Ruckus Wireless WAN vs Ubiquiti Wireless comparison

Ruckus and Ubiquiti Networks are both solutions in the Wireless WAN category. Ruckus is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2, while Ubiquiti Networks is ranked #1 with an average rating of 7.9. Ruckus holds a 37.9% mindshare in Wireless WAN, compared to Ubiquiti Networks’s 40.1% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Ruckus users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of Ubiquiti Networks users who would recommend it.

Ruckus Wireless WAN

Read 55 Ruckus Wireless WAN reviews

4,137 Views
3,550 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Ubiquiti Wireless

Read 73 Ubiquiti Wireless reviews

8,287 Views
3,844 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Ruckus Wireless WAN

Ubiquiti Wireless

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

Ruckus Wireless WAN and Ubiquiti Wireless compete in the wireless technology market. Ruckus has an upper hand in terms of features like reliability and superior coverage, but Ubiquiti is seen as a more budget-friendly choice.

Features: Ruckus Wireless WAN is valued for its BeamFlex technology, which enhances coverage and signal quality, ease of deployment, and strong management capabilities. Ubiquiti Wireless offers cost-effectiveness, simplified management, and ease of configuration.

Room for Improvement: Ruckus Wireless WAN could benefit from more competitive pricing, better cloud capabilities, and enhanced support options. Ubiquiti Wireless may improve in product integration, expand features for larger enterprises, and bolster support for better assistance.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Ruckus Wireless WAN is favored for its comprehensive support, though users seek smoother technical support engagement. Ubiquiti Wireless is known for straightforward deployment, yet its customer service infrastructure could be improved.

Pricing and ROI: Ruckus Wireless WAN offers good ROI for long-term investments despite a higher cost. Ubiquiti Wireless provides competitive pricing, with significant cost advantages and no recurring licensing fees, appealing to small to medium-sized deployments.

To learn more, read our detailed Ruckus Wireless WAN vs. Ubiquiti Wireless Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Ruckus Wireless WAN vs. Ubiquiti Wireless

January 2025

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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

Ruckus Wireless WAN

Ranking in Wireless WAN

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Ubiquiti Wireless

Ranking in Wireless WAN

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Wireless WAN category, the mindshare of Ruckus Wireless WAN is 37.9%, up from 36.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubiquiti Wireless is 40.1%, up from 40.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless WAN

Q&A Highlights

Netanya Carmi

Content Manager at PeerSpot

Nov 10, 2021

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 very stable and scales easily. It can be challenging to set up other products with Ubiquiti Wireless - not impossible, but not easy either. It would make Ubiquiti Wireless more competitive if they offered more cloud support. We would like to see automatic channel assignments. Many other solutions offer this, but Ubiquiti Wireless does not. It offers no dynamic channel or power management. We like that Ruckus Wireless WAN is reliable, easy to deploy, and offers amazing coverage. It also makes it very easy to add access points. The access points are very powerful, and the outdoor access points can be very easily disguised. We felt Ruckus Wireless WAN gave us improved coverage and faster WiFi. The Beamflex technology really optimizes coverage and improves overall signal quality. It would be beneficial if Ruckus Wireless WAN had better integration with other products and if it offered a firewall. This solution can also be more costly than some other solutions. Conclusion: If you are looking strictly from a cost perspective or dealing with budgetary constraints, Ubiquiti Wireless is a very good choice - a quality product offering great performance at a very low price. We felt Ruckus Wireless WAN offered better consistent coverage and was a more durable, rugged product. Many of our clients were primarily focused on broad outdoor use and Ruckus Wireless WAN consistently offered better access points and a stronger, faster Wifi.

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Featured Reviews

Udit Narayan

Senior Engineer IT Networking at JSW

Offers robust outdoor connectivity, but signal strength and support need improvement

In Cisco, there is a configuration where it automatically switches from the 2.4 GHz to 5.2 GHz frequency. But with Ruckus, usually, we need to manually define whether we want to use the 2.4 GHz or 5.2 GHz. Another point is that its penetration power is low when we are using it in any location with more walls, as the signal strength diminishes. So, the signal strength and the penetration power of the signal should be improved. It is not like Cisco. We are using Cisco APs also, but Cisco APs perform better when we compare them with Ruckus. In future releases, I would like to see automatic switching between 2.4 GHz and 5.2 GHz frequencies. We should not have to set it manually. It should automatically change its frequency based on the load. For example, if the number of users increases, then its frequency should change automatically, switching to the less congested band.

