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Aruba Switches vs H3C Ethernet Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

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 Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
85
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
H3C Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
16th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Aruba Switches is 11.3%, down from 12.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of H3C Ethernet Switches is 2.6%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Eunice Thirikwa - PeerSpot reviewer
Stable hotel networking enhances return on investment with valuable modular features
There are issues with the distribution side of Aruba Switches. For instance, the distributor in our country cannot sell to neighboring countries, creating complications in project execution. Improving the distribution network across regions would be beneficial. Also, the SFP modules are significantly more expensive than industry peers, which affects cost-effectiveness.
KanwarArsalan - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers all routing protocols, functionality, and capabilities
H3C switches have strong port aggregation features including dynamic, static, and device aggregation. They also offer broadcast, multicast, or unique system suppression for PPS and BPS. These features are versatile and adaptable to various organizational scenarios, complemented by VLAN support. H3C switches offer VPN support along with various VLAN options like port-based, MAC-based, and protocol-based VLANs, including VLAN mapping and voice VLAN features. They support VLAN interfaces for both IPv4 and IPv6, ensuring compatibility and configuration flexibility. H3C switches are up to date with current market trends, offering features, routing protocols, capabilities, and functionalities that correspond to new trends in networking solutions. I strongly recommend that future users consider H3C switches for their designs, given their performance, specific features, and strong capabilities compared to competitors like Cisco. Overall, I would rate H3C Ethernet Switches as a nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We have not had any issues with the product and its functions. It has been stable."
"The solution is easy to use and quick to deploy."
"The most valuable feature is the switches are reliable and replaced for free if anything goes wrong."
"It can scale well."
"Aruba is very easy to use, the GUI is very good and the command line is quite similar to Cisco, so it is very easy to configure."
"I find the most valuable feature is it is part of the Aruba family."
"Aruba Central is valuable."
"The advantage I found is that they can be used as both on-premises devices and cloud-managed devices, with the option for an additional license to become cloud devices. This flexibility is very valuable to us."
"To date, it has proven to be highly reliable. We have encountered no issues or challenges with it thus far."
"We can configure the switch stack on the internet. Other vendors do not offer this facility. It is fast and easy to manage."
"Network performance is very good, suggesting that stability has not been an issue."
"H3C Ethernet Switches have a fast delivery time."
"H3C Ethernet Switches is a cheap solution."
"Offering a five-year warranty, compared to competitors' one-year warranties, is a unique advantage of H3C switches."
"The best feature of H3C Ethernet Switches is their reliability."
"A good high-performance solution."
 

Cons

"It's a little less convenient for more simplified management needs."
"It takes a long time to import Aruba switches to Ecuador."
"A more granular breakdown in debugging would be beneficial."
"The need to come up with a bit more flexibility in their range of models."
"The dashboard could be improved, especially for the CX Switches. It would help to push scripts and configurations via an easy to use dashboard, one which would give us complete visibility of all of our switches in one place. Right now, we have more than one dashboard for Aruba. It would be nice if it was centralized."
"I would like to see something like a Cisco Prime, an application controlling the entire system, switches, and access points."
"Aruba does not have local support in our region of Kerala."
"The delivery time for this product is slow and is something that needs to be improved."
"GUI needs to merge with CLI."
"The solution’s stability could be improved."
"There should be more public tools for configuration and comparing products."
"There is room for improvement in Wi-Fi solutions, which are not optimized."
"The only improvement needed is the significantly better lead time for delivery compared to other American products. In terms of technology, there isn't much difference, especially since X3 is a subsidiary of XP, and they use the same technology. However, the delivery time is notably better."
"To enhance H3C switches for the next release, improving the user interface is crucial."
"There is room for improvement in Wi-Fi solutions, which are not optimized."
"Lacks decent cloud management."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Aruba switches work without a license."
"There are no licensing costs for the Aruba Switches."
"The pricing was still affordable compared to Cisco, which is usually less affordable for most companies. We are using the solution in a school, we need the price to be affordable."
"The license is annual. If you purchase a switch, you get a one-year free subscription."
"Aruba Switches are quite cost-effective."
"Aruba Switches are very expensive."
"The price of these switches is high."
"Pricing for this product is reasonable."
"H3C Ethernet Switches are reasonably priced."
"The pricing is very affordable, making it a not-so-expensive choice. On a scale from one to ten, where one is expensive and ten is cheap, I would rate it a seven."
"H3C Ethernet Switches are priced at around $500 per unit, which is very cheap and one of the most competitive prices out there."
"H3C Ethernet Switches is targeted for SMBs because it's cheaper compared to Huawei switches."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Switches?
Aruba lives up to the expectations of the tech giant hewlett packard enterprise providing excellent networking capabilities at a very affordable price compared to the equivalent from another tech g...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Switches?
I find it to be middle to high. It's not always affordable, but they're losing the pricing market against Huawei, let's just put it like that.
What needs improvement with Aruba Switches?
There isn't much room for improvement. A more granular breakdown in debugging would be beneficial. Apart from that, not much is needed.
What needs improvement with H3C Ethernet Switches?
There is room for improvement in Wi-Fi solutions, which are not optimized.
What is your primary use case for H3C Ethernet Switches?
The primary use case is about managing network infrastructure. The H3C Ethernet Switches are used internally as switches in the system.
 

Also Known As

8400 Series, 8320 Series, 5400R Series, 3810 Series, 2930M Series, 2930F Series, 2920 Series, 2540 Series, 2530 Series
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Purdue University
Ying Wa College, Centro Digital Pictures
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Switches vs. H3C Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
847,862 professionals have used our research since 2012.