ExtremeCloud IQ Reviews

Customers use the solution to manage Wi-Fi switches on a unified platform, making it easy to analyze and troubleshoot in one location. Some customers even use it when they have offices in multiple locations, as they can consolidate everything and manage it from a single location.

The Client 360 feature provides a comprehensive view of your clients and their activities, including the devices they use. Additionally, a feature called Network 360 offers a 360-degree view of the network, like data usage (in GB), the status of ports and AP, and other details. You can drill down on granular-level drills to gain insights into specific applications and usage patterns like application level and fee, where your data is being wasted or what your clients are doing with the Internet data, what kind of applications they are using, etc.

There can be an improvement by incorporating two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication for security. Advanced network access control features and application control features should be added to manage applications. Many customers are interested in managing data, such as setting data quotas for individual users.

I have been working with ExtremeCloudIQ for the last five years.

The solution is highly scalable, and there are no restrictions on the number of APs you can use. It's a matter of licensing and how many units you are willing to deploy.

We have installed 300+ APs on our largest site without encountering any performance issues or other challenges.

Technical support is very good; they respond promptly when we open a case. We don't need to request technical support because of available training and hands-on exposure through webinars and other resources. This enables them to handle most issues effectively on their own.

The initial setup is very easy, and there's no challenge. Mostly, the GUI is very

intuitive and user-friendly, making the setup and configuration process easy.

You create an account, then add your APs and create your policies. If you have some advanced license, you can add that. Else, choose the free account.

For deployment, one guy is enough to do it. Even junior-level guys can handle the configuration after one or two training sessions.

Previously, ExtremeCloudIQ provided free licensing for all the basic requirements of their customers. An advanced cloud user had to purchase advanced licenses for automation and advanced country features at the enterprise level. They have restricted the licensing, allowing only up to ten units for testing, which is challenging.

This limitation becomes problematic, especially in countries like Sri Lanka or other Asian countries, where customers face economic challenges and have limited budgets. The previous free option was beneficial, but it has become tougher to manage with these new changes. They should revise their pricing structure, offering the basic features free of charge for up to 50 AP. Larger entities with more than 50 APs have the budget to support them. Still, it becomes more difficult for small and medium-sized businesses with less than 50 APs to allocate a significant budget for control and management features.

The solution has easy maintenance. Unlike other solutions, it’s very convenient and easy to maintain because it’s a cloud solution. The solution gets updates and patches easily, and we can immediately benefit from any new features or versions introduced. Adding new IPs or setting up new sites when customers open branches is a simple process of adding the serial numbers of the APIs and provisioning the settings across them.

We have used other tools for network monitoring like the Motadata. 

Try out the features and experience the hardware, software, and unit management solution they are offering, especially with the AI and machine-enabled cloud features. The available features are impressive. It's not just about opting for popular names; other players in the market can provide similar solutions at an affordable cost. You can save on your IT budget without compromising quality by exploring different options. Allocating the saved budget for other requirements becomes possible when you choose a reputable product at a more affordable cost.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Aerohive's cloud management through HiveManager NG is their most valuable feature. I can manage and configure changes to my 300+ APs from anywhere. It allows me to see APs and clients that are having issues, allowing for faster support response and less downtime.

We have over 100 offices across the state. Remote management has saved us thousands of dollars in travel and time. We are able to support our users' wireless needs anytime and anyplace. We can also proactively monitor all APs to correct errors before the users even know they may have a problem.

Price is a little high. I would like to see a remote phone application for monitoring APs when on the road. I would also like to see the second network pass-through port on the AP provide POE.

I purchased a few APs about 5 years ago. When the opportunity arose last year for a statewide deployment, management decided on Aerohive and we currently have over 300 APs deployed.

The AP deployment has been the simplest and smoothest part of our statewide network upgrade. We haven't seen any significant issues.

Our APs are so stable that I forget we have them. I almost never get service calls related to hardware problems with our wireless.

We were able to quickly configure and deploy statewide. We installed on average six new units each week for the last year. I recently installed 40 units in one week to a new campus without any difficulty.

Customer service has always been superb. Sales and technical support are always friendly, efficient and have answers to all of my questions or issues.

Tech support is extremely knowledgeable not just about their product, but about all Wi-Fi in general. I've never had a problem for which they were not able to quickly provide a solution.

We previously used a variety of vendors across the state. Aerohive was chosen to standardize our system to make maintenance and support easier.

