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Aruba Access Points vs ExtremeWireless 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
6.1
Users reported operational efficiency, manageable licensing costs, and improved communication with Aruba Access Points, achieving ROI within five years.
Sentiment score
8.5
ExtremeWireless provides scalable, cost-effective solutions with 30% ROI savings, easy deployment, and excellent support for long-term use.
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
It is acceptable; it was not very cheap, but it was acceptable, and we can tell our customers, 'This is a good solution and you should pay this once and you have this solution forever.'
Telecommunication Engineer at Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia
The best ROI is achieved over a three-year term.
Engineer at NewLogics
The monitoring access and excellent support provide significant value.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.0
Users appreciate Aruba Access Points support for efficiency and quick responses, but seek better handling of complex issues.
Sentiment score
7.2
ExtremeWireless support is helpful but inconsistent, with slow response times and limited availability affecting user satisfaction. Ratings vary.
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 Shree Atharva Sales Corporation
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
I rate their support as a nine because they are very helpful when we need assistance and they strive to help, even if not the fastest.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
The technical support sometimes closes cases without resolution.
Engineer at NewLogics
I would rate the customer service as a ten.
Network Engineer at a consultancy with 201-500 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
Aruba Access Points offer excellent scalability, easily integrating and expanding to support high-density users across various environments.
Sentiment score
6.7
ExtremeWireless is scalable and adaptable for medium to large enterprises but may face stability issues at higher user thresholds.
Aruba access points integrate well with existing networks via PoE switches.
Owner at Shree Atharva Sales Corporation
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
Every decision the central management makes takes extra latency to send over to the local area network.
Telecommunication Engineer at Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia
The Extreme access points handle high-density connectivity needs very well, managing lots of traffic efficiently.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
ExtremeWireless is suitable for companies with a user base below three hundred.
IT executive at a agriculture with 1,001-5,000 employees
ExtremeWireless is quite scalable.
Systems Engineer at LinkAxia Networks Sdn Bhd
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Aruba Access Points are highly reliable with minor issues, showing excellent short-term stability and robust long-term performance.
Sentiment score
7.0
ExtremeWireless is praised for its stability and reliability, though some encounter challenges with firmware updates in high-density environments.
The failure rate is very rare.
Manager Technical at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The only thing the customers need is that wireless communications work stably.
Telecommunication Engineer at Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia
They work well without failures.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
I experienced issues during firmware upgrades, as some devices required a physical restart, which affects system stability.
Network Administrator at THK Co Ltd
The stability of ExtremeWireless is somewhat weaker compared to previous solutions, like Motorola before its acquisition.
IT executive at a agriculture with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Aruba Access Points require enhanced security, seamless integration, scalability, improved performance in dense areas, and clearer licensing and support.
ExtremeWireless must enhance affordability, integration, security, support, and performance to improve competitiveness and meet small business needs.
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
There are some problems in assessing the performance of Aruba Access Points in environments with high user density.
Telecommunication Engineer at Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia
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 wish for ExtremeWireless to optimize the roaming capability between access points, especially for IoT devices.
Network Administrator at THK Co Ltd
They should develop more troubleshooting tools for system management.
Network Engineer at a consultancy with 201-500 employees
There is some delay in firmware upgrades for access points.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
 

Setup Cost

Aruba Access Points are moderately priced, cheaper than Cisco but pricier than some, with negotiable discounts available.
ExtremeWireless provides good value with both free and paid options, despite medium-high pricing and substantial hardware costs.
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 Shree Atharva Sales Corporation
When comparing pricing between Aruba Access Points and Forti, I find Aruba to be on the higher side.
Head Of Technical Operations at ITE
Each customer typically buys around 100 APs, which makes it quite expensive.
Systems Engineer at LinkAxia Networks Sdn Bhd
The pricing is favorable due to its flexible licensing model.
Engineer at NewLogics
The pricing is a weak point for Extreme; it is very high.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
 

Valuable Features

Aruba Access Points offer excellent coverage, reliability, and affordability, with advanced features for seamless connectivity and robust security.
ExtremeWireless offers cloud management, strong security, seamless integration, and stability, making it ideal for security-focused sectors.
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 Shree Atharva Sales Corporation
Price-wise, they are cheaper than Cisco and other options.
Manager Technical at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
A single license can be used for on-premises, hybrid, or cloud, allowing for easy transition between solutions without losing investment.
Engineer at NewLogics
The most valuable features of ExtremeWireless include the management through the one dashboard management with ActionCloud IQ, integrated with Site Engine.
Systems Engineer at LinkAxia Networks Sdn Bhd
The support from Extreme is very good and helpful.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Access Points
Ranking in Wireless LAN
6th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
ExtremeWireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
14th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Access Points is 3.2%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ExtremeWireless is 2.4%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Aruba Access Points3.2%
ExtremeWireless2.4%
Other94.4%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

HJ
Telecommunication Engineer at Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia
Wireless connectivity has remained reliable and supports flexible, cloud‑independent management
As I already mentioned, the ability to stay with self-hosting solutions for central management is what I think could be improved about Aruba Access Points. If this becomes available in the future, I think it should change the game. However, I don't currently see this because I see nothing about AirWave anymore on your roadmap. I don't understand what happens next. There are some problems in assessing the performance of Aruba Access Points in environments with high user density. If there is a dense environment, a mobility controller would be the one you should go with because this needs more telemetry to calculate. I suspect this will be easier to do with local administration or local management because if everything goes over the internet through Aruba Central, it takes time. Every decision the central management makes takes extra latency to send over to the local area network. I think this is not a good approach to move to central management that is hosted somewhere far away. It should still retain the functionality to use Instant AP functionality that is available until 500 and maybe 600 as well. If you go to software version 10 and future versions, then you lose this functionality and you can't go back anymore. It would be good to assist with local location management and BLE-based functionalities as additional features I expect from future Aruba Access Points. There were some attempts to support third-party integrations through cooperation between Aruba and Meridian. However, I don't understand what happened there, and nothing is clear in this area. IoT will also be very important for people. You should add functionality to the platform that will support third-party IoT devices.
ZQ
IT executive at a agriculture with 1,001-5,000 employees
Centralized control simplifies device management but stability requires attention
Overall, ExtremeWireless has a lot of room for improvement. The main concern is stability. As a user, I focus on supporting the devices and ensuring they meet my client’s needs. While I do not handle the AI integration, I've heard it's a new feature that could enhance functionality. I rate ExtremeWireless at seven out of ten.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Comms Service Provider
10%
University
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business21
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise11
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise8
 

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?
As I already mentioned, the ability to stay with self-hosting solutions for central management is what I think could be improved about Aruba Access Points. If this becomes available in the future, ...
What needs improvement with ExtremeWireless?
There are concerns regarding the stability of ExtremeWireless. It could be an area of improvement, especially when compared to previous solutions such as Motorola before their acquisition. Another ...
What is your primary use case for ExtremeWireless?
We mainly use ExtremeWireless ( /products/extremewireless-reviews ) for the warehouse, specifically for the Zebra handheld devices and printers.
What advice do you have for others considering ExtremeWireless?
Overall, ExtremeWireless has a lot of room for improvement. The main concern is stability. As a user, I focus on supporting the devices and ensuring they meet my client’s needs. While I do not hand...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
St. Xavier High School, Americatel, Diamond Light Source
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Access Points vs. ExtremeWireless and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.