Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Juniper WLC Series comparison

Cisco and Juniper are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Cisco is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.8, while Juniper is ranked #18 with an average rating of 9.0. Cisco holds a 10.3% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to Juniper’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Juniper users who would recommend it.

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Read 122 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN reviews

10,406 Views
9,261 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Juniper WLC Series

Read 14 Juniper WLC Series reviews

995 Views
985 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Juniper WLC Series

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and Juniper WLC Series are strong contenders in the wireless network market. Cisco Meraki has the upper hand in ease of use due to its centralized cloud management, while Juniper WLC Series excels in performance and security for more technical enterprises.

Features: Cisco Meraki offers centralized cloud management, easy network segmentation, and user-friendly tracking and reporting tools, making it ideal for both small organizations and larger enterprises seeking intuitive solutions. Juniper WLC Series provides high-speed connectivity, strong security, and templates that ensure network consistency, appealing to technically inclined enterprises.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Meraki could improve its error logs, support process consistency, and connectivity to European privacy laws. Pricing and limited customization options are also concerns. Juniper WLC Series needs enhancements in traffic monitoring, ease of use, and security, along with assurance of future development for reliability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Meraki's deployment is straightforward across different cloud environments, with generally reliable technical support. However, some users mention delays. Juniper WLC Series provides on-premises solutions with efficient support, directly connecting users to technical staff, though integration with other products could be improved.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Meraki's pricing is seen as high, with concerns about the subscription model impacting budgets. Despite this, its robust features deliver a positive ROI. Juniper WLC Series, also considered pricey, provides reliability and performance that justify the investment, with upfront and ongoing costs catering to varied business needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. Juniper WLC Series Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. Juniper WLC Series

February 2026

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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

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Ranking in Wireless LAN

3rd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

4.4

Number of Reviews

122

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Juniper WLC Series

Ranking in Wireless LAN

18th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is 10.3%, down from 13.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper WLC Series is 1.5%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN	10.3%
Juniper WLC Series	1.5%
Other	88.2%

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

DolfKrikke

Senior Network Architect at Previder

Centralized management has simplified remote branch control and improved network visibility

Cisco Meraki Wireless is very powerful and very easy to manage. The solution is also integrating Cisco Catalyst Wireless products into their portfolio, and they are managing the Catalyst switches as well. The seamless roaming capabilities function well. I monitor network performance with Meraki's real-time analytics. The most useful metrics to my team are the internet performance metrics, as there is a lot of information in the dashboard that I can access. All auditing and event logs are centralized in the dashboard. When I need to apply to compliance requirements or other regulatory needs, I can have my auditing in one place, which is an advantage. I use Cisco Meraki Wireless's Layer 7 application traffic shaping with the MX and the Meraki MX Firewalls.

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RobNelson

National Marketing Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

AI-driven optimization enhances network management and reduces hardware needs

In my region, access to the product is very difficult and presents a logistical nightmare. Also, pricing is a big problem and a barrier to entry when selling Juniper against competitors. Furthermore, the knowledge of the product's capabilities is not understood properly by those selling it, leading to overselling and overquoting.

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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 best features of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN include the excellent reporting; the dashboard reporting aids us a lot in troubleshooting issues, and the platform is very robust."

"It is cloud-based. It has a GUI rather than a command line, and it just works."

"We're able to automate as well as manually control as necessary."

"The settings of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN can be very granular. You can lock down and block devices with the controls. For example, we have four different wireless settings, such as guest, employee, security, and backup. For example, the settings for the employees, if they use laptops, they're required to have certain settings, such as an antivirus installed. If they do not then Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN will not let them connect. This is very good protection because the network works on the bringing your own device(BYOD) principle. It's a BYOD environment now, and you also don't want them to bring infection into the environment because these people are connecting to the LAN via wireless connections. We have to be careful because we're managing it, we have to be very strict with regards to the rules and policies."

"The most valuable features of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN are the ease of use and the ability to manage it from the cloud."

"There are many valuable features of Cisco Meraki, including the switches, stacking, and layer 3 routing."

"The solution's most valuable features at that time were the ease of managing on the cloud without having a server and the authentication using RADIUS integrated with the server on the cloud."

"The most valuable feature is that the solution is friendly to manage."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pros

"It is a very stable solution."

"The AI integration with Marvis is very valuable."

"The Artificial Intelligence on offer is very useful."

"It prevents a large number of unauthorized modifications of access point devices."

