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Senior Solution Engineer at Solutions by STC
Real User
Top 10
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?

The primary use case for Aruba Wireless is for wireless network solutions. Clients use Aruba Wireless for various networking needs.

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.

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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
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Network Security Engineer at Aadnya Global Services
Real User
Top 20
A cost-effective and highly scalable wireless networking that provides user-friendly interface and stability
Pros and Cons
  • "Its graphical user interface is designed to be user-friendly, making work more efficient."
  • "There has been a recent decrease in the level of support."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use is for facilitating client communication.

What is most valuable?

Its graphical user interface is designed to be user-friendly, making work more efficient.

What needs improvement?

There has been a recent decrease in the level of support. When issues arise, we often require additional support, and this aspect should be enhanced.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using it for more than three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

If there is a controller in place, I would rate its stability abilities at around eight out of ten, as it tends to be quite stable. However, if it's a controller-less setup, using clusters of access points only, I would rate it lower, around six to seven out of ten. The stability tends to vary, especially when there's no central controller, which can make the configuration and management more challenging.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There are around two to three thousand users who rely on wireless connections for their daily work. It demonstrates excellent scalability, and I would rate it around nine out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

I have noticed a decline in performance over the past two years, and I've been working with it for almost four years. The initial two years were quite satisfactory, but the performance has deteriorated since then. I would rate it six out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have experience using Cisco, HP Comware, Commvault, Palo Alto, and Fortinet.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup process for these access points tends to be time-consuming. While other products can start up in as little as ten to fifteen minutes, these access points take longer to get going. They are relatively stable once configured. We've noticed that they can remain stable for a year or even longer initially.

What about the implementation team?

When it comes to installing access points, especially the IAPs, I've encountered some issues. These access points don't always remain stable, particularly during reboots or configuration changes. Even when I've configured ten access points, there's no guarantee that they will consistently come back online and perform as expected after a reboot or network interruption. This is a concern I'd like to highlight, and I believe the team should work on improving the stability of these access points.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It offers a lower cost compared to other products, which is a significant advantage. I would rate it eight out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend it due to its affordability, which stands out compared to other products. In terms of overall performance and management, I would rate it 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:
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Buyer's Guide
Aruba Wireless
March 2025
Learn what your peers think about Aruba Wireless. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
842,388 professionals have used our research since 2012.
MohamedAbdelrahman - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager, IT Infrastructure and Service Desk at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
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
PeerSpot user
reviewer2031900 - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Real User
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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Associate Director – Network & Cyber security at Microland Limited
Real User
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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Thomas Christen - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at Bechtle
Real User
Priced well and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "Aruba Wireless is stable."
  • "Aruba Wireless could improve the interface, it does not have a smart web interface. Other solutions have smart web interfaces, such as Cisco Meraki."

What needs improvement?

Aruba Wireless could improve the interface, it does not have a smart web interface. Other solutions have smart web interfaces, such as Cisco Meraki.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Aruba Wireless for approximately six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Aruba Wireless is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Aruba Wireless is scalable for the needs of my customers. Some of my customers have approximately 1,500 users using the solution and it works well.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of Aruba Wireless is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Aruba Wireless a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
it_user424338 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
For the most part, users haven't noticed hiccups because of the HA capability & the speed at which the controllers can authenticate. Unlike in the past, quarterly release dates have been delayed.

Valuable Features

It's very adaptable from the access point line. We've found that ClearPass products have met our performance marks to the letter. They sold us on foundations stats and provided us with everything we asked for. They didn't come up short and were dead on the money.

Improvements to My Organization

It's provided our students with such reliable service that they just expect it to be there and take it for granted. They come to school, blackboard their work, get on YouTube, chat with friends, etc., and then go home, not realizing that they used the college network. We've been able to give them the best experience possible, and their feedback has been amazing. If there are ever any hiccups, the complaints and tickets pile up very quickly.

Our users, for the most part, haven't noticed hiccups because of the HA capability and the speed at which the controllers can authenticate. In fact, the last couple updates have boosted the quality and redundancy. Students have been able to watch YouTube videos without any noticeable rendering issues during hiccups.

We have a few IAP's and that's sort of like the standalone home router stuff. They're lacking in functionality, and though they are designed for standalone small deployments, they don't give you the good standalone fun stuff that you expect on a smaller scale router, like good DLNA. I wish they were a little bit more progressive on their IAP line.

Room for Improvement

Before HP bought Aruba, the release dates for codes were very predictable and quick. Code release were always visibly available. But since HP's acquisition, normal and quarterly release dates have been delayed, probably because of continued integration between the two companies. One specific issues is that we want to deploy their latest and greatest AP, but they don't have a GA code version available yet. We're still waiting.

I know that's a very specific complaint, but it actually has impacted us because we keep a flush on the older access points on hand just in the event code gets delayed by a few weeks. It's now been delayed by a month to two and I have to buy older access points. I can't deploy the latest and greatest.

