Wireless LAN Report From IT Central Station 2021-11!13!17lc

WL
Wireless LAN
Buyer's Guide and Reviews
November 2021
Wireless LAN
Get a custom version of this report...personalized for you!

Thanks for downloading this IT Central Station report.
Note that this is a generic report based on reviews and opinions from the entire IT Central Station
community. We offer a customized report personalized for you based on:
• Your industry
• Company size
• Which solutions you're already considering
It includes recommendations for you based on what other people like you are researching and
using.
It takes 2-3 minutes to get the report using our shortlist builder wizard. We recommend it!
Get your personalized report here.
2
Wireless LAN
Contents
Vendor Directory 4
Top Vendors 5-6
Top Solutions by Ranking Factor 7
Focus on Solutions
Aruba Wireless 8 - 10
Cisco Wireless 11 - 13
Ruckus Wireless 14 - 16
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN 17 - 19
Ubiquiti WLAN 20 - 22
Aruba Instant 23 - 25
NETGEAR Insight Access Points 26 - 28
Huawei Wireless 29 - 31
Aruba Instant On Access Points 32 - 33
Fortinet FortiWLM 34 - 36
Answers From the Community 37
About This Report and IT Central Station 38
© 2021 IT Central Station

To read more reviews about Wireless LAN, please visit: https://www.itcentralstation.com/categories/wireless-lan
3
Wireless LAN
Vendor Directory
ADTRAN ADTRAN Bluesocket Wireless Extreme ExtremeWireless
Alcatel-Lucent Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess Stellar Fortinet Fortinet FortiWLM

Enterprise
Fortinet Fortinet FortiWLC
Arista Mojo Networks
Huawei Huawei Wireless
Aruba Networks Aruba Wireless
Juniper Juniper WLC Series
Aruba Networks Aruba Instant
Juniper Mist Access Points
Aruba Networks Aruba Instant On Access Points
Netgear NETGEAR Insight Access Points
Broadcom Broadcom Wireless LAN
Ruckus Ruckus Wireless
Cisco Cisco Wireless
SonicWall SonicWall WiFi Cloud Manager
Cisco Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN
SonicWall SonicWall SonicWave Access Points
D-Link D-Link Wireless
TP-Link TP-Link Auranet EAP
datto Datto Networking WiFi
Ubiquiti Networks Ubiquiti WLAN
Dell EMC Dell Wireless
WatchGuard WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi
Dell EMC Dell EMC Ruckus

4
Wireless LAN
Top Wireless LAN Solutions

Over 547,699 professionals have used IT Central Station research. Here are the top Wireless LAN vendors based on product reviews,
ratings, and comparisons. All reviews and ratings are from real users, validated by our triple authentication process.
Chart Key
Views Comparisons Reviews Words/Review Average Rating
Number of views Number of times compared Total number of reviews on Average words per review Average rating based on
to another product IT Central Station on IT Central Station reviews
Bar length
The total ranking of a product, represented by the bar length, is based on a weighted aggregate score. The score is calculated as follows:
For each ranking factor of Reviews, Views, and Comparisons, the product with the highest count in each ranking factor gets a maximum 18
points. Every other product gets assigned points based on its total in proportion to the #1 product in that ranking factor. For example, if a product
has 80% of the number of reviews compared to the product with the most reviews then the product's points for reviews would be 18 * 80% = 14.4.
Both Rating and Words/Review are awarded on a fixed linear scale. For Rating, the maximum score is 28 points awarded linearly between 6-10
(e.g. 6 or below=0 points; 7.5=10.5 points; 9.0=21 points; 10=28 points). For Words/Review, the maximum score is 18 points awarded linearly
between 0-900 words (e.g. 600 words = 12 points; 750 words = 15 points; 900 or more words = 18 points). If a product has fewer than ten reviews,
the point contribution for Rating and Words/Review is reduced: 1/3 reduction in points for products with 5-9 reviews, two-thirds reduction for
products with fewer than five reviews.
Reviews that are more than 24 months old, as well as those written by resellers, are completely excluded from the ranking algorithm.
All products with 50+ points are designated as a Leader in their category.
1 Aruba Wireless
50,555 views 42,210 comparisons 15 reviews 620 words/review 7.9 average rating
2 Cisco Wireless
3 Ruckus Wireless

5
Wireless LAN
4 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN
5 Ubiquiti WLAN
6 Aruba Instant
7 NETGEAR Insight Access Points
830 views 449 comparisons 8 reviews 1,389 words/review 8.0 average rating
8 Huawei Wireless
9 Aruba Instant On Access Points
213 views 159 comparisons 1 reviews 1,092 words/review 10.0 average rating
10 Fortinet FortiWLM

