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Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs ExtremeCloud IQ 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

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.1
Number of Reviews
119
Ranking in other categories
Wireless LAN (3rd)
ExtremeCloud IQ
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
76
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (10th), Network Access Control (NAC) (10th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (18th)
 

Mindshare comparison

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and ExtremeCloud IQ aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is designed for Wireless LAN and holds a mindshare of 12.9%, up 12.2% compared to last year.
ExtremeCloud IQ, on the other hand, focuses on Network Management Applications, holds 3.0% mindshare, down 3.1% since last year.
Wireless LAN
Network Management Applications
 

Featured Reviews

RezaPradipta - PeerSpot reviewer
Streamline network management with a unified dashboard for seamless device integration
The primary use case for Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is mostly for enterprise wireless, including guest Wi-Fi and enterprise Wi-Fi. I use it across various industries with a focus on retail Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN offers a single pane of glass management. It only comes with a controller on the…
Sriman L - PeerSpot reviewer
One of the best cloud-based wireless solutions that helps manage multiple APs from a single dashboard across multiple locations
ExtremeCloud IQ’s user interface needs to be improved, and its current bugs need to be fixed. Sometimes, AP details, like the AP firmware and the AP hostname, are not updating properly because of a few bugs in the current version, which they might fix in the next version. Compared to the central and other cloud solutions, a couple of bugs still running on these portals need to be rectified. For ExtremeCloud IQ's next releases, I expect to get all the users and the events alerts. Also, if any AP goes down, I should be able to do some scheduled reports specific to the site because it is currently in beta. If any AP goes offline, that's an event. If you want to do the filter for a specific site event, we don't have that filter option. I expect specific site-level and category-level events and alert filters to get reports.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution ensures seamless connectivity as users move within the office. Six installed Meraki APs provide excellent coverage for around three hundred users, offering reliable speeds. Additionally, the system allows guests and users with priority devices to connect using their SAP ID. The traffic is managed through D and G controllers to meet the specified requirements for continuous connection and speed."
"I would recommend Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN simply because of the ease of deployment and its reliability."
"The emailing of statuses is the most valuable feature."
"It is cloud-based. You can manage it remotely from anywhere in the world, and you don't have to be on-site, which is a very big advantage."
"The interface makes it easy to manage."
"This product has allowed us to easily create custom SSIDs for clients and carve out the necessary bandwidth for clients needs."
"Great architecturally based dashboard and the solution is accessible from anywhere."
"The big draw is the ease of installation. It's easy to manage, and it's easy to implement."
"It's extremely easy to deploy. Even our access points are behind the net, not using real, public IP. We can easily add to the cloud. For deployment, we just need to let the access point take the DSCP from IP and then, even if it's not a requirement, we can see the serial number from the access points and add the serial number to the cloud directly."
"Our transaction polling is now way more secure."
"Another valuable feature is the automation of Wi-Fi configurations, which allows the wireless network to auto-reconfigure in case of problems."
"App and firewall security at the AP."
"The support organization behind this product is extremely professional."
"This solution's most valuable feature is its short deployment time."
"Everything can be seen from the dashboard."
"It is a scalable solution."
 

Cons

"It would be nice to have licensing that stays in place while the system is being renovated or changed."
"I would like to see Cisco Meraki improve the accessibility by region level here in Latin America."
"In the next release, I would like to see a third-party high tech center to connect multiple users to a particular network."
"It would be good to integrate with ISE in the future."
"We would like to see Wi-Fi 6 support for devices sold in the Middle East."
"Recently I have seen that the Meraki access point, maybe due to congestion, just kicks off my customers, mostly when they are in Zoom meetings or Teams meetings and they have to reconnect."
"The only concern is when the license has expired and it will no longer function, the entire network goes down, without any notification, or warning."
"Meraki should share their viability roadmap. It is really hard to know which functionality will appear or when they will be available. It is also hard to know which features are available now but are not visible on the dashboard."
"An area for improvement in ExtremeCloud IQ is its technical support. Support could be better, especially when you need help concerning ExtremeCloud IQ and WinG."
"They can improve just the onboarding process. More user information about the introduction to the product would be helpful. It would be good if they have a better user introduction to the new product because it is different than the prior version."
"Pricing is a bit expensive."
"The solution will show us that there are some issues, but when we try to find those issues, we can't see them."
"The product could support multi-vendor infrastructures."
"Need port aggregation on the 2384 switches to take full advantage of ac on the APs. I understand that is on their product road map."
"The managing of switches within this solution could be improved."
"The certification costs from suppliers are getting out of control, and it's not just Extreme. We have the same problem with Cisco and Huawei."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its licensing is on a yearly basis. It can be for three, five, or ten years. I'm happy with the pricing. You basically pay for what you get. It is that simple. When you look at Ubiquiti or Aruba, Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN far outweighs what you get. If you're in the UK, Ubiquiti gives a three-year or five-year warranty, whereas here in the UAE, they only give a one-year warranty, which is no good to me. Who buys a piece of equipment with only one year warranty on it? It doesn't make sense."
"The tool is reasonably priced."
"Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN's pricing is high."
"At this price point, I would not mind seeing a four-way channel, instead of a 3x3 or a 4x4, like they do in the Cisco Aironet system with their other brand. For the same price point in this other Cisco brand, it is a lot cheaper, and you can get a slightly better throughput than you can with these."
"Pricing could be better."
"Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is expensive."
"We don't like the licensing model and we think that it needs to be improved significantly."
"The solution's pricing is a little higher."
"Previously, ExtremeCloudIQ provided free licensing for all the basic requirements of their customers. An advanced cloud user had to purchase advanced licenses for automation and advanced country features at the enterprise level. They have restricted the licensing, allowing only up to ten units for testing, which is challenging. This limitation becomes problematic, especially in countries like Sri Lanka or other Asian countries, where customers face economic challenges and have limited budgets. The previous free option was beneficial, but it has become tougher to manage with these new changes. They should revise their pricing structure, offering the basic features free of charge for up to 50 AP. Larger entities with more than 50 APs have the budget to support them. Still, it becomes more difficult for small and medium-sized businesses with less than 50 APs to allocate a significant budget for control and management features."
"Although the pricing is a bit high, I consider Aerohive to be well worth the money."
"I did a multi-year license. It was a three-year license. It compares well with others in terms of the price. It is about a hundred dollars per year on a three-year scale."
"The price was okay."
"The product pricing is reasonable."
"Start small and grow big. You can choose the basic Aerohive Connect free subscription solution and, later, if needed (in terms of functionality) you can upgrade to Aerohive Select."
"There are probably cheaper solutions but we invest for stability and performance for the longer haul."
"ExtremeCloud IQ's pricing is medium, but its support contract costs more."
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Answers from the Community

