Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Peplink SpeedFusion comparison

Cisco and Peplink are both solutions in the Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions category. Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 7.8, while Peplink is ranked #9 with an average rating of 9.5. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Peplink users who would recommend it.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Read 90 Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN reviews

14,777 Views
9,960 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Peplink SpeedFusion

Read 8 Peplink SpeedFusion reviews

2,950 Views
1,905 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Peplink SpeedFusion

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Peplink SpeedFusion and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN offer powerful SD-WAN solutions. While Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is equally popular for its advanced features, Peplink SpeedFusion outpaces in affordability and customer support.

Features: Peplink SpeedFusion is renowned for its comprehensive bonding technology, seamless integration, and user-friendly interface. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN impresses with robust security features, extensive policy control options, and enhanced traffic management capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Peplink SpeedFusion could enhance its scalability options, provide more in-depth analytics, and improve its failover mechanisms. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN would benefit from simpler initial configuration processes, improved documentation, and a more streamlined update system.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Peplink SpeedFusion is recognized for its straightforward deployment process and responsive customer support. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, though powerful, presents a steeper learning curve but is backed by reliable customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Peplink SpeedFusion offers a budget-friendly setup, translating to a quicker ROI for users managing tight budgets. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, while having a higher initial cost, is seen as delivering substantial long-term ROI through its extensive feature set.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Peplink SpeedFusion Report (Updated: September 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Peplink SpeedFusion

September 2024

Download the complete report

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Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Ranking in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions

2nd

Ranking in WAN Edge

2nd

Average Rating

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (4th)

Peplink SpeedFusion

Ranking in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions

9th

Ranking in WAN Edge

10th

Average Rating

8.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Samuel Romero

Field data engineer at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees

Feb 17, 2023

The initial setup is complex, and the price is high, but it is scalable and stable

Cisco products are rated to handle the heat and are very rugged, making them a good corporate standard. They are slightly more expensive than some other products but are still an affordable corporate-grade solution. We have had some issues with the ISO versions of the SD-WAN, but the FlexVPN solution has since resolved them. Cisco SD-WAN is a good, solid product, but requires a certain skill set to use. We cannot simply switch from Peplink to Cisco as the two are different. The upgrade to iOS 11 has fixed any issues we had with the product, and it has been reliable for the past four years.

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Samuel Romero

Field data engineer at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees

Feb 17, 2023

User-friendly, easy to install, and scalable

Peplink SpeedFusion needs a thin rail model for industrial solutions. The stability has room for improvement. Peplink SpeedFusion needs to have a heavy-duty heat sink on the case to perform better. Generally, what I found is that devices that have a heat sink on a case or, more weight on a case to absorb the heat, perform a little better. I get some areas where I'm right at the hundred and fifty degrees. So I've had a few failures not many, but I found more failures than a Cisco ISO eleven or a Moxa router. Those solutions have more mass to absorb the heat. Most failures have a lot to do with the case. That's why a lot of people have a hard time pushing Peplink SpeedFusion, and they want to move to Cradlepoint because they have a much more ruggedized case.

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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

"You can easily scale the product."

"With other routing protocols, we have had to send team members to perform installations and configurations. There is a lot of work involved. However with SD-WAN, once it is installed it is fully automated, and we can do all other tasks remotely. We don't have to send staff out to the client's location. It's very independent, and we can establish SD-WAN connectivity easily. It is secure as well."

"The reliability is high and we have only had to restart it once or twice over the years."

"Configuration interfaces are quite easy and intuitive. Being a part of the Cisco environment, Cisco SD-WAN is quite straightforward."

"The most valuable feature of Cisco SD-WAN is its compatibility and integration with the rest of the infrastructure."

"Customizing SD-WAN is very easy because you can define two colors. You can define two different operators. You can deploy a partial mesh, a full mesh, or hub-and-spoke totally differently. If you want to do this on a DMVPN solution, that's really hard."

"The solution provides good consolidation, centralization, and manageability for edge routers."

