Aruba Wireless vs WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi comparison

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 14, 2023

We compared Aruba Wireless and WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi across several parameters based on our users' reviews. After reading the collected data, you can find our conclusion below:

Ease of Deployment: Aruba Wireless is considered user-friendly and suitable for individuals with basic technical skills, whereas WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi demands more expertise and dedication. The deployment time for Aruba Wireless is flexible, while no specific details are given for WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi.

Features: Aruba Wireless is highly praised for its user-friendly interface, ability to handle large-scale networks, and support for the latest Wi-Fi technology. WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi is known for its robust security features and advanced analytics that are accessible through the cloud.

Room for Improvement: Aruba Wireless has areas that can be improved, such as energy consumption, pricing, technical support, user-friendly GUI, reliability, configuration, and streamlined Return Material Authorization procedure. WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi should reconsider its pricing, as it lacks significant advantages compared to other Wi-Fi solutions. It also does not offer features like firewalls, access points, and secure Wi-Fi.

Pricing: Reviewers appreciate the attractive and reasonable pricing of Aruba Wireless. They also value the inclusion of perpetual licenses for access points. WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi is seen as less competitively priced, receiving a lower rating for pricing from certain users.

ROI: Aruba Wireless is praised for its impressive performance, with users experiencing no interruptions for a substantial period of time. WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi's ROI is dependent on individual requirements and the size of the organization.

Service and Support: The customer service for Aruba Wireless has received both positive and negative feedback, with some users finding it responsive and helpful, while others have experienced slow response times and communication issues. Customers have had a positive experience with the technical support provided for WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi.

Comparison Results: Both solutions provide excellent technical support and produce an ROI for users. Although, WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi's ROI is dependent on individual requirements. WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi is more expensive than Aruba Wireless. Aruba Wireless is praised for its user-friendly interface, whereas WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi is praised for its robust security features.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba Wireless vs. WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi Report (Updated: March 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Wireless vs. WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi

March 2024

Download the complete report

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Categories and Ranking

Juniper Mist Wireless Acces...

Market share comparison

As of June 2024, in the Wireless LAN category, the market share of Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points is 6.7% and it increased by 131.1% compared to the previous year. The market share of Aruba Wireless is 20.3% and it decreased by 16.6% compared to the previous year. The market share of WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi is 0.4% and it decreased by 11.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN

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Featured Reviews

Gerrard H

IT Support Engineer at Gotech

Dec 29, 2022

Quick updates, easy port troubleshooting, and reliable

Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) are for network connections The zero-touch provisioning and AI have helped out our organization because customers can install APs in less time than other solutions. The most valuable feature of Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) is the ability…

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Shaker Wazani

Sales Enigineer at Smart World Computer Network

Sep 19, 2022

Very complete with a good portable and easy expansion capabilities

We primarily use the solution for access points. The solution is very complete. The portal has been very helpful for us. It's easy to set up the solution. We have found the product to be stable. It's scalable. They need to increase the number of routers on the controller. The VSSIP needs to…

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Ron Cook

IT & Telecommunications at BAA

Jun 28, 2020

Cloud analytics has simplified our operation; easily manageable for multiple locations

In terms of improvement, one issue I have is that I can't import a user with one click. There are occasional times where people have a new laptop or a new phone, and they're not able to connect. I would love to just be able to click, boom, and import them all, just yank them all into the system, or take them out of the system if necessary. That would be one great feature. Secondly, I don't want to have two APs on the same channel at the same power level fighting one another. One should drop power or change channel automatically. That's something that could be included in the next update. The ideal would be if I would click on T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, or TracFone Wireless and they would populate that because it would simply get the IMEI number and the carrier ID number from a phone that's on that network. Then users wouldn't even have to look for the SSID, they'd just be on WiFi and secure.

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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

"In terms of reporting, in terms of all the user reports, it's very rich."

"The AI capabilities of Mist Wireless are superior to other OEMs."

"Overall, we've been very pleased with the performance."

"Juniper Mist offers valuable features like comprehensive network insight, granular policy control, fast device setup, strong security, and efficient SSL traffic management."

"The most valuable feature of Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) is the ability to troubleshoot ports on the network. Additionally, when there is an update on the APs they are able to reboot quickly reducing downtime. Other solutions have a longer downtime when updates are done."

"You can easily monitor, manage, and cover all your IT equipment."

"The most valuable feature of Juniper Mist is the Virtual Network Assistant, powered by artificial intelligence."

"With Mist, every Wednesday they roll out new features."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points pros

"The most valuable features of Aruba Wireless are the seamless feature and the concurrent user."

