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Aruba Access Points vs Cisco Wireless comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.0
Aruba Access Points offer cost-effective improvements, operational efficiency, and user preference, with reduced management needs and favorable total ownership costs.
Sentiment score
2.3
Cisco Wireless boosts productivity, reduces downtime, improves connectivity, and offers cost savings with robust security and manageability.
This is why we do not require technical support, as the solution remains simple without AI implementation.
Manager Technical at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
A comparison from standalone to distributed WLC-controlled access points provides some decent ROI.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.7
Aruba Access Points' support is generally efficient and responsive, though complex issue handling can be inconsistent across regions.
Sentiment score
5.3
Customer service is mostly praised for professionalism and efficiency, though some users experience slow response times and regional differences.
A company called ACT is very good at support.
Senior Manager, Hospitality Program at ACT international
For technical support alone, I would give them a score of nine out of ten.
Owner at a transportation company with 11-50 employees
Because we work with different HP products, such as servers, storage, and high-end switches, technical assistance is only needed when there are issues on the compute side.
Manager Technical at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The technical support from Cisco is of high quality.
Head Of ELV and ICT at Intec Systems Solution Pvt Ltd
We received responses quickly after logging our problem.
Group IT Head at Euracare
The refresh cycle is not as aggressive with Aruba, meaning they will continue supporting products for longer durations without facing end-of-life and end-of-sale situations as frequently as Cisco does.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Aruba Access Points are praised for their robust scalability, flexible deployments, and efficient handling of increasing demands.
Sentiment score
6.8
Cisco Wireless offers scalable solutions for enterprises, praised for flexibility and seamless expansion, despite some cost concerns.
Aruba access points integrate well with existing networks via PoE switches.
Owner at a transportation company with 11-50 employees
Scalability and expandability are adjusted from day one based on expansion and growth projections.
Manager Technical at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
While scaling up to five hundred users, it may cause some performance issues.
Senior Manager, Hospitality Program at ACT international
Installing new licenses with the number of access points that the device WLC is expected to support makes it scalable.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Aruba Access Points are highly valued for stability, rated 7-10, with minor issues after prolonged use.
Sentiment score
7.4
Cisco Wireless is praised for its stability and reliability, with minimal downtime and robust performance in production environments.
The failure rate is very rare.
Manager Technical at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The performance is excellent, rating 10 out of 10.
Group IT Head at Euracare
The best aspect is that even if the WLC goes down, the access points stay up and remain functional.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Aruba Access Points require better coverage, security, support, pricing, integration, and licensing clarity to enhance competitiveness and user satisfaction.
Cisco Wireless struggles with complex UI, high costs, integration issues, and inadequate support, affecting user satisfaction and performance.
Everyone discusses AI, but for providing wireless access to users, AI only plays its part when analytics are needed.
Manager Technical at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Some customers comment that the shape and size of the access point is a little big, especially the one installed in the guest room.
Senior Manager, Hospitality Program at ACT international
I would like Aruba to provide integration capabilities for Microsoft Entra ID, Azure Directory, or other identity verification engines like Okta, Google Identity, or Ping Identity.
Owner at a transportation company with 11-50 employees
Sometimes, integration with other Cisco products requires manual intervention for tasks such as firmware upgrades, which should be automated.
Network Security at Tech Mahindra Limited
We would prefer if we could increase the controller to a 10 gig interface because we want to connect our controller to a 10 gig interface.
Group IT Head at Euracare
In the long term, there could be a cost reduction because it does not require much maintenance.
System Engineer at DANAT IT FOR BUSINESS
 

Setup Cost

Aruba Access Points offer competitive pricing with manageable licensing fees, cheaper than Cisco and Huawei, providing good overall value.
Cisco Wireless is costly but valued for quality; licensing is complex and varies by enterprise size and project scope.
The pricing is reasonable and lower than competitors.
Senior Manager, Hospitality Program at ACT international
They are priced at half the rate of Juniper access points for basic models.
Owner at a transportation company with 11-50 employees
When comparing pricing between Aruba Access Points and Forti, I find Aruba to be on the higher side.
Head Of Technical Operations at ITE
Cisco generally is expensive.
Group IT Head at Euracare
The setup cost involves licenses.
System Engineer at DANAT IT FOR BUSINESS
The licensing of Cisco Wireless is competitive.
Network Security at Tech Mahindra Limited
 