EB
Aug 10, 2021
Aug 10, 2021
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 experience with any of these brands? If so, based on your experience would you use that brand again? Also what other equipment do you have on your network? Firewall? Router? APs? Security (Cameras, door...
2 out of 5 answers
RM
Mar 25, 2021
I have Extreme and chose them years ago when they were Aerohive for one reason PPSK they are still the only company that has this.  I put out a bid this year and was ready to forklift my entire extreme system because of their outrageous maintenance costs Aruba had a great maintenance cost but to achieve what I needed I would have to purchase clearpass an excellent product I might add.   TCO for Aruba was about 10% of my original Extreme quote.  The bid for extreme came in and they had dropped the maintenance cost to 10% of the original cost for 5 years.  I would like to have purchased Aruba but I have 125 Extreme WAPs deployed so the cost of Aruba forklift would have been higher and the need to retrain techs on how to configure Aruba is now not an issue.  If I was doing a system from scratch I would choose Aruba hands down for their service, price and ease of use.  I have a full Aruba network of routers and switches as well as all HP printers so it would have been a good fit. I must add this is based on educational prices I am the network Engineer for a residential High School ASMSA.  Your prices may vary.  I have heard from other extreme users that their support is not what it was when Aerohive was a stand alone company, I have a very knowledgeable vendor so I rarely have to contact Extreme.
MF
Mar 25, 2021
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 experience with any of these brands?  If so, based on your experience would you use that brand again? Also what other equipment do you have on your network?  Firewall? Router? APs? Security (Cameras, door locks etc.)?  Are there any functions with one of these brands of switches that would enhance the products you already have?  Sometimes you get more bang for your buck by sticking with the same manufacture as they will have features on different products that work together well or feed off of each other. If all of that comes down to the same three brands still, then look at performance claims, features sets, cost. We have the Meraki AP's and I like the cloud management portion of them.  But if you don't renew with them to use the cloud then the AP's are worthless as the require the cloud management.  But it is nice to have that central, visual representation and central management feature Meraki has to offer.  I don't know if Extreme Networks or Aruba has that. 
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Educational Organization
10%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

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...
Which is better - Cisco Wireless or Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?
Cisco Wireless is very robust, very rugged, and can handle indoor and outdoor coverage extremely well. We found it to be very reliable and to consistently run very efficiently. Cisco Wireless helpe...
How does Ruckus Wireless compare to Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?
Cisco’s Meraki Virtual MX is a virtual instance of the Meraki SD-WAN appliance. We liked the Meraki. The Wifi APs are a great feature. The dashboard is a simple interface and easy to learn. It feat...
What do you like most about ExtremeCloud IQ?
The Client 360 feature provides a comprehensive view of your clients and their activities, including the devices they use. Additionally, a feature called Network 360 offers a 360-degree view of the...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ExtremeCloud IQ?
The licensing was a challenge due to budget constraints, and I used ExtremeCloud IQ without a license for a period. The documentation and training courses were also costly, impacting how easily I c...
What needs improvement with ExtremeCloud IQ?
There can be an improvement by incorporating two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication for security. Advanced network access control features and application control features should ...
 

Also Known As

MR18, MR26, MR32, MR34, MR66, MR72, Meraki Wireless LAN, Meraki WLAN
Aerohive Networks, Aerohive HiveManager, HiveManager, ExtremeCloud , ExtremeSecurity
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Advanced Medical Transport, Banco de Guayaquil, Baylor Scott & White Health, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, Calligaris, Children's Hospital Colorado, City of Biel, Del Papa Distributing, Department of Justice, Dimension Data, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Hertz, K&L Gates , LightEdge, Lone Star College System, Management Science Associates, Mindtree, NBC Olympics, Quest, Sony Corporation, The Department of Education in Western Australia, Valley Proteins
Henry Ford Health System, Baltimore Ravens, Brandili, Federal University of Alagoas, CEDAE, Caxias do Sul, UNISC Concurrency, CenturyLink Field, Louisiana College, Cricket Tasmania Stadium, Moscow Internet Exchange
Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless LAN. Updated: April 2025.
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