"Aruba Wireless is reliable, and the signal strength is pretty good."

"Aruba Central."

"The access points support a high number of connected clients."

"The most valuable features are the Instant On capabilities, including the controller."

"APs are very easy to configure to the network once they contact the controller."

"Basic initial setup is very easy when it comes to a new user on-premise."

"The tool's most valuable feature is Aruba Central, which offers centralized management. You can manage its switches, APs, and data access. It is easy to manage the entire switches and APs. The solution is the best in terms of security and manageability."

More Aruba Wireless pros

"Cloud analytics that provide all its attributes."

"We like that WatchGuard works and integrates directly with the firewalls we use."

"The solution has been stable."

"They're very easy to set up and get running."

"The Wi-Fi security features of this solution have been great for our customers who need to strictly control access to their network."

"It makes it easy to obtain all information about the client experience."

Cons

"The price could be better."

"The pricing is very high in the Indian market."

"There is room for improvement in terms of support and installation."

"If you want to do more specific stuff, it's a bit limited."

"Improving third-party integration is key for Juniper Mist's next release."

"The pricing should be made cheaper."

"Improvement is needed in the user-friendliness of Juniper Mist, particularly in enhancing the interaction with AI features."

"The product should include adaptive Wi-Fi to show a more accurate location."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points cons

"To enhance the system, more work on integration would be beneficial."

"I need more access. I only install the hardware and the software part for the client. However, there are no admin privileges, which is an issue. You need to contact them and make a special request."

"I used to have issues with DHCP. It is extremely buggy and difficult to upgrade with different firmware versions/models."

"Customer service really needs to be improved. If the customer support was better, I would recommend it to others more than I do now. Considering that you have to pay yearly for support, I expect a higher level of support."

"I wish the APs had the ability to enter in notes about a specific AP."

"Some additional reporting features about the clients would be nice when not combined with the AirWave management package."

"The certification for licensing could be better."

"There needs to be better visibility on the day-to-day monitoring."

More Aruba Wireless cons

"Inability to import a user with one click."

"If a client device had issues with authentication due to out of date browser or similar difficulties, it would be nice to have the ability to migrate the client onto the portal via one click."

"One of the things is if you buy it with a certain subscription, you can't easily change the subscription level."

"The solution can be scaled but it has limitations from my experience."

"The price of this solution needs to reviewed, as it is currently high enough to deter customers from trying it."

"I don't think they're available at the best price."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Juniper Wireless AP's price is a little more expensive than other solutions, but you get what you pay for."

"I rate Juniper Mist's pricing a ten out of ten since it is expensive."

"The pricing is too high."

"I rate the pricing an eight out of ten."

"The pricing is something Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) can work on. The pricing is very high compared to the competition."

"The solution is expensive."

"The pricing is fair."

"We pay maybe 1000 SEK per year, per access point."

"If you compare it to other solutions then it's reasonably priced."

"A recent change is that ClearPass licensing is superb. It counts user-based instead of device-based, for BYOD on-boarding."

"I think they should lower their prices."

"The support pricing for Juniper Mist is higher than Aruba."

"The pricing is fair and similar to other products."

"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."

"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."

"The price is reasonable."

More Aruba Wireless pricing and cost advice

"WatchGuard is on the upper scale for pricing."

"The solution is priced high compared to competitors. However, for the features that are included in the solution, the price becomes more reasonable."

"Your licensing and cost, as would be required for many other solutions, being considered for eighty to two hundred and eighty different physical locations, is just about the same amount per access point."

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Comparison Review

it_user212721

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…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

17%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

14%

Retailer

10%

Comms Service Provider

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series)?

The solution is very secure.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series)?

Juniper Mist is very reasonable in terms of pricing, especially when compared to competitors like Cisco.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series)?

Someone enrolled in the tool will deploy it in our organization. Later, I could not enroll in the account until they ...

See all answers

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 h...

See all answers

Aruba Wireless or Ruckus Wireless?

At my organization, we researched Ruckus Wireless among other solutions but ultimately chose Aruba wireless. What di...

See all answers

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 ...

See all answers

What do you like most about WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi?

We like that WatchGuard works and integrates directly with the firewalls we use.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi?

WatchGuard is on the upper scale for pricing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi?

