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reviewer2356428 - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead Network Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Top 10
Useful for enterprise deployments but pricing is expensive
Pros and Cons
  • "Before COVID, the emphasis was primarily on wireless connectivity in specific areas like conference rooms. However, with the shift to remote work and increased mobility, coverage areas needed to be expanded to accommodate users throughout the entire location. We are beginning to expand our infrastructure."
  • "Cisco Wireless needs to improve pricing. I understand that Cisco products are typically more expensive than other vendors. Therefore, I believe that adjusting the pricing could potentially be beneficial. Discounts may be available depending on the customer or type of purchase, which could help offset the higher costs."

What needs improvement?

Cisco Wireless needs to improve pricing. I understand that Cisco products are typically more expensive than other vendors. Therefore, I believe that adjusting the pricing could potentially be beneficial. Discounts may be available depending on the customer or type of purchase, which could help offset the higher costs.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with the product since 2008. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Before COVID, the emphasis was primarily on wireless connectivity in specific areas like conference rooms. However, with the shift to remote work and increased mobility, coverage areas needed to be expanded to accommodate users throughout the entire location. We are beginning to expand our infrastructure. 

How are customer service and support?

I wouldn't give support a ten out of ten since we may get bad engineers for support.

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Wireless
April 2025
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How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

I rate the tool's deployment an eight out of ten. The deployment time for a new project depends on various factors, such as the size of the network and the need for planning and gathering necessary information. The most time-consuming aspect is determining the placement of access points. However, configuring the wireless control is generally straightforward.

The maintenance required for Cisco Wireless depends on the specific deployment and deployment model. Generally, some level of maintenance will be necessary, such as keeping the software up to date.

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

I rate the tool's pricing a ten out of ten. It is expensive compared to Aruba and Juniper. 

What other advice do I have?

The scenario where Cisco Wireless significantly improved network performance isn't directly about performance but adaptability. With the shift to remote work during COVID, everyone became more mobile. Now, returning to the office, there's less reliance on fixed connections. People need to be adaptable. We need mobile devices like laptops and tablets, which rely on wireless connections to enable this. Transitioning from a wired setup to a wireless one allows for greater adaptability.

Currently, we only have wireless control for managing the wireless network. We're seeking a solution to handle wireless and wider network management. The product integrates easily with the existing infrastructure, like routers and switches. 

I rate the overall product an eight out of ten. Whether to recommend Cisco Wireless to others depends on several factors. If they already have a Cisco deployment of devices, it's often easier to integrate and manage, making it a suitable choice. However, other products like Aruba might be more cost-effective. Cisco Wireless is particularly well-suited for enterprise deployments. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2223285 - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Communications Manager at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Helps with user access and comes with high bandwidth
Pros and Cons
  • "The tool's most valuable features are security, flexibility, user activity, and high bandwidth."
  • "Cisco Wireless needs to improve compatibility with Apple devices. Its deployment should also be made easier. It should also reduce the complexity around security."

What is our primary use case?

We use the product for user access. 

What is most valuable?

The tool's most valuable features are security, flexibility, user activity, and high bandwidth. 

What needs improvement?

Cisco Wireless needs to improve compatibility with Apple devices. Its deployment should also be made easier. It should also reduce the complexity around security. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the product for more than ten years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the product's stability an eight out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate Cisco Wireless' scalability a nine out of ten. My company has 5000 users. 

How was the initial setup?

I rate the tool's deployment a seven out of ten. We encounter challenges setting up attributed domain groups, country portals, and consoles. It takes six months to complete. Initially, our process involves identifying the requirements, evaluating different brands, and selecting a suitable solution. Once we finalize the details, we will create a digital deployment plan. The actual deployment starts based on this plan.

Regarding the deployment team, we require four engineers for the deployment process. You need security engineers to handle the deployment. 

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

I rate the tool's pricing a seven out of ten. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Aruba and Fortinet products before choosing the solution. We chose it because of the stability and local support. 

What other advice do I have?

