Aruba Instant On Access Points vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Cisco are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.6, while Cisco is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.4. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 0.9% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to Cisco’s 12.7% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Aruba Instant On Access Points

Read 32 Aruba Instant On Access Points reviews

1,825 Views
941 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Read 119 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN reviews

14,622 Views
11,932 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Aruba Instant On Access Points

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 9, 2025

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and Aruba Instant On Access Points compete in the cloud-managed wireless networking solutions category. Cisco Meraki tends to have an upper hand due to its detailed cloud management and robust security features, catering to larger enterprises, while Aruba Instant On is preferred by small businesses for its cost-effectiveness and ease of setup.

Features: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN features centralized cloud management, a user-friendly dashboard, and strong integration capabilities with other Meraki products. It offers comprehensive security features suitable for organizations of various scales. Aruba Instant On Access Points are easy to set up and manage, with a straightforward onboarding process. They excel in cost-effectiveness, providing wireless solutions without additional licensing fees and appealing to small businesses with simpler networking needs.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN faces concerns regarding its cost, strict licensing model, and sometimes inconsistent support service. Improvements in responsiveness and expanded feature availability could enhance its platform. Aruba Instant On has limitations in advanced features and scalability for larger deployments. Enhancements in security capabilities, user management, and better integration with third-party systems are desired for broader applicability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN offers flexible deployment options, including cloud and on-premises solutions, backed by a user-friendly dashboard and comprehensive documentation. While the technical support is robust, some users report improvement needs in response times. Aruba Instant On Access Points are noted for their simple deployment without ongoing licenses, enhancing satisfaction in smaller deployments. The system's simplicity ensures quick setup and management, offering reliable support service.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is often seen as a costly solution with substantial initial setup and licensing renewals. However, its comprehensive feature set provides a justifiable ROI for larger businesses seeking security and functionality. In contrast, Aruba Instant On Access Points offer competitive pricing with no licensing fees, delivering a strong ROI for small to medium-sized businesses seeking essential network management solutions without hidden costs.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

April 2025

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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 Instant On Access Points

Ranking in Wireless LAN

8th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Ranking in Wireless LAN

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

5.1

Number of Reviews

119

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 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is 12.7%, up from 12.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

Ricardo Quintero

Infrastructure/Telcom Coordinator at Schnellecke Group AG & Co. KG

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.

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RezaPradipta

Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk

Streamline network management with a unified dashboard for seamless device integration

The primary use case for Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is mostly for enterprise wireless, including guest Wi-Fi and enterprise Wi-Fi. I use it across various industries with a focus on retail Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN offers a single pane of glass management. It only comes with a controller on the…

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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 advantages of Aruba Instant On Access Points include using a mobile application to control various aspects, making it a user-friendly solution for home use."

"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."

"I would recommend Aruba Instant On Access Points to others."

"Configuring everything in the cloud with Aruba Central and having all the devices be independent of a centralized controller has made it simple to deploy."

"The product is scalable. It has 20 users."

"The initial setup is easy."

"The roaming feature and connectivity during disconnections are valuable."

"With a variety of switches in their setup, they find that Aruba's online monitoring tools and configuration options for applications effectively manage most of their requirements, all while keeping the process straightforward and user-friendly."

More Aruba Instant On Access Points pros

"I have found the scalability to be very good."

"The product's cloud controller is easy to use."

"What I liked about these is that they worked. I didn't touch them or do anything with them. They were up and running when I came here. Once they are set up and running, you don't have to worry about them."

"For Meraki, the ease of deployment and management is most valuable."

"Great architecturally based dashboard and the solution is accessible from anywhere."

"It is a scalable solution."

"I like the status page Cisco added that shows you the health of the wireless connection."

"The visibility of the site is most useful."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pros

Cons

"The solution should include higher speed and lesser cost."

"It's only suitable for smaller offices. It doesn't scale well."

"The tool is priced high."

"The tool's pricing is not good."

"It is suitable for smaller organizations, but it may not be the best choice for large enterprises."

"In future updates, more AI for intelligence and the option for a separate network could be beneficial."

"The security aspect needs improvement."

"It would be good to integrate some marketing features into Aruba Instant On Access Points, like heat maps. This would allow deployment in warehouses or malls to see how people move from one point to another, helping to locate the original fit."