"Load balancing is a feature that allows us to take the best of our links and distribute the load intelligently, always with an eye on the end-customer experience."

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN pros

"It is a very stable product."

"Our customers find it to be an interesting and tempting solution."

"In the Philippines, VPN usage may not be widely known, but we leverage VPN effectively within my organization. I've shared our in-house systems with other district offices, as I cover fifteen municipalities and cater to the entire province. This platform is a valuable tool for us, enabling collaborative work, and allowing us to update our services remotely."

"The most valuable feature is the virtual VPN concentrator."

"The SpeedFusion feature is good. It allowed us to move away from IPsec between the sites. It is also a really easy product to deploy."

"The valuable feature is that, after reading about its capabilities and using it for a while, Peplink SpeedFusion employs eight technologies within its SD-WAN profile, addressing issues like packet loss and latency. The solution is highly stable. I rate it a nine out of ten. The support team gives quick response and efficient local support."

"The SpeedFusion feature is the most valuable."

Cons

"This solution could be improved with a simpler implementation process and licensing model."

"The UI has room for improvement."

"When you buy the equipment, they should already put it into your cloud account. It should already be set up so that we can manage with vBond. We came across an issue where it wasn't resolved in the DNS. We are using Umbrella, so we need to create a VPN IPSec tunnel to Umbrella to enable the users to browse. I would really like to see an internal built-in firewall so that we don't have to go to Umbrella. This functionality might already be there. We are quite new to this solution, and we are still learning about it."

"We don't have any issues with this solution other than the price."

"The initial setup is complex and can be improved."

"Cisco SD-WAN is not as easy to deploy as the Meraki and FortiGate solutions. The zero-touch deployment could be a lot better. The deployment and initial setup are complicated and could be better."

"Cisco's router and voice gateway has not been available since the launch of SD-WAN."

"The solution needs to be more flexible around legacy devices."

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN cons

"They don't have next generation firewall, UTM, like the other competitors."

"I believe there could be some enhancements in the enterprise segment, offering greater options or something similar."

"Its pricing is the main issue. The pricing could be improved. I would like to see an outbound policy based on the application. It is a very good feature, and most of the customers are looking for that. They can also include stronger firewall features. This would help the customers in choosing this product as the only device for the SD network."

"There is room for improvement in enhancing security features, such as incorporating intrusion detection blocking capabilities and integrating artificial intelligence to bolster security aspects on the device."

"The stability has room for improvement."

"Their hardware support isn't the greatest. We've had one unit go down, and it took a while for them to replace it. It was in the Caribbeans, so it might be a location-related issue."

"The product needs to aggregate the bandwidth of different ISPs. It needs to improve scalability as well."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We can only buy three-year licenses, not monthly. The cost seems high for us, especially since we're in Vietnam, which isn't a rich country. But we still like the product because it is good."

"Cisco's pricing is not entirely satisfactory when you compare the SD-WAN solutions in Asian markets — like the South Asian market in Sri Lanka — because there are several competing brands including Fortinet and Citrix, who provide much the same product for a generally lower price. And when it comes to firewall vendors like Palo Alto and SonicWall, they're also selling here. It's the same with VMware, too; they have much the same features."

"Licensing is on a subscription basis."

"For 600 links, the license for Cisco SD-WAN costs us US$250k a year."

"It's expensive. If you compare Cisco with Fortinet and Juniper, you'll find that Cisco is more expensive than other vendors."

"On a scale of one to five, I would rate Cisco's pricing as a three."

"There is no license required for this solution."

"When purchasing, there are so many features available that it's quite confusing deciding which to choose. And some of the devices force you to buy licenses you don't want."

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN pricing and cost advice

"It's not cheap, but it is highly competitive."

"It has lifetime licensing. Its pricing is high for most of the markets."

"Its licensing fee is on a yearly basis. For the price, it is actually pretty good value."

"Perpetual licensing, which is good for customers that don't want any annual or subscription based license."

"I rate Peplink SpeedFusion's pricing an eight out of ten."

