Aruba Airwave vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.3, while SolarWinds is ranked #18 with an average rating of 9.0. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 6.8% mindshare in NMA, compared to SolarWinds’s 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

Aruba Airwave

Read 23 Aruba Airwave reviews

1,748 Views
1,217 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

SolarWinds Network Topology...

Read 1 SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper review

288 Views
210 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Aruba Airwave

SolarWinds Network Topology...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Aruba Airwave and SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Fortinet and others in Network Management Applications.

To learn more, read our detailed Network Management Applications Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

March 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Airwave

Ranking in Network Management Applications

2nd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SolarWinds Network Topology...

Ranking in Network Management Applications

18th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Aruba Airwave is 6.8%, down from 9.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper is 1.4%, down from 1.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Management Applications

Featured Reviews

Prashant-Patel

Senior Presales Consultant - Networking Solutions at Mannai

The solution has multi-vendor support, and it can be used for network management

Aruba Airwave is an on-prem solution, so you have to manage it with your servers to be deployed. You can also deploy it on the cloud if you have your own private cloud. All the configuration guides and the different types of designs you need are available from Aruba Airwave's portal. I would recommend Aruba Airwave to other users. Overall, I rate Aruba Airwave ten out of ten.

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Sumaiya Sirat

Student at Centennial College

Very user-friendly and stable

I'm still learning how the solution works, figuring out how to check reports and system information. I'm a student and customer of SolarWinds The tool seems to be widely used and I find it user-friendly The Network Topology Mapper is on the expensive side - it would be helpful if it were less…

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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

"It can interact with other vendors better than Cisco, which is a good point of AirWave. It is easy to use, and its reporting is good."

"The most beneficial feature for network monitoring in Aruba Airwave is the Live Heat Map. It helps identify interferences, coverage issues, and user connectivity issues. The device management capability of Aruba Airwave is good. It provides end-to-end visibility from the user to the access point, the switch, and the internet breakout. From a monitoring, management, and orchestration standpoint, it is very effective and can manage any scale of deployment."

"One of the main advantages is its ability to draw building floor plans and analyze Wi-Fi signal behavior in real-time."

"The solution is not overly expensive."

"The most valuable features of the solution are its dashboard and simplicity."

"This solution gives you a lot of reporting capabilities, and it has a very good interface."

"The most valuable feature of Aruba Airwave is the multivendor support, which enables you to manage and monitor different vendors or products."

"I would rate the overall solution nine out of ten."

More Aruba Airwave pros

"It's user-friendly."

Cons

"Its pricing and support could be improved."

"Pricing for Aruba Airwave could be cheaper, which is an area for improvement in the solution."

"I want a management solution to manage and monitor everything from a single dashboard. This is not there with Airwave."

"Cost is always a big issue for partners."

"We're looking for more device compatibility. Like compatibility with third-party devices."

"I would like to see an integration of services into one system, rather than having multiple systems to do multiple things."

"I am not deeply familiar with the solution, so if I mention a feature, it might already exist, yet I may be unaware of it."

"Whenever you get an error it doesn't immediately tell you what the thing is that is causing the error. You have to sit down and research it. If it could say what error is causing the issue, it would make my troubleshooting a lot quicker."

More Aruba Airwave cons

"This is a relatively expensive product."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost is perfect because the devices have a lifetime warranty, and the licensing is good as well."

"The tool is expensive. If one is bad or expensive, and ten is very good or cheap, I rate the product's price as a six."

"We must buy a new license to connect more devices to scale up the solution."

"Aruba Airwave's licensing cost is not that expensive."

"It's device-based licensing. One device requires one license."

"I rate the product’s pricing a five out of ten."

"Run a 90 day free Proof of Concept (PoC) for each product by implementing and using it fully in your environment. This way you will be educated on its features, functionality, and manageability."

"Aruba Airwave is an expensive solution."

More Aruba Airwave pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Government

University

Government

20%

Computer Software Company

11%

Educational Organization

11%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Airwave?

I would rate the stability a nine out of ten.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Airwave?

The pricing is comparable to the competition, such as SolarWinds.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Aruba Airwave?

We cannot identify any problems. I am not deeply familiar with the solution, so if I mention a feature, it might already exist, yet I may be unaware of it.

See all answers

What do you like most about SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?

It's user-friendly.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?

Licensing costs are on the expensive side.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?

The Network Topology Mapper is on the expensive side - it would be helpful if it were less so.

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco DNA Center vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 38% of the time

HPE Intelligent Management Center vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 27% of the time

Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 8% of the time

Aruba ClearPass vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 7% of the time

Fortinet FortiManager vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 7% of the time

More Aruba Airwave Competitors

No data available

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Airwave

March 2025

Download Aruba Airwave product report

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

March 2025

SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper report

Download SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper product report

Also Known As

No data available

SolarWinds NTM

Overview

Offering granular visibility into wired and wireless networks, AirWave is the only management platform designed with mobile devices and apps in mind. By proactively monitoring the health and performance of all things connected, AirWave lets IT gain the insights they need to support the digital workplace.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Automate device discovery and mapping
Build multiple maps from a single scan
Export network diagrams to Visio
Auto-detect changes to network topology
Perform multi-level network discovery
Address regulatory PCI compliance

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

Henkel, University of Findlay, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Iowa

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

March 2025

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