Aruba Instant vs D-Link Wireless comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and D-Link are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.6, while D-Link is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.0. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 2.2% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to D-Link’s 2.1% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of D-Link users who would recommend it.

Aruba Instant

Read 52 Aruba Instant reviews

2,107 Views
2,023 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

D-Link Wireless

Read 17 D-Link Wireless reviews

1,946 Views
1,946 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Aruba Instant

D-Link Wireless

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

D-Link Wireless and Aruba Instant are competing products within the wireless networking market. D-Link Wireless has the upper hand in customer satisfaction due to its pricing and effective support services, while Aruba Instant leads with its advanced features that justify its higher cost.

Features: D-Link Wireless emphasizes user-friendly connectivity, reliable performance, and affordability. Aruba Instant offers cutting-edge technology, sophisticated network management, and robust security features, making it appealing to users seeking advanced technical capabilities.

Room for Improvement: D-Link Wireless could enhance its feature set to better compete with higher-end solutions, improve scalability options for larger deployments, and expand integration capabilities. Aruba Instant could offer more competitive pricing, simplify its setup process for less tech-savvy users, and provide basic features without requiring additional costs.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: D-Link Wireless provides straightforward setup and responsive support, ideal for basic deployments. Aruba Instant offers a comprehensive deployment experience with in-depth support, catered to complex networking environments, and excelling in customer service for demanding needs.

Pricing and ROI: D-Link Wireless offers a budget-friendly initial investment with a solid ROI for basic network requirements. Aruba Instant, while initially more expensive, provides higher ROI over time due to its enhanced capabilities and resilience, which are attractive to those seeking long-term value through advanced functionality.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba Instant vs. D-Link Wireless Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant vs. D-Link Wireless

December 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 881,082 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 Instant

Ranking in Wireless LAN

11th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

D-Link Wireless

Ranking in Wireless LAN

13th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

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 is 2.2%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of D-Link Wireless is 2.1%, down from 2.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Aruba Instant	2.2%
D-Link Wireless	2.1%
Other	95.7%

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

SreejeshSoman

Technical Consultant at Vertex Techno Solutions (B) Pvt Ltd

Has supported mid-market deployments with cloud-based centralized management and reliable wireless performance

I faced challenges earlier with a limitation of 50 APs in single sites, but that has enhanced to 100 numbers, eliminating that challenge for Aruba Instant On team. Additionally, some features are not listed in the cloud management platform and still require offline access, so enhancing the cloud management features would be better for us.

Read full review

NadirShahzad

System Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

Wireless projects run smoothly with more access point support and competitive pricing

D-Link Wireless offers more supported APs to the WLC with the default license compared to other brands like Cisco. With Cisco, only four to five APs are connected with the default license, but D-Link Wireless provides more flexibility. Local support in Pakistan is necessary for those with limited budgets, creating a reach in the market.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The tool's most valuable feature is Captive Portal, which we employ for our guest network. It enables us to create a separate virtual subnet for guests, ensuring their network traffic remains isolated from our office network. Another valuable feature is its role-based access control. This functionality allows us to assign different access privileges to users based on their roles within the organization."

"You can handle all of the access points at once virtually instead of manually handling each one. You're able to populate all of the information to all of the access points through the virtual controller as well. It transforms everything it a single access point, which simplifies things."

"Aruba Instant is a cloud-managed solution that can be managed from the cloud."

"The most valuable features of the solution are in the areas like routing and VLAN."

"The most beneficial features for network management are the price and the cloud console."

"I like that the solution is not complex."

"The most valuable feature of Aruba Instant On is that it is cloud-managed, making it easy to manage multiple locations in a single dashboard, especially on cloud, and it can even be managed by a mobile app, which is the best feature for mid-market customers who don't have much expertise or manpower resource."

"If you don't need heavy-duty filtering and things like that, it's a cheap solution. And, you have central management, and it works."

More Aruba Instant pros

"The most valuable feature of D-Link Wireless is its durability."

"The tool supports new technologies."

"I like the product's signal continuity and range. We can receive the signal up to 20-30 meters from the wireless antenna."

"This is an affordable product that offers good performance. This is why it is popular with our customers. It offers good speed and bandwidth."

"The solution is extremely easy to install. You just add them and in a few clicks, they are ready to go."

"The product's initial setup phase is easy."

"D-Link Wireless is a tool that is used since it is an easy and user-friendly product."

"The setup process is very easy."

More D-Link Wireless pros

Cons

"The reach of the solution could be improved. It could be a bit stronger."

"Some features are not listed in the cloud management platform and still require offline access, so enhancing the cloud management features would be better for us."

"The support offered by Aruba is slow."

"Aruba Instant is a simple and scalable solution that works well, but the costs you incur from access points could be cheaper."

"The network planner could be improved. You should be able to import a floor plan, and the application should suggest the optimal placement of your devices."