One of the things is if you buy it with a certain subscription, you can't easily change the subscription level. For e...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 42% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 14% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 7% of the time

Ubiquiti WLAN vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 3% of the time

Mist AI and Cloud vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 3% of the time

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Competitors

Cisco Wireless vs Aruba Wireless

Compared 27% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Aruba Wireless

Compared 19% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Aruba Wireless

Compared 19% of the time

Ubiquiti WLAN vs Aruba Wireless

Compared 7% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Aruba Wireless

Compared 3% of the time

More Aruba Wireless Competitors

Ubiquiti WLAN vs WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi

Compared 43% of the time

Aruba Instant vs WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi

Compared 22% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi

Compared 14% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi

Compared 6% of the time

More WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

June 2024

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points report

Download Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points product report

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Wireless

June 2024

Download Aruba Wireless product report

Buyer's Guide

WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi

May 2024

Download WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi product report

Also Known As

Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series), Mist Access Points

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

No data available

Learn More

Juniper

HPE Aruba Networking

WatchGuard

Overview

Juniper Wireless Access Points work in conjunction with Juniper Mist Cloud Services and Mist AI to deliver premier wireless access capabilities. The Juniper Mist Edge extends microservices to the campus to bring agility and scale while enabling new applications at the edge.

Aruba Wireless is a secure, high-performance, multi-user wireless LAN supporting Wi-Fi 6. As workplaces and user expectations change, users can now maintain hybrid workplaces and IoT without compromising performance, reliability, or security. Aruba Wireless delivers better performance and capacity and greater AIOps visibility throughout all devices and users. In addition, through built-in network intelligence, network operations are made simpler while keeping everything secure through user and guest encryption.

Aruba Wireless, offered through Aruba Networks, is helping achieve digital transformation and IoT with seamless connectivity through multiple Wi-Fi access points. For the user’s convenience, Aruba Wireless provides indoor, outdoor, and remote access points to help boost faster and safer connectivity.

Choosing Aruba Wireless can help improve your organization’s user experience with wireless LAN in many ways, including:

Transforming hybrid workplaces: Employees can move seamlessly between home and office, with reliable internet and without compromising security.
Connect and protect IoT: With built-in AP support for BLE, Zigbee, and USB-port extensions, users can extend visibility, control, and connectivity to IoT devices and applications.
Expand the 5G experience to the enterprise network: Empower users to experience 5G with Wi-Fi 6 by automatically enabling cellular devices to join Aruba Wireless LAN securely and reliably.

Aruba Gateways and Controllers

Small organizations as well as large enterprises require excellent performance and security for cloud, mobility, and digital transformation. Therefore, in addition to the access points, Aruba Wireless also offers a variety of gateways and controllers, including:

9000 Series: With SD-WAN capabilities, it’s excellent for small campus networks looking for enhanced Wi-Fi scalability and security.
7200 Series: Perfect for campus WLAN scalability or branch SD-WAN and VPN Concentrator capabilities, the 7200 Series optimizes Wi-Fi performance to guarantee smooth roaming.
7000 Series: Acting as a controller or gateway to provide WAN intelligence, the 7000 Series is a policy-based router and an excellent solution for small to mid-sized campuses.
Mobility Controller Virtual Appliance: Maximizes Wi-Fi and network services in an economical, virtualized environment.
SD-WAN Virtual Gateways: Orchestrate virtual gateways in public cloud infrastructure, like Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Mobility Conductor Hardware Appliance: While enhancing the scalability and reliability for large campus WLANs, Aruba Mobility Conductors bring the full capability of ArubaOS.
Mobility Conductor Virtual Appliance: To scale large campus deployments, Aruba Mobility Conductors simplify the deployment and management of up to 1,000 Mobility Controllers.
ArubaOS Network Operating System: Great for remote workers in mid-sized and large companies who need seamless connectivity to and security over Wi-Fi.

Reviews from Real Users

Aruba Networks is aiding organizations in transforming to a hybrid work environment with Aruba Wireless. Users especially love its ability to work with many devices and its ability to group and manage access points.

A senior IT solutions architect at a manufacturing company says, "The most valuable feature is the fact that it can work with many devices. It supports everything that we need it to."

Gary F., a network administrator at wireless at Abilene Christian, notes, "I like the way it groups and manages access points."

WatchGuard is a global leader in network security, secure Wi-Fi, and network intelligence products and services for SMBs and Distributed Enterprises worldwide. Our mission is to make enterprise-grade security accessible to companies of all types and sizes through simplicity, making WatchGuard an ideal solution for distributed enterprises and SMBs. WatchGuard is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Consulate Health Care, Los Angeles Unified School District, Science Applications International Corp (SAIC), San Diego State University, KFC, ACTS Retirement-Life Communities

Portsmouth Grammar School, HILOTEC

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Wireless vs. WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi

March 2024

Free Report: Aruba Wireless vs. WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi

Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Wireless vs. WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.

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