Reviewing the security requirements is essential because security is complex and requires detailed policies to control access to the network environment. I rate the product an eight out of ten. 

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
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Wireless
April 2025
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Wireless. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.
848,716 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Network & Information Security Engineer at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Excellent support and lots of great features but needs a better interface
Pros and Cons
  • "The stability is great. It's very reliable."
  • "Older versions used to be hard to deploy. The latest OS, however, has made things a lot easier. While deployment is much better, it could always be even easier."

What is most valuable?

The support from Cisco is always excellent. It's often better than other options, including Aruba.

The product has so many features. If there are maybe a hundred features, a typical organization may only need 60 or 65 at maximum. There's a wide variety of options to choose from.  

The stability is great. It's very reliable. 

You can do multiple layers with the new OS that Cisco offers. 

The new OS streamlines the Cisco offering and it's been very good. 

The solution can scale well.

What needs improvement?

Cisco moved from the 5000 series, which was a different OS, to a newer OS, right. The 9800, for example, practically improved how a wireless switch or wireless controller should work, which was not so good in terms of Cisco in the earlier versions. It's improved a lot, however, if you are using older versions, you are on a different OS, and it's not as good as it is now. 

Older versions used to be hard to deploy. The latest OS, however, has made things a lot easier. While deployment is much better, it could always be even easier. 

The interface could be improved. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for five years or so. We used it for a while, then left it, then came back to it. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is very good. I can't find any fault. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's very reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is nice. 

We have about 10,000 to 12,000 or so users on the solution right now. 

I'm not sure if we plan to increase usage. We are already 100% covered. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support from Cisco is very good. It's always been much better than its competitors in this regard. We are quite satisfied with how helpful and responsive they continue to be. There is no equivalent on the market. They simply will not let you down.

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

I currently also use Aruba. I also have worked with Extreme. 

There are very similar devices and have the same features for the most part. Both are stable and excellent in terms of capabilities. Cisco, however, does offer better support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is now pretty straightforward. Cisco came out with a new OS that streamlined everything - including the initial setup. Where Aruba used to be easier (in terms of implementation), Cisco, with its newest updates, has very much improved and they are neck and neck in terms of ease of setup.

I can get a Cisco network up and running n 30 minutes. If someone knows how a Cisco controller works, I am sure, even with the HA, that person can build one full working controller within one hour. For me, in a lab set up with a virtual machine, in a maximum of 30 minutes, I can bring it up and make a small network work. Within one hour I can do that setup.

What about the implementation team?

I can handle the initial setup myself using the GUI for the controller. 

What was our ROI?

We don't really see Cisco as a solution that provides an ROI. It's more of a required service for us. 

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

The licensing is usually for an average of three years, depending on what we buy.

There may be some add-ons that could cost a bit more. 

While, typically, Cisco is a little bit more costly, the costs also depend on your relationship with Cisco.

What other advice do I have?

I'm a customer and an end-user.

We are using versions six and eight, a mix of both.

We tend to use the on-premises deployment model as we are in healthcare and there are restrictions on what we can do with the cloud and what we cannot do with the cloud.

For those considering the solution, I'd advise them to make sure the support is good in their area or for the solution you choose and that there are knowledgeable people around so that if there are any issues, they can be addressed. 

I would rate the solution at a seven out of ten.

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
Telecommunications Specialistde Telecomunicaciones at Telalca
Real User
Overall high quality, great customer service, and simple installation
Pros and Cons
  • "The ability to make different types of networks, such as land networks, is the most valuable part of the solution."
  • "There are some areas of improvement needed in roaming and streaming."

What is our primary use case?

Some of my clients have used this product as a Mobility Express Solution and a Mobility Controller. There are numerous potential use cases for this product.

What is most valuable?

The ability to make different types of networks, such as land networks, is the most valuable part of the solution.

What needs improvement?

There are some areas of improvement in roaming and streaming.