6
Wireless LAN
Top Solutions by Ranking Factor

Views
VIEWS
1 Aruba Wireless 50,555
2 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN 31,665
3 Ruckus Wireless 28,295
4 Cisco Wireless 26,459
5 Ubiquiti WLAN 15,279
Reviews
REVIEWS
1 Cisco Wireless 51
2 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN 37
3 Ruckus Wireless 30
4 Aruba Wireless 15
5 Huawei Wireless 9
Words / Review
WORDS /
REVIEW
1 NETGEAR Insight Access Points 1,389
2 Aruba Instant On Access Points 1,092
3 Fortinet FortiWLM 674
4 ADTRAN Bluesocket Wireless 631
5 Aruba Wireless 620

7
Wireless LAN
Aruba Wireless See 18 reviews >>
Overview
Aruba deliver superb Wireless performance and multi-user MIMO aware ClientMatch to boost network efficiency and support the
growing device density and app demands on your network.
SAMPLE CUSTOMERS
Consulate Health Care, Los Angeles Unified School District, Science Applications International Corp (SAIC), San Diego State University,
KFC, ACTS Retirement-Life Communities
TOP COMPARISONS
Cisco Wireless vs. Aruba Wireless … Compared 33% of the time [See comparison]
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. Aruba Wireless … Compared 26% of the time [See comparison]
Ruckus Wireless vs. Aruba Wireless … Compared 17% of the time [See comparison]
REVIEWERS * VISITORS READING REVIEWS *
TOP INDUSTRIES TOP INDUSTRIES

Comms Service Provider … 33% University … 28%
Computer Software Company … 18% Comms Service Provider … 15%
Government … 6% Educational Organization … 9%
Educational Organization … 5% Manufacturing Company … 9%
COMPANY SIZE COMPANY SIZE

1-200 Employees … 32% 1-200 Employees … 35%
1001+ Employees … 50% 1001+ Employees … 40%
* Data is based on the aggregate profiles of IT Central Station Users reviewing and researching this solution.

8
Wireless LAN
Aruba Wireless Continued from previous page
Top Reviews by Topic
VALUABLE FEATURES See more Valuable Features >>
Aruba is an industry leader. The hardware is on par, and its performance is also on par with anybody else. The Aruba brand really
only focuses on wireless, so they're not competing their R&D for switching data center products and cloud security. They're really
focused on that and their underlying key pieces. They provide a role-based authentication that is native to the controller. A lot of
reviewer1312 other systems don't do that. They won't provide you the ability to basically have everybody join the network, regardless of whether
101
or not they share the same ne... [Full Review]
Wireless technologies, relatively speaking, are a new solution. The technical guys from Aruba are very good. The support is very
good. It is very easy to implement the product. Another solution that Aruba has is the NAC and the ClearPass. ClearPass is a good
solution for additional security of access points and it is integrated so it is very easy to deploy. It is very interactive and not so
reviewer108 analytic as other solutions so, in my opinion. Aruba is a very good company — very good technology-wise — and they make very
9651
useful products. [Full Review]
There aren't a lot of features that Aruba has that their competitors don't. With that being said, some of the implementations or
features do work as advertised: easy deployment of APs, MAC caching, and aesthetically pleasing GUI for configuration. [Full
Review]
D6B8
The most valuable feature is the fact that it can work with many devices. It supports everything that we need it to. Whatever features
are required from an enterprise standard, it supports all of them. The main advantage is broad device support. [Full Review]
reviewer138
3753
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT See more Room For Improvement >>
Currently, the stability of the code is the basic underlying problem for us. They had an 8.6 release that came out two weeks ago, but
we had to migrate twice because the code wasn't stable. We can't get things to work the same way. Version 8 was a big change for
them. They made a change so that it is forced to be a managed hierarchical system. It means that you make changes at the top, and
reviewer1312 it pushes them downstream. There are a lot of problems with the 8.6 version code. I ran into four bugs in one week and was
101
informed that we should just move onto ... [Full Review]
Perhaps one of the things that I think Aruba can improve on is developing their current information channels. Aruba has a lot of
information available about their products and to find the information you need is not always so easy. It is more complicated than it
should be. I think that they are great and do have a lot of information available — probably all the information that any user really
reviewer108 needs to do things themselves. They are doing things well and trying to do things in the right way. They should just improve more
9651
on the organization and sear... [Full Review]
The urgent areas of improvement would be customer support, better tuned default settings, and documentation. Aruba’s TAC
support for us has been frustrating most of the time, as there is a clear language/dialect barrier when speaking or emailing a TAC
representative. We’ve found that we have more emails (which equates to longer resolution time) than typically needed to cover
D6B8 certain questions and updates – as the TAC directions and instructions were either incomplete or we couldn’t understand what they
were referencing. There have been occasions whe... [Full Review]

