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Cisco Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 2025

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 Wireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
153
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Ubiquiti WLAN
Ranking in Wireless LAN
7th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
44
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Cisco Wireless is 11.5%, down from 15.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubiquiti WLAN is 5.1%, down from 6.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

GulfrazAhmad - PeerSpot reviewer
Integrates with ISE, and is secure, reliable, and easy to deploy
The main concern is the length and overlapping. We have to put on four to six access points on the same floor, and we face the issue of overlapping areas. If Cisco can extend the range of their indoor APs, we would need to install just one or two access points, and it would eliminate the problem of the overlapping area. They should provide built-in features for safe authentication. Right now, we integrate with ISE and FortiClient for this feature. We first check the NAC, and after the NAC and before the domain, a token password installed on their mobile or a physical token is required to join the network. If Cisco had built-in authentication, we would be able to eliminate one product from our network.
Gabriele-Pizzigati - PeerSpot reviewer
Managing installations through one interface enhances efficiency but AI features improvement
Ubiquiti Wireless LAN is reliable and offers a good quality product. It provides one interface to manage all installations, allowing me to monitor all customers through the same web interface. The web interface in the controller allows for quick configuration of devices with just one click, which is a significant advantage.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Cisco Wireless always has the latest technology that supports WiFi 5 and 6."
"The mobility that it provides is really helpful."
"The tool's most valuable features are security, flexibility, user activity, and high bandwidth."
"It integrates with Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA)."
"Creating policies is simple."
"Cisco Wireless is easy to configure."
"Cisco Wireless is quite convenient for mobile and laptop access."
"Cisco Wireless is scalable."
"The solution is very easy to install."
"I use Ubiquiti WLAN because it's cheap and performs well. The range is its best feature for improving network performance."
"The solution has a lot of great features."
"The most valuable feature is the level of security on the Wi-Fi network."
"Ubiquiti provides good connectivity for the end-user, so I think it's stable."
"The product is simple to use in terms of GUI and dashboard."
"Great management interface."
"The management features are valuable."
 

Cons

"When you integrate a network access control with authentication with an ISE engine it's really complicated to put in place."
"It's expensive."
"It would be better if some utility lets us know the best place to install the system. Every time we install it, we have to change it, and we have to add more access points. This is a problem we have all the time. It would be better if it integrated seamlessly with products from other vendors. It'll also help if they included a device diagnostics feature in the next release."
"Cisco is costlier relative to other solutions."
"For all products on the market, the availability of the products may not be ideal. We're waiting on a lot of products simply due to the fact that there's a material shortage. We've ordered products and have had to wait three or four months for anything to get delivered. This is not just Cisco. It's a problem on the market for all components which include semiconductors."
"Many wireless controllers' firmware have bugs in their new releases, which are not stable, especially in an environment with many wireless AP (WAP) types."
"And from an administration point of view, it is a very tedious job to check on each and every control. We have around 30 or 40 controls in our network."
"The solution is stable but it could be improved. However, this could be because there are not enough APs."
"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."
"The statistics you can get on it are a bit limited from what I have seen so far."
"Ubiquiti WLAN is not a cheap solution."
"When I started to upgrade, the controller for Unbuntu was really struggling to start up, however, that has since been solved."
"The product could be improved with more extensive documentation or resources for network engineers."
"The downside is the interface changes, where they are constantly doing firmware updates."
"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."
"They could enhance their products by integrating cloud access into each device."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have to pay for the hardware and support is extra and we do pay for the support."
"It's expensive because a lot of the controls come with licenses."
"There is no license required to use Cisco Wireless solutions."
"I think it's affordable. Maybe there are little differences, but it's not very expensive. But with all Cisco products, you have to pay more for the power supply. You'll have to pay for the PoE converter."
"The price for this product is a little bit high, which is why I am not using the most recent version."
"Cisco is not a cheap solution. Their licensing cost is higher than that for others."
"The cost model is expensive."
"This solution is expensive, but you get value for your money."
"Ubiquiti WLAN’s price is higher than other competitors."
"On a scale of one to ten, where one is expensive, and ten is cheap, I rate Ubiquiti WLAN's pricing a five to six out of ten."
"The tool's price is very friendly."
"The software to control it is free. The license is when we buy the Cloud Key."
"When comparing the price of Ubiquiti WLAN to Aruba the price is reasonable."
"There is no licensing cost for this solution."
"The pricing is very reasonable."
"Ubiquiti has a good price compared to the other ones."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Wireless LAN solutions are best for your needs.
849,190 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

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…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Educational Organization
6%
Computer Software Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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...
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 friendly. This user-friendly quality also renders it easy to learn how to use and ma...
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...
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 features for a one-time fee and no ongoing licensing fees. Ubiquiti Wireless is ve...
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 outdoors. It provides an enterprise-level WIFI while remaining cost-effective. U...
What do you like most about Ubiquiti WLAN?
Anyone can buy the product off the shelf and configure it.
 

Also Known As

Cisco WLAN Controller
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Wireless vs. Ubiquiti WLAN and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
849,190 professionals have used our research since 2012.