Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Aruba Instant On Access Points vs Aruba 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
1.8
Organizations find Aruba Instant On Access Points offer great performance and easy management, justifying costs despite financial evaluation concerns.
Sentiment score
5.4
Aruba Wireless boosts productivity, flexibility, and cost savings, offering a valuable investment despite challenges in quantifying direct ROI.
There is no need to buy additional controllers for managing access points.
Consultant at Lantec
There are significant time savings, around thirty to forty percent, due to minimal disconnections.
Manager ITSM at Lucky Cement Limited
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.2
Aruba Instant On Access Points have mixed reviews, praised for fast support but criticized for delays and language issues.
Sentiment score
7.5
Aruba's support is praised for professionalism and expertise, but resolution speed and accessibility can be inconsistent.
The technical support from Aruba is rated seven due to limitations, such as support issues when the controller is on the VM side.
Senior Network Engineer Specialist at Zenith Comp Co.,Ltd.
There are still issues with the language barrier and the overall quality of support.
Consultant at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
I only needed support once or twice for a replacement, and it was handled smoothly without any difficulty.
IT Infrastructure at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
I would rate their technical support nine out of ten.
Sales Engineer at SGE
The customer support is good.
Manager ITSM at Lucky Cement Limited
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Aruba Instant On Access Points are scalable for SMBs but limited for enterprises, suitable for smaller, budget-conscious implementations.
Sentiment score
7.2
Aruba Wireless is praised for its scalability, adaptability, and ease of managing many devices across diverse environments.
The solution is scalable, as multiple sites connect seamlessly.
Manager ITSM at Lucky Cement Limited
It is easy to adapt and very scalable.
IT Infra Deputy Vice President at ESFB
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Aruba Instant On Access Points provide reliable connectivity for up to 25 users, praised for stability and minimal issues.
Sentiment score
8.4
Aruba Wireless is highly stable, reliable, handles high-density environments well, rarely needs reboots, and surpasses competitors in satisfaction.
The stability of Aruba Instant On Access Points is generally good.
Senior Network Engineer Specialist at Zenith Comp Co.,Ltd.
I have been using the product for the last nine years without facing any issues post-installation.
Manager ITSM at Lucky Cement Limited
I don't remember it going down during the years it existed.
IT Infrastructure at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Aruba Wireless is stable.
IT Infra Deputy Vice President at ESFB
 

Room For Improvement

Aruba Instant On Access Points need better integration, scalability, and user-friendly features to improve usability and customer satisfaction.
Aruba Wireless needs better stability, intuitive UI, support, documentation, reduced costs, and enhanced analytics, integration, and security.
There is not enough focus on security across networking vendors, and they often add features without testing them thoroughly.
Consultant at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
In future updates, more AI for intelligence and the option for a separate network could be beneficial.
Systems and support engineer at Lan to Wan
The default configuration can be overridden to enhance performance beyond the default settings.
Senior Network Engineer Specialist at Zenith Comp Co.,Ltd.
The product should be more affordable, especially the cloud and console for the Aruba product as it is currently very expensive.
Sales Engineer at SGE
While the technical specifications are satisfactory, the access points are expensive.
Consultant at Lantec
At the time of purchase, the prices were moderate, but now they are quite expensive.
Manager ITSM at Lucky Cement Limited
 

Setup Cost

Aruba Instant On Access Points offer affordable, all-inclusive pricing under $200, contrasting with competitors like Cisco with no recurring fees.
Aruba Wireless pricing is competitive with low operational costs, offering value through versatile licensing and favorable comparisons to Cisco.
The pricing of Aruba Instant On Access Points is competitive compared to Cisco, and they are actually cheaper.
Consultant at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Aruba Instant On Access Points work without a list price, suggesting that they are open source and no additional licensing costs are incurred.
Systems and support engineer at Lan to Wan
When comparing pricing with Cisco, Aruba Instant On Access Points are competitively priced, making them affordable solutions for SMBs, rather than being higher priced.
IT Project Manager at CPS TECHNOLOGIES
The pricing seems reasonable compared to other brands; however, it is too expensive for smaller businesses.
Sales Engineer at SGE
The pricing can be expensive.
Consultant at Lantec
The initial prices were more affordable compared to the current high prices.
Manager ITSM at Lucky Cement Limited
 

