We have vertical markets and there's almost no real use case since it's all industry. Aruba is not really designed to be used in private households. We do have a few private customers. However, they have a very high demand on security. If they have a high demand on the performance, we definitely reach with Aruba however, the majority of our customers are industry related.
Owner at SiT Global GmbH
Reliable, easy to implement and has helpful support
Pros and Cons
- "It’s very stable and reliable."
- "The initial setup is complex."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
For one customer, what happened was they used to be on a different network on NPLS. That was very expensive and software-defined wide-area networking is a huge cost saving and much easier to be managed.
What is most valuable?
The solution can save money and can be easily implemented, depending on the environment.
It’s very stable and reliable.
What needs improvement?
There aren’t really any large improvements necessary. There are smaller improvements we request, however, they are communicated directly. We are not an end-customer. We use our direct channels.
The initial setup is complex.
Buyer's Guide
Aruba Networks Wireless WAN
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Aruba Networks Wireless WAN. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.
For how long have I used the solution?
I’ve been using Aruba since 2005.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very, very stable. It’s not buggy. It’s not glitchy. It doesn’t crash or freeze. It’s very reliable. The performance is great.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable in its limits. It's scalable. The main purpose is for bigger organizations - for public, schools, universities, or bigger industries. You could scale it down also to household usage or to high-demand private usage. You can do a lot with it.
We have implemented it twice on a university campus and there we have maybe 2,000 to 3000 users. We have industry users. I would say it could be anything between 3,000 and 10,000 users.
If it is a midsize company, they don't have planning for scaling expenditure. With the bigger companies, they plan to expand, however, then you always bump into Cisco. It’s the biggest competitor and the most popular one.
How are customer service and support?
Customer service from HP is pretty good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We didn’t really use a different solution. There wasn't much in the market in 2005. When we started, we started with wireless into the early and late nineties. By that time, you had very small island solutions. There were three coming market and a few other products that were controller-based, and almost nothing was controller based.
If you look at the competitors, they're almost all the same, they're just the different flavors and whatever you are used to it and how comfortable you feel with the product. We do WAN products with Aruba. We do WAN products with Fortinet as well. We do software-defined networking, the same as Aruba offers; however, there's not much difference between them.
We’ve also used Ruckus. We have a few customers in the carrier business, and Ruckus is primarily used in the carrier business. It's placed in the same league as Aruba.
How was the initial setup?
In terms of the initial setup, it’s complex. It's not straightforward. The only straightforward item is the very instant access points; however, as soon as we’re working in a complex environment, then it takes a lot of knowledge. It takes good knowledge and could take a few days to implement.
I’d rate it a two out of five on a scale from one to five, where one is extremely difficult, and five is extremely easy.
We are a very small company. We normally use the IT department of our customers, and they are trained. They keep maintaining their own system. For smaller customers, we do the maintenance, and we also do the monitoring. We have partner companies. We swap our 24/7 services. If you offer 24-hour service, it takes about six to eight technicians to take care of the 24/7 services.
What was our ROI?
We don't monitor if the company or the customer has any ROI. It's quite difficult to answer what the ROI is, and what the return of investment is. Most customers don't even look at ROI on wireless.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The license is a one-time subscription. It's a one-time purchase, however, the update is a subscription.
It is unfortunately very expensive. The subscription, the software maintenance subscription, and even the one-off pricing are very high.
The license costs reflect the features. The more features you require, the more you have to pay.
What other advice do I have?
We use different versions of Aruba.
We are Aruba partners. As a partner, of course, I will try to encourage other people to look at Aruba and implement Aruba. Some of the features are not unique however they are very highly developed, and the solution is highly sophisticated. It's the best of its breed. As a partner with different vendors, however, you have to look at the requirements, and you have to make a decision on the requirements.
I’d rate the solution a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner/implementer
Project Manager at RIGHTINFO INTERNATIONAL INC.
Easy installation process and competitive pricing model
Pros and Cons
- "The installation process was easy."
- "The only issues are the configuration problems that impact the stability of the solution."
What is our primary use case?
We are a system integrator, and we provide solutions to our customers. Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is a solution that we offer to our customers. It provides wireless connectivity and has several features.
