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Aruba Networks Wireless WAN vs Ruckus Wireless WAN comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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 Networks Wireless WAN
Ranking in Wireless WAN
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
48
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Ruckus Wireless WAN
Ranking in Wireless WAN
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Wireless WAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is 2.4%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ruckus Wireless WAN is 37.9%, up from 36.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless WAN
 

Featured Reviews

Joseph Colly - PeerSpot reviewer
Reasonably priced and offers a good GUI
The product is very scalable. When it comes to some schools, they start with the solution's proof of concept in certain sections. My company aims to improve the throughputs in the schools where the product is installed. If the rest of the School wants the product, it is easy to set up the solution. My company uses Aruba Networks Wireless WAN for schools and warehouses but not in the retail sector. The product offers reliability and uptime twenty-four hours and seven days a week. My company gets notified if the reliability offered by the product goes down. My company also gets notified if we are getting hacked.
Udit Narayan - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers robust outdoor connectivity, but signal strength and support need improvement
In Cisco, there is a configuration where it automatically switches from the 2.4 GHz to 5.2 GHz frequency. But with Ruckus, usually, we need to manually define whether we want to use the 2.4 GHz or 5.2 GHz. Another point is that its penetration power is low when we are using it in any location with more walls, as the signal strength diminishes. So, the signal strength and the penetration power of the signal should be improved. It is not like Cisco. We are using Cisco APs also, but Cisco APs perform better when we compare them with Ruckus. In future releases, I would like to see automatic switching between 2.4 GHz and 5.2 GHz frequencies. We should not have to set it manually. It should automatically change its frequency based on the load. For example, if the number of users increases, then its frequency should change automatically, switching to the less congested band.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It works well. It is reliable."
"In the event of a controller appliance failure or downtime, the system seamlessly transitions control to any access point acting as a backup controller."
"The product keeps up with leading-edge technology so we have dependability and scalability."
"Aruba makes use of "Direct Tunnel" as its best security feature."
"The most valuable feature of Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is that it is easy to configure. Additionally, with the same configuration with Cisco and Ruckus, we can receive 55 to 60 percent more out of Aruba Networks Wireless WAN."
"They offer per-user tunneling to a variety of endpoints."
"From the performance perspective, I'm happy with the solution. Also, from the technical side, it seems to be pretty good."
"The GUI offered by the product is good."
"Ruckus Wireless WAN is an easy-to-use solution."
"The performance is very nice, the throughput is better than any other product, and it's reliable."
"The stability provided is very nice."
"The connectivity, speed, and reliability are very good."
"Its build quality is good and quite robust."
"The most valuable aspect of the solution is the size of the outdoor access points. It's great and you can disguise them quite well."
"The product is very user-friendly."
"The solution can scale well."
 

Cons

"The internet signal and the connection can be better."
"We do not have direct access to Aruba’s Mesh portal."
"Right now, the integration between the support that you are getting from Hewlett-Packard, which is the parent company, and Aruba, they're not meshing together."
"It works. We don't look at it any deeper than that and don't find any features ar missing."
"We'd like to have a bit more artificial intelligence incorporated into existing products."
"The solution should be cheaper."
"When it comes to configuring rules for file security tests, any issues that arise can be referred to as "glitches". Despite the extensive configurations required, the process itself is not overly complicated."
"In the next release, the security should be improved by including support for WPA3."
"In Cisco, there is a configuration where it automatically switches from the 2.4 GHz to 5.2 GHz frequency. But with Ruckus, usually, we need to manually define whether we want to use the 2.4 GHz or 5.2 GHz."
"The product could benefit from features like Cisco's, such as improved zoning and analytics tools."
"The documentation they do have is very difficult to understand. There should be some scenarios, deployments, complications, or techniques to follow. They are inadequate in that regard, and the documentation needs to be greatly improved."
"Ruckus Unleashed App has areas with certain shortcomings where improvements are required."
"Sometimes, you can't do everything you need on the GUI."
"The support could be faster. It takes time for them to reply."
"The solution could use a better user interface."
"The direct support needs improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"With some vendors, the access point is not manageable anymore if you don't maintain the license. It's more or less a doorstop because you can't configure and control it. You can't troubleshoot it unless you maintain the license. That's not true with Aruba."
"Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is cheaper than Cisco, and the web experience is great."
"Aruba Wireless comes with the controller."
"The product's price is within range since it has a lower price."
"The price of this solution is approximately 1,000,000 ESP ($6,750 USD)."
"The price of this solution is better than some other vendors."
"I rate the product's price an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is the lowest ,and ten is the highest."
"You will need to pay an annual subscription cost."
"Licensing for Ruckus Wireless WAN when you compare it to other vendors, it's on par and not expensive. For me, all licensing is expensive by default, but you do get lifelong licenses, and what's cool about it is the license for Ruckus Wireless WAN, especially on the LAN controller, is not linked to an access point. It's just a quantity access point deployment, so you can rip out old APs, and put new ones in and they'll work on the wireless LAN because the license is not linked to a specific access point which is much easier to work with."
"The price of Ruckus Wireless WAN is in the middle price range compared to competitors. You will find Cisco is the most expensive, the second is HPE and Aruba, and the third is Ruckus Wireless WAN. You then have all the follower solutions."
"The product's pricing is aggressive."
"It possesses a favorable balance between quality and price."
"You have to pay for the controller with Ruckus, whereas with Ubiquiti, it comes for free."
"The solution is a little pricey, so customers sometimes select other products because of the price."
"It is less expensive than Aruba and Cisco."
"There is an annual license needed to use this solution. The pricing model is based on how many access points are used."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Government
9%
Real Estate/Law Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
14%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Do you recommend Aruba Network Wireless WAN?
I recommend Aruba Networks Wireless WAN. I have been using Aruba for approximately a decade. It has a great centralized management system, which means we don’t need wireless LAN controllers at ever...
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...
What do you like most about Ruckus Wireless WAN?
Ruckus Wireless WAN is an easy-to-use solution.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ruckus Wireless WAN?
The pricing is reasonable for us as partners since we receive discounts. However, I believe for non-partners, it might not be considered cheap, though it isn't the most expensive either.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

The Pittsburgh Golf Club, Rio Rancho Public Schools, Amwaj Rotana - Jumeirah Beach Residence - Dubai, Trevecca Nazarene University
American University of Sharjah, Dordt College, Drew University, Lamar University, Raroa School
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Networks Wireless WAN vs. Ruckus Wireless WAN and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,158 professionals have used our research since 2012.