"The cost is in the middle, a five out of ten."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

40%

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

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.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco SD-WAN?

The product is expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco SD-WAN?

Customers collaborate with ISPs and currently work with three ISPs, using options like LSM VPN and MPLS VPN to reduce line costs. They are considering moving from their current setup to an MPLS VPN...

See all answers

What do you like most about Peplink SpeedFusion?

In the Philippines, VPN usage may not be widely known, but we leverage VPN effectively within my organization. I've shared our in-house systems with other district offices, as I cover fifteen munic...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Peplink SpeedFusion?

I rate Peplink SpeedFusion's pricing an eight out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Peplink SpeedFusion?

The product needs to aggregate the bandwidth of different ISPs. It needs to improve scalability as well.

See all answers

Comparisons

Fortinet FortiGate vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 20% of the time

Meraki SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 13% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 10% of the time

Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 7% of the time

Prisma SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 6% of the time

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Competitors

Fortinet FortiGate vs Peplink SpeedFusion

Compared 27% of the time

Cradlepoint NetCloud vs Peplink SpeedFusion

Compared 24% of the time

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs Peplink SpeedFusion

Compared 7% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Peplink SpeedFusion

Compared 5% of the time

Sangfor SSL VPN vs Peplink SpeedFusion

Compared 4% of the time

More Peplink SpeedFusion Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

September 2024

Download Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN product report

Buyer's Guide

Peplink SpeedFusion

August 2024

Download Peplink SpeedFusion product report

Also Known As

Cisco SD-WAN

No data available

Learn More

Cisco

Peplink

Overview

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN serves to connect remote offices, reduce MPLS costs, and facilitate cloud and internet access while providing secure connectivity and centralized management for hybrid networks.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is leveraged for secure connectivity, load balancing, VPN, centralized network management, and migrating from traditional networks to SD-WAN. It supports hybrid networks, enabling centralized management across branches and data centers, improving security, and optimizing bandwidth usage. Industries such as banking and retail benefit from its capabilities for secure and efficient network management.

What are the main features of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN?

Centralized Management: Simplifies network operations and administration.
Application-Level Routing: Enhances performance for critical applications.
Segmentation: Provides robust network segmentation for security.
Policy Configuration: Customizable policies for traffic management.
Real-Time Traffic Visibility: Enables monitoring for better insights.
Load Balancing: Distributes network traffic efficiently.
Hybrid Cloud Connectivity: Seamless integration with cloud services.
Deep Packet Inspection: Detailed traffic analysis for security.
High Security: Offers strong security protocols to protect the network.
Ease of Deployment: Features like zero-touch provisioning simplify setup.

What benefits should be considered in reviews?

Cost Savings: Reduces operational expenses through efficient network management.
Reliability: Proven performance and uptime for critical operations.
Scalability: Grows with the organization's needs.
Integrated Health Monitoring: Proactively identifies and resolves issues.
Industry Trust: Cisco's reputation for quality and support.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN's implementation in banking enhances secure transaction communication between branches and data centers. Retailers utilize it to ensure steady connectivity for point-of-sale systems and inventory management. Organizations benefit from centralized management, making it easier to handle networks across multiple locations.

Peplink’s patent-pending SpeedFusion technology powers enterprise VPNs that tap into the bandwidth of up to 13 low-cost cable, DSL, 3G/4G/LTE, and other links connected anywhere on your corporate or institutional WAN. Whether you’re transferring a few documents or driving realtime POS data, video feeds, and VoIP conversations, SpeedFusion pumps all your data down a single fat datapipe that’s budget-friendly, ultra-fast, and easily configurable to suit any networking environment.

Sample Customers

Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates

MIT Robotics Team, Intel, Apple, Google, Hootsuite, Northrop Gruman, Alcatel-Lucent, Motorola, Avocent, GE, VW, Marriott, Renaissance, WSI, Union /Pacific

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Peplink SpeedFusion

September 2024

Free Report: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Peplink SpeedFusion

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