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Cisco Network Assurance Engine [EOL] vs iBwave Unity comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 7, 2025

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 Network Assurance Eng...
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
iBwave Unity
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
Network Modeling and Simulation (3rd)
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2352375 - PeerSpot reviewer
Managing Director at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees
Helps to easily detect and resolve issues like security threats, bandwidth usage concerns, and performance bottlenecks
I use Cisco Network Assurance Engine to ensure the security, compliance, and smooth operation of my network infrastructure. With this tool, I can easily detect and resolve issues like security threats, bandwidth usage concerns, and performance bottlenecks across my hundreds of PCs and other ICT…
Gopi R S - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Radio Frequncy DAS Design Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Enhanced accuracy in design projects with advanced three-dimensional modeling and great support
I am using iBwave Wi-Fi for a project where we are designing on campus. It is used for large venue designs such as a university campus, and my work involves optimizing and validating the designs for accuracy before site surveys Using iBwave Wi-Fi, I am able to provide more accurate results for…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Any product that Cisco provides will give the user more visibility into their connectivity and network, thus protecting their environment."
"The standout feature of Cisco Network Assurance Engine is its ability to proactively detect and prevent network issues before they occur."
"We install this solution for our clients who like the solution and their experience with it."
"It is easy to set up."
"Try Cisco Network Assurance Engine out, as it is really good."
"It is scalable from the beginning. It is a product that you can scale upwards whenever you want."
"In a short amount of time, you can see what went wrong on a screen in a report."
"I find the high-quality Heatmap generation, multi-floor, and wire mapping features to be most valuable."
"iBwave Wi-Fi's tech support is great. They pick up their phones. I have no complaints."
"Compared to other tools, iBwave Wi-Fi provides 95% accuracy and generates heatmaps."
"We did use AirMagnet as our standard but have switched based on iBwave's ease of use and extended toolset."
"The solution's 3D imaging is amazing."
"The stability and feature set of the application are top notch and can't be matched."
"The 3D Coverage is a good feature that shows the signal propagation in three dimensions."
"The iBwave WiFi was really useful in terms of time saving for predictions and validation of RF coverages, and a very good instrument to create professional documents for customers and their IT staff."
 

Cons

"To enhance Cisco Network Assurance Engine, simplifying its interface and making it more user-friendly would be beneficial."
"At the beginning, the setup was complex."
"The scalability is one of the biggest failures of the solution."
"Because what they have right now is not good enough, and good enough will not work anymore."
"It needs authentication beyond just local and LDAP. It should also have TACACS+ and RADIUS."
"I am currently looking for an alternative due to my reluctance with the reliability of this product."
"It would do iBwave well to become more involved with their clients. They need feedback, and I need feedback."
"iBwave Wi-Fi could be improved by adding a plot for overall improvement, allowing us to see where we are failing in design parameters, similar to features in Ekahau."
"Surely, one improvement could involve the materials panel in the prediction tool."
"It crashes often, and is not quite stable."
"Areas of improvement would include more functionality in the Mobile App, expanded reporting features, and some shortcut features."
"I would like to be able to see two buildings at the same time so that you can create a campus view."
"Prediction processing time in general"
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"I advise others to treat the cost as you would any tooling cost and use the monthly option as needed."
"The solution's pricing is cheap."
"iBwave Wi-Fi is an expensive solution, but it is worth the cost."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Comms Service Provider
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Construction Company
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iBwave Wi-Fi?
Both iBwave Wi-Fi and Ekahau are costly tools. They're considered high in cost because the license needs to be renewed yearly.
What needs improvement with iBwave Wi-Fi?
iBwave Wi-Fi could be improved by adding a plot for overall improvement, allowing us to see where we are failing in design parameters, similar to features in Ekahau.
What is your primary use case for iBwave Wi-Fi?
I am using iBwave Wi-Fi for a project where we are designing on campus. It is used for large venue designs such as a university campus, and my work involves optimizing and validating the designs fo...
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Also Known As

Cisco NAE, Candid
iBwave Wi-Fi
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

West Corporation, Axians Nordic, Robert Bosch, DICTU, Tenaris
ARRIS
Find out what your peers are saying about Ekahau, Cisco, iBwave and others in Network Modeling and Simulation. Updated: August 2026.
908,834 professionals have used our research since 2012.