
it_user839694 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator
Real User
Easy to use, the 335-AP provides reliability, stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The 335-AP provides reliability, stability."

    What is our primary use case?

    We have made a full 32-site school transition from Mary to Aruba wireless.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Reliability, stability, and best use of our network.

    What is most valuable?

    The Aruba 335-AP.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    Three to five years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    There were stability issues, but only on initial deployment.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Very few scalability issues, mostly user error.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Great support.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    We used Meru. We switched to Aruba for the newer technologies they presented.

    How was the initial setup?

    It was pretty straightforward.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    Licencing can be surprising and needs improvement. Look into all features, what you need versus what you want, and know that nothing comes without some kind of license.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    Meru, Cisco, Aerohive. 

    What other advice do I have?

    It's a great product, easy to use, easy monitoring, and great tech support. Plan out placement as thoroughly as possible.

    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Aruba Wireless
    April 2025
    Learn what your peers think about Aruba Wireless. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.
    861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    PeerSpot user
    SME at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
    Consultant
    Denies inter-user traffic: It easily blocks traffic between users
    Pros and Cons
    • "HA: Apps failover without reboot."
    • "Role assignment: Each user is assigned a different role based on the radius attributes returned by ClearPass."
    • "Denies inter-user traffic: It easily blocks traffic between users."
    • "MAC authentication against an external Radius server while using 802.1X. This feature will help the L2 devices to authenticate via external Radius servers."

    What is our primary use case?

    • Different roles assigned to corporate and guest users.
    • Corporate users authenticated via 802.1X against ClearPass with machine authentication. 
    • Guest users authenticated via captive portal; ClearPass guest self-registration process.

    How has it helped my organization?

    • Better failover. 
    • Aruba Mobility Controllers configured in master standby mode. 
    • Centralized licensing. 

    What is most valuable?

    • HA: Apps failover without reboot. 
    • ARM: Auto adjusts the power and channel. 
    • Rouge Detection: Helps in identifying threats.
    • Role assignment: Each user is assigned a different role based on the radius attributes returned by ClearPass.
    • Firewall rules can be applied per role.
    • AppRF: Helps to find out which applications are used by the clients.
    • Denies inter-user traffic: It easily blocks traffic between users.

    What needs improvement?

    MAC authentication against an external Radius server while using 802.1X. This feature will help the L2 devices to authenticate via external Radius servers.

    As L2 devices cannot do 802.1x. This feature is available in Cisco WLC, named for its MAC Filtering. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    Three to five years.
    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    PeerSpot user
    Network Administrator at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Real User
    The biggest selling point was the ability to create two different SSIDs to control public versus private wireless networks
    Pros and Cons
    • "The biggest selling point was the ability to create two different SSIDs to control public versus private wireless networks."
    • "Installation is relatively easy.​"
    • "​Stability and its ability to handle more devices has been an improvement for our organization.​"

      What is our primary use case?

      We use wireless for all testing (on Apple, Chrome, and even tablets). We moved our school over to having a managed wireless network. This was my first time doing something like this and my colleague nor myself had any issues with the software or hardware. 

      We have a large investment in Aruba Networks WiFi technology. We have recently deployed a mix of Aruba 225 and Aruba 335 units to provide complete and full coverage over multiple floors. We like the automatic hand-off of a connection to the access point with the strongest connection. We have had no issues deploying the access points, and look forward to years of service from these products, which is a strength that we are seeing. 

      How has it helped my organization?

      It has great equipment for wireless AP needs. We purchased 1000 units for each floor of our schools. They have a ton of useful business-related features and security features, but the biggest selling point was the ability to create two different SSIDs to control public versus private wireless networks. 

      What is most valuable?

      AirWave (monitoring tool)

      If there is a network issue, there are so many ways to access the monitoring application. Also there are maps and labels to tell you exactly where an issue may be. The TAC Service is very responsive and persistent.

      What needs improvement?

      There is so much licensing, you literally pay for every solution, add-on, or cool feature. Compared to others, we were in the middle with pricing, but as you start to invest more into features it will get very pricey.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      One to three years.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      Stability and its ability to handle more devices has been an improvement for our organization.

      How was the initial setup?

      Installation is relatively easy.

      Configuration was not all that complicated, but there were some forums online that helped us just in case. They shed light on the deep config options.

      We only had a summer to deploy.

      What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

      We will be buying the ClearPass solution, which will be pricey. However, in the trial version, it has even more tools to manage a busy network.

      Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
      PeerSpot user
      it_user656106 - PeerSpot reviewer
      Principal with 201-500 employees
      Real User
      Basic initial setup is very easy when it comes to a new user on-premise
      Pros and Cons
      • "Basic initial setup is very easy when it comes to a new user on-premise.​"
      • "Aruba is outstanding, especially when it comes to the hospitality sectors.​"
      • "Needs improvement in point-to-point deployment products."

      What is our primary use case?

      We are the one of the official distributors of this product in Middle East.

      What is most valuable?

      ClientMatch technology and Air Monitor features of Aruba Wireless are special and classy.

      What needs improvement?

      • Point-to-point deployment products
      • More varieties in Outdoor Access Points

      For how long have I used the solution?

      Three to five years.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      Very Rarely.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      Scalability has been one of the best features in which we can make our customers happy.

      How are customer service and technical support?