"The tool has given us more visibility, but I'm not very technical, so I can't comment on specific features. However, the diagnostic tools for identifying system issues have greatly improved, which we appreciate. We still use Cisco ICE for authentication on the Juniper network, as we did before. We've seen cost benefits with the Juniper WLC Series, which was a key factor in our decision-making during the proof of concept. Besides cost improvements, we've also noticed better resolution of issues and faults in our help desk, thanks to the enhanced features."

"The installation process is nice and easy."

"It's easy to set up, and I feel it's very secure. I also prefer its reporting feature. The devices are quite good."

"Juniper WLC Series is a very high-performance device designed for indoor wireless deployment."

More Juniper WLC Series pros

Cons

"I would like to see them improve their support where an assigned engineer can take the case all the way to closure. Usually, you get a different engineer calling regarding the same ticket."

"Meraki leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to the technical capabilities in terms of throughput, spectrum, management, higher-level functions, etc"

"The error logs need to be much more comprehensive."

"It is not a very stable solution."

"It is not a budget-friendly solution."

"They're great. If there's anything that they need to change, it is just simplifying the site to which you go to make changes on the admin side."

"The licensing model is a terrible idea."

"I'd like better integration with security providers."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN cons

"The biggest issue was that Juniper stopped developing, so we had to look for another solution."

"The solution could offer more integration with other products."

"The support on offer to other vendors switching - like Aruba or Ruckus - could be improved."

"The solution should create configuration documentation."

"There could be more information from the controller, and it could be easier to work with the controller lights. It's not easy to bring up the upgrades."

"In my region, access to the product is very difficult and presents a logistical nightmare."

"Juniper lacks a network access control agent similar to solutions like Alubakya Path and Cisco ISE."

"We would prefer it if the solution could be less expensive."

More Juniper WLC Series cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Negotiate the deal put in front of you!"

"When compared to other vendors, Cisco's pricing is higher."

"It is an expensive solution."

"The solution is overpriced and more expensive than Hauwei."

"The platform is highly priced."

"The product is expensive. I rate the pricing a nine out of ten."

"The price is on the high side when compared to Aruba."

"Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN's pricing is high."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pricing and cost advice

"The product is relatively affordable for enterprise companies."

"The solution's pricing is reasonable."

"Juniper WLC Series is a bit pricey but worth its cost."

"There is a certain amount that needs to be paid towards the licensing charges associated with the product, but though I am not sure, I feel the licenses that we have in our company are for three years."

"The licensing cost is quite high, but considering it's an enterprise solution, the complexity justifies the price."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

11%

University

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	69
Midsize Enterprise	27
Large Enterprise	31

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	4

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...

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...

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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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What do you like most about Juniper WLC Series?

Juniper WLC Series is a very high-performance device designed for indoor wireless deployment.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Juniper WLC Series?

Juniper lacks a network access control agent similar to solutions like Alubakya Path and Cisco ISE. There should be a network access control engine. Some customers find it challenging as they do no...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Juniper WLC Series?

I work with Juniper service provider solutions. I have a service provider customer and some enterprise customers in retail.

See all answers

Comparisons

Aruba Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 34% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 11% of the time

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 9% of the time

Fortinet FortiAP vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 5% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 4% of the time

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN Competitors

Cisco Wireless vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 25% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 18% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 18% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 10% of the time

Fortinet FortiWLM vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 6% of the time

More Juniper WLC Series Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

February 2026

Download Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN product report

Buyer's Guide

Wireless LAN

January 2026

Download Juniper WLC Series product report

Also Known As

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

Juniper WLAN

Overview

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

WLC Series Wireless LAN Controllers deliver and manage wireless local area networks with the highest level of reliability, performance, security, and management in the industry. They integrate secure, wireless LANs with any size wired infrastructures, from small branch offices to the largest enterprise or university campus.

Juniper

Sample Customers

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

Apollo Hotel Papendrecht, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Bajaj Capital, Baloise Insurance, BAS Group, Borealis, Danish Crown, Deloitte Belgium, Jan Yperman Hospital, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, MercaSID, S.A., NHTV Breda University, Parklands College and Christopher Robin Pre-Primary, San Antonio Community Hospital, Sandia National Laboratories, Springfield Public Schools (SPS), St. Catherine University, TalkTalk, The Education Village, University of Copenhagen, University of the Highlands and Islands, University of the West of Scotland (UWS), Valdosta State University, Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec), zulily

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. Juniper WLC Series

February 2026

Free Report: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. Juniper WLC Series

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