Valuable Features

Aruba Access Points provide cost-effective, secure, scalable connectivity with AI Insights, guest authentication, and seamless third-party integration.
Cisco Wireless provides scalable, easy management with robust security, seamless roaming, high performance, and advanced integration capabilities.
We receive support from Aruba, with assistance from the country manager in providing better quotations and support for projects.
Senior Manager, Hospitality Program at ACT international
Additionally, they do not require any kind of license for implementation.
Owner at a transportation company with 11-50 employees
Price-wise, they are cheaper than Cisco and other options.
Manager Technical at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
If one network fails, there is a link between different access points, which ensures network continuity.
Head Of ELV and ICT at Intec Systems Solution Pvt Ltd
The advantages of Cisco Wireless include helping me aggregate all the access points, managing one point connection for my users easily, controlling rogues, and addressing hotspots effectively.
Group IT Head at Euracare
The primary benefit is the ability to triage and identify what is where, and when users report issues, we can identify the users, location, endpoint, and nuances such as signal strength and signal-to-noise ratio.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Access Points
Ranking in Wireless LAN
7th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
39
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Wireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.2
Number of Reviews
155
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Access Points is 3.0%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Wireless is 9.5%, down from 11.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Wireless9.5%
Aruba Access Points3.0%
Other87.5%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer1912536 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager Technical at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Positive features shine with room for growth in advanced analytics adoption
Aruba Access Points are technologically advanced. Price-wise, they are cheaper than Cisco and other options. Our market is very price-conscious, so we normally work with Aruba in general. Feature-wise, they are technically strong, but the main point is the price point, which is very important for proposing, developing, and establishing a solution. Regarding scalability, users can implement many types of access points and increase their quantity. When using the controller-based solution, scalability is readily available. The main advantage is the flexibility of usage and comfortability. Users can build networks on Aruba Access Points, and the price is very comparable with other products. The feature set is good enough. Aruba Wi-Fi 6 is available in the market, but it is not generally required because it is costlier than traditional Wi-Fi 4 and 5.
EvansEsezobor - PeerSpot reviewer
Group IT Head at Euracare
Has enabled centralized user management and improved wireless access point aggregation
To improve Cisco Wireless, the ports on the access points are all 100 Meg, not 1 gig. We have not gotten a gigabyte interface of about 1,000, but the controller we have is just 1 gig. We would prefer if we could increase the controller to a 10 gig interface because we want to connect our controller to a 10 gig interface, which currently limits us to 1 gig. When we want to move higher capacity data via wireless, it limits us to 1 gig.
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Comparison Review

it_user212721 - PeerSpot reviewer
President at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Mar 24, 2015
Cisco vs. Aruba Wireless Solutions
Cisco or Aruba Networks? If you are considering wireless access solutions, this is a common question that you are probably asking. You probably have sales people knocking at your door. How do you make sense of all the stories that you are presented with. If you have done any research, you are…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise11
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business78
Midsize Enterprise41
Large Enterprise73
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Access Points?
After we installed the Aruba switches, the work became faster because the network speed improved.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Access Points?
When comparing pricing between Aruba Access Points and Forti, I find Aruba to be on the higher side.
What needs improvement with Aruba Access Points?
AI is a buzzword here without substance. In a practical sense, nobody is working with AI or willing to work with AI features. Everyone discusses AI, but for providing wireless access to users, AI o...
Which is better - Cisco Wireless or Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?
Cisco Wireless is very robust, very rugged, and can handle indoor and outdoor coverage extremely well. We found it to be very reliable and to consistently run very efficiently. Cisco Wireless helpe...
Which is better - Ruckus Wireless or Cisco Wireless?
Ruckus Wireless offers users the benefit of being both easy to set up and get running as well as being very user friendly. This user-friendly quality also renders it easy to learn how to use and ma...
How does Cisco Wireless compare with Aruba Wireless?
On the most basic level, Cisco Wireless can offer a rather straightforward initial setup. In the span of about three hours, the basic framework can be set up. Step-by-step instructions are availabl...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Cisco WLAN Controller
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Aegean Motorway, Baylor Scott & White Health, Beachbody, Bellevue, Brunel University London, Bucks County Intermediate Unit , Chartwell School, Children's Hospital Colorado, Cisco Live Milan, City of Biel, City of Mississauga, Dundee Precious Metals, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Erickson Living, Goldcorp, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS)
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Access Points vs. Cisco Wireless and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.