"It is a software characteristic, and it is during the reboot. During the startup of the AP, the AP tells you that you are using the wrong password. However, I have realized that this is not true."

"The restart time should be improved."

"The tool's support quality has changed since HPE acquired it. It is also impossible to tell the log dates."

More Aruba Instant cons

"In future releases, it can keep improving on countering the new patterns of security attacks."

"Sometimes we configure the SSID with a password but the same AP shows two WiFi connections with the same SSID name (one is protected by a password and another one give access without a password)."

"The solution doesn't have hotspots. Users can't set it up so that visitors can log in via Facebook or social media as they can at, for example, airports. D-Link should include hotspots that offer integration with social media. That way, visitors don't need to be asking people for passwords. They can just use Facebook."

"The only issue is with the controller visibility of the devices connecting to the network."

"The support offered by the product needs to be faster with better technical personnel."

"Its interface and support system need much improvement. Sometimes, when we use the interface to reset the password and configure SSIDs, or some other changes, the "Save" option does not show and we have to go to some internal setting and then we can "save" the setting. The “Save” option should be in front of or below of the settings."

"D-Link Wireless’s stability needs improvement."

"The performance offered by D-Link Wireless can be a bit problematic at times, owing to which it is an area that can be considered for improvement."

More D-Link Wireless cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is competitively priced"

"We only pay for the support and the contract licenses from Aruba Instant."

"The customers do not have to pay for licensing."

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

"Some in the hospitality industry use the solution because it's cheaper and doesn't require licenses."

"The product is reasonably priced."

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

"I would rate pricing six out of ten."

More Aruba Instant pricing and cost advice

"There is no licensing fee for the solution."

"This solution is more affordable than others on the market."

"D-Link Wireless' price is the same as Aruba's. You need to pay one-time costs for the product."

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is very cheap and ten is very expensive, I rate the pricing an eight out of ten."

"The product is affordable."

"The cost can range from $100 to $400."

"D-Link pricing is very competitive when you consider other OEMs."

"D-Link Wireless is cheaper than Ruckus or Cisco."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Wireless LAN solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Construction Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Educational Organization

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	31
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	14

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	2

Questions from the Community

Which is better - Ubiquiti WLAN or Aruba Instant?

We researched Ubiquiti and Aruba when looking for a WLAN solution. Ubiquiti offers good WLAN access both indoors and outdoors. It provides an enterprise-level WIFI while remaining cost-effective. U...

See all answers

What do you like most about Aruba Instant?

I find network management features related to monitoring Wi-Fi usage and visited sites particularly valuable. Content filtering is also important to prevent access to malicious or inappropriate web...

See all answers

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

In my experience, Aruba Instant's price is reasonable compared to premium products like Ruckus, Cisco, or Juniper. However, when compared to entry-level market segments, the price is higher. Overal...

See all answers

Which wireless solution would you choose - Huawei or D-Link?

Huawei wireless is a strong and solid product that has a lot of features - and for all that it offers, it happens to be very cost effective. As a wireless solution, it is simple and its user interf...

See all answers

What do you like most about D-Link Wireless?

The tool supports new technologies.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for D-Link Wireless?

D-Link Wireless is notably more affordable than Cisco and Juniper. It suits SMB needs without the financial burden of purchasing additional licenses for extended APs.

See all answers

Comparisons

Omada Access Points vs Aruba Instant

Compared 21% of the time

Aruba Instant On Access Points vs Aruba Instant

Compared 13% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Aruba Instant

Compared 11% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Aruba Instant

Compared 8% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Aruba Instant

Compared 8% of the time

More Aruba Instant Competitors

Huawei Wireless vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 39% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 12% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 10% of the time

Ubiquiti WLAN vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 9% of the time

Omada Access Points vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 9% of the time

More D-Link Wireless Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant

January 2026

Download Aruba Instant product report

Buyer's Guide

D-Link Wireless

January 2026

Download D-Link Wireless product report

Also Known As

No data available

D-Link WLAN

Overview

Aruba Instant delivers the only controllerless Wi-Fi solution that is easy to set-up, and loaded with security and smarts needed to accelerate your business without breaking your budget.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

D-Link Wireless offers a wide range of robust wireless Access Points (APs) operating in both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands, supporting the latest wireless standards including 802.11ac and 802.11n. These access points can be managed independently as standalone devices, or collectively by using Central Wi-Fi Manager, a free centralized controller software that can be installed on a Windows server or PC.

D-Link

Sample Customers

Purdue University, Orlando Magic, Brussels Airport Company, Molecaten Holiday Parks

Metropolitan Public Defender, Mission Motorcycles

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant vs. D-Link Wireless

December 2025

Free Report: Aruba Instant vs. D-Link Wireless

Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Instant vs. D-Link Wireless and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Aruba Instant vs. D-Link Wireless report.

See our list of best Wireless LAN vendors.

We monitor all Wireless LAN reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.