Aruba Networks Wireless WAN Reviews

Our clients are mostly K-12 education, community colleges, and local governments.

Aruba Wireless WAN is reliable, cost-effective, and easy to troubleshoot. Aruba is a leading solution provider on Gartner's Magic Quadrant in the wireless realm.

In a meshed environment, the handoff between access points is sometimes not smooth when users are mobile. For example, a connection is occasionally interrupted when a user takes their laptop from the gym to the cafeteria. 

Sometimes there's not a seamless handoff. Services are interrupted,  so you need to wait until you're found again and reconnect to the wireless. I call that a meshed network. This issue isn't unique to Aruba. It's a problem with Meraki or any of the other wireless vendors.

It could be several things. You might have too many users in a given location could create bandwidth issues, so it disconnects somebody quicker to allow someone else. There could also be physical barriers like steel-reinforced walls between different areas, so your signal is interrupted as you travel around a corner.

I have used Aruba for more than 12 years. 

Once Aruba Wireless is set up and configured correctly, you just walk away. That's what we like about it. We have some devices that are six or seven years old, which is rare in the wireless world because everything changes so quickly, but in some banks and municipalities, it just keeps working. 

Aruba has a product lineup that scales depending on the density and bandwidth you need. They have different models that scale for different capacities. You can get a low-end, less-expensive model for small businesses, or you can scale to high density, like exam rooms, computer labs, plants, and manufacturing floors where there are lots of machines that require a strong Wi-Fi signal. Aruba has a deep product lineup. 

We switched to Aruba when Hewlett-Packard Enterprise bought Aruba. We previously used Cisco, Meraki, and Hewlett-Packard. Aruba had a broader offering than some of the other solutions.  For instance, if you used Cisco, there was a missing middle area in terms of capacity where you had to jump from a low-end to a higher end with nothing in between. Meraki started on the low end, and they didn't have much on the high end. We found Aruba fit the entire range. 

Setting up Aruba stuff is straightforward. I can't say it installs itself, but it's effortless and only requires a couple of people. 

Aruba costs around $100 annually per access point, but that varies. It could be $125 or $85 depending on the buying plan. For instance, education will get a bigger discount than commercial.

With some vendors, the access point is not manageable anymore if you don't maintain the license. It's more or less a doorstop because you can't configure and control it. You can't troubleshoot it unless you maintain the license. That's not true with Aruba.

I rate Aruba Networks Wireless LAN 10 out of 10 for the reasons I stated earlier. It's reliable, scalable, and low-maintenance. Planning is crucial. We insist on a walkthrough site survey with wireless survey equipment to first check the building where we will be implementing the wireless solution.

I've deployed in multiple healthcare environments and significant infrastructure in higher education. We have a variety of corporate environments, and they range anywhere from two APs to 2000 APs.

The solution has full integration with their NAC, and their ClearPass service. Specifically, with the wireless LAN, they have a layer 7 firewall at every AP. They have extensive firewall capabilities in the controller.

They have a capability called multi-zone, where you can terminate one AP to multiple controllers, and that's a unique thing for Aruba.

They offer per-user tunneling to a variety of endpoints.

The product needs some simplification of the configuration for their security tools or for SD-WAN, specifically. We call it SD-WAN. They need automation wizards and things like that, including macros.

There’s a bit of complexity in the initial setup.

I’ve used the solution for eight or nine years.

The solution’s stability is rock solid. It’s reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. The performance is good.

The solution is quite scalable. I know of an installation that has 55,000 APs. It’s extremely stable, and they had no problem going to that size.

Their tech support is excellent. Their tech is up there with any of the other major manufacturers.

We actually represent a variety. We have several in our portfolio of products, and Aruba and Cisco are the top two. Cisco and Meraki being the top of the Cisco brands.

Compared to those, Aruba has a more customer-friendly focus for its business model, not only on the support function but also on the acquisition and operation side. Where I mentioned the complexity before, Meraki has simplified its installation. That's something that if Aruba could accomplish what Meraki did with their simple installation plan, they would be top-notch in every area.

The initial setup is complex and not that intuitive.

We have a higher-end installation where there are a couple of thousand users, endpoints, and so on. With several thousand endpoints, a couple of thousand users, there are only two people on staff supporting it. It’s low-maintenance.

