Cisco Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN comparison

Cisco and Ubiquiti Networks are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Cisco is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.6, while Ubiquiti Networks is ranked #6 with an average rating of 7.8. Cisco holds a 12.1% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to Ubiquiti Networks’s 5.1% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 81% of Ubiquiti Networks users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Cisco Wireless and Ubiquiti WLAN compete in the wireless networking market with Cisco often leading in enterprise reliability and Ubiquiti in cost-effectiveness.

Features: Cisco Wireless offers advanced security protocols, seamless infrastructure integration, and robust customer support tailored for large-scale operations. Ubiquiti WLAN provides intuitive management, scalable solutions, and high performance at a budget-friendly price, appealing to small businesses looking for value.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Wireless has a steep learning curve with configuration processes, necessitating better user-friendly setup options. Some users find Ubiquiti WLAN's firmware updates inconsistent and could benefit from a regular update schedule. Meanwhile, Cisco's advanced features sometimes require simplification in accessibility, and Ubiquiti could work on elevating its enterprise-level capabilities and option variety.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Wireless presents a complex installation process but is backed by comprehensive customer support assisting with deployment issues. Ubiquiti WLAN offers simpler deployment but may not match the extensive support provided by Cisco, making it ideal for straightforward setups without specialized guidance.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Wireless involves a higher initial investment with potential for significant ROI due to its durable solutions and support services. Ubiquiti WLAN attracts with its lower setup costs, delivering a satisfactory ROI for budget-conscious users seeking quick financial returns.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Wireless vs. Ubiquiti WLAN Report (Updated: December 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Wireless vs. Ubiquiti WLAN

December 2024

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Categories and Ranking

Juniper Mist Wireless Acces...

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points is 5.7%, up from 2.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Wireless is 12.1%, down from 16.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubiquiti WLAN is 5.1%, down from 8.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

Gyan Sharma

Assistant Programmer at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha

Offers good performance, good solution and smooth implementation

I do have a suggestion: it would be helpful to have even stronger security features to help protect against interference from other nearby access points that aren't part of our network. If there are access points from other brands installed nearby; they can cause interference and disrupt the range of our Mist access points. So, the security features could be stronger, especially in terms of authentication. The connectivity is excellent, but security needs improvement. In future releases, integrating more AI features would be beneficial. If Mist had stronger AI features, it could provide better security against network threats and cyberattacks. So, this solution still needs to improve its AI capabilities. It would be great if the AI could improve the range of the access points, and auto-protect functionality should be there to avoid interference by other nearby access points and enhance threat detection. In the future, I'd like to see stronger threat detection features integrated with Mist, as well as better detection of nearby access points that might cause interference.

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Michael Lees

Production Director at Whitespider

Affordable, resilient, and performs better than other solutions in the market

Assurance capabilities must be improved. There should be more Assurance features on the Wireless LAN Controller. A lot of it is bundled into the DNA Center. Having a little more Assurance regarding what the RF Spectrum looks like will be good. Juniper Mist has a lot of analytical data on the dashboard. The customers would be compelled to look at DNA Center as a longer-term and more comprehensive solution if Cisco were to give them an insight into some of the Assurance capabilities that might be available in DNA Center. The tool must provide something like RF Neighbor. It must enable organizations to receive signal strength and signal-to-noise ratio and see how clients perform in their wireless network. It must have a cap. If we want additional functionality to see our entire network, that's where DNA Center fits in.

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Geoff Rubin

CEO at Forward Thinking Network Consultancy Ltd

Useful for network management and far more competitive than the other leading American brands

As an importer and distributor, we don't spend any time installing Ubiquiti WLAN products ourselves. We only resell the products to installers and don't do any installations directly. From my knowledge, though, the installation process is extremely straightforward. We get very few technical questions from our customers who do the installations. Based on our experience as distributors, I can say that virtually every installation we deal with now is centered around the UniFi Gateway. Although we don't handle installations directly, more companies rely on Ubiquiti gateways instead of standard options like FortiGate switches as routers. With the new UDM Pro Max product, Ubiquiti WLAN has covered the whole spectrum from home installations to the largest possible enterprise installations.

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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

"It provides private network access, helping us protect our company’s devices."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is Marvis, the AI-driven network management system."

"Juniper Mist offers valuable features like comprehensive network insight, granular policy control, fast device setup, strong security, and efficient SSL traffic management."

"With Mist, every Wednesday they roll out new features."

"The artificial intelligence feature is very good."

"Overall, we've been very pleased with the performance."

"Mist AI is a very powerful feature. Juniper is the only company that has introduced AI into networking."

"For the most part, it does what it's supposed to do, and I like it. It's a great product."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points pros

"Good manageability, and stability."

"This solution is highly stable. We have only had one issue in seven years."

"The technical support from Cisco is good."

"You need to learn the technology but after that the setup is easy."

"Its stability is most valuable."

