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Aruba Wireless vs Ubiquiti UniFi 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 Wireless
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
146
Ranking in other categories
Wireless LAN (1st)
Ubiquiti UniFi
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
Wi-Fi Hotspot Software (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Networking solutions, they serve different purposes. Aruba Wireless is designed for Wireless LAN and holds a mindshare of 19.1%, down 23.7% compared to last year.
Ubiquiti UniFi, on the other hand, focuses on Wi-Fi Hotspot Software, holds 29.2% mindshare, down 38.1% since last year.
Wireless LAN
Wi-Fi Hotspot Software
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad_Faisal - PeerSpot reviewer
Experience seamless connectivity with top-notch roaming capabilities
The Aruba Wireless solution has excellent roaming capabilities, ensuring seamless connectivity. Once installed, Aruba Wireless works robustly without overheating issues. This is particularly effective compared to other products I've used, like FortiMonitor and FortiAPs, which sometimes heat up. I am very satisfied with the roaming feature, as it ensures connectivity when moving from one location to another. The product's stability, after setting it up, adds to its value.
Director_45785 - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides great cloud key functionality in monitoring the environment
The initial setup takes about one to two hours and is somewhat complex in the fact that there's no proper support in terms of out of the box or a manual, or any indication of where to find proper information, so they do need to work on documentation. Implementation needs to be done by a technical person. There are a lot of chat groups and forums online and you might find five or ten different solutions to resolve the issue but it's not coming from the company. From that aspect, we'd prefer a solution where more testing is done before they release the product.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"For my organization, the most critical feature of Aruba Wireless is guest management."
"The fact that Aruba Wireless has a virtual controller onboard the internet access points makes it cheaper than other solutions."
"The most valuable features of Aruba Wireless are the seamless feature and the concurrent user."
"One advantage is the built-in Zigbee-based IoT functionality. You don't need an additional dongle to enable that option."
"I really like the user interface."
"Setup is straightforward."
"The initial setup was very simple."
"It has helped in making deployments easier."
"The most valuable features are its easy access, the controller, and constant updates."
"I like the centralized management console, where we can add all of the devices to the Unifi controller and then management them from a single point."
"Firmware can be pushed or manually updated."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is how it is centralized."
"Functionality of the cloud key in terms of monitoring and managing the environment."
"Overall, the suite of tools is quite useful."
"The cloud management has revolutionized the way we provide services to clients, onsite trips have almost ceased and once complicated changes are made in minutes."
"The level of reporting offered by the controller, when used with other Ubiquiti equipment, has been invaluable."
 

Cons

"They should provide usage guides and solutions to frequent problems."
"We are not facing any difficulty in convincing customers to have Aruba Wireless, and there are no specific features that customers are particularly looking for in wireless."
"When we connect to Wi-Fi devices it could be easier because sometimes, it takes a lot of time to complete."
"The product should be more affordable, especially the cloud and console for the Aruba product as it is currently very expensive."
"The new 8400 failed at Lab, plus its integration with Aruba Central."
"Aruba Wireless is a good product, but it still has some issues, especially at the beginning, where there's inconsistent syncing between the cloud and the APs. Sometimes, there's also a little lag when accessing the query."
"Aruba Wireless could improve the interface, it does not have a smart web interface. Other solutions have smart web interfaces, such as Cisco Meraki."
"I would like to be able to customize Captive Portals."
"If I could manage the W-LAN or other items without a UniFi switch, that would be very helpful. I have not tried, but I think some options are tied to the hardware, like the Ubiquiti switch."
"Documentation could be improved, especially regarding known issues or new features. It relies heavily on the user community to provide support and info. There is a vast user group with support groups on both the dedicated forums as well as most social media platforms."
"Better pre-purchase docs, as I have to contact support via chat for some things that should already be in documents."
"Setting up IP generation for something like guest access is pretty confusing and should be improved."
"Integrate NanoBeams into the Controller Software."
"A more powerful heatmapping application in the controller would assist in more reliable WiFi modeling."
"I don't like the concept of the QoS, Quality of Service configuration because it doesn't give very granular configuration access to prioritize network traffic."
"They provide support via Chat ONLY, and moreover, they are not very knowledgeable."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the cost as an eight out of ten, with ten being the most expensive."
"A recent change is that ClearPass licensing is superb. It counts user-based instead of device-based, for BYOD on-boarding."
"Aruba is less expensive than Cisco."
"There is so much licensing, you literally pay for every solution, add-on, or cool feature. Compared to others, we were in the middle with pricing, but as you start to invest more into features it will get very pricey."
"Licencing can be surprising and needs improvement. Look into all features, what you need versus what you want, and know that nothing comes without some kind of license."
"The price of Aruba Wireless could improve. It is expensive. However, I am able to reduce my costs because I do not use all the features in the controller, such as the AD integration and other enterprise features."
"Pricing is competitive. Licensing is needed to maintain access to the latest firmware, which wasn't made clear originally when we started with Arbua (or things changed, I'm not sure which). I would just say, make sure you budget for it."
"I am aiding in transitioning my organization to a different wireless solution due to the cost. We need to expand our network and the cost of new APs and an upgraded controller have proved to be prohibitive compared to similar solutions on the market.​"
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Comparison Review