Setup and deployment is very simple. Built-in wizards help with most tasks, making it easy for new users to get a quick start.

We used an in-house team with support from Dell and Aerohive technicians. They have made sales and technical staff available to work with us on any installation issues.

We don't have numbers for our ROI, but this is an expansion of our wireless system into 100+ offices, so we expect it will greatly increase the productivity of our employees and customers.

Although the pricing is a bit high, I consider Aerohive to be well worth the money. They have a very defined licensing scheme that is easy to understand.

We tested APs from several vendors including Cisco, Aruba and Ruckus before deciding on Aerohive. Their product quality and feature set are above average and their cloud management solution is beyond anything else on the market.

We have been extremely pleased with the quality, ease of setup and cloud management of the Aerohive APs. I would not hesitate to purchase this product again.

Our customers use the product to control access points and manage wireless networks. 

One of the platform's main advantages is its simplicity of use. Another valuable feature is the automation of Wi-Fi configurations, which allows the wireless network to auto-reconfigure in case of problems.

The product could support multi-vendor infrastructures. 

I have been working with Extreme CloudIQ for three to four years.

The product is stable. I rate the stability a ten. 

I would rate the scalability of Extreme CloudIQ as a perfect ten.

The initial setup was exceptionally straightforward. It took only a few minutes per device to get up and running.

Our customers have seen a return on investment. The deployment is easy and quick, and since it is a cloud solution, it is not costly, resulting in a fast ROI.

The product pricing is reasonable. It follows a subscription model, with licenses costing $150 for the pilot license and $50 for the navigator license per year.

Extreme CloudIQ supports network scalability very well due to its easy licensing model. Extending the application's use is simple: merely add new licenses.

It responds to current trends in cloud networking management. For example, they are preparing a copilot license that will include artificial intelligence and machine learning features, which are currently market trends.

I rate it an eight. 

The WIFI planning tool is incredibly useful for determining proper AP location throughout our campus. The mesh technology also provides a robust infrastructure for the many guests who frequent our campus.

Previously, we had a Ubiquiti WIFI system across our 32 acre campus. The signal strength was great, but it was not robust. Once 10-15 clients connected to an AP the whole system would slow to a crawl. Aerohive changed that for us. We now have no issues of automatically load balancing all of our APs.

I would love to see a more granular web filter. Specifically, I'd like to be able to see what content clients are accessing from each AP. Currently, we get general information (ex. Google App or SSL Gmail) but no details.

~ 1 year

We did not have any issues with our deployment. I'm not sure why their is a minimum character count on a question asking if you experienced any issues with deployment. If the answer is no, then the answer is no. Nuff said.

We did not experience any issues with stability. Once configured, the Aerohive system basically runs itself. We have auto-upgrade enabled and the new updates get installed without us having to really do anything. We do verify that things are good after an update, but we typically don't have to take any action.

We have had no issues with scalability. The WIFI planning tool is a great asset for us. We evaluate the coverage and then add APs as needed to cover dead spots or add new areas of coverage.

The customer service has been great. We had a few questions when configuring Radius. When we explained what we were trying to accomplish, they advised us of several different options, discussed the pros/cons of each and helped us set a path forward.

The technical support has been great. We had a few questions when configuring Radius. When we explained what we were trying to accomplish, they advised us of several different options, discussed the pros/cons of each and helped us set a path forward.

We previously used Ubiquiti networks. The solution connected several buildings across our 32 acre campus. The signal strength was pretty good, even though it dropped off in a relatively short distance. However, the system was not robust and failed easily under load.

We actually used a vendor to complete the initial setup. Based on what I've seen, it doesn't look very complicated. All of the changes we made afterwards were pretty straightforward.

We used a vendor for the initial implementation. From what I've heard, the vendor is quite skilled with Aerohive. We were able to verify with several companies who used their services and were satisfied.

Hard to measure our ROI. With our previous Ubiquiti system, there was no ROI. The WIFI was up until you needed to use it and then it was overloaded and non-functional. Now, the Aerohive just works all of the time.

Our APs were around $630 per unit. We did have to purchase HiveManager licenses for each AP at around $110 per AP. This price is low considering we have had no issues with the system.

Yes, we evaluated Cisco, Cisco Meraki, Ubiquiti, and Ruckus. We found that Aerohive performed the best and most consistently across campus.

I would recommend Aerohive to anyone seeking a robust cloud-based WIFI system. We have been pleased with the product features, reliability, and their technical support.

