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Marco Attene - PeerSpot reviewer
Consulting System Engineer at World Wide Technology
Real User
Reliable, easy to set up, and has helpful support
Pros and Cons
  • "We found the initial setup to be straightforward."
  • "We would like to have the lead times improved."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is primarily used for wireless connectivity.

What is most valuable?

The solution is stable and reliable.

It scales well. 

We found the initial setup to be straightforward. 

The support has proven itself to be helpful. 

What needs improvement?

We would like to have the lead times improved. Right now, when you create a design and want to provide it to the customer, they are very late to cosign everything.

The solution is pretty expensive. We'd like to see lower pricing in the future. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for a while. I'm not sure how long I've used it. 

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Wireless WAN
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Wireless WAN. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. We find it to be reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We can scale the solution as needed. It's not a problem.

We have more than 1,000 users on the solution.

How are customer service and support?

We've contacted support, yet not necessarily for technical issues. We have used them for other things, and they were rather helpful. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

the initial setup is quite simple and straightforward. I'd rate the experience a four out of five in terms of ease of implementation. It's not difficult. 

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

The cost of the licensing depends on the access point.

On the low end, the solution costs probably around $1200 to $1300 for five years. It's an expensive product.

I'd rate the product a three out of five in terms of affordability.

What other advice do I have?

We are Cisco partners.

I'd advise new users to check the documentation and go over it pretty thoroughly at the outset. It's important to read everything before you start. If you miss something, it may cause you to troubleshoot and spend more time than you need to figure things out. 

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1334250 - PeerSpot reviewer
Delivery Manager Network Services at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
Reliable and scalable with a straightforward setup
Pros and Cons
  • "It's a reliable solution."
  • "The pricing of the solution could always be better."

What is most valuable?

We trust Cisco. It's a reliable solution. Reliability is most probably the most valuable feature for our organization.

The solution does exactly what we need it to do.

The initial setup is mostly straightforward.

What needs improvement?

The pricing of the solution could always be better. If they could work to make the costs more competitive, that would be ideal.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for more than ten years at this point. It's been 12 to 13 years or so. It's been a long time.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the solution is quite good. It's reliable. It doesn't crash or freeze. There are no bugs or glitches.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability potential of the solution is very good. If a company needs to expand it, they can.

If I look just now at my area and the locations I'm responsible for, we have more than 2,000 users. However, we use the product globally, and if we look at it from that perspective, we have more than 20,000 users actively using it every day. Of course, with COVID, and people now working from home, it's likely less at the moment.

How are customer service and technical support?

I'm pretty satisfied with the documentation as well as with the support. If we have any challenges or issues, Cisco is usually always able to help us. They are helpful, knowledgeable, and responsive to our needs.

How was the initial setup?

In terms of the initial implementation, it is always dependant on what knowledge you have and the level of experience. The more you have, of course, the easier it is. For us, it's not difficult anymore. I'd describe the process as pretty straightforward and quite easy to set up on a new site.

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

The solution does come with a price tag. It's not the least expensive option on the market.

What other advice do I have?

We are a customer and end-user. We don't have a business relationship with Cisco.

We use a lot of Cisco products, including Cisco Catalyst Switches, Wireless WAN, and Cisco Nexus.

We use one of the latest access points, however, we are not up to date on the newest controller versions as our versions are still supported. We plan to replace them probably in the next one or two years. It's not the latest, let's say, controller version. However, from a software standpoint, we are still up to date.

I would recommend the solution to others. However, they have to be prepared to pay the price and have the budget for the product.

In general, I would rate the solution at a nine out of ten. We've been extremely satisfied with its capabilities.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Wireless WAN
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Wireless WAN. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Md Manirul Islam - PeerSpot reviewer
Assistant general manager at Beximcocomputers
Real User
Top 10
Useful dashboards, secure, and good support
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Cisco Wireless WAN are the dashboards, security functionality, and Cisco DNA center. The way the solution has integrated within the fabric of the environment with automation is very good."
  • "The setup of Cisco Wireless WAN needs an expert. You need someone with experience to be able to work with Cisco Wireless solutions. It took approximately one to two weeks to implement the solution."

What is our primary use case?

Cisco Wireless WAN works well in an enterprise environment.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Cisco Wireless WAN are the dashboards, security functionality, and Cisco DNA center. The way the solution has integrated within the fabric of the environment with automation is very good.

What needs improvement?

Cisco Wireless WAN could improve the wireless environment visibility. For example, the information regarding bandwidth use, conditions of the network, and application visibility.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Wireless WAN for approximately five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of Cisco Wireless WAN is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cisco Wireless WAN is a scalable solution. You are able to purchase as many licenses as required.