More Aruba Instant On Access Points cons

"The issue primarily revolves around failure to renew the license on time, leading to service termination."

"Quality of technical support varies."

"The throughput of the switches for wireless could be improved."

"Currently, only a limited number of clients can connect to these devices."

"The annual maintenance is something that needs to be changed."

"There could be more functionality."

"Meraki is still very much a small office type of solution. It is not a fit for large enterprise networks, as it doesn't have tunneling functionalities."

"Cisco offers pretty expensive devices."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a need to make yearly payments towards the standard licensing charges associated with the product. There are some additional costs associated with the product since I have seen customers who purchase three-year or five-year plans."

"The price of Aruba Instant On Access Points is reasonable. They are competitively priced. I've even used it in my home at one time because of the low price."

"You buy it for $165 an AP, which is what we paid."

"It's a cost-effective solution."

"I would rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."

"Aruba Instant On Access Points are license-free. It's a very good and cheap solution for wireless networks. It can be compared with solutions from Ubiquiti and TP-Link, but it is in a different class. Aruba Instant On Access Points are cheaper than those from Cisco, Ruckus, and Motorola. It's perhaps the cheapest one. They do not use licenses, so it is a solution from the box. You don't need to pay extra money or deal with hidden payments."

"I rate the product's pricing a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive."

"It needs a license."

More Aruba Instant On Access Points pricing and cost advice

"The price is negotiable."

"The price is good, but it could be improved."

"The price of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN could be improved, it is too expensive. We pay for the solution on an annual basis."

"It is super expensive for what you get. You also have to buy a license every year. Otherwise, it stops working."

"It is an expensive solution."

"I don't deal with pricing directly, however, it's my understanding that it is around $40 per unit."

"Meraki is a very good solution, but the price is quite high for small markets."

"The price of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is per unit and it has annual maintenance costs."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

55%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

19%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

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.

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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.

See all answers

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.

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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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

How does Ruckus Wireless compare to Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?

Cisco’s Meraki Virtual MX is a virtual instance of the Meraki SD-WAN appliance. We liked the Meraki. The Wifi APs are a great feature. The dashboard is a simple interface and easy to learn. It feat...

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Comparisons

Fortinet FortiAP vs Aruba Instant On Access Points

Compared 17% of the time

Cambium Networks Wireless LAN vs Aruba Instant On Access Points

Compared 15% of the time

Omada Access Points vs Aruba Instant On Access Points

Compared 13% of the time

Aruba Instant vs Aruba Instant On Access Points

Compared 11% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Aruba Instant On Access Points

Compared 8% of the time

More Aruba Instant On Access Points Competitors

Aruba Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 32% of the time

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 15% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 11% of the time

Ubiquiti Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 7% of the time

Mist AI and Cloud vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant On Access Points

May 2025

Download Aruba Instant On Access Points product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

May 2025

Download Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN product report

Also Known As

No data available

MR18, MR26, MR32, MR34, MR66, MR72, Meraki Wireless LAN, Meraki WLAN

Overview

Ingredients for success.

Fast 802.11ac Wave 2, secure employee and guest access, easy-to-use web, and mobile app management.

Say yes to secure Wi-Fi access.

Pre-built access control lists (ACLs) and built-in firewall in the access points prevent malicious traffic from entering your network – we call it “hassle-free” security.

Never drop an important call.

With Instant On, voice and video business applications are automatically prioritized, so you stay connected with your peers.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Cisco Meraki access points are built from the highest grade components and carefully optimized for a seamless user experience. The outcome: faster connections, greater user capacity, more coverage, and fewer support calls. The Cisco Meraki dashboard gives visibility into the network users, their devices, and their applications. Armed with rich analytics, administrators can quickly create access control and application usage policies, optimizing both the end-user experience and network security.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Advanced Medical Transport, Banco de Guayaquil, Baylor Scott & White Health, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, Calligaris, Children's Hospital Colorado, City of Biel, Del Papa Distributing, Department of Justice, Dimension Data, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Hertz, K&L Gates , LightEdge, Lone Star College System, Management Science Associates, Mindtree, NBC Olympics, Quest, Sony Corporation, The Department of Education in Western Australia, Valley Proteins

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

April 2025

Free Report: Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

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