Valuable Features

Aruba Instant On Access Points provide easy cloud management, seamless integration, and cost-effective security for small to medium-sized sites.
Aruba Wireless excels in security, scalability, seamless connectivity, and user-friendly design, offering cost-effective and efficient network management.
Customers choose Aruba because it is more stable, has superior radio management, and offers features like mesh and a stateful firewall.
Senior Network Engineer Specialist at Zenith Comp Co.,Ltd.
We have implemented approximately 300 plus devices on one premise without receiving any complaints about malfunctioning or functionality errors; it runs smoothly.
IT Project Manager at CPS TECHNOLOGIES
The virtual controller feature is very beneficial because it removes the need for a physical controller.
Consultant at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
I do not need to buy a controller for the access point since the Aruba Access Point has a built-in virtual controller.
Consultant at Lantec
The Aruba Wireless solution has excellent roaming capabilities, ensuring seamless connectivity.
Manager ITSM at Lucky Cement Limited
It has many features and is integrated with Azure AD and multiple active directories, making authentication easy.
Senior Network Engineer at Zerone Technologies
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Instant On Access Points
Ranking in Wireless LAN
9th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
33
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Aruba Wireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
150
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Instant On Access Points is 1.9%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Aruba Wireless is 13.9%, down from 19.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Aruba Wireless13.9%
Aruba Instant On Access Points1.9%
Other84.2%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

ANKIT GAJJAR - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Project Manager at CPS TECHNOLOGIES
Have faced challenges with visibility and support while exploring more accessible alternatives
I have been working with Aruba Instant On Access Points for the last five years, implementing the HP Enterprise series grade Wi-Fi in the Surat Diamond Bourse. HP Aruba is easily available in the India market, so sometimes customers are preferring the HP Aruba Central solution. When we talk about Cisco WireWorks, my thoughts about Advanced Threat Detection indicate that Cisco needs to improve the visibility of its products in the India market, as there is very much less visibility right now. I would rate the stability of Aruba Instant On Access Points as the best one. Overall, I rate Aruba Instant On Access Points eight out of ten, as Aruba is a most versatile solution. I can definitely recommend Aruba Instant On Access Points to others.
UM
IT Infra Deputy Vice President at ESFB
Strong performance supports network team effectively but guest access compatibility needs improvement
We connect the network using Aruba Wireless. We connect our office network, and we use it primarily within our network team Aruba Wireless has many features, especially their state-of-the-art controller, which can be connected to the cloud. They also have an unlimited lifetime warranty, which is…
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Wireless LAN solutions are best for your needs.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

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
Manufacturing Company
8%
Hospitality Company
7%
Computer Software Company
7%
Performing Arts
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business23
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise9
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business77
Midsize Enterprise47
Large Enterprise74
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Instant On Access Points?
When comparing pricing with Cisco, Aruba Instant On Access Points are competitively priced, making them affordable solutions for SMBs, rather than being higher priced.
What needs improvement with Aruba Instant On Access Points?
I believe that software usability could be improved.
What is your primary use case for Aruba Instant On Access Points?
My clients mostly request Aruba Instant On Access Points for use cases involving IoT utilization, bandwidth utilization, and user interference monitoring. All products are monitored from HP Aruba C...
What are pros and cons of Aruba 515 Series AP vs. Cisco Meraki or Extreme Networks?
Depends. I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them. Extreme I am not, so unless they have some feature that I need or want, I wouldn't consider them. Do you have expe...
Aruba Wireless or Ruckus Wireless?
At my organization, we researched Ruckus Wireless among other solutions but ultimately chose Aruba wireless. What did we like about Ruckus? First, it was very easy to use, and anybody with minimal...
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
Aruba WLAN, HP WLAN, HP Wireless, Aruba Instant On AP Series Access Point
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Consulate Health Care, Los Angeles Unified School District, Science Applications International Corp (SAIC), San Diego State University, KFC, ACTS Retirement-Life Communities
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Aruba Wireless and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.