The main reasons our clients choose Aruba Networks are its strong server performance and competitive pricing. Additionally, Aruba's customer support is prompt and helpful. These are the main factors that influence our choice of Aruba Networks.
How has it helped my organization?
Aruba makes quite a lot of business for my company and its stability is quite good. There is no need to constantly maintain/support our customers.
What is most valuable?
The site survey tool is fantastic and saved us a lot of time in the early stage.
What needs improvement?
Configuration User Interface could be enhanced further to easy to understand what kind of effects will be.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been working with Aruba Networks for more than ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Generally, there aren't many problems with stability. It was good. Sometimes there could be configuration issues caused by users when they try to update or check the system.
I would rate the stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. Most of our clients are small to medium-sized businesses, and all are satisfied its scalability if they need to upgrade.
How are customer service and support?
Aruba's customer support is prompt and helpful.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Fortinet and switched because our customer decided to use their solution.
How was the initial setup?
The installation process was easy. Our engineers have extensive experience with Aruba Networks, so they are familiar with it and can handle any installation requirements.
Moreover, only two people are required for the maintenance of this solution.
What about the implementation team?
The deployment process depends on the customer's requirements. So, the deployment time may vary. Generally, the deployment process might take several days. Two people were enough for the deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate the pricing model a three out of ten, with one being very cheap and ten being very expensive. We got a yearly license.
The additional costs depend on the specific case and situation. There might be different costs.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated solutions from Cisco, Extreme, and Fortinet.
What other advice do I have?
I would definitely recommend it.
Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
Buyer's Guide
Aruba Networks Wireless WAN
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Aruba Networks Wireless WAN. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior Technical Consultant at Orange Business Services
Has a nice user interface and clustering feature, and is easy to install
Pros and Cons
- "There is a clustering feature, so the APs immediately switch back to the next available controller. The users will not notice any impact and will feel connected to the network. They will not notice any disconnection."
- "They have to work on their Aruba Central cloud platform. There are still some glitches such as not showing proper user details. When we removed the AP from the Aruba Central cloud, it showed up as being connected to Aruba Central. They need to fix these issues."
What is most valuable?
There is a clustering feature, so the APs immediately switch back to the next available controller. The users will not notice any impact and will feel connected to the network. They will not notice any disconnection.
The AirMatch feature is also very useful. If the radio channels and the power being utilized in the RF environment are filled up, it will update all of those channels and power transmission.
What needs improvement?
They have to work on their Aruba Central cloud platform. There are still some glitches such as not showing proper user details.
When we removed the AP from the Aruba Central cloud, it showed up as being connected to Aruba Central. They need to fix these issues.
I would like to see artificial intelligence and machine learning in the next release. Other vendors already have artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities in their cloud platform-based wireless solutions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with this solution for the last six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution.
How are customer service and support?
Aruba Networks Wireless WAN's technical support was very good in 2017 and 2018. Now, the calls go here and there, and we don't get an immediate response.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very easy. It's not that complex.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Compared to Cisco, Aruba Networks Wireless WAN's user interface is very nice.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten, I would rate this solution at nine.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Director de Negocio. Redes, Comunicaciones y Seguridad at Avanti21 Sistemas y telecomunicaciones, S.L.
An industrial-level Wi-Fi solution with good performance and is easy to deploy
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are price, quality, and performance."
- "This solution needs different models that are more specialized for certain customers."
What is our primary use case?
I am a system integrator and this is one of the solutions that I implement for my customers.
My customers use the Aruba Wireless WAN for Wi-Fi connectivity and network connectivity. It is typically used in an industrial setting.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are price, quality, and performance.
What needs improvement?
This solution needs different models that are more specialized for certain customers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Aruba Networks products since they first were available in Spain, many years ago.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability depends more on the customers, their environment, and how they are using the product. The product is used frequently.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Our customers are medium-sized and large businesses.
How are customer service and technical support?
I deal with the technical support team for Aruba and they are nice. The support is fine.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used many other similar solutions including those by Extreme Networks, Cisco, Ruckus Networks, and Huawei. Huawei is the market leader in this domain.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of this solution is simple and I would say that it works fine. It only takes a few minutes to deploy.