Read full review

Sachin Vinay

Assistant Manager-Networks at Amrita

Simple to set up and good outdoor accessibility but does not penetrate rooms well indoors

Ubiquiti requires more improvement in wireless penetration. It has significantly less penetration in indoor devices. When it comes to indoor devices, Ubiquiti Wireless does not have penetration power, so when we deploy it in closed rooms, it fails to connect. This is one drawback that has to improve. When indoor access points failed to penetrate into rooms, we had to deploy single access points in each room, which seemed to be really costly. Still, when compared to Fortinet, it has an outdoor access point model also. The outdoor access point is relatively stable in comparison. The solution needs to offer more scalability. It does not have traffic shaping or traffic policies in its wireless requirements. We have to completely depend on an additional firewall for traffic shaping and policies.

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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

"Radio management is a valuable feature of the solution."

"Scalability is a valuable feature."

"The feature I like most, is the product activity."

"We found the technical support to be helpful."

"The most valuable feature is the ease of adding an access point."

"Ruckus Wireless WAN is highly regarded for managing network performance. They have simplified the configuration and installation processes, making it straightforward. It works out of the box; you just configure it, and there's minimal need for minor adjustments."

"I made some comparisons with other competitors and I found that Ruckus was number one in regards to stability."

"The solution is easy to use and offers good management for wireless."

More Ruckus Wireless WAN pros

"I like the simplicity, the ease of use."

"The pricing of the solution is excellent. It offers a great value."

"The solution offers us good situational awareness by providing information on user activity, signal strength, and all the data that you need to manage the system and understand issues."

"The ease of the setup is one of its most valuable aspects."

"This access point provides internet to every lab on campus, including the computer laboratory"

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is a simple and useful tool that offers good performance."

"The indoor WiFi connection works well."

"It's an excellent option for small businesses."

More Ubiquiti Wireless pros

Cons

"Sometimes, you can't do everything you need on the GUI."

"Technical support is something that needs to be improved."

"Pricing could be improved in Ruckus Wireless WAN because obviously, everybody wants things to become cheaper. Another room for improvement in the product is from a delivery perspective, particularly the heavy delivery delays because of the chip shortage that a lot of manufacturers have to deal with. The chip shortage is not coming to an end, but Ruckus Networks has to make a plan because the ETA has slipped out from the average of three months on switches to fourteen months, which is very, very rough on the industry at the moment. Ruckus Wireless WAN could lose business to Chinese competitors, for example, HTC has a good wireless solution that I haven't tested yet, other than on POC, and it works great. I haven't yet experienced the HTC wireless solution in large deployments, so you never know how it's going to go, but HTC has managed to circumvent the chip shortage, so the ETA provided by HTC is much more preferred than the ETAs provided by Ruckus Networks, Cisco, and Aruba products."

"I believe there is room for improvement in the price structure."

"I have been working with WiFi for more than 17 years. I am not able to convince customers because of the pricing of the solution. Otherwise, we could have sold lots of this tool to the customers."

"Ruckus Wireless WAN needs to improve its pricing."

"The product could benefit from features like Cisco's, such as improved zoning and analytics tools."

"The product does not offer a cloud version. I am waiting for the cloud version of the product to be introduced."

More Ruckus Wireless WAN cons

"Central monitoring is the main functionality that should be included in the product."

"The product's user interface could be more intuitive, and sometimes, the system can be slow during peak usage times."

"We'd like them to improve aspects of device management."

"Their stock is a bit low compared to others, making it difficult to purchase."

"I would like a better explanation or better documentation on how to use the onboard spectrum analyzer."

"In Ukraine at least, it's a problem when it comes to buying the hardware. For example, I made a request for 20 switches a few months ago. The solution needs to have worldwide availability."

"Better third-party integration would be helpful because often, Ubiquity is a product that customers choose after they already have something else from another vendor like HPE."

"Sometimes we have some micro breaks we do not know what causes them."

More Ubiquiti Wireless cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Here in India, Ruckus is chosen often because it is priced low."

"We have to pay annually for the cloud licenses, so I think it'll be about 5,000 pounds a year moving forwards."

"The price of Ruckus Wireless WAN is in the middle price range compared to competitors. You will find Cisco is the most expensive, the second is HPE and Aruba, and the third is Ruckus Wireless WAN. You then have all the follower solutions."

"It's expensive but you get more coverage."

"In terms of the license of Ruckus Wireless WAN being cheap or expensive, it would differ based on your country. As I'm living in Turkey, it's expensive, so far. There is a big challenge about the chip crisis or the silicon crisis lately, and all vendors are fighting, so not enough equipment could be sold and the vendors must earn money, so it's very fair for vendors to push software and licensing to keep working and earning, so it's hard to answer a question on how cheap or expensive the license is for the solution."

"You have to pay for the controller with Ruckus, whereas with Ubiquiti, it comes for free."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten."

"The cost of licensing varies."

