Central controlling of all APs.
IT Manager at a educational organization with 51-200 employees
Central control of all APs is a valuable feature. Better training is needed.
What is most valuable?
How has it helped my organization?
It has enabled the organization to become cable-free.
What needs improvement?
Training support for clients is needed.
For how long have I used the solution?
3 years -
Cisco Wlan Controller 5508
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Wireless
October 2025

Learn what your peers think about Cisco Wireless. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2025.
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What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No issues encountered.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
How are customer service and support?
Customer Service:
Excellent.
Technical Support:Middle.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
No other solution was used.
How was the initial setup?
Pretty Straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
A vendor(Xiamen WisDom Net), They have 3 CCIE engineers in routing and switches but not in Wi-Fi, They quickly improvee their Wi-Fi skills and even I improved a lot.
What was our ROI?
High.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We invited 6 vendors that offered Cisco, Juniper, Aerohive brand Wi-Fi solutions to evaluate and compare products.
What other advice do I have?
See my website article:
http://aweisoft.net/Knowledge/Cisco/OptimizeWiFi/OptimizeWiFi.aspx
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Manager, IT Infrastructure at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
The ability to group APs to specific VLANs gives us a lot of flexibility. The GUI needs work.
What is most valuable?
- Scalability
- Enterprise Wireless Mesh
- Number of interfaces
- High Performance Video
How has it helped my organization?
In our company we have employees spread across multiple floors which requires more APs than we originally have. This new WLAN Controller accommodates us very well. It also has the great feature of grouping APs to specific VLANs which gives us a lot of flexibility.
What needs improvement?
Overall i haven't had any major complaints. I have noticed though when grouping interfaces, sometimes if you need to delete a previously created interface group there can be glitches. The GUI can be improved on.
For how long have I used the solution?
This specific model (Cisco 5508 Wireless Controller ) - 1 year
Cisco WLAN controller in general - over 10 years
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No. The setup was pretty simple and straight forward.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
None encountered.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
None encountered.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
They do just fine.
Technical Support:Very good. On the 2 occasions that I had to contact support I got immediate assistance and the reps were very knowledgeable and able to resolve my issues in little to no time.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have always used Cisco.
How was the initial setup?
The intial setup was very straight forward. Like most of Cisco devices the initial setup asks you some questions and you can select what you want to use as default or change. I did the preliminary setup then everything else from the GUI.
What about the implementation team?
Implementation was done in-house.
What was our ROI?
The increased productivity and low downtime from the wireless network is worth every cent spent. The different teams can roam the building while staying connected.....100%
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The initial set-up cost including the device was approximately $7500. There is no day-to-day cost besides the power it uses since the device just about maintains itself. Unless adding new APs or subnets to the wireless network there is no need to touch the controller really.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
No, we stuck we Cisco since that's what we have been using all these years.
What other advice do I have?
No, we stuck we Cisco since that's what we have been using all these years.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Cisco Partner
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Wireless
October 2025

Learn what your peers think about Cisco Wireless. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2025.
868,787 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Network Administrator & Information at a media company with 501-1,000 employees
Have clear ideas about the requirements or goals for the company before implementation
What is most valuable?
The easy way to integrate it with the existing network. Also, at the implementation, the simple management of the access points in a centrally console.
How has it helped my organization?
Before the implementation in 2006, we had 20 stand-alone access points where the administration tasks were complicated; any change has to be made in each AP.
For how long have I used the solution?
Since August 2006.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
Not really.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Until now they are very stable, but in some cases in which we had a problem there was a fix to solve the problem.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
Good, 9 out of 10
Technical Support:Good, 9 out of 10
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
No, this product is the only one I have used.
How was the initial setup?
As in the majority of new implementations there is a lack of knowledge of the products, but with some time and a lot readings at the end was easily.
What about the implementation team?
It was a mixed schema; the case study and the initial implementation was made by a vendor, then, the tune up was made by us.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
No, it was the only one because all the network infrastructure is Cisco: Total compatibility.
What other advice do I have?
Have clear ideas about the requirements or goals for the company before implementation and have a good case study.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Manager of Network at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Reliable product. Ability to handle huge amounts of traffic needs to be improved.
What is most valuable?
No configuration required on access points and better monitoring.
How has it helped my organization?
We have been deploying in different companies and their wireless communication has improved.
What needs improvement?
Access Points are unable to handle huge traffic and if one user start downloading other user bandwidth speed is affected.
For how long have I used the solution?
Multiple Times.
4402, 4404, 5508
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
Yes we did have issues. The start access points were unable to join the controller but we managed.
There was an issue with User Authentication with lDAP.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
None encountered.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
None encountered.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
It was good.
Technical Support:It was good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Our customer used Linksys access points and they had problems with their connection so they decided for WLAN.
How was the initial setup?
Start the controller. The initial setup process will start the you need to configure multiple parameters, and the configuration is done.
What about the implementation team?
