The primary use case for Aruba Wireless is for wireless network solutions. Clients use Aruba Wireless for various networking needs.
Senior Solution Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Impressive network management with good flexibility and excellent support
Pros and Cons
- "Support for both on-premises and cloud environments has proven effective for network management."
- "The pricing could be better."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
The solution supports both on-premises and cloud environments, catering to many customers who use either of the deployment methods.
What is most valuable?
Support for both on-premises and cloud environments has proven effective for network management. It contributes to stability, as many customers do not face network downtimes or issues.
What needs improvement?
The pricing could be better, especially with potential discounts for partners.
Buyer's Guide
Aruba Wireless
January 2026
Learn what your peers think about Aruba Wireless. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
879,927 professionals have used our research since 2012.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Aruba Wireless for over ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. Many customers do not complain about the product or network downtimes.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability of this solution as a ten. It scales impressively well.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service and technical support are excellent. I would rate it as high quality.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Aruba Wireless is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of Aruba Wireless is competitive, especially compared to solutions like Cisco. The overall cost is considered reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend Aruba Wireless because of its competitive pricing, user-friendly technology, and strong after-sales support.
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Deputy General Manager at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
Stable, with a guest management feature and good technical support
Pros and Cons
- "For my organization, the most critical feature of Aruba Wireless is guest management."
- "An area for improvement in Aruba Wireless is creating a DMZ. Without Aruba ClearPass, you need to allow guess access directly via the internet, which means you need to implement the security in between, so this is what I'd like Aruba to improve in the product."
What is our primary use case?
We're using Aruba Wireless as a wireless access point, particularly Aruba AP-505.
We're also using Aruba Wireless for guest management purposes.
What is most valuable?
For my organization, the most critical feature of Aruba Wireless is guest management.
What needs improvement?
An area for improvement in Aruba Wireless is creating a DMZ. Without Aruba ClearPass, you need to allow guess access directly via the internet, which means you need to implement the security in between, so this is what I'd like Aruba to improve in the product.
Another area for improvement in Aruba Wireless is delivery because right now, in the COVID-19 pandemic, the product doesn't have much availability. There's a limited supply of semiconductors, so I want Ariba to increase Aruba Wireless production. The product needs to be available and delivered to customers faster.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with Aruba Wireless since 2016.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability of Aruba Wireless as nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
From a scalability point of view, I don't see any challenges with scaling Aruba Wireless. After all, my organization only has one office and only needs approximately fifty APs.
How are customer service and support?
Aruba Wireless has good technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used Cisco, the older technology, before using Aruba Wireless. We were not getting guest management as a feature on Cisco, while Aruba Wireless came up with guest management via Aruba ClearPass, so we started using Aruba Wireless.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for Aruba Wireless was easy. It was so simple. My organization used it as a standalone solution.
Deploying the product took approximately six months.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented Aruba Wireless through a consultant. Our experience with the consultant was good. He provided good support without the need for any intervention. The product was implemented well and working per our requirements.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The commercial department handles the Aruba Wireless license for my organization, so I cannot comment on the product's pricing.
What other advice do I have?
I have experience with Aruba Wireless.
My organization is an Aruba Wireless customer.
My organization has three administrators of the product. Currently, there is no plan to increase Aruba Wireless usage.
I'd tell anyone looking to implement the product that Aruba Wireless works well in my environment. I have no complaints about it, so I can only say this.
Overall, I'd rate Aruba Wireless as eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Aruba Wireless
January 2026
Learn what your peers think about Aruba Wireless. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
879,927 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior Manager, IT Infrastructure and Service Desk at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Reliable and provides good signal strength and controller features
Pros and Cons
- "Aruba Wireless is reliable, and the signal strength is pretty good."
- "We need security features to recognize the traffic source and to apply Zero Trust security."
What is our primary use case?
We're upgrading from version 9 to version 10, but I'm satisfied with the new proposed upgrade.
The solution is deployed on-premises.
What is most valuable?
Aruba Wireless is reliable, and the signal strength is pretty good. The controller has good features.
What needs improvement?
I want to have a virtual controller, so I would like to see integration with other vendors of the LAN network. We need security features to recognize the traffic source and to apply Zero Trust security.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used this solution for nine years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is excellent. I would rate it as nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability as eight out of ten.
We have multiple canvases and sites, so it's easy to scale up and across the same controller within the same enterprise network. When we add new access points, there is a limitation in the virtual appliance, but it's not that bad.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support in Aruba is very good. It's better than other solutions' support.
I would rate technical support as eight out of ten.
What about the implementation team?
Deployment was done through a third party.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is reasonable. I would rate the cost as 8 out of 10.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the solution as nine out of ten.
