Aruba Instant vs Ubiquiti WLAN comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Ubiquiti Networks are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.4, while Ubiquiti Networks is ranked #7 with an average rating of 7.8. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 2.1% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to Ubiquiti Networks’s 5.0% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 82% of Ubiquiti Networks users who would recommend it.

Aruba Instant

Read 50 Aruba Instant reviews

3,040 Views
2,366 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Ubiquiti WLAN

Read 44 Ubiquiti WLAN reviews

7,520 Views
7,212 Comparison Views

82% willing to recommend

Aruba Instant

Ubiquiti WLAN

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

Ubiquiti WLAN and Aruba Instant are key competitors in the wireless LAN solutions market. Ubiquiti seems to have an edge due to its cost-effectiveness and ease of deployment, while Aruba Instant is favored for its advanced features and security.

Features: Ubiquiti WLAN provides an easy deployment process and robust performance with features like a free controller system, remote management, and straightforward configuration. It is competitively priced, making it appealing to users. Aruba Instant excels in cloud capabilities, security features, and seamless integration, offering centralized management and a strong end-user experience with its robust feature set.

Room for Improvement: Ubiquiti WLAN could improve its management features, support, and scalability as stability issues and limited troubleshooting tools have been noted. Aruba Instant needs enhancements in its management interface and support for larger deployments, with additional improvements in coverage and cloud management features necessary.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Ubiquiti WLAN is appreciated for its straightforward deployment process, adaptable to various environments, but has faced criticism for less responsive technical support compared to larger players. Aruba Instant also has a simple deployment process, benefiting from its Installation On feature, although its customer support availability and responsiveness have received mixed reviews.

Pricing and ROI: Ubiquiti WLAN is noted for its affordability, offering lifetime licenses and cost-effective pricing that appeals to small to medium environments without ongoing fees, resulting in a positive ROI when environmental needs are met. Aruba Instant, with a slightly higher initial cost, is favored for its comprehensive features despite the greater upfront price, delivering positive ROI when user requirements align.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba Instant vs. Ubiquiti WLAN Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant vs. Ubiquiti WLAN

January 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 Instant

Ranking in Wireless LAN

10th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Ubiquiti WLAN

Ranking in Wireless LAN

7th

Average Rating

7.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Instant is 2.1%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubiquiti WLAN is 5.0%, down from 7.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

Prashant-Patel

Senior Presales Consultant - Networking Solutions at Mannai

A highly stable and easy-to-deploy solution that is free and provides excellent deployment guides

The setup is very straightforward. There is no complexity at all. It took us 15 minutes. We need IP address details, DNS, a gateway, DHCP servers, and SSIDs. Single access points can act as controller-based, controller-less, and cloud-based solutions. That is the beauty of Aruba. If I have an on-premise solution and want to move to the cloud, I don't need separate hardware. The same hardware can be utilized in the cloud. The deployment guides that we get from Aruba are excellent. We have every piece of detail.

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Geoff Rubin

CEO at Forward Thinking Network Consultancy Ltd

Useful for network management and far more competitive than the other leading American brands

As an importer and distributor, we don't spend any time installing Ubiquiti WLAN products ourselves. We only resell the products to installers and don't do any installations directly. From my knowledge, though, the installation process is extremely straightforward. We get very few technical questions from our customers who do the installations. Based on our experience as distributors, I can say that virtually every installation we deal with now is centered around the UniFi Gateway. Although we don't handle installations directly, more companies rely on Ubiquiti gateways instead of standard options like FortiGate switches as routers. With the new UDM Pro Max product, Ubiquiti WLAN has covered the whole spectrum from home installations to the largest possible enterprise installations.

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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

"In terms of stability, Aruba Instant is the best on the market."

"I can implement it at small sites, and I can also implement it at mid-sized locations. It is very flexible. It is really nice and useful for customers who have many small sites."

"The most valuable features of the solution are in the areas like routing and VLAN."

"The most valuable feature is that it provides a redundant wireless connection for a client."

"Has many advanced features: Built-in firewall, local radius, application visibility and control, not locked into support agreements."

"The features I have found most valuable is that the solution creates a guest portal for guest networks, and setting up SSID authentication to the regular server."

"The central management of multiple devices is the solution's most valuable aspect."

"I would rate the stability a ten out of ten."

More Aruba Instant pros

"The initial setup process was relatively straightforward, with only minor challenges typically caused by user errors, such as password mismatches."

"Firstly, I initially purchased the device to build a VPN, and one very valuable feature for me was the ability to create a layer two VPN, which was available on the legacy ER router. It allowed me to expand a subnet to a remote site, which was essential for my setup. Additionally, I appreciated that the CLI of the router was similar to other Juniper products that I was familiar with."

"The solution is not complex to deploy."

"There was a time when we were using Cisco switches and attempting to integrate Ubiquiti UniFi switches into our network infrastructure. Eventually, after some effort, we managed to understand the process. Initially, it was challenging to configure the unified console to manage virtual networks alongside internal networks effectively. We had to comprehend how both systems would integrate carefully. It became apparent that maximizing the usage of Cisco switches required a thorough understanding of how UniFi operates at the backend."

