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Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs ExtremeCloud IQ comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Juniper Mist Wireless Acces...
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Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
8.0
Number of Reviews
19
Ranking in other categories
Wireless LAN (8th)
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.1
Number of Reviews
118
Ranking in other categories
Wireless LAN (4th)
ExtremeCloud IQ
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
75
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (9th), Network Access Control (NAC) (11th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (20th)
 

Mindshare comparison

Wireless LAN
Network Management Applications
 

Featured Reviews

Gyan Sharma - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers good performance, good solution and smooth implementation
I do have a suggestion: it would be helpful to have even stronger security features to help protect against interference from other nearby access points that aren't part of our network. If there are access points from other brands installed nearby; they can cause interference and disrupt the range of our Mist access points. So, the security features could be stronger, especially in terms of authentication. The connectivity is excellent, but security needs improvement. In future releases, integrating more AI features would be beneficial. If Mist had stronger AI features, it could provide better security against network threats and cyberattacks. So, this solution still needs to improve its AI capabilities. It would be great if the AI could improve the range of the access points, and auto-protect functionality should be there to avoid interference by other nearby access points and enhance threat detection. In the future, I'd like to see stronger threat detection features integrated with Mist, as well as better detection of nearby access points that might cause interference.
Danila Fradeani - PeerSpot reviewer
Simple-to-use platform with a centralized management system
Deploying Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is relatively easy for our colleagues in the delivery department. They face challenges in planning, learning critical issues, and finding solutions during deployment. However, our team has gained valuable experience handling such deployments over the past three to four years. Currently, I am not directly involved in the configuration, design, or delivery analysis. However, maintenance may present more challenges for us. Our primary proposal for network solutions typically involves Cisco Meraki because our team has a long-standing familiarity and confidence in Cisco technologies. However, we also work with Fortinet, depending on the specific requirements of our customers. We offer both options to ensure we meet the diverse needs of our clients. I rate it an eight out of ten.
KristianLarsen - PeerSpot reviewer
Helps resolve network-related issues quickly and is reasonably priced
The tool has both advantages and weaknesses because it has several pieces of software on which it has been working because of buyouts. The tool has several branches of software versions, and you can consolidate it into ExtremeCloud, but it also has the disadvantage that sometimes people can get issues because the software on the hardware is different than they expected, especially if it is not converted to the tool used. The tool has simplified things, but it also adds a complexity that sometimes stumps some users. In the future, I think the tool’s onboarding setup of a new tenant could be smoother or faster. I also think that they could provide a simpler setup for first-level support so that it can be easier for them to have a support dashboard that would help them. I am talking about customer support organizations, so you usually have a high turnaround, but you need to have something that is easier to use and where you don't need so much training.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"In terms of reporting, in terms of all the user reports, it's very rich."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is Marvis, the AI-driven network management system."
"For the most part, it does what it's supposed to do, and I like it. It's a great product."
"The most valuable feature of Juniper Mist is the Virtual Network Assistant, powered by artificial intelligence."
"You can easily monitor, manage, and cover all your IT equipment."
"It provides private network access, helping us protect our company’s devices."
"The solution is pretty generic and easy to use."
"The AI capabilities of Mist Wireless are superior to other OEMs."
"It's easy to manage and provides a clear network view, allowing efficient navigation down to the network details."
"The product offers HA solutions and redundancy features to ensure reliable operations."
"We rarely encounter any issues. The solutions have been very stable."
"The stability of the Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is very good."
"Meraki WLAN is easy to deploy, includes a cloud controller, and updates continuously. It also offers high visibility."
"We use the solution's bandwidth shaping, URL filtering, and group policy configuration features."
"I really don't have any problems with the stability of the product."
"The solution is fast."
"The technical support for this solution is good."
"Ability to assign zero trust policies from the user."
"It is a scalable solution."
"It is more cost effective and gives more flexibility."
"The feature that I like to most is unified management in a multitenant environment, where we can manage all our customers with thousands of devices (routers, switches, VPNs, and APs)."
"a true controller-less approach, where each Access Point is 100% independent from the management system."
"This solution's most valuable feature is its short deployment time."
"HiveManager is extremely easy to use for anyone with little network experience."
 

