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Aruba Instant On Switches vs NETGEAR Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
5.9
Aruba Instant On Switches are valued for affordability and ease of integration, appealing to startups and service providers.
Sentiment score
7.5
NETGEAR Switches offer cost-effective, reliable solutions with labor savings, minimal management, and enhanced efficiency for business growth.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.4
Aruba Instant On Switches support is reliable, with skilled staff, but users request better communication access and quicker resolutions.
Sentiment score
7.0
Customers find NETGEAR's support effective and responsive but face challenges with service navigation and understanding new products.
It would be good to have our own account so we can access and deal directly with technical support, for example, in the community.
There are issues distinguishing which switches support cloud features.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
Aruba Instant On Switches offer flexibility and ease for small businesses but have limitations for enterprise-level demands.
Sentiment score
7.0
NETGEAR Switches offer adaptability and scalability, supporting various network sizes with easy expansion and robust connectivity features.
I would rate the scalability of Aruba Instant On Switches as an eight regarding the ability of the product to adapt to our needs.
The scalability of NETGEAR Switches is easy and very beneficial for us.
NETGEAR's scalability through its Insight Cloud system is on par with Ubiquiti's, although it must offer features beyond its competitors.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Aruba Instant On Switches are reliable, easy to install, and offer good performance at a competitive price, despite occasional issues.
Sentiment score
8.0
NETGEAR Switches are praised for their reliability and stability, making them ideal for demanding applications despite minor quirks.
We've experienced failures such as a 16-port dying after three to four years.
 

Room For Improvement

Aruba Instant On Switches need better pricing, scalability, feature set, user documentation, and improved management and configuration tools.
Enhancing security, management, compatibility, and support while refining costs and integration could strengthen NETGEAR's position in enterprise networks.
They should introduce features like dual firmware or dual boot that allow systems to be updated without downtime.
They can improve on the commercial part, specifically the cost, as it is higher than other brands.
 

Setup Cost

Aruba Instant On Switches offer competitive pricing and inclusive licensing, praised for cost-effectiveness and compatibility with existing Aruba solutions.
Enterprise users praise NETGEAR Switches for competitive pricing, excellent performance, low costs, and strong warranties compared to rivals.
Economically, its price is acceptable for us.
Some high-end switches required for specific advanced features, like precision time protocols, can be more expensive.
 

Valuable Features

Aruba Instant On Switches offer easy setup, cost-effective scalability, and advanced network features for SMBs and SOHOs.
NETGEAR Switches offer affordability, ease, reliability, advanced features, robust performance, and strong support for diverse networking needs.
The precision time protocol feature caught our interest for future use in specific settings like churches, where low latency is required.
The most valuable features are routing and access control.
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Instant On Switches
Ranking in LAN Switching
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
NETGEAR Switches
Ranking in LAN Switching
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (4th), AV Over IP Switching (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Aruba Instant On Switches is 9.7%, up from 9.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NETGEAR Switches is 7.5%, up from 7.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
LAN Switching
 

Featured Reviews

MashukThakur - PeerSpot reviewer
A centrally managed switches ideal for small and medium businesses but does not have any console access
The solution does not have any console access. For example, if you do not have internet access on your side and you need to configure anything, you should at least have CLI access to do something or manage the solution to put to some IP. It will only work if we have a TSCT on the network. We can port and configure the initial settings before we get the Instant On Switches. I am not working deeply on Instant On devices. I have only installed it in a couple of accommodation sites. Even today, one customer has ordered to install 80 pieces of Instant On. I’ve to order additional 94 access points. I was confused about whether to go with Aruba Instant On or AP-505. Instant On has limited accessibility but AP-505 have cloud or local access on normal infrastructure. This would be better and easier to configure. So, there are further improvements in regard to console access and some limitations with access.
Umang Shah - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient routing and access control with an easy setup
We use NETGEAR Switches for networking, particularly for switch-to-switch connectivity. We connect them with core switches, especially for camera installation NETGEAR Switches have increased the throughput and speed of internal communication, and have improved our network efficiency. The most…
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which LAN Switching solutions are best for your needs.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
10%
University
7%
Computer Software Company
13%
University
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Instant On Switches?
The solution has a simple deployment and zero border.
What needs improvement with Aruba Instant On Switches?
I have run into a couple of problems with the switches. Recently, one of the newer stacks stopped working and had to be rebooted individually. They don't have a lot of diagnostics tools, which coul...
How do NETGEAR switches compare with Cisco ethernet switches?
NetGear switches have a lot to offer. They have high availability, zero-downtime stacking, L2 and L3 functionality, and are AV-over-IP ready. NetGear switches also have a command line interface and...
Which switches are better - Ubiquiti Unifi or Netgear?
Ubiquiti Unifi offers a great set of features. For starters, it is easy to configure and implement, and also doesn’t require a learning curve because it is easy to use. It is also simple to reconfi...
What do you like most about NETGEAR Switches?
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten. I have not faced any issues with the product whatsoever.
 

Also Known As

Aruba Instant On 1930 Switches
NETGEAR Insight Managed Switches, NETGEAR GC Series, NETGEAR M Series
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

KEMET, Vestavia Hills City Schools, Dropbox
Blaze Networks
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Instant On Switches vs. NETGEAR Switches and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.