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Aruba Instant On Access Points vs Cambium Networks Wireless LAN 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
2.5
Aruba Instant On Access Points are valued for setup ease, no fees, stability, reliability, and promising ROI despite initial costs.
Sentiment score
7.6
Cambium Networks Wireless LAN provides cost-effective, reliable service with triple-band devices and easy management, ensuring stable, long-term investment.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.9
Customer service for Aruba Instant On Access Points receives mixed reviews, with efficient support praised, but inconsistency noted.
Sentiment score
7.8
Cambium Networks Wireless LAN customer service is praised for responsiveness, though some improvements in flexibility and expertise are needed.
The technical support from Aruba is rated seven due to limitations, such as support issues when the controller is on the VM side.
There are still issues with the language barrier and the overall quality of support.
They were always available when needed, which we appreciated.
The local team helps with issues primarily, and if they can't resolve them, they connect to the technical support team in the US, who are very much trained on resolving issues and providing support.
Cisco's support is very good and ranks 10 out of 10.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
Aruba Instant On Access Points excel for small to medium businesses but lack scalability needed for large enterprises.
Sentiment score
7.4
Cambium Networks Wireless LAN is praised for scalability, flexibility, and advanced technology, supporting from small homes to medium enterprises.
Ruckus provides better area coverage and interference withstanding capacity.
Allowing deployment of fewer access points while covering more area.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
Aruba Instant On Access Points are stable with minor app issues, reliable installation-dependent performance, and no major connectivity problems.
Sentiment score
8.3
Cambium Networks Wireless LAN is praised for stability and reliability, though signal issues arise beyond 60 meters in dense areas.
The stability of Aruba Instant On Access Points is generally good.
I believe the hardware used in Cambium Networks is pretty robust, and the radios are strong in terms of signal and performance.
 

Room For Improvement

Aruba Instant On Access Points need improved integration, scalability, security, pricing, management, range, documentation, and mobile app features.
Cambium Networks needs pricing, tech updates, better support, analytics, transparency, and new products to enhance competitiveness.
In future updates, more AI for intelligence and the option for a separate network could be beneficial.
There is not enough focus on security across networking vendors, and they often add features without testing them thoroughly.
The default configuration can be overridden to enhance performance beyond the default settings.
Cambium currently lacks such extensive analytics capabilities.
I would want more WiFi products, specifically WiFi indoor access point products.
Channel management required manual intervention, especially in environments with multiple floors, leading to potential signal interference issues.
 

Setup Cost

Aruba Instant On Access Points offer excellent value with no hidden fees, but some users find costs slightly high.
Cambium Networks offers competitive pricing, balancing quality and affordability, with no ongoing license fees, appealing to cost-conscious enterprises.
The pricing of Aruba Instant On Access Points is competitive compared to Cisco, and they are actually cheaper.
Aruba Instant On Access Points work without a list price, suggesting that they are open source and no additional licensing costs are incurred.
The cost of Aruba Instant On Access Points is reasonable;
Cambium's pricing is better compared to Ruckus, which has multiple components with associated costs, like license support and access point support costs.
Cambium Networks Wireless LAN was well-priced, comparable and not the most expensive nor the cheapest option available.
 

Valuable Features

Aruba Instant On Access Points offer easy management, superior coverage, cloud setup, robust security, and seamless network integration with remote management.
Cambium Networks Wireless LAN offers easy deployment, robust support, scalability, and efficiency with user-friendly management and adaptable hardware.
Customers choose Aruba because it is more stable, has superior radio management, and offers features like mesh and a stateful firewall.
The product is incredibly stable and meets our needs excellently.
The virtual controller feature is very beneficial because it removes the need for a physical controller.
The product was scalable, allowing for fewer access points to cover more area, and supported a high number of clients.
Ruckus offers a more extensive coverage range and has better capacity to withstand interference, which I have experienced with Ruckus products.
The features of Cambium Networks Wireless LAN that I have found most valuable is cloud management, as Cambium has the feature for cloud control, and the UI is very easy, making managing access points and devices very easy in the cloud, which I found very useful.
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Instant On Access Points
Ranking in Wireless LAN
8th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
32
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cambium Networks Wireless LAN
Ranking in Wireless LAN
17th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
19
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Instant On Access Points is 0.9%, down from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cambium Networks Wireless LAN is 1.2%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

