What is our primary use case?
We deployed Aruba Wireless in our corporate head office, where we have a lot of business users. We use the product both as corporate WiFi and guest platform.
What is most valuable?
What I like best about Aruba Wireless is that it doesn't need a controller.
The product also has a GUI that's easy to navigate.
I also like that Aruba Wireless shows statistics that give you a lot of insight.
What needs improvement?
Aruba Wireless is a good product, but it still has some issues, especially at the beginning, where there's inconsistent syncing between the cloud and the APs. Sometimes, there's also a little lag when accessing the query.
For how long have I used the solution?
I started using Aruba Wireless two years ago.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba Wireless is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I find Aruba Wireless scalable.
How are customer service and support?
We've contacted Aruba Wireless support many times, but there weren't proper resolutions. Cases remain open for a few days, and then they'll automatically resolve. Then, sometimes, those cases will reappear.
Aruba support would be a four on a scale of one to five.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
My company has a particular office on Cisco APs, then replaced completely with Aruba Wireless, one of the most extensive Aruba deployments in the company.
My company is still planning to switch from Cisco Wireless to Aruba Wireless in other offices. However, concerning Cisco Wireless, the product is pretty stable and solid. It has been running for years, but eighty percent of the environment is on Cisco Wireless, which Aruba Wireless will eventually replace.
How was the initial setup?
Deploying Aruba Wireless is pretty straightforward.
It took several days to complete the deployment because the office was enormous and the number of APs deployed was quite significant.
It took one to two months to pre-stage, install, and make Aruba Wireless stable.
What about the implementation team?
My company pre-staged the equipment and the APs, and then initially, the deployment team had a few issues during the Aruba Wireless installation.
A third-party team deployed the product for my company.
What was our ROI?
As Aruba Wireless doesn't require a controller, my company saved some money, so there's ROI from the product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't know the exact costs associated with Aruba Wireless, but I have a rough idea, and it's not too cheap, though it's less costly than Cisco Wireless. Pricing for Aruba Wireless is moderate. It's a three out of five.
What other advice do I have?
I have experience with both Cisco Wireless and Aruba Wireless.
My company uses Aruba Wireless IAP-245.
It's a centrally-managed cloud product.
Daily, the number of Aruba Wireless users varies. If there's a meeting, then many high-profile users will come. At least two or three times a week, there will be many product users, for example, IT engineers, designers, finance people, and people from other teams.
My advice for anyone looking into implementing Aruba Wireless is that it depends on the use cases. You get all the features available in Cisco Wireless at a lesser price, but in terms of support and stability, Cisco is ahead of Aruba. However, Aruba Wireless is a good option when considering the price and if you're a mid-sized organization.
Aruba Wireless gets a seven out of ten from me.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.