We use ExtremeCloud IQ as a solution for enterprises.

What I like best about ExtremeCloud IQ is its ease of use. It's also the best solution for distribution networks, for example, if you have many branches or offices in various countries. I also like that ExtremeCloud IQ is compatible with WinG, a legacy solution with broad uses.

Flexibility is another pro of ExtremeCloud IQ.

I also find ExtremeCloud IQ feature-rich. For example, it can map user traffic to different VLANs based on the user profile. It also offers switches helpful for enterprise customers, especially when you have different end devices and want to split up the traffic or do a segmentation.

An area for improvement in ExtremeCloud IQ is its technical support. Support could be better, especially when you need help concerning ExtremeCloud IQ and WinG.

An additional feature I want ExtremeCloud IQ to have is integration with different monitoring systems.

I've worked with ExtremeCloud IQ for about one year, not very long.

ExtremeCloud IQ is a ten out of ten for me, stability-wise, because I didn't experience any issues.

ExtremeCloud IQ is very scalable. It's the most scalable solution I know. It may have the same level of scalability as Mist AI from Juniper and Aerohive from Ruckus Wireless.

The technical support for ExtremeCloud IQ needs some improvement, so I'd rate it three out of five.

Setting up ExtremeCloud IQ is a straightforward process.

As I'm part of the technical team, I have no idea how much ExtremeCloud IQ costs.

I've evaluated Mist AI. I'm using it at the same time I'm using ExtremeCloud IQ.

Which solution I prefer is a complex question because it depends on the requirements. For example, you may have a campus system or a small-scale system, or you may have a distributed system. ExtremeCloud IQ is a good solution if you have a large or distributed system.

Your security policy could also affect what solution would be best for you. There's a big security gap in ExtremeCloud IQ because access points talk to the internet directly, and in some cases, that's not allowed because of the security policy.

I'm working with ExtremeCloud IQ and Mist AI.

I cannot say that ExtremeCloud IQ is the best of the best, but nine out of ten is a good score for the solution.

My company is a partner and reseller of ExtremeCloud IQ.

• Scalability - No controller so no single aggregation point and no single point of failure!
• Resiliency - All AP's in a common hive automatically create a mesh network so that if there are issues upstream in the wired network, traffic is routed around the failure. Each AP runs a layer 2 SPF algorithm to automatically determine the shortest/best path from one point to another.
• Security - All AP's have a statefull firewall built-in which makes security policy enforcement at the edge a breeze. Unlike a lot of wireless vendors, security is a cornerstone of the Aerohive product.
• Mobility - With the BR100/BR200 or the AP 350 our road warriors can take the corporate WLAN with them wherever they travel. The BR100/BR200 devices allow you to utilize both a wired network as well as a 4G USB dongle to provide transport for the IPsec connection back to the Cloud Virtual Gateway (CVG). The CVG is a virtual appliance that you run in the datacenter to terminate the IPsec tunnels.
• Simplicity - A GUI so simple to use that you truly cannot screw it up.
• Serviceability - This is especially nice for those hard to reach AP's. If for some reason an AP loses its mind and cannot be reached either via the mesh network or via the wired network it will dynamically engage a feature called the Access Console, or AC. The AC has a special SSID that is broadcast that lets you login to the device for troubleshooting purposes.

Wireless is critical infrastructure in my environment. If my drivers cannot use their handheld scanners to connect to the network for inventory then the company is losing money. With all of the resiliency features and ability to scale I never have to worry about whether people can actually get work done. I'll go weeks at a time without needing to even look at the Hive manager interface and when I do it's because I need to either provision a new AP or update a network policy. It is pretty much a "set it and forget it" product.

I can honestly say that I cannot find a single item where Aerohive needs to be improved. I have been a customer from pretty much the beginning so to see how they have evolved and grown is pretty amazing.

I have used Aerohive at two different companies between 2007 and now.

Aside from the typical learning curve that goes along with any new product I had no deployment issues.

In the early days there were some stability issues with the code, but they corrected them quickly. We had instances where the data plane on the AP's would randomly stop forwarding traffic which of course caused the wireless clients to not be able to reach the rest of the network.

Never. No controller = no bottleneck = no single point of failure

Customer service is top notch. If there have ever been non-technical issues with things such as Hive manager licensing they have always been right on top of things.

Tech support is hands down one of the best collection of individuals you'll ever deal with. The problem is that their product is so solid that I can't remember the last time I've had to interface with them.

