AirMagnet Survey vs Cisco Wireless comparison

The compared NetAlly and Cisco solutions aren't in the same category. NetAlly is ranked #2 in NM , with an average rating of 7.0, and holds a 37.1% mindshare in the category. Cisco is ranked #3 in Wireless LAN , with an average rating of 8.6, and holds a 12.1% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of NetAlly users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

AirMagnet Survey

Read 39 AirMagnet Survey reviews

3,596 Views
1,981 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

Cisco Wireless

Read 150 Cisco Wireless reviews

19,559 Views
18,028 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

AirMagnet Survey

Cisco Wireless

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 8, 2024

Cisco Wireless and AirMagnet Survey compete in the networking solutions category, focusing on wireless infrastructure and site planning, respectively. Cisco Wireless seems to have the upper hand in offering full integration with existing Cisco products and their comprehensive wireless management solutions, whereas AirMagnet Survey stands out for its detailed survey capabilities crucial for network optimization and planning.

Features: Cisco Wireless is known for its robust security features, scalability, and seamless integration with other Cisco products, offering solutions like DNA technology. Its high-performance capabilities are especially suited for environments with high mobility and security needs. AirMagnet Survey excels in detailed survey capabilities, including predictive surveys and support for passive and active analysis. Its sophisticated mapping and reporting are crucial for site planning and troubleshooting.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Wireless could enhance its management features by incorporating cloud-based solutions and improving its GUI for better user experience. Users suggest the need for improved cost efficiency and the inclusion of more intuitive controls. AirMagnet Survey could benefit from improving its licensing flexibility and user interface. More comprehensive integration options and report customization could enhance its user experience, alongside support for a broader range of adapters.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Wireless generally supports on-premises deployment, with some configurations available for hybrid or public cloud setups. Customer service receives mixed reviews, with technical support noted for its responsiveness. AirMagnet Survey primarily offers on-premises and some private cloud support, often receiving high praise for its customer service and technical support effectiveness, especially for initial setup.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Wireless is often considered expensive but is viewed as a premium product with promising ROI due to its performance and reliability. Its pricing includes costs for licensing, hardware, and additional features. AirMagnet Survey is perceived as costly, mainly due to ongoing support expenses. However, its pricing is offset by its thorough capabilities and survey precision, favoring enterprises focused on detailed network mapping and performance.

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November 2024

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Categories and Ranking

AirMagnet Survey

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Modeling and Simulation (2nd), Network Troubleshooting (8th)

Cisco Wireless

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

150

Ranking in other categories

Wireless LAN (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

AirMagnet Survey and Cisco Wireless aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. AirMagnet Survey is designed for Network Modeling and Simulation and holds a mindshare of 37.1%, down 38.0% compared to last year.
Cisco Wireless, on the other hand, focuses on Wireless LAN, holds 12.1% mindshare, down 16.2% since last year.

Network Modeling and Simulation

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

David Olofson

Manager at DD&P Services LLC

It fixes so many problems quickly that we don't regret spending more on high-end tools than most companies

It would be nice to have some more training resources for younger techs. We can use them if we need some assistance, but that usually requires one of us who knows what we're doing to calibrate the programs properly. There's one thing our nXG handhelds do that AirMagnet doesn't do out of the box. The nXG devices can analyze the wired and wireless networks simultaneously and map the networks out. We find it handy. However, if I have that plugged into our older OptiView XG tablets or our laptops, I have no way to analyze both the WiFi and the wired network at the same time and build a single picture with all that data. So far, that's something only our nXG handhelds can do. It would be nice if there were a way to integrate all the network discovery, troubleshooting, and mapping of the WiFi and the wired at the same time. There are almost no products that do that currently. If they managed to do that, they'd probably open up their market pretty quickly.

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Michael Lees

Production Director at Whitespider

Affordable, resilient, and performs better than other solutions in the market

Assurance capabilities must be improved. There should be more Assurance features on the Wireless LAN Controller. A lot of it is bundled into the DNA Center. Having a little more Assurance regarding what the RF Spectrum looks like will be good. Juniper Mist has a lot of analytical data on the dashboard. The customers would be compelled to look at DNA Center as a longer-term and more comprehensive solution if Cisco were to give them an insight into some of the Assurance capabilities that might be available in DNA Center. The tool must provide something like RF Neighbor. It must enable organizations to receive signal strength and signal-to-noise ratio and see how clients perform in their wireless network. It must have a cap. If we want additional functionality to see our entire network, that's where DNA Center fits in.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The predictive survey is the most valuable feature. I use it quite often."

"The most valuable features are the survey, spectrum analysis, and reporting."

"The AirMagnet Survey allows you to see the list of APs in the live view. It only supports certain adapters, which can be limiting, but it's also beneficial because these adapters are more comparable to real-life devices like laptops. With Ekahau, Sidekick needs to be used for full features, but I find the Sidekick too strong, which can hamper results. Therefore, I prefer AirMagnet's approach because the adapters provide more realistic readings."