I'm hoping things get smoothed out when they start getting their product lines and their flow of products and code deployments get fixed. I've been a little disappointed in that.

Also, I've found some of their onboarding stuff to be overkill and not worth the price. Their base stuff that's included in ClearPass is absolutely amazing, but the fringe things are superfluous and overcharged. The core stuff, though, is exactly what you pay for.

Use of Solution

We're essentially an Aruba shop. We have uniform wireless AP's ranging from AP 125's, which are slowly going to be de-commissioned on our next product cycle, all the way up to AP 325's in our fleet. We have three 7240 controllers, and one 7210 controller as our test platform box that we use for benchmarking and a few other projects. They're basically fully-licensed and we are basically all-wireless. We do not have any HP switching gear in-house or Aruba switching gear. All of this is controllers and access points for the hardware side. For the software side, we have AirWave, which monitors our entire wireless fleet in controllers, and ClearPass. We have three ClearPass appliances -- one is a hardware box and another is a VM box. Both of them are 25K units and one 5K unit appliance, as well as hardware.

We've been using them for about 10 years I would say, maybe nine years.

Deployment Issues

It deploys extremely quickly.

Stability Issues

The controller is a rock solid 10 out of 10, the access points are 9.5 out of 10, ClearPass is 10 out of 10, and AirWave is 9 out of 10.

Scalability Issues

It scales incredibly well. We did have some scalability issues with the system a long time ago, but they fixed that rather quickly. We also changed product lines at around that time. We were outgrowing the product a little bit too quickly, but since we've moved to the new controllers, it's been rock solid.

Customer Service and Technical Support

Technical support is very good, but it's dependent on the engineer you get. Sometimes you'll get a fantastic engineer and your problem is solved right away. Sometimes you might have to jump through a few more hoops. Sometimes you get the Cisco experience where you must follow the bouncing ball and complete all the 10 questions. You know how your product works, you don't need to complete 10 questions. You have a problem and want an engineer who can solve this really quickly.

I've noticed that it's been getting better over time. It used to be bad about four years ago. Over the last two to three years, it's been getting a lot better. As long as you fill out the surveys, I tend to find that the service has been getting better and better and better. You get your resolution pretty quickly. So I'm generally quite happy with the tech calls.

I've noticed they've scaled back a little bit of their SE's. I guess that's because they're such a big company.

Initial Setup

The initial setup tends to be both straightforward and complex. Although I haven't done an initial setup in a while, everything just clicks together very well. When I did do an initial setup, the wireless controller was up and running within a few minutes. Deploying new controllers into the cluster takes seconds. There are a lot of wizards and guides built into the controllers for setup. So it's very easy.

ClearPass is a little harder, and AirWave is medium difficulty. ClearPass is the hardest part to get going without a good amount of training.

Pricing, Setup Cost and Licensing

Day-to-day costs are generally very low. We have very few problems with the system, so our maintenance costs and hours that we put into solving problems is generally very low, which makes my life really easy to work on other issues that come up. Our wireless system generally doesn't generate a lot of day-to-day issues.

Initial costs for purchasing the system? It's on par with other vendors, but is a little bit cheaper than the equivalent of what we were getting out there, so I feel that we got really good value.

Other Advice

Make sure you buy the system that suits your network. They have a very broad pallet, so you can buy one that's overkill and buy one that's underkill. Make sure you spec and follow the guides appropriately. Also, you have to have a very good concept of how fast you're going to grow and how much you're going to grow because if you don't have a really good idea of what your growth curve is going to look like, you can easily buy something that doesn't fit perfectly.

Proper planning for scaling, and knowing what your growth curve is going to be is key. Work with the SE's on figuring out the plan is very important. Aruba has a very broad product line on scalability, so that can hurt you and help you at the same time. It is very nice to have.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
SandeepGautam - PeerSpot reviewer
Channel Sales Manager at Denave
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Offers centralized management of APs and switches
Pros and Cons
  • "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."
  • "Our customers ask for a security portfolio, which the tool doesn't have."

What is most valuable?

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. 

What needs improvement?

Our customers ask for a security portfolio, which the tool doesn't have. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with the product for three years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate Aruba Wireless' stability a nine out of ten. It comes with a limited lifetime warranty. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. My territory has at least 70-80 customers. 

How was the initial setup?

The tool's deployment is easy. Its deployment depends on the network type and scope of work. Simple scenarios can be completed in a week. Complex networks take two to three months to complete. 

What other advice do I have?

Our customers who use Aruba Wireless are very much happy. We have a pre-sales team that helps us with solution design, POCs, installation, and implementation. Our customers appreciate this kind of support. I rate it a nine 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
PeerSpot user
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Updated: March 2025
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Buyer's Guide
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