As a service model that's fully supported, that can be $30 a month with no capital outlay at all.

Extra costs depend on the model and the deployment. There are standard maintenance requirements for license maintenance and so on, for supportability. However, there are other models. For the smaller installations, anything of 128 APs or less, typically there are no additional costs. The licensing is incorporated as part of the base and a limited lifetime warranty covers the repair and replacement of the APs. We typically don't sell maintenance on those. They are just spare units, and the customers love them.

We are partners and resellers.

The solution is a mix of on-premises and cloud deployments.

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

The main use case for this solution is in the education sector and public services.

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.

I have been working on Aruba Networks Wireless WAN for five years.

The solution is stable.

The solution is very scalable. 

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.

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.

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. 

We mainly use Aruba Networks Wireless WAN for our corporate wireless access for corporate mobiles, corporate laptops, and guest wireless access. We also use the product because of its tax asset.

The most valuable feature of Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is centralized management. It has features like other solutions, but it's easier to manage. Aruba Networks Wireless WAN also has a tax asset benefit which is good.

What needs to improve in Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is the support because it takes quite a long time for the support team to resolve issues. Whenever a new version or update is released, my company sees many bugs and issues, so that is another area for improvement as well.

I have one year experience with Aruba Networks Wireless WAN.

Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is a stable solution, but whenever there's an update, many bugs and open issues arise, but as a product, it's stable.

Aruba Networks Wireless WAN has some scalability issues with the on-premises model. My team may have to explore its cloud model.

The technical support for Aruba Networks Wireless WAN needs improvement because it takes longer for the team to resolve bugs and issues.

It's been a long time since Aruba Networks Wireless WAN was set up in my company, so I can't remember if there was any complication involved, but the deployment model was straightforward, and there wasn't that much complication. Even a new addition to Aruba Networks Wireless WAN was straightforward. Deployment took no longer than two hours.

I'm not sure about the licensing cost or pricing for Aruba Networks Wireless WAN.

Aruba Networks Wireless WAN has been in the company when I joined, so I'm unaware of other solutions evaluated it.

More than ten thousand people, particularly enterprise users, use Aruba Networks Wireless WAN.

Two to three people handle the deployment and maintenance of Aruba Networks Wireless WAN.

What I'd say to others looking into implementing Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is that it has scalability issues and its support needs improvement. It has many open bugs that could stop you from moving forward.

I'm rating Aruba Networks Wireless WAN seven out of ten.

My company has a partnership with Aruba, but it's not a reseller.

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.

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.

I've been working with this solution for the last six years.

It is a stable solution.

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.

The initial setup was very easy. It's not that complex.

Compared to Cisco, Aruba Networks Wireless WAN's user interface is very nice.

On a scale from one to ten, I would rate this solution at nine.

My clients use it for the employees to log in to the Internet.

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.

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.

I'm a system integrator. I've been selling it to my clients who use it in their offices.

I would rate the stability a ten out of ten. 

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.

The initial setup is easy. If we need to deploy 10 to 15 devices, that can be set up in about half a day.

It is expensive. I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten.

I would highly recommend using the solution. Aruba is one of the best. 

Overall, I would rate the solution a ten out of ten.

I like the solution's ability to add multiple SSIDs on different levels such as enterprise and guest networks. 

Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is expensive. 

I have been working with the product for five years. 

I would rate Aruba Networks Wireless WAN's stability a ten out of ten. 

I would rate the tool's scalability a ten out of ten. We have 542 clients using the products. 

The product's lifetime warranty is second to none. They will replace a system that has gone down with an identical unit. 

The tool's setup was easy. 

You will need to pay an annual subscription cost. 

I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. Try to negotiate the best price that you can get. 

I use the solution for cloud operations.

It's just a normal tool. I would really say nothing is valuable to me about its features. It's not special.

It had been working in the past few years, but after aging, it has dropped down.

The solution has bugs. It really has bugs, and you have to wait until it happens, then you realize it. The aforementioned area can be considered for improvement.

I have been using Aruba Networks Wireless WAN for five years. I am a customer of the solution.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a five, six, or seven out of ten. It's not bad.

I rate the support an eight out of ten since it is good.

Positive

Regarding the initial setup, if one is difficult and ten is easy, I rate its setup a three to five. You have to be a big technical person to deploy the solution.

I rate the solution a six or seven out of ten.