I have personally used many different vendors’ products such as Trapeze, Aruba, and Cisco. Dealing with those solutions after having dealt with Aerohive was pure torture. I used to work for a Cisco Gold partner where our major client base was K-12. I dare you to try and get Bonjour or any other multicast based application to work with a Cisco WLAN. You can do it, but it is a painstaking experience. Every enterprise should be Aerohive in my opinion, but K-12 especially should be taking a serious look.

Initial setup is ridiculously easy. If you're going with the on-premise Hive manager then you install the OVA, get into the text-based setup, assign a hostname and network information, and then launch the web GUI. From there you are two minutes away from having a functioning wireless network. If you're going with the Hive Manager Online (HMOL) then it is even easier. The AP's find their own way to the Hive manager either via DHCP options or via a DNS lookup for their HMOL.

We implemented Aerohive in-house.

This is not something I have calculated at this point.

It has been a while, but I believe it was around 5k for the Hive manager virtual appliance and then the price of each AP which range from $400-$1100. Day to day cost is pretty much nothing other than when I need to provision a new AP or update a network policy. As I said before, I can go weeks at a time without even looking at it.

Yes, we looked at Aruba and Trapeze. The Trapeze folks almost got into a fist fight in the data center and the Aruba folks were so ridiculously arrogant I couldn't stand it.

If you're going to have a bake-off try Aerohive last because you won't want to take it out. Take this from someone who is about to sit the CCIE Route/Switch lab, just because it doesn't say Cisco doesn't mean it isn't top notch gear.

We see use cases a lot in the education sector. You could find Extreme Wireless just about anywhere. However, I would say the majority would be education due to the dashboard, which is something that people really like.

That's not to say you can't find it in manufacturing. That's not to say you can't find it in healthcare. It's just not viewed as strongly as Cisco.

The dashboards are great and the user interface is quite intuitive.

I'm not on the technical resource. I know a school district, a big school district of mine, ripped out Extreme due to inefficiencies. It was the guest network that can be a struggle. They tried to differentiate between their primary network, and then offer a secondary. For example, if you go to a store and you get the guest network. However, there's been issues with that.

I want to say we had a five-year-old relationship with Aerohive, prior to Aerohive being acquired by Extreme. I would say Extreme has been a presence for two years.

It's a little bit more comfortable for these medium size businesses.

We also use a lot of Cisco products.

The solution is moderately priced. I’d rate it a three out of five in terms of affordability. If five is the highest, which would be Cisco, I would say Extreme definitely gets most of their business by not being as expensive as Cisco. And the licensing also costs less, which is a big selling point.

We sell the solution. We are an Extreme partner. I don't know to what level. We're Cisco through and through. About 70% of what leaves this company is Cisco and we're a $270 million company. However, we’re partners with Extreme too.

I’d rate the solution a seven out of ten.

I'm the founder of the company. 

The most valuable feature is that you can assign zero trust policies from the user. As a result, policy enforcement is very good, it's simple to use and it can traverse multiple switches. The policy works for everyone, whether it's a customer, enterprise organization or someone working from home. It has all layers of security capabilities and that's very useful. Once users are connected you can subscribe a policy that can switch firewalls from remote or from the core network which is useful now that more people are working from home. They can enforce the deep packet inspection, the application layer, presentation layer, and things like that. There is a full suite of capabilities all under the same operating system. If you change one area, the global policy setting can be pushed out for all assets. 

From my perspective, they need to add cyber asset tracking. You can't defend what you don't know, and they're missing the wireless cyber assets. The problem that you have with wireless is that it's more of a rollout product. It's a fixed chip set of 2.4 or 2.5 gigahertz only. When you look at 5GS, it's taking advantage of six gigahertz and of 600 megahertz. Extreme doesn't have a product to fill that gap, so they're flying blind to the new multi-access edge. Whether it's a security feature, an update, or it's adding zero trust policies to their running and switch platform, they're missing that; it's an area that needs beefing up.

Extreme has a different operating system that is easier to use and easier to apply a policy from the edge to the core than Cisco or other solutions offer. Extreme is also backward compatible. You may have firewalls and switches on different versions, but it's compatible. With Cisco, you need to have them all on the same version in order for it to flow through from the edge to the core. You may have different organizations and slightly different versions, but you can easily appreciate an update that will be applicable across the deployment. Those are two key differences.