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Aruba Wireless vs Ubiquiti UniFi comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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 Wireless
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
149
Ranking in other categories
Wireless LAN (1st)
Ubiquiti UniFi
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
Wi-Fi Hotspot Software (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Networking solutions, they serve different purposes. Aruba Wireless is designed for Wireless LAN and holds a mindshare of 16.0%, down 22.3% compared to last year.
Ubiquiti UniFi, on the other hand, focuses on Wi-Fi Hotspot Software, holds 34.2% mindshare, up 34.2% since last year.
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Aruba Wireless16.0%
Ruckus Wireless14.1%
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN12.1%
Other57.8%
Wireless LAN
Wi-Fi Hotspot Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Ubiquiti UniFi34.2%
Purple WiFi38.6%
Guest Internet Solutions20.2%
Other6.999999999999986%
Wi-Fi Hotspot Software
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad_Faisal - PeerSpot reviewer
Experience seamless connectivity with top-notch roaming capabilities
The Aruba Wireless solution has excellent roaming capabilities, ensuring seamless connectivity. Once installed, Aruba Wireless works robustly without overheating issues. This is particularly effective compared to other products I've used, like FortiMonitor and FortiAPs, which sometimes heat up. I am very satisfied with the roaming feature, as it ensures connectivity when moving from one location to another. The product's stability, after setting it up, adds to its value.
Director_45785 - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides great cloud key functionality in monitoring the environment
The initial setup takes about one to two hours and is somewhat complex in the fact that there's no proper support in terms of out of the box or a manual, or any indication of where to find proper information, so they do need to work on documentation. Implementation needs to be done by a technical person. There are a lot of chat groups and forums online and you might find five or ten different solutions to resolve the issue but it's not coming from the company. From that aspect, we'd prefer a solution where more testing is done before they release the product.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The web interface to manage the APs is intuitive and makes managing the system easy. Firmware updates are quick and do not require much downtime."
"​As we have acquired a few companies, having the ability to have multiple RADIUS connections has helped us.​"
"With Aruba Wireless Controller, all our access points are connected to one controller. Through that controller, we can actually handle each access point; we can disconnect or connect that access point, and then we can tell, or see, or allow how many users are, or should be, connected through that access point."
"The most valuable feature of Aruba Wireless is multi-tenancy."
"​Support through third party vendors or direct from HPE has been easy to manage. They are very responsive.​"
"Basic initial setup is very easy when it comes to a new user on-premise.​"
"Its graphical user interface is designed to be user-friendly, making work more efficient."
"It has an aesthetically pleasing GUI for configuration."
"Functionality of the cloud key in terms of monitoring and managing the environment."
"Firmware can be pushed or manually updated."
"The most valuable features are its easy access, the controller, and constant updates."
"I like the centralized management console, where we can add all of the devices to the Unifi controller and then management them from a single point."
"The level of reporting offered by the controller, when used with other Ubiquiti equipment, has been invaluable."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is how it is centralized."
"Overall, the suite of tools is quite useful."
"The cloud management has revolutionized the way we provide services to clients, onsite trips have almost ceased and once complicated changes are made in minutes."
 