"The ability to make different types of networks, such as land networks, is the most valuable part of the solution."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is reliability."

"Cisco Wireless is one of the more stable products so their products are scalable."

More Cisco Wireless pros

"The most beneficial thing about Ubiquiti is that it is simple to deploy."

"You can save backups of this controller locally and then I can export it to wherever I want."

"The initial setup process was relatively straightforward, with only minor challenges typically caused by user errors, such as password mismatches."

"Its most valuable feature is pricing."

"For me, the ease of configuration is a valuable feature."

"Anyone can buy the product off the shelf and configure it."

"It is a very stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"Great management interface."

More Ubiquiti WLAN pros

Cons

"Improving third-party integration is key for Juniper Mist's next release."

"Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points’ support services need improvement."

"Juniper should make the products more affordable."

"Supporting multiple protocols would be beneficial."

"The solution is expensive."

"Enrolling into the tool is a tedious process."

"Though certain security features are integrated into the product, my company has to always look forward to tightening certain security functionalities in the solution."

"The price could be better."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points cons

"The product’s interface must be improved."

"The price could be better."

"There are performance issues, particularly with video calls where throughput is not great."

"The integration with our CM and other technologies could improve this solution."

"Before deploying a wireless solution, you have to read and plan every role, every windows system, put in your access point, and then make the audit. This solution is not the best one to do this. We use another solution that is called Eko. In the future, if this solution could have better auditing capabilities it would be better."

"In the future, it would be great if the solution had a GPS feature that could have the ability through access points to locate cell phone users inside a local wireless network, for example in a stadium."

"Cisco Wireless is expensive."

"In the next release, I would like to see some AI capability deployed. Other competitors like Mist and Juniper already have it. So, AI features need to be introduced next year."

More Cisco Wireless cons

"Big networks with more than 80 access points are a problem. The network controller stops sometimes, and I think it's because of the high number of access points."

"I have never used cloud solutions. My first approach would be something related to the cloud, and backups on the cloud, and maybe an easier way to connect to it because I have an on-premises environment."

"When I started to upgrade, the controller for Unbuntu was really struggling to start up, however, that has since been solved."

"The support needs improvement. The official support is kind of complex. It's not that straightforward compared to Cisco and Aruba."

"Ubiquiti WLAN would be improved with the addition of individual AP configuration, which would allow for fine-tuning of individual access points and logins."

"The logs are not detailed enough. You can't clearly see what is being blocked in Ubiquiti WLAN, making the troubleshooting process a little bit harder."

"Ubiquiti WLAN needs to expand the models with external antennas. It needs to improve stability."

"When they release new products, you should know if there backward compatibility, or do you have to replace the entire forklift, It is useful to understand their strategy and where they are headed."

More Ubiquiti WLAN cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"If a customer has a budget of around five lakhs in Indian currency, they can afford Juniper products."

"Juniper Wireless AP's price is a little more expensive than other solutions, but you get what you pay for."

"I rate Juniper Mist's pricing a ten out of ten since it is expensive."

"The pricing is something Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) can work on. The pricing is very high compared to the competition."

"We pay maybe 1000 SEK per year, per access point."

"The solution is expensive."

"The pricing is too high."

"The pricing is fair."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points pricing and cost advice

"Cisco Wireless is a little bit expensive when compared to other solutions."

"This solution is expensive, but you get value for your money."

"As far as I know Cisco is very competitive, price-wise. Talk to your third-party vendor. It all depends on the company size - how many employees, how big the building is. If it's wireless, and you have only 50 employees but you're using a large building floor, in that case you need many access points. But if you have 50 employees using two or three rooms, then you probably don't need it and it's going to be high density, so there is a different design. So you need to talk to a subject matter expert. Talk to them and design accordingly."

"Cisco licensing is usually provided on a yearly basis rather than monthly. You can get a hardware SLA or hardware and software SLA for a period of years. Longer terms influence the level of support that you get when it comes to Cisco SLA."

"The price of this solution is a little more than competitors."

"The license is a one-time purchase."

"The price of Cisco Wireless is in the high range compared to other solutions. The solution could be less expensive."

"The price of Cisco Wireless is expensive and there is an additional cost for support."

More Cisco Wireless pricing and cost advice

"Ubiquiti WLAN is a low-priced product."

"There is no licensing cost for this solution."

"Ubiquiti WLAN is less expensive than Ruckus, but its price could be improved to make it more affordable and accessible."

"The tool's price is good and falls somewhere in the middle."

"Its cost is reasonable."

"Ubiquiti WLAN’s price is higher than other competitors."

"Ubiquiti WLAN is fairly well priced and available as a one-time purchase."

"The tool is affordable."

More Ubiquiti WLAN pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user212721

President at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

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…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

17%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series)?

The solution is very secure.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series)?

Juniper Mist is cheaper than Meraki, placing it in the middle of the pack.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series)?

Supporting multiple protocols would be beneficial.

See all answers

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...

