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Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Huawei Enterprise Routers comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 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

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
Ranking in WAN Edge
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
92
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (6th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (2nd)
Huawei Enterprise Routers
Ranking in WAN Edge
8th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Routers (4th)
 

Featured Reviews

Igor Van Den Ouden - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables secure and flexible branch connectivity with application-aware routing
The valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN include its security policies and zone-based firewall that are applied to every site, as well as application-aware routing. Security is standard compliant, eliminating config drift that was prevalent before manual configurations. Application-aware routing offers flexibility in using different lines for traffic, depending on the policy implemented.
Udochi Ododo - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to configure and troubleshoot, but they need more visibility in the licensing model
Huawei needs to be a bit more open with their licensing model. What I find is that when you buy equipment, you expect that you have a particular feature. By the time you want to use that feature, you realize that you need to acquire a license for it. That is the one thing that I think they need to improve on. Essentially, they need to open their licensing model such that when a customer buys a device, they have a full view of all of the available licenses for it. It's not at the time of use that the customer will now be informed that they need to purchase an additional license.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"So far, the feature that I like best is the policy configuration manager."
"The solution provides good consolidation, centralization, and manageability for edge routers."
"The first part that we like is that we can reuse certain hardware, which is a valuable asset. You can use hardware SKUs that already exist in the network. The second part that we like is the integration with the cloud and the measurement of the cloud's quality. These are the two values that this solution gives as compared to other implementations that we have seen."
"SD-WAN provides a range of common benefits, including cost reduction, increased visibility, and scalability"
"There have been no issues with stability."
"It has a very good GUI."
"Troubleshooting is swift, allowing for fast turnaround times whenever we encounter an issue."
"The initial setup is straightforward and easy to deploy."
"The solution offers good customer support and good performance."
"The most valuable feature of Huawei Enterprise Routers is if have two networks at different geographical locations with a great deal of distance they work together as if they are on the same cloud network."
"We use the solution for point-to-point connectivity, aggregation, and radio connectivity on mTLS."
"It is a robust and efficient solution."
"It's simple to use and offers good connectivity."
"Internet access is a good feature."
"The most valuable features for us are NAT, ATS, server capabilities, VPN tunneling, and management."
"The product is good, easy to manage , and works fine."
 

Cons

"The solution is a bit complicated."
"The main area for improvement in Cisco SD-WAN is the lack of documentation, which often lags behind the software releases."
"Cisco SD-WAN doesn't have automation capabilities, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and isn't IOT-based."
"I would like to see a better, web-based interface to make changes to the configuration or to view statistics."
"I would like them to add some more SD-WAN ports. We have seen one implementation where there were four ISPs. Currently, we have a maximum of two ports for ISP in this device. Therefore, we cannot connect directly, and we need other switches. There should be some option to have more than two ports for SD-WAN."
"The client portal needs to be improved in order to make the solution much better."
"Cisco's router and voice gateway has not been available since the launch of SD-WAN."
"Some competitors are much faster in providing out-of-the-box solutions, more innovative solutions. In terms of innovation, in many cases, they're lagging behind."
"Huawei Enterprise Routers can improve by enhancing their security. The software architecture and the operating system that runs on their router and the security capability are not as strong when compared to Cisco."
"They should include features like IPS for security and response."
"The product's pricing could be better."
"In the next release of this solution, I would like to see better bandwidth management, more granular web filtering, and portal authentication."
"The documentation is somewhat lacking and not easy to navigate."
"We have encountered issues while integrating the product with Enterprise Management Systems. Huawei platform is good for Huawei but we face issues when we integrate it with other models."
"There is not much of a technical team for Huawei available in Pakistan as compared to Cisco with respect to very complex networks."
"In my country we don't have Huawei technology, we only have Huawei routers for ISP. There is no agent for Huawei in Egypt."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cost-wise, Cisco SD-WAN is comparatively high."
"Cisco is more expensive than FortiGate."
"The price of the solution is the only negative factor, it is much more expensive compared with the Cisco Meraki SD-WAN solution."
"Cisco is more expensive than some competing products."
"This is not a cheap option but if you move from Capex to Opex, I expect you should have lower costs."
"SD-WAN as a service is probably something in the neighborhood of $100 to $200 a month per location."
"You can get subscriptions for three or five years."
"You have to pay between 3000 and 10,000 euros, or something in that range. The core switches Nexus cost me between 10,000 and 20,000 euros."
"The product is expensive."
"The tool's licensing is yearly."
"Huawei Enterprise Routers’s cost is average. I rate its pricing a five out of ten."
"The solution's price is reasonable."
"The price is reasonable compared to Cisco's."
"There are additional licensing costs. I am aware of additional licenses and which services are added to the router."
"The solution is cheap compared to Cisco."
"The price of the solution is fair."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
45%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
4%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco SD-WAN?
When considering the most valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN, the decoupling of self-monitoring stands out significantly.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco SD-WAN?
The pricing for Cisco SD-WAN is rated eight out of ten, with some variability depending on the reseller discounts and the size of the enterprise. It is also relatively cost-effective for smaller bu...
What needs improvement with Cisco SD-WAN?
The main area for improvement in Cisco SD-WAN is the lack of documentation, which often lags behind the software releases. This is especially notable since Cisco acquired the solution and is still ...
What do you like most about Huawei Enterprise Routers?
The solution provides support for 5G connectivity.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Huawei Enterprise Routers?
The product is very cheap and offers a huge discount as they are trying to enter the market. However, you have to pay extra for some services and support.
What needs improvement with Huawei Enterprise Routers?
The documentation is somewhat lacking and not easy to navigate. There are some errors and misleading information. The general appearance of the company site is also not user-friendly for downloadin...
 

Also Known As

Cisco SD-WAN
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates
Bus Online, VisionChina Media Inc. (VisionChina), China Network Television (CNTV), Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, ABC, BovenIJ hospital
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Huawei Enterprise Routers and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
842,767 professionals have used our research since 2012.