Aruba Airwave vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.1, while SolarWinds is ranked #12 with an average rating of 10.0. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 3.9% mindshare in NMA, compared to SolarWinds’s 2.6% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

Aruba Airwave

Read 26 Aruba Airwave reviews

1,426 Views
1,269 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

SolarWinds Network Topology...

Read 2 SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper reviews

515 Views
515 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Aruba Airwave

SolarWinds Network Topology...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Aruba Airwave and SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Network Management Applications solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba Airwave vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Airwave vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

March 2026

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Helped 884,933 peers since 2012

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

Aruba Airwave

Ranking in Network Management Applications

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SolarWinds Network Topology...

Ranking in Network Management Applications

12th

Average Rating

9.6

Reviews Sentiment

2.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Aruba Airwave is 3.9%, down from 6.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper is 2.6%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Management Applications Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Aruba Airwave	3.9%
SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper	2.6%
Other	93.5%

Network Management Applications

Featured Reviews

Edward Zeng

Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology

Troubleshooting obstacles occur but technical support excels

My general opinion on Aruba Airwave is that it's acceptable, but it's not ideal because we are accustomed to Cisco. We didn't use Aruba much, but once you set it up, you probably don't need to worry about it too much. The version we are using is quite old now, probably around version four. I can't remember the version exactly because a lot of the products require Aruba Central, but we haven't used Aruba Central yet. I face challenges with Aruba Airwave, particularly with troubleshooting. When someone has a problem, we try troubleshooting, but the end-to-end users' messages show some details that are not always up-to-date, and sometimes the information from the GUI is not exactly aligned with what's on the website. If Aruba Airwave can apply AI capabilities, that would be even more perfect. I'd appreciate integration with Aruba Central; it would be great if they could incorporate it into Airwave.

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reviewer2687874

Design Engineer at a wholesaler/distributor with 501-1,000 employees

Effective tools simplify network mapping and analysis

I can't really articulate any areas that could be improved with the product right offhand. Just as long as they keep it around, since I know things are going into subscription models. One thing we do appreciate about the tool is that it's essentially a perpetual tool. Once you purchase it and the Engineer's ToolBox, it's been beneficial, serving as another utility tool on the network. I can't think of anything specific offhand for how SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper could improve, because I treat it as a simple utility tool that serves those needs. It scans the network for SNMP and ICMP echoes to map the topologies of the existing network. It's a small utility tool that's very helpful and beneficial, another option for us to utilize, and while there's always room for more features, that typically comes with a cost that we have to weigh.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The monitoring and administration allow configurations for checking the association of the user to the network, then to the AP, then to the switch, and back to the controller."

"I would rate the stability a nine out of ten."

"The most valuable features are the error log and intrusion log. It also provides an overview of your assets. It gives a good database for wireless coverage."

"The powerful features we can put forward in Aruba Airwave are clarity, report creation, and VisualRF."

"The technical support services are good."

"It's scalable because it's licensed per device and we bought licenses with each device. I would rate it a nine out of ten for scalability."

"It has improved my organization by increasing troubleshooting opportunities which makes things more efficient."

"The most valuable features of the solution are its dashboard and simplicity."

More Aruba Airwave pros

"It's user-friendly."

"One of the best features of SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper is that it has over 60 utility tools to utilize, so it offers a lot of different features, more than I have time to discuss at this moment, making it a good extra set of utility tools that we can incorporate onto our network."

Cons

"Whenever you get an error it doesn't immediately tell you what the thing is that is causing the error."

"When upgrading hardware, there were technical issues with network interfaces and Red Hat, which required escalation to developers."

"I would like to see an integration of services into one system, rather than having multiple systems to do multiple things."

"Pricing for Aruba Airwave could be cheaper, which is an area for improvement in the solution."

"They should make it cheaper. By doing that, they can replace Cisco, which is also very expensive. If it is equivalent to Cisco in the features, with a reduced price, they can sell it more than Cisco."

"My general opinion on Aruba Airwave is that it's acceptable, but it's not ideal because we are accustomed to Cisco."

"I would try to integrate more products from different vendors in future releases. Because that's really good features that Aruba Airway has, but it's so limited."

"We're looking for more device compatibility. Like compatibility with third-party devices."

More Aruba Airwave cons

"This is a relatively expensive product."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing is on an yearly basis."

"I rate the product’s pricing a five out of ten."

"The licensing cost for Aruba Airwave increased from $72 to $210 within a few months. It would be better if the pricing for the solution were cheaper."

"This product is not expensive."

"The tool is expensive. If one is bad or expensive, and ten is very good or cheap, I rate the product's price as a six."

"We must buy a new license to connect more devices to scale up the solution."

"Aruba Airwave's licensing cost is not that expensive."

"Aruba Airwave is an expensive solution."

More Aruba Airwave pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

Educational Organization

13%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Government

12%

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	14

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Airwave?

I think the solution is quite affordable.

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What needs improvement with Aruba Airwave?

They have other sensors which can manage and control all the sites. There is an IoT component where we can restrict internet services such as Facebook and YouTube. These things can also be managed....

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What is your primary use case for Aruba Airwave?

For Aruba Airwave, I am using the wireless devices for the Wi-Fi for the full company with access points. This is the top product I feel, and I see in the Gartner also. It is a good product and eas...

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What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?

In general, I use it for scanning IT and OT devices for networks and laying out their topology mapping. The industry I use it for is manufacturing. We specifically don't use it as our network manag...

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What advice do you have for others considering SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?

The Engineer's Toolset is something I use hand-in-hand with the Topology Mapper, and it complements it well. Regarding pricing and licensing with SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper, I haven't faced...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 18% of the time

Cisco DNA Center vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 17% of the time

HPE Intelligent Management Center vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 13% of the time

Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 8% of the time

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DataMiner vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

Compared 26% of the time

Cisco Catalyst Center vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

Compared 20% of the time

Cisco DNA Center vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

Compared 13% of the time

LANCOM Management Cloud vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

Compared 10% of the time

Huawei eSight vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

Compared 6% of the time

More SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Airwave

March 2026

Download Aruba Airwave product report

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

February 2026

SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper report

Download SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper product report

Also Known As

No data available

SolarWinds NTM

Overview

Offering granular visibility into wired and wireless networks, AirWave is the only management platform designed with mobile devices and apps in mind. By proactively monitoring the health and performance of all things connected, AirWave lets IT gain the insights they need to support the digital workplace.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Automate device discovery and mapping
Build multiple maps from a single scan
Export network diagrams to Visio
Auto-detect changes to network topology
Perform multi-level network discovery
Address regulatory PCI compliance

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

Henkel, University of Findlay, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Iowa

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Airwave vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

March 2026

Free Report: Aruba Airwave vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Airwave vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.

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