      I would rate technical support as 10 out of 10.

      Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

      We use a previous solution, but we switched due to stability and the possible integration with different products.

      How was the initial setup?

      Basic initial setup is very easy when it comes to a new user on-premise.

      What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

      Pricing support has always been cost-effective. Licensing is a one time purchase (only the cloud license has to be renewed, which is worth trying out).

      Which other solutions did I evaluate?

      It is always in comparison with Cisco Meraki and Ruckus, but Aruba is outstanding, especially when it comes to the hospitality sectors.

      What other advice do I have?

      Try it out. You will enjoy the hard-core concept put behind Aruba Wireless.

      Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. We are the one of the official distributors of this product in Middle East.
      PeerSpot user
      PeerSpot user
      Network Administrator at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
      Vendor
      The access points support a high number of connected clients
      Pros and Cons
      • "The initial setup was very easy and intuitive."
      • "The access points support a high number of connected clients."

        How has it helped my organization?

        The APs has a very competitive price and the functionality is really good. I have installed them in buildings made of stone and the signal goes through the walls with no problem. I also use this equipment for very big classrooms and it works great.

        What is most valuable?

        • The antenna’s gain: It is really powerful. 
        • The access points support a high number of connected clients. 
        • It has an easy configuration wizard.

        What needs improvement?

        Price.

        For how long have I used the solution?

        One to three years.

        What do I think about the stability of the solution?

        Not really.

        What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

        Not really, it has supported all the protocols that I have needed.

        How are customer service and technical support?

        Technical support is very good.

        Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

        I have used Cisco, Ruckus, D-Link, and Proxim. Aruba is equal or better than Cisco. The price and performance were the reason for the change.

        How was the initial setup?

        The initial setup was very easy and intuitive.

        What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

        Pricing is very competitive.

        Which other solutions did I evaluate?

        I tried Cisco, Ruckus, Proxim, and Juniper.

        What other advice do I have?

        Try it. It works fine.

        Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
        PeerSpot user
        Jovan Jovanovic - PeerSpot reviewer
        Security Team Lead at Comtrade Group
        Reseller
        Top 5
        It has lowered our partner's costs for managing their branch offices
        Pros and Cons
        • "Aruba Central."
        • "Initial setup was complex."

        What is most valuable?

        In the Aruba 2540 Switch Series portfolio, it is very important that these switches have advanced security and management tools, such as the following:

        • Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager
        • Aruba Central
        • Aruba AirWave

        How has it helped my organization?

        It has not made improvements for my company, but from our partner company. They have a list of branch offices across country, and use Aruba cloud-based central support and for remote manage of equipment.

        For how long have I used the solution?

        Our partner has been using this solution for a year.

        What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

        They haven't found any issues yet.

        What do I think about the stability of the solution?

        They didn't found any issues yet.

        What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

        They didn't found any issues yet.

        How are customer service and technical support?

        Customer Service:

        Excellent.

        Technical Support:

        They are very good responsive and very good knowledgeable.

        Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

        Partner had been using Cisco. They switched to Aruba, because of price and functionality, also with an option for adding a SW, like AirWave, Meridian, ClearPass, and Central.

        How was the initial setup?

        Initial setup was complex, but when you finally set up the whole network, there are no problems.

        What was our ROI?

        ROI is that cost for managing a branch offices which are far away from the main building. Now, it is very low.

        Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
        PeerSpot user
        it_user472203 - PeerSpot reviewer
        Solutions Architect with 501-1,000 employees
        Vendor
        I'm most interested in combining the HPE and Aruba product sets.
        Pros and Cons
        • "Clearpass solution from Aruba."
        • "The enterprise controller. I'm planning on getting more information on that."

        What is most valuable?

        HPE acquired Aruba. I think that was a really interesting acquisition. To be able to combine those product sets, the traditional wire line and the wireless, and then the Clearpass solution from Aruba, is what I'm most interested in; the enterprise security and to have the whole picture.

        How has it helped my organization?

        We're a reseller, so for us, it's another option to present to our customers. We've traditionally had a lot of Cisco networking in our background, so to be able to provide that to our customers is important. We think there are a lot of things changing in the industry right now, in IT, so we want to make sure we're staying ahead of that and helping our customers find the best solutions for things. A lot of things are changing.

        What needs improvement?

        I'm very interested, and I've heard really good things about, the SDN solution; the enterprise controller. I'm planning on getting more information on that.

        For how long have I used the solution?

        I've been in networking for over 20 years, and I've dealt with some of the traditional HPE ProCurve stuff a while ago. Just recently, my company signed up to do more HPE networking, so I was planning to learn more. Our recent experience is limited with the products; that's in one training class.

        What do I think about the stability of the solution?

        It's stable.

        What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

        I know that we actually have a very large organization that's doing a full HPE rollout right now. We're going to assist with that. It definitely seems very scalable.

        How are customer service and technical support?

        So far, so good. I haven't really opened a lot of support cases. I don't do a lot of production support. The pre-sales folks I've talked to so far have been knowledgeable. I've attended a training class and the instructor was good.

        Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

        We're switching from Cisco. It was an executive decision, that's what I'll say. In those large organizations, that's how that works out sometimes. We're definitely going to help with that.

        What other advice do I have?

        The product seems pretty good so far.

        Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
        PeerSpot user
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        Updated: April 2025
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