Cons

"If you want to do more specific stuff, it's a bit limited."
"Improving third-party integration is key for Juniper Mist's next release."
"Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) could improve if the MIST platform had a built-in master key. This would be an advantage."
"Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points’ support services need improvement."
"They should include SD-WAN features to it."
"It would be helpful to have even stronger security features to help protect against interference from other nearby access points that aren't part of our network."
"The pricing should be made cheaper."
"There is room for improvement in terms of support and installation."
"In the next release, I would like to see the central control plane have the flexibility to control and distribute policies to all LAN networks, balance the traffic, and the performance based on application monitoring."
"The cost of the devices and the solution itself could be more competitive."
"The product's pricing needs improvement."
"They should introduce a grace period of 60 days after license expiry because as it is now, it automatically goes down and there is no grace period."
"Recently I have seen that the Meraki access point, maybe due to congestion, just kicks off my customers, mostly when they are in Zoom meetings or Teams meetings and they have to reconnect."
"Some of their first level support staff does not seem to be well-versed in the solution, so support for Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN needs improvement."
"The wireless infrastructure scalability has room for improvement."
"It could be slightly cheaper but it's fine."
"Having a wizard for customers who are just starting might be helpful."
"We'd like to have a cloud dashboard from which we can see all devices."
"They can improve just the onboarding process. More user information about the introduction to the product would be helpful. It would be good if they have a better user introduction to the new product because it is different than the prior version."
"I know a school district, a big school district of mine, ripped out Extreme due to inefficiencies. It was the guest network that can be a struggle. They tried to differentiate between their primary network, and then offer a secondary."
"The product could support multi-vendor infrastructures."
"Integrating the network access control solution can be complex, as it essentially combines two separate products."
"The tool has simplified things, but it also adds a complexity that sometimes stumps some users."
"An area for improvement in ExtremeCloud IQ is its technical support. Support could be better, especially when you need help concerning ExtremeCloud IQ and WinG."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate the pricing an eight out of ten."
"The solution is expensive."
"We pay maybe 1000 SEK per year, per access point."
"I rate the product price as a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is inexpensive, and ten is expensive. It is a reasonably priced tool."
"I rate Juniper Mist's pricing a ten out of ten since it is expensive."
"If a customer has a budget of around five lakhs in Indian currency, they can afford Juniper products."
"The pricing is too high."
"The pricing is something Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) can work on. The pricing is very high compared to the competition."
"Higher subscription fee may be necessary if extra features are required."
"We are on a SmartNet contract. All of our Cisco products are licensed under one contract. I do not think there are any additional costs."
"The product is expensive. I rate the pricing a nine out of ten."
"​If you are wondering if Meraki can work for you, contact one of their representatives because they will do onsite trials where you can set up their system. If it does not work, you can send it back to them for no charge.​​"
"Cisco products are generally recognized for their performance and quality, which may justify the higher price point compared to other options on the market."
"The tool is reasonably priced."
"It could be more affordable than other solutions."
"At this price point, I would not mind seeing a four-way channel, instead of a 3x3 or a 4x4, like they do in the Cisco Aironet system with their other brand. For the same price point in this other Cisco brand, it is a lot cheaper, and you can get a slightly better throughput than you can with these."
"I did a multi-year license. It was a three-year license. It compares well with others in terms of the price. It is about a hundred dollars per year on a three-year scale."
"Customers need to pay a yearly licensing fee for ExtremeCloud IQ, which is a little bit expensive."
"Although the pricing is a bit high, I consider Aerohive to be well worth the money."
"It is easy for customers to use this product because they are able to interchange the license depending on their usage rather than having to buy individual licenses for each asset."
"It is not the cheapest product but I think that the price is reasonable because you get a lot of support of it's needed."
"Bring the cost down."
"This solution offers annual licensing that is middle of the range in terms of cost."
"ExtremeCloud IQ's pricing is medium, but its support contract costs more."
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Answers from the Community

