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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
6.7
Number of Reviews
151
Ranking in other categories
Wireless LAN (1st)
Ubiquiti UniFi
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
Wi-Fi Hotspot Software (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Networking solutions, they serve different purposes. Aruba Wireless is designed for Wireless LAN and holds a mindshare of 12.9%, down 16.0% compared to last year.
Ubiquiti UniFi, on the other hand, focuses on Wi-Fi Hotspot Software, holds 26.7% mindshare, down 34.2% since last year.
Wireless LAN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Aruba Wireless12.9%
Ruckus Wireless10.3%
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN10.2%
Other66.6%
Wireless LAN
Wi-Fi Hotspot Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Ubiquiti UniFi26.7%
Purple WiFi33.0%
Guest Internet Solutions29.2%
Other11.099999999999994%
Wi-Fi Hotspot Software
 

Featured Reviews

CK
Network Administrator at Nippon Express Canada Ltd.
Wireless network has supported long-term reliable access and simplifies RF optimization
I have experience with Cisco products and the Cisco brand. The product is mainly a hardware product. Regarding the software part, I don't have a lot of experience. Aruba Wireless was not too difficult to set up. When compared with other products such as Cisco, they also have products with wireless controllers, and it's similar to that. I think it should be recommended for both bigger and smaller companies based on the feedback and our experience. I believe there should be AI functions that might help us in some cases of cybersecurity matters, detecting threats regarding security would be better with AI. For this role, I have more than twenty years of experience. I would rate Aruba Wireless eight out of ten overall.
NN
IT Manager at Handi Quilter, Inc.
Has provided reliable long-term video storage without ongoing fees
You pay more upfront for Ubiquiti UniFi, but you don't receive substantial support, which is problematic. They previously provided setup support but discontinued this service, though you save money overall by not paying monthly fees. I would rate Ubiquiti UniFi's support zero because they've always had inadequate support. Trying to get someone on the phone is nearly impossible, and although they now have a support plan, emergency help is frustratingly difficult to find when the company doesn't provide it.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"New users will get a lot of benefits from Aruba."
"The cost is pretty good. It's what draws in the clients."
"The features that these things have available and the ease of setup are fantastic."
"We are satisfied and think that the security features in Aruba Wireless are good; when compared with Cisco and FortiGate, Aruba Wireless is comparable to Cisco and better than FortiGate."
"The feature I found most valuable to customers in Aruba Wireless is not a technical feature. It's more of its image, trademark, or brand as the product is very well-known in the market, and that's a good point to offer to customers. My customers just ask about the basic features of the product, and usually, when asking about Aruba products, customers don't pay too much attention to any specific feature as long as the product is solid and sure, and that you can change or modify it, as what you can get from Aruba Wireless."
"Reasonably priced and great for small to medium size organizations."
"The Airwave is the best feature for a single management point for all APs in the environment."
"The Aruba Central portal is a good interface that helps us monitor the wireless devices extensively. Furthermore, the access points we use, mainly API nine zero five, are working well."
"Overall, the suite of tools is quite useful."
"The level of reporting offered by the controller, when used with other Ubiquiti equipment, has been invaluable."
"The advantage of Ubiquiti UniFi is that you can have on-premise storage and avoid all cloud fees, allowing you to keep building your storage, adding more video storage units, and store video for up to three years and nine months without paying external fees."
"The solution is very stable."
"The most beneficial aspects of Ubiquiti UniFi are pricing, because it is significantly cheaper compared to major enterprise vendors such as Cisco, Aruba, or Fortinet."
"Business is growing due to referrals."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is how it is centralized."
"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."
 

Cons

"The speed could be better. I heard that Aruba is trying to shape the speed inside the wireless controller, but that has not been adopted yet. If they put some kind of mechanism inside the wireless controller for the speed such that, "Okay, this many users will have 20 by 20 - 20 in the upload, 20 in the download. Just this many users. And this many users will have that type of speed." I think it would be very good if they actually bring that functionality inside the wireless controller."
"Currently, the stability of the code is the basic underlying problem for us."
"Support for Aruba Wireless is good, but the skill set of the support engineers and the documentation are not as robust as Cisco."
"Improvements to the GUI, such as being able to search in the Mobility Master, would be nice."
"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."
"When I compare Aruba with Juniper Mist, Juniper is the more an AI-driven management solution. It is more of a modern solution, I think. Aruba needs to be more competitive with Juniper."
"We need security features to recognize the traffic source and to apply Zero Trust security."
"Every month Aruba has new firmware. I don't know if it's good or bad but it's not good in terms of production. We can't upgrade our firmware every month, especially an enterprise company, because if we upgrade our firmware based on the latest firmware that Aruba has, that firmware is not stable. They're not 100 percent sure about it."
"The level of support is limited. When I am stuck with any technical issues, it takes a long time to fix."
"In terms of improvements, I would say that the software interfaces could be better, they can be somewhat lacking at times."
"They provide support via Chat ONLY, and moreover, they are not very knowledgeable."
"Integrate NanoBeams into the Controller Software."
"A more powerful heatmapping application in the controller would assist in more reliable WiFi modeling."
"You pay more upfront for Ubiquiti UniFi, but you don't receive substantial support, which is problematic."
"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."
"The one bad part, it is almost nonexistent and relies on a user community."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Aruba Wireless is much cheaper than our previous solution by Cisco. It is a significant saving, measured in thousands of dollars per year."
"I don't know the exact costs associated with Aruba Wireless, but I have a rough idea, and it's not too cheap, though it's less costly than Cisco Wireless. Pricing for Aruba Wireless is moderate. It's a three out of five."
"Cisco is more expensive than Aruba or Juniper."
"I think they should lower their prices."
"The price could be better. Competitors offer more features for a similar cost."
"Customers have to pay for perpetual licenses with Aruba controller licenses, depending on the features they are looking for."
"There is so much licensing, you literally pay for every solution, add-on, or cool feature. Compared to others, we were in the middle with pricing, but as you start to invest more into features it will get very pricey."
"The access points are more cost-effective over some other providers, both in cost per AP and the option of a controller-less environment."
Information not available
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Comparison Review

it_user212721 - PeerSpot reviewer
President at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
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
Technical Applications Specialist at bioMérieux
Jul 26, 2022
Jul 26, 2022
1 Ruckus 2 Aruba 3 Cambium It depends on your enviroment. Greetings
2 out of 9 answers
AH
IT Admin at a educational organization with 51-200 employees
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
Partner / Owner at Bimel Elektronik Mamuller Paz. Ltd.
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
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Comms Service Provider
14%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Media Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business77
Midsize Enterprise47
Large Enterprise77
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise2
 

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...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ubiquiti UniFi?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Ubiquiti UniFi was not too bad, as I think it was more simplified than I expected.
What needs improvement with Ubiquiti UniFi?
Regarding improvements for Ubiquiti UniFi, I think the price point is super nice, and I don't think it can be improved.
What is your primary use case for Ubiquiti UniFi?
My main use case for Ubiquiti UniFi is for small businesses, managing internet traffic of users and making sure that Wi-Fi is spread across the campus. I manage internet traffic using Ubiquiti UniF...
 

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 2026.
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