In the next release, I would like to see VPN features and the client match feature available in Aruba Wireless. Additionally, I would like a feature to see where a particular client is during roaming and the information about a client should be shared better throughout their connection activity.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for approximately four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is very good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. It is great because if you have an enterprise, you can deploy the solutions with the network controllers physically or with the Mobility Express you can make a cluster without the controller. We have 20 to 30 clients and at our main office, we have 200 employees which use the solution wirelessly.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is great, I never had any problem with them. When I needed support or to make a ticket they always responded to me.

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

My clients, and I, have used Ruckus networks previously. My clients wanted to move to Cisco because they know the value Cisco offers and are thinking of implement some IoT solutions in the future, they wanted top quality. Later they also found Cisco is a little bit easier to implement.

How was the initial setup?

I did not have any problems doing the installation. I had enough step by step information from Cisco to follow and with the troubleshooting.

What about the implementation team?

It took me approximately three months to deploy the solution, but this involved going to different parts of Ecuador to fully implement it. The deployment took two engineers to put the AP physically into place.

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

The price is a little high. However, you get what you pay for. The quality of the product is high, you will find it is worth the money. There is some additional cost, for example, customer support.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have evaluated Aruba Wireless in the past, they had some features Cisco does not that were useful.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend this product because it is easy to implement, and it has good performance with utilities that are needed within the office.

I rate Cisco Wireless a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
PeerSpot user
Gerente División Plataforma at Sonda S.A.
MSP
Stable with good basic features and extremely scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is pretty straightforward."
  • "In Latin America, Cisco is very expensive in comparison to other technologies."

What is our primary use case?

We are primarily using the solution for wireless connectivity and expedience.

What is most valuable?

The basic features of the solution are excellent. 

The product has very good internet and internal systems for general applications.

Technical support is pretty good.

We've found the product to be fairly stable.

The solution can scale.

The initial setup is pretty straightforward.

What needs improvement?

For the customer, it would be ideal if the solution had more global reach. It's a bit complicated to explain, however.

The documentation can be a bit confusing. It would be better if it was easier to follow.

We're hoping that the solution will work well with 5G.

In Latin America, Cisco is very expensive in comparison to other technologies.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for maybe one year at this point.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. There are issues with bugs or glitches. It's reliable. It doesn't crash or freeze at all.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is extremely scalable. Cisco makes it very easy for a company to expand the offering if they need to. It's a good selling feature.

How are customer service and technical support?

I would say 60% of the technical support team are very experienced in the solution. They are quite good to work with, for the most part. We're quite satisfied with the level of support we get from them. That said, I wish that the documentation provided by the company could be better.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex at all. Cisco makes the implementation very, very easy.

I'm not an IT technician and therefore don't know exactly how long a deployment takes. I don't install the solution personally by myself.

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

The cost of the solution is quite high in our region. It would be better if they could take cost into consideration in Latin America to make it more reasonable for local companies.

What other advice do I have?

We're a partner with Cisco. We aren't just a customer.

Overall, I would rate the solution eight out of ten. If it was more reasonably priced for the local market, I might create it a bit higher.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Shrijendra Shakya - PeerSpot reviewer
Shrijendra ShakyaC.T.O at Sastra Network Solution Inc. Pvt. Ltd.
Real User

Yes, agree to the review and its extremely stable and scalable platform.

it_user836463 - PeerSpot reviewer
Operations at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees
Real User
Captive guest network is one of the best, but AP concurrent client processing needs work
Pros and Cons
  • "Compared to other solutions, captive guest network is one of the best isolation and tunneling."
  • "The ability to disable RRM or set hybrid RRM provides a more granular design of RF in the environment."
  • "Improvement needed in RRM, ATF, Ortho-Polarization, AP concurrent client processing."

What is our primary use case?

Survey/design and deploy Cisco Wireless (3500/3600/3700) in hospitals/universities.  The object was 100% coverage with RTLS support.

The challenges are RF propagation control and saturation with RRM. Another is future-proofing capacity. In the 3700 series, ATF was the limiting factor in Cisco’s solution.

How has it helped my organization?

Compared to other solutions, captive guest network is one of the best isolation and tunneling. All other features of RF are average.

What is most valuable?