What about the implementation team?
We perform the installation for our customers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of this solution is approximately 1,000,000 ESP ($6,750 USD).
What other advice do I have?
Aruba has good enterprise solutions that I provide to my customers. I would suggest using it with it together with a good network that has the proper security set up.
I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Owner, Ctrl E at Ctrl E
Highly stable and scalable solution
Pros and Cons
- "I would rate the stability a ten out of ten."
- "There is room for improvement in the pricing, it's quite a premium."
What is our primary use case?
My clients use it for the employees to log in to the Internet.
What is most valuable?
Once we install it, we don't get any complaints or adverse feedback from the client. They use it. It's seamless connectivity. And in case any failure happens, there is a long warranty period. So once we've got the access point replacement also done for one of the clients, that experience also was good.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement in the pricing, it's quite a premium. There are a few other brands that are coming up which are offering lower pricing. So maybe Aruba could think about being a more competitive price point.
For how long have I used the solution?
I'm a system integrator. I've been selling it to my clients who use it in their offices.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten. It is very scalable. There are more than a thousand users in my client's organisation.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy. If we need to deploy 10 to 15 devices, that can be set up in about half a day.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is expensive. I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
I would highly recommend using the solution. Aruba is one of the best.
Overall, I would rate the solution a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: System integrator
Implementation Engineer at Banco do Brasil S.A.
An easy to manage and deploy solution that has use cases in education and public services
Pros and Cons
- "Aruba Central seems to be a good way to go in cloud management. However, compared to Cisco Meraki, it's still very early days."
- "The product should improve Aruba Central."
What is our primary use case?
The main use case for this solution is in the education sector and public services.
What is most valuable?
Aruba Central seems to be a good way to go in cloud management. However, compared to Cisco Meraki, it's still very early days.
What needs improvement?
The product should improve Aruba Central.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working on Aruba Networks Wireless WAN for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is very scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not difficult, but it has its limitations, with guest authentication. The deployment takes a couple of hours. It is very simple. However, it depends on how you do it. If you use the virtual controller, it is pretty easy. But it has got its limitations. If you do it by Aruba Central, it does take an awful amount of time.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
With Aruba, you get what you pay for compared to the other vendors. Although Cisco is very expensive and their management is way better than Aruba Central. So, you have to consider what you are after. But price-wise, they are really good.
What other advice do I have?
I can’t see Aruba helping me, but it does its job.
I would recommend this tool because it's stable, easy to deploy, and easy to manage. I would rate it nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Network solutions architecture at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Flexible, scalable, and boosts mobility, but device integration has room for improvement
Pros and Cons
- "What I like most about Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is seamless integration from an endpoint perspective. Another valuable feature of the product is that it supports certificate-based authentication."
- "Device integration has room for improvement in Aruba Networks Wireless WAN."
How has it helped my organization?
Aruba Networks Wireless WAN benefited my company because it increased mobility significantly. After all, users don't need to search for LAN cables in the conference rooms.
Adoption was also relatively fast in terms of user onboarding.
What is most valuable?
What I like most about Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is seamless integration from an endpoint perspective, for example, the core domain joined machine.
I also find the onboarding process for Aruba Networks Wireless WAN fantastic.
Another valuable feature of the product is authentication, as Aruba Networks Wireless WAN supports certificate-based authentication. It has remarkable security features, particularly in its machine and user authentication levels.
What needs improvement?
Device integration has room for improvement in Aruba Networks Wireless WAN. However, there has been a development where the access point can be deployed through cloud-based controllers. It can connect via the internet and doesn't require MPS connectivity, but that can be improved further.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Aruba Networks Wireless WAN for around six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba Networks Wireless WAN has good stability, so that's a nine out of ten for me.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is good. The only constraint is that the hardware comes with a fixed number of access point support, which becomes problematic if you have an on-premise deployment. Still, if you plan for the capacity in advance, then it's okay.
That could be a constraint from a large deployment when the access point only lasts two or three years. I don't want to put a high number or high capacity on the hardware on the first day, so scalability-wise, I rate Aruba Networks Wireless WAN as five out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support for Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is good. That area is an eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
I'd rate the initial setup for Aruba Networks Wireless WAN as six out of ten.