"The most valuable feature is the level of security on the Wi-Fi network."

"For me, the ease of configuration is a valuable feature."

"I use Ubiquiti WLAN because it's cheap and performs well. The range is its best feature for improving network performance."

"You can save backups of this controller locally and then I can export it to wherever I want."

More Ubiquiti WLAN pros

Cons

"Doesn't support enough access points in one cluster."

"The wireless coverage should be increased"

"The meshing could use improvement but aside from that nothing else really needs improvement."

"Although built-in troubleshooting tools are available, they are not at all intuitive to use. Aruba Instant lacks decent documentation to use for troubleshooting wireless issues (fortunately there aren’t many)."

"The restart time should be improved."

"Aruba Instant is a simple and scalable solution that works well, but the costs you incur from access points could be cheaper."

"The management component is difficult to understand and not very user-friendly which increases deployment time."

"The product's high cost is an area where improvements are required."

More Aruba Instant cons

"Big networks with more than 80 access points are a problem. The network controller stops sometimes, and I think it's because of the high number of access points."

"Support from Ubiquiti is hard to obtain. However, there is a good forum where a lot of information can be found."

"The product must provide better warranties."

"The product needs to improve the user interface in the migration from old to new versions."

"When they release new products, you should know if there backward compatibility, or do you have to replace the entire forklift, It is useful to understand their strategy and where they are headed."

"Cloud management is one feature that should be included in the next release. This tool is best suited for small environments, not large and complex ones."

"The support needs improvement. The official support is kind of complex. It's not that straightforward compared to Cisco and Aruba."

"The room for improvement is in the controller levels."

More Ubiquiti WLAN cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The customers do not have to pay for licensing."

"The tool's pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."

"The solution's pricing is reasonable."

"The product is reasonably priced."

"The cost was affordable."

"We pay about $300 per access point."

"I would rate the pricing a five out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive."

"Avoid the Central cloud license if you can."

More Aruba Instant pricing and cost advice

"It’s an expensive product but has all the essential qualities and functionality."

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is expensive, and ten is cheap, I rate Ubiquiti WLAN's pricing a five to six out of ten."

"Its cost is reasonable."

"The software to control it is free. The license is when we buy the Cloud Key."

"Ubiquiti WLAN is a low-priced product."

"Ubiquiti WLAN is cheap. It can work without licensing."

"This solution is reasonably priced."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."

More Ubiquiti WLAN pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Government

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

Which is better - Ubiquiti WLAN or Aruba Instant?

We researched Ubiquiti and Aruba when looking for a WLAN solution. Ubiquiti offers good WLAN access both indoors and outdoors. It provides an enterprise-level WIFI while remaining cost-effective. U...

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What do you like most about Aruba Instant?

I find network management features related to monitoring Wi-Fi usage and visited sites particularly valuable. Content filtering is also important to prevent access to malicious or inappropriate web...

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

The licensing costs depend on the product. The smaller switch is around one hundred and twenty euros. We do not sell very expensive devices as we move to other products.

See all answers

Is Ubiquiti Wireless better than Ruckus Wireless WAN?

Ubiquiti Wireless is extremely easy to set up and is an excellent option for small businesses, offering enterprise features for a one-time fee and no ongoing licensing fees. Ubiquiti Wireless is ve...

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What do you like most about Ubiquiti WLAN?

Anyone can buy the product off the shelf and configure it.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ubiquiti WLAN?

The solution is cheap. I rate its pricing as three out of ten.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 36% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Aruba Instant

Compared 15% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Aruba Instant

Compared 13% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Aruba Instant

Compared 11% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs Aruba Instant

Compared 4% of the time

More Aruba Instant Competitors

Fortinet FortiAP vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 19% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 17% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 17% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 9% of the time

Mist AI and Cloud vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 1% of the time

More Ubiquiti WLAN Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant

February 2025

Download Aruba Instant product report

Buyer's Guide

Ubiquiti WLAN

January 2025

Download Ubiquiti WLAN product report

Overview

Aruba Instant delivers the only controllerless Wi-Fi solution that is easy to set-up, and loaded with security and smarts needed to accelerate your business without breaking your budget.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

UniFi is a revolutionary Wi-Fi system that combines Enterprise performance, unlimited scalability, a central management controller and disruptive pricing.

Ubiquiti Networks

Sample Customers

Purdue University, Orlando Magic, Brussels Airport Company, Molecaten Holiday Parks

NASCAR Grand-AM, Maritime Parc, Outdoor Music Festival, One Republic Tour, British Armed Forces, Arcadia School District, Bartlett School District, Universidad del Azuay, Estelar Hotels, Intercontinental Bali, Moscow - Enforta, Miami - Sling Broadband, Manhattan - MST, Ecuador - Aire.EC

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant vs. Ubiquiti WLAN

January 2025

Free Report: Aruba Instant vs. Ubiquiti WLAN

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