it_user212721 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 24, 2015
Cisco vs. Aruba Wireless Solutions
Cisco or Aruba Networks? If you are considering wireless access solutions, this is a common question that you are probably asking. You probably have sales people knocking at your door. How do you make sense of all the stories that you are presented with. If you have done any research, you are…
 

Answers from the Community

Vinny Govender - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 26, 2022
Jul 26, 2022
1 Ruckus 2 Aruba 3 Cambium It depends on your enviroment. Greetings
2 out of 9 answers
AH
Nov 15, 2021
Hi, You can purchase WiFi access points from any of the above vendors. But it must be a commercial access point as in AP a few connect to the limited devices and a few can connect large devices with a single AP. It will totally depend on your work environment and access point signals covering the area. In the hall, AP can cover a large area but there is a concrete wall between two rooms or a corridor then it can down the signal to 50 DBM. So, when deciding on a WIFI/AP keep all these things in mind.
EK
Nov 15, 2021
If you want high performance and stability, you should definitely go with Ruckus Wireless.  Ruckus Wireless APs have: - Adaptive antenna technology (called BeamFlex) This technology analyzes different paths to reach the client and electronically turns itself to a directional antenna, choosing the path that gives the best performance to reach each specific client. If the client is mobile or if the environment changes (such as a warehouse) the selection of paths/direction also changes instantly. Transmitting in a directional way allows a good Signal-to-Noise Ratio and also causes less interference for other nearby APs outside the path of the directional transmission. - ChannelFly technology This technology chooses the best channel based on performance rather than background scanning for noise. - Polarization Diversity This technology allows the clients not to lose signal strength when held at different angles (important for mobile devices such as tablets and telephones). - Better receive sensitivity compared to the competitors All these features make Ruckus Wireless a better choice than any other competitor (better performance, better coverage area, more stable and surprise-free communication especially in not so easy conditions such as noise, too many clients, too much traffic).
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Manufacturing Company
7%
University
6%
Government
6%
Educational Organization
62%
Computer Software Company
6%
Comms Service Provider
3%
Manufacturing Company
3%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What are pros and cons of Aruba 515 Series AP vs. Cisco Meraki or Extreme Networks?
Depends. I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them. Extreme I am not, so unless they have some feature that I need or want, I wouldn't consider them. Do you have expe...
Aruba Wireless or Ruckus Wireless?
At my organization, we researched Ruckus Wireless among other solutions but ultimately chose Aruba wireless. What did we like about Ruckus? First, it was very easy to use, and anybody with minimal...
How does Cisco Wireless compare with Aruba Wireless?
On the most basic level, Cisco Wireless can offer a rather straightforward initial setup. In the span of about three hours, the basic framework can be set up. Step-by-step instructions are availabl...
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Also Known As

Aruba WLAN, HP WLAN, HP Wireless, Aruba Instant On AP Series Access Point
UniFi
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Consulate Health Care, Los Angeles Unified School District, Science Applications International Corp (SAIC), San Diego State University, KFC, ACTS Retirement-Life Communities
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
Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless LAN. Updated: December 2024.
831,158 professionals have used our research since 2012.