We made an evaluation between Aruba and other vendors, and we've seen the Gartner Magic Quadrant report for Aruba. Aruba has employed a lot of experience and vision in their product, which is why it's better than others.
My advice is to have a professional survey with the best used tools for the survey and an excellent design. I think that's the most important. The sizing and dimensioning have to be done well from the beginning.
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
Software Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
It doesn't require a controller, has an easy-to-navigate GUI, and shows statistics that give you a lot of insight, but the syncing between the cloud and the APs is inconsistent
Pros and Cons
- "What I like best about Aruba Wireless is that it doesn't need a controller. The product also has a GUI that's easy to navigate."
- "Aruba Wireless is a good product, but it still has some issues, especially at the beginning, where there's inconsistent syncing between the cloud and the APs. Sometimes, there's also a little lag when accessing the query."
What is our primary use case?
We deployed Aruba Wireless in our corporate head office, where we have a lot of business users. We use the product both as corporate WiFi and guest platform.
What is most valuable?
What I like best about Aruba Wireless is that it doesn't need a controller.
The product also has a GUI that's easy to navigate.
I also like that Aruba Wireless shows statistics that give you a lot of insight.
What needs improvement?
Aruba Wireless is a good product, but it still has some issues, especially at the beginning, where there's inconsistent syncing between the cloud and the APs. Sometimes, there's also a little lag when accessing the query.
For how long have I used the solution?
I started using Aruba Wireless two years ago.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba Wireless is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I find Aruba Wireless scalable.
How are customer service and support?
We've contacted Aruba Wireless support many times, but there weren't proper resolutions. Cases remain open for a few days, and then they'll automatically resolve. Then, sometimes, those cases will reappear.
Aruba support would be a four on a scale of one to five.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
My company has a particular office on Cisco APs, then replaced completely with Aruba Wireless, one of the most extensive Aruba deployments in the company.
My company is still planning to switch from Cisco Wireless to Aruba Wireless in other offices. However, concerning Cisco Wireless, the product is pretty stable and solid. It has been running for years, but eighty percent of the environment is on Cisco Wireless, which Aruba Wireless will eventually replace.
How was the initial setup?
Deploying Aruba Wireless is pretty straightforward.
It took several days to complete the deployment because the office was enormous and the number of APs deployed was quite significant.
It took one to two months to pre-stage, install, and make Aruba Wireless stable.
What about the implementation team?
My company pre-staged the equipment and the APs, and then initially, the deployment team had a few issues during the Aruba Wireless installation.
A third-party team deployed the product for my company.
What was our ROI?
As Aruba Wireless doesn't require a controller, my company saved some money, so there's ROI from the product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
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.
What other advice do I have?
I have experience with both Cisco Wireless and Aruba Wireless.
My company uses Aruba Wireless IAP-245.
It's a centrally-managed cloud product.
Daily, the number of Aruba Wireless users varies. If there's a meeting, then many high-profile users will come. At least two or three times a week, there will be many product users, for example, IT engineers, designers, finance people, and people from other teams.
My advice for anyone looking into implementing Aruba Wireless is that it depends on the use cases. You get all the features available in Cisco Wireless at a lesser price, but in terms of support and stability, Cisco is ahead of Aruba. However, Aruba Wireless is a good option when considering the price and if you're a mid-sized organization.
Aruba Wireless gets a seven out of ten from me.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Coordenador técnico at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Can be widely tuned to meet any needs and it offers a higher level of integration with IoT straight out-of-the-box
Pros and Cons
- "Although there are other solutions available and some with a lower initial cost, they don't offer the same level of integration with IoT as this solution without having to add additional hardware, which ends up costing more."
- "The initial setup is more complex than other solutions."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case of the solution is hospitality.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is that it can be tuned much more than other vendors, giving you more options to execute.
What needs improvement?
The solution can be improved by simplifying the configuration. I would like to see a more user-friendly GUI that is not so easily confused when configuring clusters or even a single node when people are not paying attention to what layer they are configuring, whether it be at the mobility master level or at the node level. I would like to see more analytics that can help us pinpoint the cause of reduced performance related to the airtime and number of SSIDs being used.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I consider the solution to be stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I believe the solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The support team for the solution is good and always eager to help.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is more complex than other solutions. You need to understand the technology, the way it's configured, and the way you have to set it up. The solution requires more knowledge and more commitment than others.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented it in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing has increased and it was always more costly than some of the other solutions available.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated Ruckus and Meraki Wireless before choosing the solution.
What other advice do I have?
I give the solution a nine out of ten.
Although there are other solutions available and some with a lower initial cost, they don't offer the same level of integration with IoT as this solution without having to add additional hardware, which ends up costing more.
I recommend that you gather all the requirements and define the API groups before the deployment of this solution.
