Aruba Instant vs SonicWall SonicWave Access Points comparison

Aruba Instant vs. SonicWall SonicWave Access Points

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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

Ranking in Wireless LAN

10th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SonicWall SonicWave Access ...

Ranking in Wireless LAN

19th

Average Rating

10.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Instant is 2.0%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall SonicWave Access Points is 0.5%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

Alessandro Salvadori

Sales Engineer at SGE

Comes at a good price and has a good cloud console

We usually sell Aruba Instant where there is no need for more than four or five switches. It is generally recommended for very small companies where we don't need more than three or four switches We are using it only for very small companies. We have had a reduction in time, but it is not that…

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Winsley De Oliveira

Owner at ANOC

An industry-leading security and wireless solution packaged in one box

We make our customers SonicWall clients. We have a solution package: If you have a contract to network with us, we will deliver SonicWall firewalls, access points, VPN clients, and all the other equipment with the SonicWall solution. We have been selling this solution for the past 30 years. We had a customer three months ago struggling with a Fortinet solution. We convinced them that the Fortinet solution would not work perfectly during renewal. We made a bet and delivered SonicWall equipment for free for one week, and if they had no more issues, they would buy it. That's precisely what happened. The customer ended up purchasing an $80,000 SonicWall solution. The SonicWall SonicWave Access Points are a good product compared to Cisco, Sophos, and Fortinet. In Brazil, Ruckus is taking market share in some key areas, such as hotels and hospitals. They are into big solutions with thousands of access points. Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

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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 central management of multiple devices is the solution's most valuable aspect."

"Has many advanced features: Built-in firewall, local radius, application visibility and control, not locked into support agreements."

"The most valuable feature of this product is that it is easily deployed."

"The simplicity of the dashboard is one of the most valuable features. It's easy to use, and manage and the security features are robust. We can block unauthorized connections and create secure SSIDs."

"The cost is low, and there is controller-less architecture."

"The features I have found most valuable is that the solution creates a guest portal for guest networks, and setting up SSID authentication to the regular server."

"The most valuable features of Aruba Instant are management and performance."

"It is easy to use, manage, and implement."

More Aruba Instant pros

"I rate SonicWall a nine out of ten."

"The platform's most valuable feature is the ability to provide cloud access to configure and manage devices."

"The security features of SonicWall are highly valued."

"A good management tool that can be managed through the cloud or firewall."

"Unlike the Cisco solution that needs a dedicated wireless controller outside of a firewall, SonicWall has everything in one box. Fortinet is close to it."

Cons

"The product is a little expensive."

"There was only ever one case in which an access point failed, but it was reintegrated. The issue was more of a matter of oversight. One part of the network had covered ten access points."

"Embedding a heatmap tool within the product would make it easier to conduct a wireless survey."

"For on-premises, I would rate the scalability a seven out of ten. For on-prem, if I want to integrate two more controls, and I want to extend my network , and add a couple of access points that need to be integrated with my network, I have to do the configurations and all. So that will be each and every time, as and when the users expand, the Wi-Fi solution expands; I need to do the configuration settings on all other controllers."

"The tool's customer service should improve."

"Technical support needs improvement. We use the forum for technical support assistance, but it's not enough. If you're talking with a technician, they're in India. They cannot give you the service that you need. Sometimes have problems with some personal services and technical support is not helpful in this area."

"For some people, price is a concern."

"The Central cloud management (optional) is far behind the competition in features, ease of use, and dependability. I have tried Aruba Central a few times over the years and, in my option, it is not where it needs to be for serious consideration in production environments."

More Aruba Instant cons

"Integrating with the firewall and management console was a little complex."

"The main issue is the management of the access points. They are sometimes difficult to manage from the end-user side because they are not yet familiar with the configuration."

"We have a lot of overlapping wireless networks with a lot of cheap equipment that does not run on any rules or regulations. The best way to improve the wireless network, like in SonicWaves, is to defeat these networks by isolating, preventing them, or overcoming their wireless signal. We try to do that, but I live near an airport, and the AirPortRadar glitches my wireless network every nine seconds."

"The product's pricing is high and could be improved."

"They are sometimes difficult to manage from the end-user side because they are not yet familiar with the configuration."

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"In terms of costs, Aruba Instant is cheap because it doesn't require a license, but you'll incur charges for the access points. Access point charges could be more affordable."

"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."

"Some aspect of the price of Aruba Instant is very economical because if the customer is requiring more features the customer needs to pay a higher amount."

"The product is reasonably priced."

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

"Avoid the Central cloud license if you can."

More Aruba Instant pricing and cost advice

"The pricing of the SonicWave Access Points solution is different in the US and Brazil. In the US, the solution is priced more competitively than other vendors. In Brazil, the exchange rate is a problem. To address this, SonicWall managers in Brazil are running several sales promotions and improving the price of new units."

"The platform offers yearly licenses."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

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...

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...

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...

What do you like most about SonicWall SonicWave Access Points?

The platform's most valuable feature is the ability to provide cloud access to configure and manage devices.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall SonicWave Access Points?

The platform offers yearly licenses. We receive all the support services through our partners. Thus, there are no extra costs involved. However, some partners might charge for deployment services.

What needs improvement with SonicWall SonicWave Access Points?

The main issue is the management of the access points. They are sometimes difficult to manage from the end-user side because they are not yet familiar with the configuration.

Omada Access Points vs Aruba Instant

Comparisons

Compared 39% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Aruba Instant

Compared 14% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Aruba Instant

Compared 12% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Aruba Instant

Compared 9% of the time

Aruba Instant On Access Points vs Aruba Instant

Compared 6% of the time

More Aruba Instant Competitors

Ruckus Wireless vs SonicWall SonicWave Access Points

Compared 37% of the time

Ubiquiti WLAN vs SonicWall SonicWave Access Points

Compared 33% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs SonicWall SonicWave Access Points

Compared 16% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs SonicWall SonicWave Access Points

Compared 14% of the time

More SonicWall SonicWave Access Points Competitors

Product Reports

Aruba Instant

Download Aruba Instant product report

Wireless LAN

Download SonicWall SonicWave Access Points product report

SonicWall SonicWave Access Points report

Also Known As

No data available

SonicWave 200 Series, SonicWave 200 Series Access Points, SonicWave 400 Series, SonicWave 400 Series Access Points

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

SonicWall SonicWave series wireless access points (APs) combine high-performance IEEE 802.11ac Wave 2 wireless technology with flexible deployment options. These APs can be managed via the cloud using SonicWall WiFi Cloud Manager (WCM) or through SonicWall's industry-leading next-generation firewalls.

SonicWall

Sample Customers

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

St. Dominic's School for Girls

Aruba Instant vs. SonicWall SonicWave Access Points