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ExtremeWireless vs Ruckus Wireless comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 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

ExtremeWireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
16th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Ruckus Wireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
103
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of ExtremeWireless is 1.6%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ruckus Wireless is 14.3%, up from 12.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

Seungho Yang - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced employee access with effective wireless monitoring and seamless roaming
Our use case for ExtremeWireless is to allow our employees to access the company systems The monitoring systems in ExtremeWireless have been very effective, and they are cheaper than other products. It provides better monitoring logs and detailed logs compared to Cisco Wireless. The most…
Xander Janse Van Rensburg - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable and high-performance wireless networking with exceptional stability, scalability, and robust feature set
One of the most valuable features I appreciate is auto channelization, facilitated by a proprietary product called ChannelFly. This feature enables APs in a specific zone to automatically adjust their channels, optimizing performance. Additionally, Ruckus Wireless stands out for its ability to reuse certain beams, resulting in smaller data spots. In my experience with various products, Ruckus Wireless consistently delivers unparalleled throughput, coverage, and reliability in wireless networking across different environments. As a noteworthy point, the newly launched WiFi 7 standard is measured against Ruckus's WiFi 7 AP, establishing it as the global benchmark. When it comes to WiFi, Ruckus sets the standard, outperforming competitors with its superior performance and capabilities.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"ExtremeWireless offers profiles, policies, and tags."
"The cloud-based management system is valuable."
"ExtremeWireless provides us with enterprise-level authentication methods at an excellent cost. It supports all the latest authentication methods. Another advantage is the built-in DHCP server. We don't need third-party DHCP servers to get the IPF."
"It's cloud-based and very easy to deploy."
"The cloud-based solution allows for easy management and monitoring of traffic and congestion."
"The most valuable features of ExtremeWireless include the management through the one dashboard management with ActionCloud IQ, integrated with Site Engine."
"Extreme access points perform very well in high-density environments, and we use them at sites with our customers."
"The initial setup process is simple."
"​Tremendous throughput and easy installation, configuration, and monitoring."
"The solution has an easy configuration."
"The most valuable feature of Ruckus Wireless is the Beamforming feature."
"I am familiar with the brand and it works well."
"The most valuable feature is the signature feature from Ruckus; the feature is called the BeamFlex. BeamFlex adaptive antenna technology takes a more adaptable approach allowing the access point to continually sense and optimize for its environment. The signals can be sent in a particular predetermined direction as desired. The technology allows for electrically manipulated antenna properties creating optimal antenna patterns for each device with which they communicated: the signal is focused, where the user is positioning."
"Configurations are highly customizable and we could tune easily to suit our Wi-Fi requirements."
"Very reliable."
"Dead zones were immediately eliminated when we deployed these WAPs in all of our locations, plus Ruckus’ analytics on the ZoneDirectors allow us to quickly identify clients that are taking too much bandwidth."
 

Cons

"The APs have quite a low signal compared to other brands."
"The cost is a little high."
"The current product line is very high-level and is well suited for enterprise-level organizations, but they need a more cost-effective solution for smaller businesses."
"Wireless products, in general, have room for improvement compared to wired ones, which are more stable."
"The performance of the access points could be improved."
"One area that could be improved is the accuracy of tracking tags."
"The management portal is in need of improvement."
"Many companies prefer Aruba over ExtremeWireless, possibly due to Aruba's broader range of products or their thorough approach to understanding customer needs."
"The solution could include more security features."
"APs should be more adaptable to denser client regions and, most important, the logs on the ZoneDirector should be classified into groups, such as type of logs and alerts."
"From the user point of view, sometimes we face a little bit of a challenge in terms of the channels selection for Ruckus. When we have installed all of the APs outdoors, those channels are actually empty in different numbers, so sometimes we found this challenging for getting paired between these point to point communications. If there is any way we can get some proprietary channels or some IT this interruption will not be there. That would be really fantastic for more reliable connectivity."
"Some customers have issues with the price because it's more expensive than Ubiquiti, but they can accept the cost because it's reliable and has more features."
"​The interface should be mobile friendly.​"
"The pricing is okay, however, it could be a bit lower."
"The cloud system from Ruckus is not mature enough just yet."
"The solution is sensitive with reference to power fluctuations. This sensitivity should be improved. Additionally, the solution should have more security features integrated."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Extreme isn't the most expensive, but it's not a low-cost solution, and because there are no big volumes, you don't receive significant discounts, making the final price higher."
"The price of the solution overall is expensive. Additionally, the controller and license are expensive. We pay for an annual subscription."
"I rate the product's pricing a three or four out of ten."
"The license cost per AP is about $150 USD."
"The purchase of 350 access points cost approximately $250,000 USD."
"There are both paid and free licenses of the cloud environment, with only basic functionality in the free version."
"We pay approximately $30,000 per year."
"ExtremeWireless isn't budget-friendly. The hardware costs around 20,000 Indian rupees. We're still using an older controller, so it doesn't require a license, unlike the newest versions of the ExtremeWireless controller."
"We have a yearly license for our multiple mode 200 or 300 Ruckus Wireless systems. It's a good price."
"It's quite expensive, but that is what you get with these types of solutions."
"Ubiquiti and Aruba Instant On are good for small businesses in terms of cost than Ruckus Wireless."
"Licensing is subscription-based."
"The tool’s pricing is competitive with other alternative solutions’ pricing."
"Ruckus Wireless is a cheaper solution than Cisco."
"This is a very expensive solution."
"Not all of our clients can afford a fully corporate solution like Ruckus. But for many of our clients, pricing is the only factor that prevents them from choosing Ruckus, as we have found Ruckus to be a very suitable and reliable solution for integrating wireless access points to a company's network."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Government
11%
Educational Organization
6%
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with ExtremeWireless?
They should develop more troubleshooting tools for system management. Additional troubleshooting tools should be created by the engineers.
Aruba Wireless or Ruckus Wireless?
At my organization, we researched Ruckus Wireless among other solutions but ultimately chose Aruba wireless. What did we like about Ruckus? First, it was very easy to use, and anybody with minimal...
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 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...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

St. Xavier High School, Americatel, Diamond Light Source
American University of Sharjah, Baruch College, Centro Escolar Liceo Santo Tomšs, Chevalier College, Chico Unified School District, Colegio de Fomento El Prado, Columbia Public Schools, Delta School District, Dordt College, Douglas County School District, Drew University, Armonea, Central Utah Clinic, Grove Hill Medical Center, Inner South Community Health Service, Midwest Surgical, Satilla Regional Medical Center, Lyndoch Living, Polonus, Roaring Fork School District, Sonora State, Vivid, Sydney, Players Club, Sandals, Scandic Hotels, Sheraton LAX, Sunbird
Find out what your peers are saying about ExtremeWireless vs. Ruckus Wireless and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
839,422 professionals have used our research since 2012.