  • The ability to disable RRM or set hybrid RRM. This provides a more granular design of RF in the environment.
  • CLI controller/RF debugging.

What needs improvement?

  • RRM
  • ATF
  • Ortho-Polarization
  • AP concurrent client processing

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No issues with stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Performance issues.

How are customer service and technical support?

I would rate tech support 7.5 out of 10 on the RF side. Overall, it’s what you would expect for Cisco.

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

Switched to Cisco because of upper-level decision.

How was the initial setup?

Pretty straightforward if you understand RF and what the options mean on the WLC.

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

Expensive.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Aruba, Aerohive, Ruckus, UBNT, Mikrotik.

What other advice do I have?

I’ve been working with Cisco Wireless since 2008. Although CPI and controllers have come a long way, the AP is the limiting factor. There are a lot of assumptions in the controller algorithm.

Don’t just conduct a passive survey. Set up three APs and do an active survey with RRM enabled among three.

Cisco’s wireless solution is a seven out of 10, in my experience, compared to other solutions. It has limitations on the polarization processing.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Muhammad Harun-Owr-Roshid - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at BRIGHT-i SYSTEMS LIMITED
Reseller
Top 10
Offers central management, reliability, ensures the bandwidth, and segregates the network
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution offers central management, reliability, and signal, ensures the bandwidth, and segregates the network. It also maintains the authentication process in the compass solution, which is good regarding multiple software."
  • "The solution should introduce natural language troubleshooting processes. It will identify possible problems or errors due to the symptoms."

What is our primary use case?

We provide solutions to a university and Cisco Wireless is one of them. 

What is most valuable?

The solution offers central management, reliability, and signal, ensures the bandwidth, and segregates the network. It also maintains the authentication process in the compass solution, which is good regarding multiple software.

What needs improvement?

The solution should introduce natural language troubleshooting processes. It will identify possible problems or errors due to the symptoms.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable.

I rate the solution’s stability a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is good for expansion. We cater the solution to enterprise businesses.

I rate the solution’s scalability a seven out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

Sometimes, the solution has lingering issues with the other dependencies.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is a bit complex. It depends on the project size and requirements. It takes almost a day, excluding the infrastructure part.

I rate the initial setup an eight out of ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy.

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

Cisco’s pricing is top ranking in the market and the competition out of 300 products. It is moderate. Cisco Wireless has a complex licensing model. While some features are offered without a license for integration and central management, others require licensing for activation. SmartNet support and other tools are also necessary, adding to the complexity. Segregating the costs into one-time payments for integration licenses and separate payments for SmartNet could reduce overall costs.

What other advice do I have?

We recommend Cisco for enterprise customers because they are already invested in Cisco solutions. Once the setup is complete, they can utilize existing accessories. Additionally, Cisco provides fantastic support and robust product features, making it a reliable, high-performance solution for network needs.

Overall, I 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:
PeerSpot user
JaromirLikavec - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Engineer, IT Manager at a educational organization with 51-200 employees
Real User
Simple installation, reliable, and good support
Pros and Cons
  • "The technical support from Cisco is good."
  • "There are some features I would like to have in Cisco Wireless, such as Telemetry and other IoT. However, they are available in the new version of the solution."

What needs improvement?

There are some features I would like to have in Cisco Wireless, such as Telemetry and other IoT. However, they are available in the new version of the solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Wireless for approximately 15 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cisco Wireless solutions are highly scalable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is highly scalable. I have about 60 access points and it is scalable with a thousand access points.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support from Cisco is good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Cisco Wireless is easy.

The process involves taking the Cisco Wireless device and adding it to the network. You connect the device to the controller, and then the controller can be configured. It's very quick and easy.

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

The price of Cisco Wireless equipment is expensive.

Cisco has introduced a subscription pricing model where you have to always pay and renew.

What other advice do I have?

I plan to change to a Catalyst 9800 next year.

If companies already have Cisco wireless infrastructure, the deployment of this solution will be easy.

I rate Cisco Wireless a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
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Updated: April 2025
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