Ricardo Quintero - PeerSpot reviewer
Affordable and offers an easy setup phase
I was working on the on-premises solutions, like IronNet, Aironet, and some other tools from Cisco, but not with Meraki. The last Aironet model that we have here in Mexico, in the corporate office, and in some of the other regions of Mexico is Cisco Aironet 3700 and Cisco Aironet 3800, so it is just two or three devices. Aruba Instant On Access Points was working with Aruba 2540 and Cisco 3850 In Cisco, I found some issues. I was working well with a vendor. I was working with Cisco Catalyst 9200 and Cisco Catalyst 9300, along with Cisco Catalyst 2916M XL Switch. With all devices, we got a report. During the immigration, we choose another vendor, which Aruba. We have some issues with Aruba Instant On Access Points in iOS that are targeting the devices, and I have seen some problems with the DHCP solution.
Md Anwar Hossain - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers zero-touch provisioning feature and is very user-friendly
I have used the product, and I haven't found any problem with the tool. The problem with the tool is that its prices are on the higher end. The tool should be made more cost-effective so that anyone can buy and use the product. The product's price is higher than that of other similar brands like Ubiquiti. Cambium should look at the pricing model it offers. Recently, Cambium released Cambium Networks Wi-Fi 7 with just one technology. It is a very outdated technology, and I don't know why it has introduced such a type of technology in 2024. With the new product, I don't know why Cambium has brought in an old technology associated with MIMO. Cambium should design its products more to be like 2x2 MU-Mimo. Cambium also has a product, 2x2 MU-MIMO, that is in the high-price category. In Grandstream and Ubiquiti, products are offered in categories like 2x2, 3x3, or 4x4. In Cambium, the tools have been designed in such a way that the basic model offers 2x2 MU-MIMO. If you need 4x4 MU-MIMO, you need to go with a higher category product, which is very expensive and costlier than the other OEMs in the market. In Grandstream and Ubiquiti, the tools have been designed in such a way that the product lineup is such that the transfer from one model to another model, the pricing gap is about 20 to 30 USD, but in Cambium, it is around 300 to 400 USD to move to the next product, making it an area that should improve. Cambium should design its products within a certain budget. With Cambium, it would be very expensive if I changed from the 2x2 to the 4x4 category. I need to add an additional 400 to 500 USD for the next model of the product.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
55%
Computer Software Company
5%
Manufacturing Company
4%
Construction Company
4%
Comms Service Provider
18%
Computer Software Company
12%
Educational Organization
7%
Retailer
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Instant On Access Points?
It's really easy to set up. And, you don't have to pay for the cloud solution. That's really interesting for our clients. And the other thing is, the roaming is also quite good.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Instant On Access Points?
The cost of Aruba Instant On Access Points is reasonable; however, I do not have information on the exact pricing, such as cost per user or annual license fees.
What needs improvement with Aruba Instant On Access Points?
We can improve Aruba Instant On Access Points by tuning some of the parameters of the radio. The default configuration can be overridden to enhance performance beyond the default settings.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cambium Networks Wireless LAN?
Cambium's pricing is better compared to Ruckus, which has multiple components with associated costs, like license support and access point support costs. Although nominal, these costs are still there.
What needs improvement with Cambium Networks Wireless LAN?
I would like to see better analytics tools in the future for Cambium Networks Wireless LAN ( /products/cambium-networks-wireless-lan-reviews ), similar to Cisco's proximity and presence analytics. ...
 

Overview

Information not available
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Cambium Networks Wireless LAN and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.