I implemented myself for multiple companies.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
No day-to-day cost.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Yes different WLAN Controller models.
What other advice do I have?
Good product and good reliability
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
About you just said regarding "room for improvement", you have to understand that this behavior is expected for some 802.11 standards. It has nothing to do with Cisco solution. I mean, it's a 802.11 feature. To avoid such thing, you should try 802.11n (MIMO) and 802.11ac. Plus, avoid simply turning the controller on and leaving the parameters as default. Wireless products MUST be customized to your scenario and needs.
Network Engineer with 51-200 employees
Simple to have a guest network but cost could be improved
What is most valuable?
Unified management, reporting, stability, and most importantly seamless roaming
How has it helped my organization?
Network wide SSID’s and passkeys help the day to day function of the IT staff. Simple to have a guest network.
What needs improvement?
The cost could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
2 Years
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
Deployment for the WLAN controllers is very simple with a proper plan of your organization’s requirements. I have deployed this across large university campuses, vpn tunnels, and small businesses.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have had very few issues with appliances or access points dropping off.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This goes back to properly planning your deployment. The smaller WLAN controller’s don’t grow well.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
10 out of 10
Technical Support:10 out of 10
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I haven’t switched anyone but we do often deploy Ubiquiti Unifi equipment for our smaller clients
How was the initial setup?
Like all things Cisco, this can be as simple or complex as you want it. Most implementations are very simple to start.
What about the implementation team?
It is done in-house.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Aruba, Ruckus, and Ubiquiti.
What other advice do I have?
Do your research! Make sure this product fits your needs.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Cisco Partner
Cisco's TAC is, in my opinion, is one of the best support teams of the world. Cisco uses to invest a lot of resources in research and development, including TAC. About other topics, reading of release notes before doing the upgrade is extremely recommended since some features may face deactivation or malfunction. Embedded captive portal is simple but it works smoothly.
Specialist IT Consultant with 1,001-5,000 employees
Management & Monitoring features need to be improved. Integration with other Cisco products is helpful.
What is most valuable?
There are many valuable features including security, availability, scalability, integration With Cisco products, WEB Portal for guest users, and Cleanair.
How has it helped my organization?
The main improvement was the mobility of Notebooks, Tablets, SmartPhones and Warehouse functions.
What needs improvement?
Management, and Monitoring features need to be improved and the inclusion of a Cloud-based solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
4 years
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
Remote APs cannot work without Main Controller when using 802.1x Authentication.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues were encountered.
How are customer service and technical support?
It was OK! We had some problems and always checked them with the TAC.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used MOTOROLA/SYMBOL. It is an solution with no innovation and less features than Cisco Wireless Solution.
How was the initial setup?
No, It was simple.
What about the implementation team?
I am an consultant and I implement for our clients.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Motorola and Aruba.
What other advice do I have?
That is a good solution, pay attention on Compatibility Matrix with some APs.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Cisco Select Partner
Technical Support Manager at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Highly reliable, stable, scalable and easy install documentation
Pros and Cons
- "The customer always feels confident with the solution because of its reliability."
- "In the future, it would be great if the solution had a GPS feature that could have the ability through access points to locate cell phone users inside a local wireless network, for example in a stadium."
What is our primary use case?
Our main customer of the Cisco wireless is in the retail sector, for example, Walmart.
What is most valuable?
The customer always feels confident with the solution because of its reliability.
What needs improvement?
In the future, it would be great if the solution had a GPS feature that could have the ability through access points to locate cell phone users inside a local wireless network, for example in a stadium.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for approximately twenty years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have never had an issue with scalability with this product. Our customers are medium to large size organizations. We have found that small businesses discontinue using the solution more often than larger companies who tend to remains using it.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support has been good for us.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy, the documentation is good.
What about the implementation team?
The deployment can take one day if the network is small but if it is a larger network it could take a while longer. When we have issues with security the process becomes more complex, taking more time.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product could be priced better.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend before implementation, administrators must know the exact number of users.
I rate Cisco Wireless a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Used for wireless connection and provides good reliability
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of the solution is reliability."
- "The solution could be cheaper and have a better web interface."
What is our primary use case?
We use Cisco Wireless for wireless connection.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of the solution is reliability.
What needs improvement?
The solution could be cheaper and have a better web interface.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco Wireless for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution ten out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the solution a nine out of ten for scalability.
How are customer service and support?
The solution’s technical support is average.
How was the initial setup?
The solution’s initial setup is complex, and an average user will not be able to do it. You need to know the command line to deploy Cisco Wireless.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Users have to pay a yearly licensing fee for Cisco Wireless.
What other advice do I have?
The solution can be deployed both on-premises and on the cloud. You need to be very technical to deploy and maintain the solution. I would recommend the solution to other users.
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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Updated: October 2025
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Cisco wireless controllers in appliances are very stable implementations. There are many official courses covering from the fundamentals to troubleshooting.