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3Com H3C Switches vs Aruba Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

3Com H3C Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
27th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.4
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Aruba Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
88
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of 3Com H3C Switches is 1.1%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Aruba Switches is 8.9%, down from 11.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Aruba Switches8.9%
3Com H3C Switches1.1%
Other90.0%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

AA
Manager at Necsol
Has improved operational response times and reduced downtime across departments
There is no negative impact, but to some extent their software side needs improvement because most people are familiar with iDRAC for the Dell product. Their software product is quite different and is new software. You have to take some time to learn their programming and other things such as installation of the media, Windows or office applications, or anything else. It is not complex. It is because it is a new thing and we had to face a little more problem for the installation at first. But now after some time, it has become easy for us because we have been working with Dell and listening about Dell for a long time, about decades. 3Com H3C Switches has occupied our market and has been working now for the last two to three years. 3Com H3C Switches has gained this much reputation and the brand is at its peak. It will be a matter of time and with the passage of time the learning stage will improve.
Aneesh K - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Solution Analyst II at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Has supported dynamic user segmentation and centralized management across campus networks
The best features of Aruba Switches are their stability and reliability. Hardware failures are rare because the switches have been running for years, and it is uncommon to encounter hardware issues or impacting bugs. From an operational perspective, Aruba Switches are stable and easy to configure through centralized management solutions. Initially managed through AirWave and now through Central, the configuration can be managed easily with audit records and visibility to switch health and other parameters. Another advantage is that Aruba Switches work seamlessly with ClearPass as a NAC server. This integration allows for dynamic policies, dynamic downloadable user roles, and enables seamless segmentation of users for network security. The real-time analytics provided by Aruba Switches for network efficiency are valuable when needed. All information visible in the analytics dashboard is truly helpful. With Aruba Central's migration to AI capability, additional value is being provided, offering more information and making troubleshooting easier with user-friendly features where you can search for anything and receive relevant results.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"They are easy to use, they are cheaper, and it's a trusted brand."
"The user interface is upgraded to the latest GUI technology, allowing configurations like VLAN to be done through the interface rather than the command line, making it more efficient."
"They're straightforward and stable."
"Total cost of ownership and consolidation of the switches is very good."
"The reliability of the solution has been the best feature."
"Their customer service is instant with a tracking system and follow-ups for human access."
"The hardware side is a very big advantage. We use it 24/7 and we haven't had any problems so far with the switches."
"3Com H3C Switches products are available at a low price, and the second most important factor is their services, availability of parts, and warranty claims, with main service centers in all major cities of Pakistan."
"The pricing of Aruba Switches is good compared to Cisco."
"There is a feature where you can use Bluetooth. You can set up a Bluetooth pairing connection and do the configuration through your phone."
"The most valuable feature of Aruba Switches is its performance."
"Aruba Switches are definitely stable."
"Aruba access points have a good transfer rate."
"The most valuable aspect for our organization is the CX. It's wonderful."
"The initial setup is quite easy."
"I like how Aruba switches integrate with On."
 

Cons

"The company should come up with new security features and new management and log recording systems, helping customers to analyze issues and prevent future incidents."
"To some extent their software side needs improvement because most people are familiar with iDRAC for the Dell product."
"I think there's nothing that needs to be improved because the company is no longer in existence."
"The cost and the integration with other solutions could be better."
"The company should come up with new security features and new management and log recording systems, helping customers to analyze issues and prevent future incidents."
"The configuration of 3Com H3C Switches could be better."
"We found some security holes in some of their switches, but overall it's fairly stable."
"When we try to do configuration changes sometimes it malfunctions."
"The endpoint capabilities could be improved."
"Aruba Switches don't need licenses to activate features and work straight out of the box, which is an advantage over some competitors. This implies less room for complaints compared with other solutions."
"We have had problems with the cooling fans on these switches."
"We have needed to upgrade software to fix some challenges we experienced. After downloading the latest version of Aruba, these were fixed."
"The delivery time for this product is slow and is something that needs to be improved."
"When issues are escalated to TAC for switching cases specifically, the support tends to be a little poor, whereas support for other products remains acceptable."
"There are some growing pains with Aruba Central. When you first launch the wireless access points or switches, a lot of updates are needed to get Aruba Central ready, especially on the access points, so the initial deployment time could improve. I would hope that I could just turn it on and leave the updates until later on. The switches themselves probably did okay. I'm primarily referring to the wireless access points. There was a lot of back and forth before everything was in sync. It took hours."
"The templates to automate our switches need improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"3Com H3C Switches have a competitive cost. I rate the pricing a nine out of ten."
"The cost could be improved, but it is cheaper than the others."
"It is a little bit expensive. It can be cheaper."
"The price of these switches is high."
"I don't know the exact cost of the licensing, but based on what I have heard from my sales team, Aruba is affordable. Aruba switches are cheaper than the switches from Cisco and other vendors."
"The cost depends on the requirement. An extensive network will expand the budget. The price will be lower if there is a small requirement of one to ten switches. In comparison, Aruba is less costly than Cisco by about 10-20%."
"There is not a switch that I would give more than six out of ten for pricing because, over the last year, the prices have been increasing very high."
"The cost is very cheap when you compare it to CISCO."
"Typically it is a $500 to $600 difference in price."
"The pricing was still affordable compared to Cisco, which is usually less affordable for most companies. We are using the solution in a school, we need the price to be affordable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
8%
Educational Organization
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Retailer
7%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Construction Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business50
Midsize Enterprise18
Large Enterprise22
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for 3Com H3C Switches?
Price is the major factor. You cannot say it is much better because all servers and all products have a few things in common, which are the processor, storage, and RAM and other things. Mostly the ...
What needs improvement with 3Com H3C Switches?
There is no negative impact, but to some extent their software side needs improvement because most people are familiar with iDRAC for the Dell product. Their software product is quite different and...
What advice do you have for others considering 3Com H3C Switches?
I personally did not work over the management, but I supplied to some of my other clients. I would rate this review a 9 overall.
What do you like most about Aruba Switches?
Aruba lives up to the expectations of the tech giant hewlett packard enterprise providing excellent networking capabilities at a very affordable price compared to the equivalent from another tech g...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Switches?
In terms of pricing for Aruba Switches, I would rate it a five. They are quite expensive devices.
What needs improvement with Aruba Switches?
Technology is constantly advancing, and although more security is always needed, our networks are still old, so we mostly need to modernize our installations. Regarding integration capabilities, th...
 

Also Known As

No data available
8400 Series, 8320 Series, 5400R Series, 3810 Series, 2930M Series, 2930F Series, 2920 Series, 2540 Series, 2530 Series
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

British Columbia Assessment Authority, DreamWorks, DRV
Purdue University
Find out what your peers are saying about 3Com H3C Switches vs. Aruba Switches and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.