I have worked with this solution in large environments. We have had clients with approximately 2,000 users.

How are customer service and support?

The support from Cisco is good.

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

I have used Aruba Wireless.

How was the initial setup?

The setup of Cisco Wireless WAN needs an expert. You need someone with experience to be able to work with Cisco Wireless solutions. It took approximately one to two weeks to implement the solution.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation of Cisco Wireless WAN will need at least a field engineer to do the configuration of the appliance.

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

The license is not subscription-based.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Cisco Wireless WAN a ten 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
reviewer1279254 - PeerSpot reviewer
3rd Line Systems Engineer at a legal firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Highly scalable, nice GUI visuals, and helpful support
Pros and Cons
  • "The Cisco solution is good, the new GUI looks good and we are seeing more telemetry from it."
  • "The new platform of Cisco Wireless WAN I did not like, there weren't many features available. The online platform has more options."

What is our primary use case?

We use Cisco Wireless WAN for our internal and guests users. We have recently migrated to the newest version of the solution.

What is most valuable?

The Cisco solution is good, the new GUI looks good and we are seeing more telemetry from it.

What needs improvement?

The new platform of Cisco Wireless WAN I did not like, there weren't many features available. The online platform has more options.

We found ourselves needing to integrate Cisco Wireless WAN with another Cisco product, called Cisco DNA, to try and receive more assurance on the data. It's another piece of hardware that you're putting onto your network. It could have been a cloud solution. Before Cisco, we used to have Cisco Prime which used to give us more in-depth analytics, such as heat maps of someone complaining about wireless access in a specific area. You could drill down into that, but you don't receive that information from the Cisco controller. We will receive the information if we implemented the DNAC solution, but it is another solution that we're implementing from Cisco. A competitor could probably do it in a better way reducing the need for multiple solutions.

Overall Cisco Wireless WAN could improve by giving more granular reporting and alerts back on issues and not having to integrate other tools onto the same platform. However, the platform is new, the interface is continually developing. Hopefully, they can improve quickly.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Wireless WAN for approximately 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I found the new version of Cisco Wireless WAN initially seemed to be quite buggy. However, the stability is good overall.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This model of Cisco Wireless WAN has good scalability. You can have ten of thousands of people using it.

We have approximately 4,000 users of this solution globally. The solution is used hourly.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support from Cisco Wireless WAN is good. However, they were better before.

How was the initial setup?

As people were transitioning to this Cisco Wireless WAN hardware, there wasn't as much available information online about different issues people might come across.

When determining if the implementation is going to be difficult it would depend on the topology of the sites. We're a global company, and on some of the sites where it was a standalone controller, it was straightforward to implement. However, on a different site when we were using the physical appliance, as a virtual wireless anchor that was in our own cloud, integrating that wasn't seamless.

What about the implementation team?

We had help from the vendor when we were doing the implementation.

We have one person that does the maintenance and patching of the solution.

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

The price of Cisco Wireless WAN could improve upon pricing, it is expensive. We purchased the hardware through a vendor that Cisco used and we received approximately 75 percent off.

We are on a three-year license with Cisco Wireless WAN.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated the Cisco Meraki solution before we made the decision to choose the on-premise solution. One reason we choose the on-premise solution is we were already using one. When choosing which one is better, it is difficult because I did not use Cisco Meraki extensively to determine which one is best.

What other advice do I have?

Since we have recently migrated to the new version of the Cisco Wireless WAN platform the interface has changed and I'm still getting used to it.

I would recommend Cisco Wireless WAN. However, that's because my exposure is to Cisco Wireless. I'm probably a little bit biased. Overall, it's a fairly good solution.

Whether this solution is suitable or not for a company depends on their deployment, if they were a Greenfield-sized company or a Brownfield-sized company I would have different tips. It does fully depend on the scenario. My key advice is with a wireless solution is for them to do a wireless survey first before purchasing.

I rate Cisco Wireless WAN 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
reviewer963381 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Project Manager at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Good documentation, stable, and integrates easily
Pros and Cons
  • "This is the most stable product in the market."
  • "The reporting feature needs improvement, especially adding information with regards to availability uptime."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case for this solution is supplying Wi-Fi to public users.

We have been using this solution for 3D uploading and providing resources for users. Our goal is to offload traffic from mobile devices while people are at work.

We have been installing this solution in malls, the university, and other buildings. We have deployed this solution across the whole country.

What is most valuable?

This is the most stable product in the market.