"The most valuable feature is the predictive survey. The antennas' RF patterns are reflected correctly on the drawing when preparing predictive heat maps."

"Customer service is great."

"It allows us to prepare more real designs. Later, we validate them with actual surveys."

"The addition of the AirMapper software on the nXG and our AirCheck G2s has helped a lot because we're mostly not drilling down into the data. Local managers only need to see the coverage on their end and whether there are performance bottlenecks. These things are easy enough for us to ascertain with iPerf."

"It is reliable and easy to use (user-friendly). The heat mapping, passive network surveying, and doing the heat mapping of a building's wireless network allows me to see what level of coverage an area has."

More AirMagnet Survey pros

"The installation process is very easy."

"Cisco Wireless is mostly stable with a low downrate and the signal rate is good. It is also easy to use."

"The speed and security are most valuable."

"One of the main advantages of Cisco Wireless is its DNAT compatibility. When we have dynamic segmentation, or the DNAT enabled on the LAN, Cisco Access Point integrates with the DNAT architecture. Aruba Switches cannot integrate with the Cisco DNAT architecture."

"The solution is very good at supporting IoT applications."

"Cisco Wireless is one of the more stable products so their products are scalable."

"The solution is easy to use and its stable."

"Our organization has improved using this product because it helps enhance user experience. We use video communication a lot, like Skype. We used to get a lot of interference before and had a lot of issues during wireless voice or video calls. We get greater speed and performance with wireless now. It is nearly the same as a wired network."

More Cisco Wireless pros

Cons

"I would say some of our newer techs that are going out to job sites can be a little bit intimidated by the interface."

"AirMagnet Survey doesn't cover certain devices in the system."

"It'd be nice if it was cheaper, however, you get value for your money."

"Less time consumed doing the real surveys."

"AirMagnet Survey needs to support Wi-Fi 6E otherwise they can lose to the competition. They also need to allow better grouping of SSIDs to one AP, removing the need to filter manually. At the moment, you can filter by channel or SSID, but grouping all those SSIDs together is a difficult task."

"It would be nice to have some more training resources for younger techs. We can use them if we need some assistance, but that usually requires one of us who knows what we're doing to calibrate the programs properly."

"But it's definitely a more expensive solution than other ones."

"When you conduct an active survey and then want to use it for design work, it's actually not very useful."

More AirMagnet Survey cons

"Cisco's architecture is becoming complex."

"It would be better if some utility lets us know the best place to install the system. Every time we install it, we have to change it, and we have to add more access points. This is a problem we have all the time. It would be better if it integrated seamlessly with products from other vendors. It'll also help if they included a device diagnostics feature in the next release."

"Its licensing model and cost should be improved."

"Most definitely the cost."

"The solution could be cheaper and have a better web interface."

"When you integrate a network access control with authentication with an ISE engine it's really complicated to put in place."

"Cisco Wireless does not have a dashboard that would make it easier for people to manage the solution, such as Cisco Meraki where you are able to monitor the network through the dashboard and everything is visible making it easier."

"An expensive solution that small companies cannot afford."

More Cisco Wireless cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing of AirMagnet Survey is different when compared to Ekahu. It is a third of the cost of Ekahau but there are no dedicated laptops to the Sidekick. AirMagnet allows you to license an adapter and share that adapter."

"The pricing needs improvement."

"For technical support, you need an annual license, but it is not worth it."

"This product is very expensive."

"There is an annual cost of the solution. There are some additional charges, such as support and maintenance."

"The moment we began needing more of the vendor's support, the cost became very high; we switched to another solution."

"The tool's pricing is medium."

"The product is expensive."

"The pricing is a bit high."

"The price of this product is reasonable."

"From a pricing point of view, it's a little bit expensive compared to competitors like Aruba and others."

"Never pay the full GPL price."

"The price of this solution is a little more than competitors."

"Cisco Wireless solutions should have a price reduction for educations centers. Education centers are there to help people grow and there are not large budgets. The solution tends to be expensive and it can cause difficulties when purchasing them here in Africa."

"The solution is very costly."

More Cisco Wireless pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user212721

President at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Mar 24, 2015

Cisco vs. Aruba Wireless Solutions

Cisco or Aruba Networks? If you are considering wireless access solutions, this is a common question that you are probably asking. You probably have sales people knocking at your door. How do you make sense of all the stories that you are presented with. If you have done any research, you are…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Educational Organization

Government

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

17%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about AirMagnet Survey?

We use the solution for Wi-Fi and networks.

See all answers

What needs improvement with AirMagnet Survey?

AirMagnet Survey needs to support Wi-Fi 6E otherwise they can lose to the competition. They also need to allow better grouping of SSIDs to one AP, removing the need to filter manually. At the momen...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for AirMagnet Survey?

We use AirMagnet Survey, for site verifications after the wireless system has been installed. We conduct pre and post-install surveys with it. We have reduced the use since now our customers requir...

See all answers

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 be very reliable and to consistently run very efficiently. Cisco Wireless helpe...