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
Associate Director – Network & Cyber security at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Very stable, reasonably priced and great for small to medium size organizations
Pros and Cons
- "Reasonably priced and great for small to medium size organizations."
- "Lacks a heat map analysis and a cloud-based wireless controller."
What is our primary use case?
I work for an international service integrating company and we provide resources that are distributed internationally. We use Wireless for our branch and remote locations, and it's mainly for the internet. We are service integrators and deploy this solution as well as provide support to multiple customers. I am the director of technology and we are currently customers of Aruba.
What is most valuable?
Reasonably priced and great for small to medium size organizations. One positive is that they're not constantly providing upgrades and that reduces exposure to complications.
What needs improvement?
I haven't yet seen a cloud-based wireless controller in Aruba and I'm waiting for that as well as a heat map analysis which is also lacking. I'd like to see application visibility in the next release on the inbound and outbound traffic flow.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is working well and we haven't had any issues with stability. Traffic flow is starting to increase now that workers are returning to the office, and we're likely to move to Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 7 in the near future.
How are customer service and support?
Getting a response from technical support is really tough and is a pain point for us. It doesn't flow like in Cisco Tech.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty easy, certainly not as complicated as Cisco. There aren't many upgrades or major bugs so it's more stable than Cisco. Deployment time depends on the size of the project. A small site will take about two weeks, a larger project might take three or four weeks. We have nine engineers supporting Aruba.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I'm unaware of the cost but I know it's cheaper than Cisco and that is why Aruba generally wins when a contract goes to tender or in the procurement phase.
What other advice do I have?
A key factor is to ensure the solution suits your requirements. If a smaller organization is looking for an on-prem solution, then Aruba would fit in. For larger deployments, it would be better to go with Cisco. If you're an organization with 400 different sites, Cisco is the way to go. Aruba has proven itself for smaller to midsize deployments.
The solution does what it's meant to and I'm happy with it. I rate this solution eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Manager at a hospitality company with 1-10 employees
Helpful in extending LAN capabilities via wireless capabilities but is not user-friendly
Pros and Cons
- "It's been running for the past three years with no default configuration."
- "The solution could be more user-friendly."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for this solution is extending the LAN capabilities via wireless capabilities so people can roam around in the office with wireless connectivity. Additionally, its management has a lot of insight into which access point you're connected to and a lot of information about the devices. Some of the information is related to bringing your device, whether it's a device which is owned by the company or not and reporting what sites are being browsed and accessed.
What is most valuable?
We find its stability very valuable. It's been running for the past three years with no default configuration.
What needs improvement?
The solution could be more user-friendly.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for a couple of years and are currently using the latest one.
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 scalable. We have approximately 300 users utilizing the solution.
How are customer service and support?
We have had a relatively good experience with customer service and support. I rate them an eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is a bit complex and requires some basic networking and wireless networking concepts.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented via a vendor, and implementation took approximately one week.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not evaluate other options because we wanted one integrated solution which incorporated both wired and wireless, and with Aruba Wireless, we got the full package.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the solution a seven out of ten. I advise users to research and decide based on their organization's needs.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
System Engineer at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees
Intuitive, easy to install, and simple to maintain
Pros and Cons
- "The network strength is good."
- "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."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for wireless access, for using WiFi and the network, the internet.
How has it helped my organization?
It's very popular. We've ordered more than 150 units.
What is most valuable?
It's a really good product. It's really easy to maintain.
The AP preconfig with the USB console cable and everything is easy and really useful for the company.
The installation is simple.
Users have been very pleased with the solution as it offers such a high-speed connection. The network strength is good.
It is more intuitive and user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
I don't have any access in the Aruba dashboard. 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. They should allow everybody to fiddle with their settings if they bought the solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for the past six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We haven't had any performance issues. The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is pretty good. You can expand it by using Aruba Switches.
We have about 700 users on the solution at this point.
How are customer service and support?
I've never had any reason to reach out to technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used Meraki. Aruba has better network speed. Also, in Meraki, when we make changes, we need to refresh the dashboard. With Aruba, it's one click and we can regulate and refresh the dashboard. It's much easier.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is simple to install. It's not overly difficult or complex. For half of the preconfig process, it might only take 15 minutes.
Then, there might be one and a half hours for testing, to fix the access IDs and other access points to match everything in the data center.
We only need two people to install and set up the solution.
What about the implementation team?
I deploy the solution for our clients.
What was our ROI?
We have seen a positive ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't handle the licensing aspect of the solution. It is likely more expensive than Meraki since Meraki just has a dashboard. Aruba has a little bit more on offer.
You do have to purchase the software and hardware separately.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not consider any other options before choosing Aruba.
What other advice do I have?
We have a partnership with Aruba.
Overall, it's a good solution, and we are happy with it.
I'd rate the solution 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.
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Updated: January 2026
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