More Ruckus Wireless WAN pricing and cost advice

"We don't buy directly. We have our finance department that buys things. My speculation on the price is that because we buy from private companies and because the product is imported, people tend to give us at higher prices. This is due to the fact that it is government procurement. So, sometimes, they are not paid directly, and they have to go through the whole administrative process before they are paid. So, they tend to compensate by increasing the price, but I won't be able to say what is the exact price."

"Once you purchase the solution the license is included."

"The most valuable aspect of Ubiquiti is the price. Compared to competing solutions like Cisco Aironet, HP Aruba, ExtremeWireless, or Ruckus, Ubiquiti is the cheapest by far. It's not even close. That's their biggest selling point."

"For €100, you have Wi-Fi and you don't have to worry about a license."

"I think the price is okay for the product, but the price could always be cheaper."

"Its price is reasonable for a basic device."

"There are no additional expenses apart from the standard licenses."

"The price of Ubiquiti Wireless is affordable, we pay approximately $100 and $150 per access point."

More Ubiquiti Wireless pricing and cost advice

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Answers from the Community

Netanya Carmi

Content Manager at PeerSpot

Nov 10, 2021

Is Ubiquiti Wireless better than Ruckus Wireless WAN?

2 out of 3 answers

Noureddine Chikhaoui

Key Account Manager at 3GCOM

Sep 3, 2021

yes

Read full answer

Claudiu Retisan

Principal CEO at SC MICROPOLIS DATA SRL

Sep 6, 2021

yes. aprox. same issues at the half price

Read full answer

See all 3 answers

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

14%

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

Is Ubiquiti Wireless better than Ruckus Wireless WAN?

See all answers

What do you like most about Ruckus Wireless WAN?

Ruckus Wireless WAN is an easy-to-use solution.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ruckus Wireless WAN?

The pricing is reasonable for us as partners since we receive discounts. However, I believe for non-partners, it might not be considered cheap, though it isn't the most expensive either.

See all answers

Which is better - Cambium or Ubiquiti Wireless?

For me, Ubiquiti was easy to install, configure, set up, and maintain, while also providing solid coverage and better handoffs between APs. This is especially relevant if you are using Apple produc...

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Which is better - Ubiquiti Wireless or Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?

Ubiquiti Wireless offers a wide range of WLAN products. We tested their devices before ultimately choosing Cisco Meraki. Ubiquiti devices have good outdoor performance and the connection is very st...

See all answers

What do you like most about Ubiquiti Wireless?

We had a client with a power plant. Different wireless devices from various brands caused problems. We fixed it using the Ubiquiti Wireless UDM controller and installed 75 access points and antenna...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cambium Networks Wireless WAN vs Ruckus Wireless WAN

Compared 10% of the time

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Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Ubiquiti Wireless

Compared 20% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs Ubiquiti Wireless

Compared 18% of the time

Cambium Networks Wireless WAN vs Ubiquiti Wireless

Compared 8% of the time

ExtremeCloud IQ vs Ubiquiti Wireless

Compared 4% of the time

Fortinet FortiWLM vs Ubiquiti Wireless

Compared 2% of the time

More Ubiquiti Wireless Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Ruckus Wireless WAN

January 2025

Download Ruckus Wireless WAN product report

Buyer's Guide

Ubiquiti Wireless

January 2025

Download Ubiquiti Wireless product report

Overview

Ruckus Wireless’s WAN (Wide Area Network) suite of switches and solutions provides companies and organizations with a wide variety of products that enable them to deploy and manage the kinds of WANs that best meet their needs. Ruckus Wireless is a leader in the field of WAN creation, deployment, and management. Their solutions are designed with the user in mind. They are sleek products and solutions that are easy for administrators to use and maintain. This makes it a valuable suite for any and every kind of industry. The level of ease that it provides makes it possible for companies and organizations to reap a high level of benefit from whichever product they choose to use.

Ruckus Wireless WAN Benefits

Some of the benefits of using the Ruckus Wireless WAN suite of switches and solutions include:

Simplified network deployment and management. Ruckus Wireless WAN uses Campus Fabric technology to create a streamlined network creation and management process. This technology takes many of the processes used to create and manage networks that usually require many different solutions and combines them so that a single solution can accomplish the same amount of work.

The ability to operate on a massive scale. The Ruckus Wireless SmartZone 100 solution gives administrators the power to handle 1,024 access points and 25,000 users from a single device. Companies can operate at a high level with fewer devices than their competitors require to accomplish a similar level of work.

Ease of use. Solutions like RuckusZoneDirector 1200 can be easily deployed and used by administrators who may not have a background in the use of wireless solutions. Companies that choose Ruckus Wireless WAN do not need to train administrators to deploy it. This makes it extremely valuable to companies looking to keep their budgets to a minimum.