See all answers

Which is better - Ruckus Wireless or Cisco Wireless?

Ruckus Wireless offers users the benefit of being both easy to set up and get running as well as being very user friendly. This user-friendly quality also renders it easy to learn how to use and ma...

See all answers

How does Cisco Wireless compare with Aruba Wireless?

On the most basic level, Cisco Wireless can offer a rather straightforward initial setup. In the span of about three hours, the basic framework can be set up. Step-by-step instructions are availabl...

See all answers

Comparisons

Ekahau Site Survey vs AirMagnet Survey

Compared 82% of the time

iBwave Wi-Fi vs AirMagnet Survey

Compared 4% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs AirMagnet Survey

Compared 4% of the time

AirCheck G3 vs AirMagnet Survey

Compared 3% of the time

NetAlly EtherScope nXG vs AirMagnet Survey

Compared 2% of the time

More AirMagnet Survey Competitors

Aruba Wireless vs Cisco Wireless

Compared 37% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Cisco Wireless

Compared 25% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Cisco Wireless

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Cisco Wireless

Compared 6% of the time

Ubiquiti WLAN vs Cisco Wireless

Compared 4% of the time

More Cisco Wireless Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

AirMagnet Survey

December 2024

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Buyer's Guide

Cisco Wireless

December 2024

Download Cisco Wireless product report

Also Known As

No data available

Cisco WLAN Controller

Learn More

NetAlly

Cisco

Overview

AirMagnet Survey PRO enables network professionals to design, deploy, and validate Wi-Fi 6 networks for optimal performance, security, and compliance. It also calculates the ideal quantity, placement, and configuration of APs for a successful wireless LAN deployment. AirMagnet Survey PRO goes beyond simply verifying RF coverage by plotting actual end-user network performance in terms of connection speed, throughput, and packet statistics by allowing you to use any Wi-Fi adapter or AirMapper™ Site Survey on the AirCheck™ G2 and EtherScope® nXG. Survey PRO helps you get Wi-Fi installations right the first time, preventing costly rework and user complaints.

Cisco Wireless is a comprehensive suite of wireless solutions designed to deliver secure, high-performance connectivity for enterprises of all sizes. Offering a range of access points, controllers, and advanced management tools, Cisco Wireless ensures seamless and reliable network access, enhancing mobility and productivity.

Cisco Wireless solutions provide robust, scalable wireless networks capable of supporting high-density environments and diverse applications. With features such as seamless roaming, advanced security protocols, and detailed analytics, Cisco Wireless addresses the needs of modern businesses. The solutions include the Cisco Catalyst and Aironet series access points, wireless LAN controllers, and the Cisco DNA Center for centralized management and automation.

What are the key features of Cisco Wireless?

High-Density Performance: Optimized for environments with a high number of devices, ensuring reliable connectivity and performance.
Advanced Security: Incorporates robust security measures such as WPA3, Secure Boot, and segmentation to protect data and devices.
Seamless Roaming: Enables uninterrupted connectivity as users move across different areas within the network.
Centralized Management: Cisco DNA Center provides a single pane of glass for managing and automating wireless networks, enhancing operational efficiency.
Flexible Deployment Options: Supports various deployment models, including on-premises, cloud-managed, and hybrid solutions.

What benefits should users look for in reviews when evaluating Cisco Wireless?

Improved Mobility and Productivity: Users often highlight how Cisco Wireless enhances user mobility and productivity through reliable and consistent connectivity.
Scalability: Reviews frequently mention the scalability of Cisco Wireless, making it suitable for growing businesses.
Ease of Management: Many users appreciate the centralized management capabilities, which simplify network administration and troubleshooting.
Enhanced Security: The advanced security features are often noted for providing peace of mind and compliance with industry standards.
User Experience: The overall user experience, including ease of use and seamless integration with other Cisco products, is a common point of praise.

Cisco Wireless solutions are implemented across various industries, including healthcare, education, retail, and manufacturing. In healthcare, they support critical applications like patient monitoring and electronic health records. Educational institutions use Cisco Wireless to provide reliable internet access for students and staff. Retailers benefit from enhanced customer experiences through in-store connectivity, while manufacturers use wireless networks to improve operational efficiency and automation.

Pricing and licensing for Cisco Wireless solutions are typically based on the scale of deployment and specific product selections. Cisco offers various support plans, including 24/7 customer service, technical support, and access to software updates and patches.

In summary, Cisco Wireless provides robust, scalable wireless networking solutions that enhance connectivity, security, and management for diverse enterprise environments.

Sample Customers

Houston Methodist Hospital, Love's Travel Stops

Aegean Motorway, Baylor Scott & White Health, Beachbody, Bellevue, Brunel University London, Bucks County Intermediate Unit , Chartwell School, Children's Hospital Colorado, Cisco Live Milan, City of Biel, City of Mississauga, Dundee Precious Metals, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Erickson Living, Goldcorp, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS)

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November 2024

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