The most valuable features for me are:
- Built-in firewall
- Security
- Authentication
- Remote access
- Stability
The most valuable features for me are:
Providing wireless to our clinicians and providers allows them to be mobile within the facility and still maintain connectivity to valuable information, like our Electronic Health Record. The remote access through RAPS is a feature that simplifies access for our providers at home, and provides continuity of security. In addition we provide guest wireless to our patients and families which improves satisfaction.
The configuration is extremely detailed and can be quite complex. For a small IT staff, it is difficult to make changes without outside consulting or Aruba Support.
We've used it for two years. We're using a 3400 controller with AP105 Access Points. The software version is 6.3.1.9_44832.
There were no issues with deployment.
This product has been very stable.
No. We have added Access Points and Remote Access Points as needed. We also expanded to a redundant controller which allows High Availability.
Service has been good - 8/10.
Technical Support:8/10
We switched to Aruba because of the advanced security. In healthcare we have HIPAA compliance to achieve and maintain. Security is a priority.
Setting up the controller is complex. The SSIDs, Authentication methodology, Access, is all quite complex to set up. Not for a novice.
We used a vendor team to implement. We used a third party consulting firm to assist with setting up the redundant controller. Both were very good.
This product is considered infrastructure. It is a cost of doing business. It allows our business to be more flexible and mobile. But there is no direct ROI.
Aruba has made changes to their licensing to make it more cost effective. Work with a partner that is familiar with all of the features in this product so that you get the licensing you need. Not all features are available with basic licensing. You need to determine the feature set you want, and then look at pricing for that feature set.
HP and Cisco. HP was not secure enough. We had HP in house already. We looked at Cisco but did not do a demo or work with a partner. We do not have any Cisco in house. From my own research, Cisco was too expensive and did not have a solution that was a single appliance that could do all of the things that Aruba can do. Their solution required firewalls, controllers, and routers to accomplish the same thing. This may no longer be the case.
Get a good partner. Not just the local IT shop that has wireless experience. Not all wireless vendors are created equal. To get the real bang for the buck, you need an expert to help you decide what you want and to implement it.
Aruba Wireless is a little bit complex to use and operate. So, it can be an area for improvement.
I have been using Aruba Wireless for three to four years. Also, I don't remember the version of the solution I am using. I am a customer of the solution.
The product has been pretty stable.
The product is scalable. Around 150 people in my company are using the solution. We need only one administrator for the solution.
I haven't faced any problems with customer support.
Regarding the deployment process, it keeps showing updates.
A third party did the implementation. I'm not familiar with the setting. So, I got help from a consultant.
We have some licenses for the solution, and we need not renew licenses. But we need to pay a hundred thousand if you want to renew our subscription and renew the hardware. But if we switched to another solution like Ruckus, I think maybe it is just a similar amount even if we don't have the license. So we are considering this, but have not reached a decision yet. Also, we need to make additional payments for support.
Based on our evaluations, we are considering Ruckus and Ubiquiti over Aruba since Ruckus' and Ubiquiti's functions and settings are okay, making them easy to use.
Aruba Wireless will phase out. We are actually phasing out and looking at other solutions. We are switching because it's a bit expensive, so we are looking for a cheaper solution.
Because of the price and ease of use, I rate the overall solution a seven out of ten.
We are part of a conglomerate on the island. We provide this solution to all our different divisions, including the shopping malls. We are the technology division of the group. So, we've been assisting the group in their implementation across sectors.
I like the analytics feature.
The price could be better. In the next release, I would like to have more analytics features.
We have been using Aruba Wireless for the past five years.
Aruba Wireless is a stable solution.
Scalability depends on the model.
Our in-house team did the implementation.
The price could be better. Competitors offer more features for a similar cost.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Aruba Wireless a six.
I rated Aruba Wireless six because the analytics part seems to depend on third-party software applications and because of their pricing.
We operate in the education sector and we use it for our staff and students to access our cloud-based application. This includes our learning management system, Canvas and a few systems. We also use it for our guests on site.
This is the second time I've implemented and installed this solution and I think it is outstanding. The support is excellent and so is the hardware. We don't need much support because nothing really goes wrong.
We have been using this solution for 10 years.
This is a stable solution.
This is a scalable solution. We have 3,500 users in our organisation supported by Aruba.
The customer service and support for this solution is excellent.
Positive
We previously used Cisco. We were contacted by Aruba and had some fantastic demonstrations from them. We talked to other schools that had already implemented the solution. We looked at Gartner reports and where they sat in terms of their support, their product and their reputation in the market. We did extensive research on Aruba before switching.