The documentation is very good and it's available everywhere. If you use Google to search then you will get it all.

The integration is easy.

What needs improvement?

The reporting feature needs improvement, especially adding information with regards to availability uptime. Currently, we have to calculate this on our own by using a performance tool and then customize the reports to display it. This information is a major concern for us because we need to know how much uptime is available to our customers.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution since 2015.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable solution and we have not had any problems. We have not found any bugs.

The only problem that we have had is related to power failures, which has nothing to do with the product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have deployed this solution across the country, and anyone who is in the kingdom can use Wi-Fi for free for two hours. We have thousands of users.

We will be deploying more Cisco products because the integration is easy, and our core is already made up of Cisco.

How are customer service and technical support?

We are satisfied with the technical support from Cisco.

They are not only taking care of the Wi-Fi. Cisco has also deployed the IP MPLS network.

Whenever we have a problem and we explain it to them, they try their best to solve it.

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

Previously, we were using the Cisco 5500 series and the 8500 series.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of this solution is not complex because there is lots of documentation available and it is very good. Instead of being complex, it becomes easy for you.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We are also using a solution by Aruba. Some of the features are better with Cisco, whereas different features are better in Aruba.

We also evaluated Nokia and we found it more difficult to integrate.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
PeerSpot user
Production of pharmaceutical products at khaled.miles@labosalem.com
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
It's a highly stable solution with wide coverage
Pros and Cons
  • "Cisco Wireless access points are highly stable with a wide coverage area."
  • "Cisco Wireless WAN is expensive."

What is most valuable?

Cisco Wireless access points are highly stable with a wide coverage area. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Cisco Wireless WAN for seven years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cisco Wireless WAN is highly scalable. We have around 200 users. If we need more Wi-Fi coverage, we can purchase more equipment and add another access point. 

How are customer service and support?

Cisco support is fast and helpful. 

How was the initial setup?

It isn't complex if you have experience with Cisco equipment. You have to make room on the access point and ensure it is controlled. It might be difficult for a new user. The setup is large, and there are a lot of configuration options.  It takes about two days to configure all the access points. You need to set up the equipment, make the SSID, and configure the traffic settings for the access point.

What was our ROI?

Though Cisco Wireless is expensive, we don't need to purchase a lot of equipment. Two or three access points can cover an area of about 2,000 meters.

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

Cisco Wireless WAN is expensive. We have a three-year license.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Cisco Wireless WAN nine out of 10. I recommend it if you're looking for a stable wireless solution with a wide coverage area.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Hameed Ullah - PeerSpot reviewer
Enterprise data network expert at SIH Islamabad, Pakistan
Real User
It's stable controller-based solution for a medium-sized office environment
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is straightforward, and you need to spend around six to 10 weeks to set up one controller."
  • "We feel that Cisco is quite expensive, so we're looking for a reasonable alternative. We are considering Aruba and some other brands that are less expensive. Cisco works fine, but the issue is the annual licensing and support costs."

What is our primary use case?

We needed a controller-based wireless solution for a medium-sized office environment that can support six to 10 APs. We have around 35 users in our office.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Cisco Wireless for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cisco Wireless is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cisco Wireless is scalable.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward, and you need to spend around six to 10 weeks to set up one controller. We have two managers and around six to 10 technical guys for maintenance.

What about the implementation team?

We could deploy it without outside help because we have technical expertise.

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

We feel that Cisco is quite expensive, so we're looking for a reasonable alternative. We are considering Aruba and some other brands that are less expensive. Cisco works fine, but the issue is the annual licensing and support costs. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Cisco Wireless WAN eight out of 10. If budget weren't an issue, I would highly recommend Cisco.

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
Radek Skrivanek - PeerSpot reviewer
Department Leader: Project Leadership Production Compact at SKODA AUTO a.s.
Real User
Top 5
Scales well, good technical support, but stability could improve
Pros and Cons
  • "The technical support we have experienced has been good."
  • "The solution could be more stable."

What is our primary use case?

We have many computers that we have connected to this network device.

What needs improvement?

In the future, Cisco Wireless WAN could improve its ability to expand.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution could be more stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have found the scalability to be good. We have approximately 200 people using the solution in my organization and we have plans to increase usage.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support we have experienced has been good.

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

I have used Ubiquiti previously and this solution is more stable.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

Our IT department is approximately 50 people and we have a team of five technicians that do the implementation and maintenance of the solution.

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

There is a license that is needed for the use of this solution.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Cisco Wireless WAN a seven 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: February 2025
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Download our free Cisco Wireless WAN Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.