Ruckus Wireless WAN Features

Organizations that choose to use the Ruckus Wireless WAN suite of switches and solutions have a large number of capabilities from which they can choose.

Centralized network management. Ruckus Wireless WAN’s RUCKUS Network Director feature enables administrators to manage their networks from a single location. All of the controls and data that users need to monitor and control the network can be managed from one interface.

Advanced security features. Ruckus Wireless WAN has the capability to encrypt and demand that traffic that is trying to pass through the network be authenticated before it is allowed access. This protects the data that leaves the network and the network itself.
Seamless interoperability. The various solutions and products that make up Ruckus Wireless’s WAN solution suite have the ability to integrate and operate together seamlessly. Users can mix and match solution pieces to best fit their needs.

Reviews from Real Users

Ruckus Wireless’s WAN suite is a truly versatile selection of solutions that offer users a complete package of capabilities and features. This suite makes it possible for users to meet all of their networking needs. Their wireless access points are the kind that is mostly employed in industries like resorts, which have to cater to large volumes of people over extended periods of time. They provide companies with the highest possible level of coverage. Users working in any number of fields would find Ruckus Wireless to be up to the task of handling their networking needs. This suite is appropriate for large corporations and small businesses alikes.

An information technology project manager at a university writes, “The actual wireless access points themselves are very powerful. We get very good coverage from just one access point. The throughput is very good and the centralized management is excellent. Also, the ease of deployment is very good.”

A video conferencing administrator at a technology services company states, “The solution is suitable for many types of environments, such as small businesses.”

Ruckus

Ubiquiti Wireless refers to the wireless networking solutions provided by Ubiquiti Networks, a leading technology company specializing in networking and wireless communication products. Ubiquiti Wireless offers a range of innovative and cost-effective wireless networking solutions designed for various applications, including enterprise networks, service providers, small and medium-sized businesses, and home users.

Ubiquiti Wireless products are known for their reliability, performance, and ease of use. They encompass a wide range of devices and technologies, including wireless access points, wireless routers, antennas, bridges, mesh networks, and point-to-point or point-to-multipoint wireless links.

Ubiquiti Wireless Features:

Scalability: Ubiquiti Wireless products are designed to scale easily, allowing organizations to expand their wireless networks as needed without significant infrastructure changes.
Flexibility: Ubiquiti Wireless offers a range of products suitable for various deployment scenarios, including indoor and outdoor environments, long-range connectivity, and mesh networks.
Centralized Management: Ubiquiti provides a centralized management platform called the UniFi Controller, which allows administrators to configure, monitor, and manage their entire wireless network from a single interface.
Seamless Roaming: Ubiquiti Wireless solutions support seamless roaming, allowing wireless devices to maintain connectivity while moving across different access points within a network.
Advanced Security: Ubiquiti incorporates security features such as encryption, authentication, and firewall capabilities to protect wireless networks and data transmissions.
Cost-Effective: Ubiquiti Wireless products are known for their affordability without compromising performance, making them an attractive option for organizations with budget constraints.
Community Support: Ubiquiti has a vibrant community of users and enthusiasts who actively contribute to knowledge sharing, troubleshooting, and expanding the capabilities of Ubiquiti Wireless products.

Ubiquiti Wireless Components:

Ubiquiti Wireless encompasses a range of components that work together to provide reliable and scalable wireless networking solutions. Here are some key components commonly found in Ubiquiti Wireless deployments:

Wireless Access Points (APs) for providing wireless connectivity.
Wireless Routers as central network hubs for managing traffic.
Wireless Bridges for creating wireless connections between networks.
Antennas to enhance wireless range and coverage.
Mesh Networking Devices for seamless coverage across large areas.
Network Switches for wired connectivity within the network.
Management Software like the UniFi Controller for centralized management and monitoring.

Reviews from Real Users

George Ferns, Solution Architect - Networking and IoT at a wholesaler & distributor, states that Ubiquiti Wireless has "Attractive pricing and good for home use and small businesses, but it is not easily scalable and lacks security features".

Walter Shelver, Owner at CableWeb, writes that "The most valuable aspect of Ubiquiti is the ease of setup. It's easy to set up, secure, and use. It works on an adoption basis. I can pull the system up, design a network, and pull 20 different Ubiquiti units into it".

ThomasWilke, CEO at CITOM, says that “You can almost do everything with Cisco products for a much better price with a significantly lower learning curve”.

Ubiquiti Networks

Sample Customers

American University of Sharjah, Dordt College, Drew University, Lamar University, Raroa School

NASCAR Grand-AM, Maritime Parc, Outdoor Music Festival, British Armed Forces, Arcadia School District, Moscow - Enforta

Buyer's Guide

Ruckus Wireless WAN vs. Ubiquiti Wireless

January 2025

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