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Which is better - Ruckus Wireless or Cisco Wireless?

Ruckus Wireless offers users the benefit of being both easy to set up and get running as well as being very user frie...

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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 ...

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Is Ubiquiti Wireless better than Ruckus Wireless WAN?

Ubiquiti Wireless is extremely easy to set up and is an excellent option for small businesses, offering enterprise fe...

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Which is better - Ubiquiti WLAN or Aruba Instant?

We researched Ubiquiti and Aruba when looking for a WLAN solution. Ubiquiti offers good WLAN access both indoors and ...

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What do you like most about Ubiquiti WLAN?

Anyone can buy the product off the shelf and configure it.

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 44% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 18% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 15% of the time

Fortinet FortiAP vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 4% of the time

ExtremeWireless vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 2% of the time

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Competitors

Aruba Wireless vs Cisco Wireless

Compared 37% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Cisco Wireless

Compared 25% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Cisco Wireless

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Cisco Wireless

Compared 6% of the time

Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess Stellar vs Cisco Wireless

Compared 1% of the time

More Cisco Wireless Competitors

Aruba Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 20% of the time

Fortinet FortiAP vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 16% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 15% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 8% of the time

NETGEAR Insight Access Points vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 4% of the time

More Ubiquiti WLAN Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

December 2024

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points report

Download Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Wireless

December 2024

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Buyer's Guide

Ubiquiti WLAN

November 2024

Download Ubiquiti WLAN product report

Also Known As

Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series), Mist Access Points

Cisco WLAN Controller

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Juniper

Cisco

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Ubiquiti Networks

Overview

Juniper Wireless Access Points work in conjunction with Juniper Mist Cloud Services and Mist AI to deliver premier wireless access capabilities. The Juniper Mist Edge extends microservices to the campus to bring agility and scale while enabling new applications at the edge.

Cisco Wireless is a comprehensive suite of wireless solutions designed to deliver secure, high-performance connectivity for enterprises of all sizes. Offering a range of access points, controllers, and advanced management tools, Cisco Wireless ensures seamless and reliable network access, enhancing mobility and productivity.

Cisco Wireless solutions provide robust, scalable wireless networks capable of supporting high-density environments and diverse applications. With features such as seamless roaming, advanced security protocols, and detailed analytics, Cisco Wireless addresses the needs of modern businesses. The solutions include the Cisco Catalyst and Aironet series access points, wireless LAN controllers, and the Cisco DNA Center for centralized management and automation.

What are the key features of Cisco Wireless?

High-Density Performance: Optimized for environments with a high number of devices, ensuring reliable connectivity and performance.
Advanced Security: Incorporates robust security measures such as WPA3, Secure Boot, and segmentation to protect data and devices.
Seamless Roaming: Enables uninterrupted connectivity as users move across different areas within the network.
Centralized Management: Cisco DNA Center provides a single pane of glass for managing and automating wireless networks, enhancing operational efficiency.
Flexible Deployment Options: Supports various deployment models, including on-premises, cloud-managed, and hybrid solutions.

What benefits should users look for in reviews when evaluating Cisco Wireless?

Improved Mobility and Productivity: Users often highlight how Cisco Wireless enhances user mobility and productivity through reliable and consistent connectivity.
Scalability: Reviews frequently mention the scalability of Cisco Wireless, making it suitable for growing businesses.
Ease of Management: Many users appreciate the centralized management capabilities, which simplify network administration and troubleshooting.
Enhanced Security: The advanced security features are often noted for providing peace of mind and compliance with industry standards.
User Experience: The overall user experience, including ease of use and seamless integration with other Cisco products, is a common point of praise.

Cisco Wireless solutions are implemented across various industries, including healthcare, education, retail, and manufacturing. In healthcare, they support critical applications like patient monitoring and electronic health records. Educational institutions use Cisco Wireless to provide reliable internet access for students and staff. Retailers benefit from enhanced customer experiences through in-store connectivity, while manufacturers use wireless networks to improve operational efficiency and automation.

Pricing and licensing for Cisco Wireless solutions are typically based on the scale of deployment and specific product selections. Cisco offers various support plans, including 24/7 customer service, technical support, and access to software updates and patches.

In summary, Cisco Wireless provides robust, scalable wireless networking solutions that enhance connectivity, security, and management for diverse enterprise environments.

UniFi is a revolutionary Wi-Fi system that combines Enterprise performance, unlimited scalability, a central management controller and disruptive pricing.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Aegean Motorway, Baylor Scott & White Health, Beachbody, Bellevue, Brunel University London, Bucks County Intermediate Unit , Chartwell School, Children's Hospital Colorado, Cisco Live Milan, City of Biel, City of Mississauga, Dundee Precious Metals, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Erickson Living, Goldcorp, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS)

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

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Wireless vs. Ubiquiti WLAN

December 2024

Free Report: Cisco Wireless vs. Ubiquiti WLAN

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