One of my Aruba Networks Wireless WAN deployments took two and a half months. Deploying the product entailed site-specific surveying, identifying access point location, how my controller will be set up on-premises, the IP schema to be utilized for the access point, IP allocation, and which access IDs I'm going to broadcast.
What about the implementation team?
My team and I deployed Aruba Networks Wireless WAN.
What was our ROI?
I enjoyed almost fifty percent of the cost reduction from Aruba Networks Wireless WAN because it helped reduce the LAN infrastructure, such as switching hardware, LAN cables, etc. I no longer needed to deploy the switches and LAN cables for every point, which resulted in an almost fifty percent reduction in costs compared to the past cost computations.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is pretty cost-efficient than Cisco ISE when my company did a PO, but for a single-party tender, its pricing was on the higher side, so it depends. I rate the pricing for Aruba Networks Wireless WAN as six out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
I have experience with Aruba Networks Wireless WAN.
My company has a 7200 series Aruba controller, almost five hundred access points, and Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager.
My company's existing database is deployed on-premises, including the controller, access point, and the Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager.
A team of five people, including myself, deployed Aruba Networks Wireless WAN. It was a process of putting and mounting access points. I also had two members in charge of configuring the switches while I configured the controller and the Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager. Once access points become visible on the controller, my team will proceed to the template configuration deployment for Aruba Networks Wireless WAN.
The deployment team consisted of five L1s, three L2s, and me, so a total of nine. My unit deployed five hundred access points to six thousand end users. My team of eight takes care of administration.
Aruba Networks Wireless WAN requires maintenance, for example, upgrading the controller or the Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager and then posture agent deployment for six thousand users. Any agent upgrade means deployment for the users as well.
I'd tell anyone looking into implementing Aruba Networks Wireless WAN that it's a good solution with many advantages, such as mobility, flexibility, and scalability, so I suggest using Aruba Networks Wireless WAN to enhance user experience.
My rating for Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is seven out of ten.
My role is similar to an integrator of Aruba Networks Wireless WAN.
My company is an Aruba Networks customer.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Head of IT infrastructure at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
An engineer with enough experience can tune the network however they want
Pros and Cons
- "An engineer with enough experience can tune the network however they want. It's crucial. It's good to customize our information security how we like it and configure the solution to achieve the level of stability we need."
- "Support is a little expensive. It's also a little tricky to configure Aruba sometimes. For example, if we want to whitelist a device, it works in unexpected ways. I want to allow this device to connect somewhere, and it lets it connect to any device in the network. Let's say I want to allow my phone to connect to the network printer, but if I add my phone to the white list, I automatically allow my phone to connect to any other devices, and it's not secure."
What is our primary use case?
We use Aruba Wireless at a big trading center in two ways. One use case is a corporate network with restrictions, and another is for customers. For our corporate use case, we have around 30 people on various devices, like laptops and mobile phones. In the second case, we provide access to around 1,000 users.
What is most valuable?
An engineer with enough experience can tune the network however they want. It's crucial. It's good to customize our information security how we like it and configure the solution to achieve the level of stability we need.
What needs improvement?
Support is a little expensive. It's also a little tricky to configure Aruba sometimes. For example, if we want to whitelist a device, it works in unexpected ways. I want to allow this device to connect somewhere, and it lets it connect to any device in the network.
Let's say I want to allow my phone to connect to the network printer, but if I add my phone to the white list, I automatically allow my phone to connect to any other devices, and it's not secure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Aruba Wireless for a year and a half.
How are customer service and support?
My team is highly experienced, so I haven't needed support so far.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up Aruba Networks is a little difficult, but experienced professionals can handle it, and we have help from partners, so it's not a problem. In Ukraine, there are several companies with expertise in Aruba. We can pay them for the initial setup and some training.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay every year for Aruba Central. It's a subscription. In other cases, we use Aruba AirWave on-premise, and that's a one-time payment.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Aruba Networks Wireless WAN nine out of 10. It's a stable solution with advanced technical capabilities. We never need to worry if it's going to work.
Like any professional solution, you need to do some evaluation before implementing it in a project. The customer must fully understand the project requirements before they buy and implement it.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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