The initial setup is straightforward.
We did enlist the help of network consultants to complete the setup for us. Three consultants were involved in the deployment and it took three days.
What I really like about the company is they stay in touch with us and let us know what their roadmap is and what developments are coming. They are not just a company that sells you their solution and then disappears.
Aruba is a sound business investment because we hardly ever experience any issues. On one occasion when we had a failure, their support team helped us immediately.
I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
We have many clients and therefore many use cases. It's used in manufacturing, hospitality, hospitals, commercial buildings, and shopping centers.
The cost is pretty good. It's what draws in the clients.
It has a straightforward initial setup.
The solution can scale.
It's a stable product.
Technical support is good.
The solution is now taking eight to 12 months to deliver the product. It takes too long to receive it right now.
Depending on how you design the setup, it can get complicated.
I've been dealing with the solution for ten or more years.
It's a stable solution. We haven't had any issues. It's reliable and the performance is good.
You can scale the solution quite well. It's a good option for enterprises or large rollouts.
It's been so far, so good with technical support. We're satisfied with it overall.
We also use Ruckus Wireless.
The initial setup's level of difficulty depends on how we design the network. It can be very complicated if we're talking on a campus level and there are a thousand touch points.
I'm a systems integrator. I can implement the product for clients.
The price is reasonable.
We are a system integrator, an IT company.
We are still selling the latest version.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. The customers for the most part are happy with it.
We are using Aruba Wireless to connect our internal network.
The user interface could be improved in Aruba Wireless. This would make the setup easier.
I have been using Aruba Wireless for approximately three years.
Aruba Wireless is a stable solution.
We have approximately 200 people using this solution in my organization.
I have used the support from Aruba Wireless.
I rate the support from Aruba Wireless a four out of five.
I was previously using Cisco small business. We switched to Aruba Wireless because the capacity was better and was more stable. I wanted to switch to SQL Enterprise but the price was very high compared to Aruba Wireless.
Aruba Wireless has been straightforward to set up.
I rate the initial setup of Aruba Wireless a four out of five.
I have received a return on investment while using Aruba Wireless.
The price of Aruba Wireless has a more competitive price than other solutions.
I rate the price of Aruba Wireless a four of five.
I rate Aruba Wireless an eight out of ten.
We use the product predominately for beacons and peer devices.
It has very flexible features.
I believe more security options are needed.
I have been using the product for seven or eight years.
We have not had any problems with the stability of the product.
It is a scalable solution.
When we have had to use support, everything from the service was helpful.
We have used Cisco products in the past.
The setup is not a problem, it only took five minutes or so.
We used five technicians for the deployment of the product.
I rate Aruba Wireless a nine out of ten.
It gives us centralized management for all campuses and all wireless access points. Students have guest networks, so the centralized management help us to manage all of users.
Some of the diagnostic features I'd expect to help me troubleshoot parts of the network are missing. I'd like to have diagnostic tools to pinpoint where devices are not getting good signals and why.
We've been using it for about four to five years.
We've had no issues with deployment.
We've had only minimal outages over the past 5 years thanks to the High Availability solution for the controllers and the access points. If we do have an outage on one controller, the access points can free-associate to another controller on another campus and still function properly for the students and staff. So this is a very stable solution.
We've been able to scale sufficiently for our needs.
Customer service and technical support have always been great. We've never had an issue getting support from Aruba. We've always had quick responses and very helpful solutions when we contact them.
Before Aruba, we were on individual "fat" access points, so we had to manage each one individually.
It's pretty simple. Once the master controller and the local controllers are set up, it's just a matter of syncing the configurations, so you do the configuration once on the centralized controller, and everything gets replicated to all the local controllers at each campus. Adding, removing, changing, bringing on new controllers to replace old controllers is a pretty simple process.
I think originally we were in the $30-50,000 range, with yearly maintenance costs and support for licensing, which cost $10-$15,000.
We needed a more centrally-managed solution so that you didn't have to manage each individual AP. When we sought out quotes, we looked at Aruba, Meru, Cisco, and a couple of others. Based on the features and the scalability and all the deployment solutions and everything that we needed, Aruba was the best solution for us.
Make sure you get a proper configuration. Do a proper site survey of your location to know what you need to configure and how you need to customize it to your own environment so that when you deploy your wireless, you're not popping up with any surprises from a bad signal or bad interference in certain places. Just make sure you know your area and you customize your solution around what your area provides for you.