EB
Aug 10, 2021
Aug 10, 2021
Depends. I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them. Extreme I am not, so unless they have some feature that I need or want, I wouldn't consider them. Do you have experience with any of these brands? If so, based on your experience would you use that brand again? Also what other equipment do you have on your network? Firewall? Router? APs? Security (Cameras, door...
2 out of 5 answers
RM
Mar 25, 2021
I have Extreme and chose them years ago when they were Aerohive for one reason PPSK they are still the only company that has this.  I put out a bid this year and was ready to forklift my entire extreme system because of their outrageous maintenance costs Aruba had a great maintenance cost but to achieve what I needed I would have to purchase clearpass an excellent product I might add.   TCO for Aruba was about 10% of my original Extreme quote.  The bid for extreme came in and they had dropped the maintenance cost to 10% of the original cost for 5 years.  I would like to have purchased Aruba but I have 125 Extreme WAPs deployed so the cost of Aruba forklift would have been higher and the need to retrain techs on how to configure Aruba is now not an issue.  If I was doing a system from scratch I would choose Aruba hands down for their service, price and ease of use.  I have a full Aruba network of routers and switches as well as all HP printers so it would have been a good fit. I must add this is based on educational prices I am the network Engineer for a residential High School ASMSA.  Your prices may vary.  I have heard from other extreme users that their support is not what it was when Aerohive was a stand alone company, I have a very knowledgeable vendor so I rarely have to contact Extreme.
MF
Mar 25, 2021
Depends.  I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them.  Extreme I am not, so unless they have some feature that I need or want, I wouldn't consider them. Do you have experience with any of these brands?  If so, based on your experience would you use that brand again? Also what other equipment do you have on your network?  Firewall? Router? APs? Security (Cameras, door locks etc.)?  Are there any functions with one of these brands of switches that would enhance the products you already have?  Sometimes you get more bang for your buck by sticking with the same manufacture as they will have features on different products that work together well or feed off of each other. If all of that comes down to the same three brands still, then look at performance claims, features sets, cost. We have the Meraki AP's and I like the cloud management portion of them.  But if you don't renew with them to use the cloud then the AP's are worthless as the require the cloud management.  But it is nice to have that central, visual representation and central management feature Meraki has to offer.  I don't know if Extreme Networks or Aruba has that. 
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
7%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Computer Software Company
20%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Educational Organization
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Educational Organization
10%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What are pros and cons of Aruba 515 Series AP vs. Cisco Meraki or Extreme Networks?
Depends. I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them. Extreme I am not, so unless they h...
Which is better - Cisco Wireless or Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?
Cisco Wireless is very robust, very rugged, and can handle indoor and outdoor coverage extremely well. We found it to...
How does Ruckus Wireless compare to Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?
Cisco’s Meraki Virtual MX is a virtual instance of the Meraki SD-WAN appliance. We liked the Meraki. The Wifi APs are...
What do you like most about ExtremeCloud IQ?
The Client 360 feature provides a comprehensive view of your clients and their activities, including the devices they...
What needs improvement with ExtremeCloud IQ?
There can be an improvement by incorporating two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication for security. A...
 

Also Known As

Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series), Mist Access Points
MR18, MR26, MR32, MR34, MR66, MR72, Meraki Wireless LAN, Meraki WLAN
Aerohive Networks, Aerohive HiveManager, HiveManager, ExtremeCloud , ExtremeSecurity
 

Learn More

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Advanced Medical Transport, Banco de Guayaquil, Baylor Scott & White Health, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, Calligaris, Children's Hospital Colorado, City of Biel, Del Papa Distributing, Department of Justice, Dimension Data, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Hertz, K&L Gates , LightEdge, Lone Star College System, Management Science Associates, Mindtree, NBC Olympics, Quest, Sony Corporation, The Department of Education in Western Australia, Valley Proteins
Henry Ford Health System, Baltimore Ravens, Brandili, Federal University of Alagoas, CEDAE, Caxias do Sul, UNISC Concurrency, CenturyLink Field, Louisiana College, Cricket Tasmania Stadium, Moscow Internet Exchange
Find out what your peers are saying about HPE Aruba Networking, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless LAN. Updated: November 2024.
824,095 professionals have used our research since 2012.