Cons

"Configuration for this solution could be made easier, so people could benefit from being able to configure it within a quicker amount of time."
"What I would like to have with these kinds of devices is the most enhanced security. For example, if I could apply security from wireless devices, that would be great. I would also like more enhanced reports on user adoption, who is getting what bandwidth."
"Currently, the stability of the code is the basic underlying problem for us. They had an 8.6 release that came out two weeks ago, but we had to migrate twice because the code wasn't stable. We can't get things to work the same way. Version 8 was a big change for them. They made a change so that it is forced to be a managed hierarchical system. It means that you make changes at the top, and it pushes them downstream. There are a lot of problems with the 8.6 version code. I ran into four bugs in one week and was informed that we should just move onto the next one because all of those fixes have taken place. The feedback loop for fixes is not always really relayed back to you. I don't have a lot of strong things to say about version 8.6. When we had version 6, the controller was pretty much rock solid. We had no problems. We made a heavy investment to migrate a lot of stuff to take advantage of things like WPA3, Wi-Fi 6, and all that kind of stuff, and we haven't been able to turn those features on because we are not confident that they are going to work just yet. So, right now, we're still very much stumbling through the version 8.6 code and just trying to make sure that it is safe before we turn on some of those features. In terms of the marketplace, they are one of the top three leaders. In some respects, one of the things that they focus on is wireless. Therefore, there are some things that should be beyond reproach, as far as I'm concerned. In terms of the stability of the code, there are always going to be bugs, but the core stability of the code needs to be there. When it is not stable, that's a real problem for me because you lose a lot of confidence in the products."
"The access points could be cheaper. While the technical specifications are satisfactory, the access points are expensive."
"Needs improvement in point-to-point deployment products."
"The solution's documentation could be better organized in an information portal."
"The product should be more affordable, especially the cloud and console for the Aruba product as it is currently very expensive."
"The ceiling grid mount clips have room for improvement. ​"
"Software interfaces could be improved and there is a lack of documentation."
"Better pre-purchase docs, as I have to contact support via chat for some things that should already be in documents."
"They provide support via Chat ONLY, and moreover, they are not very knowledgeable."
"Documentation could be improved, especially regarding known issues or new features. It relies heavily on the user community to provide support and info. There is a vast user group with support groups on both the dedicated forums as well as most social media platforms."
"Setting up IP generation for something like guest access is pretty confusing and should be improved."
"If I could manage the W-LAN or other items without a UniFi switch, that would be very helpful. I have not tried, but I think some options are tied to the hardware, like the Ubiquiti switch."
"Integrate NanoBeams into the Controller Software."
"I don't like the concept of the QoS, Quality of Service configuration because it doesn't give very granular configuration access to prioritize network traffic."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"My main concern about this product is the price. The cost is causing me to look at other vendors and competing products."
"Aruba is probably cheaper than Cisco, and yet you get all the things that you want."
"The balance between quality and price is there, but the cost is still high."
"The price could be better. Competitors offer more features for a similar cost."
"Aruba Wireless is much cheaper than our previous solution by Cisco. It is a significant saving, measured in thousands of dollars per year."
"The pricing is fair and similar to other products."
"Licensing is a one time purchase (only the cloud license has to be renewed, which is worth trying out).​"
"The pricing has increased and it was always more costly than some of the other solutions available."
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Comparison Review

it_user212721 - PeerSpot reviewer
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…
 

Answers from the Community

Vinny Govender - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 26, 2022
Jul 26, 2022
1 Ruckus 2 Aruba 3 Cambium It depends on your enviroment. Greetings
2 out of 9 answers
AH
Nov 15, 2021
Hi, You can purchase WiFi access points from any of the above vendors. But it must be a commercial access point as in AP a few connect to the limited devices and a few can connect large devices with a single AP. It will totally depend on your work environment and access point signals covering the area. In the hall, AP can cover a large area but there is a concrete wall between two rooms or a corridor then it can down the signal to 50 DBM. So, when deciding on a WIFI/AP keep all these things in mind.
EK
Nov 15, 2021
If you want high performance and stability, you should definitely go with Ruckus Wireless.  Ruckus Wireless APs have: - Adaptive antenna technology (called BeamFlex) This technology analyzes different paths to reach the client and electronically turns itself to a directional antenna, choosing the path that gives the best performance to reach each specific client. If the client is mobile or if the environment changes (such as a warehouse) the selection of paths/direction also changes instantly. Transmitting in a directional way allows a good Signal-to-Noise Ratio and also causes less interference for other nearby APs outside the path of the directional transmission. - ChannelFly technology This technology chooses the best channel based on performance rather than background scanning for noise. - Polarization Diversity This technology allows the clients not to lose signal strength when held at different angles (important for mobile devices such as tablets and telephones). - Better receive sensitivity compared to the competitors All these features make Ruckus Wireless a better choice than any other competitor (better performance, better coverage area, more stable and surprise-free communication especially in not so easy conditions such as noise, too many clients, too much traffic).
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Educational Organization
6%
Comms Service Provider
15%
Computer Software Company
11%
Educational Organization
7%
Retailer
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business74
Midsize Enterprise45
Large Enterprise73
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise1
 

Questions from the Community

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...
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Also Known As

Aruba WLAN, HP WLAN, HP Wireless, Aruba Instant On AP Series Access Point
UniFi
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Consulate Health Care, Los Angeles Unified School District, Science Applications International Corp (SAIC), San Diego State University, KFC, ACTS Retirement-Life Communities
NASCAR Grand-AM, Maritime Parc, Outdoor Music Festival, One Republic Tour, British Armed Forces, Arcadia School District, Bartlett School District, Universidad del Azuay, Estelar Hotels, Intercontinental Bali, Moscow - Enforta, Miami - Sling Broadband, Manhattan - MST, Ecuador - Aire.EC
Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless LAN. Updated: July 2025.
866,218 professionals have used our research since 2012.