9
Wireless LAN
Aruba Wireless Continued from previous page
The area that has the most room for improvement is upgrades. What we have seen many times now is that new releases tend to
have bugs. Sometimes the bugs are a little bad and cause some undesirable issues. The new code in the upgrades or something
leads to conflicts. I would say testing releases before making them available is one of the areas which Aruba needs to improve most
reviewer138 with the wireless product. More comprehensive testing is required for a better, more reliable end-user experience. It is not
3753
necessarily testing more often, it is just for new ... [Full Review]
PRICING, SETUP COST AND LICENSING See more Pricing, Setup Cost And Licensing >>
Aruba is comparable to competing solutions when it comes to price. I am going to say that the support pricing for Juniper Mist is
higher than Aruba. I think that is because Juniper is more of a cloud model than Aruba. You do also have a cloud solution from
Aruba called Aruba Central, but I have not compared prices for that. [Full Review]
reviewer127
3800
It's comparatively priced; it's a bit expensive compared to competitors but worth the investment because of the performance,
stability, and ease of deployment. [Full Review]
Shrijendra
Shakya
Their pricing is on-par with Cisco. It's definitely not the cheapest on the market. It's on the higher end in terms of price. For example,
you need to purchase extra tools in order to get better monitoring and performance visibility. [Full Review]
reviewer143
4741

10
Wireless LAN
Cisco Wireless See 59 reviews >>
Overview
With Cisco Wireless you will successfully plan, deploy, monitor, troubleshoot, and report on indoor and outdoor wireless networks
- all from a centralized location.
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)
TOP COMPARISONS
Aruba Wireless vs. Cisco Wireless … Compared 56% of the time [See comparison]
Ruckus Wireless vs. Cisco Wireless … Compared 14% of the time [See comparison]
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. Cisco Wireless … Compared 9% of the time [See comparison]

Comms Service Provider … 35% Comms Service Provider … 17%
Computer Software Company … 19% Computer Software Company … 10%
Government … 5% Government … 8%
Educational Organization … 5% Manufacturing Company … 8%


11
Wireless LAN
Cisco Wireless Continued from previous page
It always runs, and it's very reliable in terms of performance. They are very, very robust, very rugged, and can handle indoor or
outdoor coverage. We typically don't have too many problems with the hardware. [Full Review]
Lorenzo
Mata
The CleanAir features and the fast transition. They're probably the best things that I enjoy as well as just being able to put multiple
SSIDs on those things and being able to segment my network that way. As for authentication, I use a RADIUS server, a third-party
RADIUS server, for authentication on the wireless SSIDs. [Full Review]
reviewer148
6461
I enjoyed Cisco's Meraki MDM which we already had installed, even though at the end of the day it was too expensive for us to
continue in that direction when upgrading. Overall, Cisco was stable and worked well for all our needs until we started having more
and more students and teachers using YouTube and Zoom — what with classes being isolated and everything — which put a lot of
Housni strain on our Wi-Fi network. [Full Review]
Hammoud
The feature that I have found most valuable is its durability because we can rely on this solution. It is also easy to configure. Lastly, if
something happens, we get good support from Cisco. [Full Review]
Himanshu
Singhal
The wireless LAN controllers at the time when we started rolling out, we went with it simply due to the fact that everything else
worked that was Cisco. We figured, if everything else works and we're satisfied with it, let's go that route. However, now people
want more access points and more spots. And if you give everybody coverage, the cost is crazy high. You can either say, "No, we
Lorenzo can't," or you can go with the cheaper product, even slightly cheaper, plus you get more APs out there for more coverage. At least
Mata
with the WLC 2500 that we've been us... [Full Review]
I have nothing that's outstanding at this point that I think needs to be improved. Cisco has been solid so I don't have much to
complain about. It's a little more money, however. I just configure it and it works for years, which is great. That's what I love about it.
I know Cisco has a Meraki brand, which uses a lot of cloud-based technology. I wouldn't mind if Cisco allowed their premiere
reviewer148 devices to be able to have that cloud-based support as well, or cloud-based management. That would be a nice feature. [Full
6461
Review]
The biggest reason why we could no longer continue with Cisco Wireless was because of the high cost to upgrade everything. It
was disappointing that Cisco treated us as just another big company, and did not offer any leeway on their pricing given that we are
an educational institute. And although the system we had in place from Cisco Wireless was good enough over the last ten years, it
Housni started to show its age when pushed to its limit during the pandemic. Generally, and this isn't so much a question of support, it was
Hammoud
also very difficult for us to de... [Full Review]

12
Wireless LAN
Cisco Wireless Continued from previous page
One thing which we really don't like about Cisco is that it is very expensive. If we compare it to other brands like Ruckus or Aruba, it
seems to be almost double in price. So that is a major concern. Recently, I have been looking for something comparable to Cisco
which is a lower price. Cost is a major area because if you look at the technical features with other solutions, they seem to be the
Himanshu same in every feature, with no big differences. For example, if you support a 1.5k ACL with two parallel lines, others are supporting
Singhal
2,000. It's not a major... [Full Review]
Cisco's APs are licensed and you need to buy them. Basically, for every AP, you have to have a license. Some of the other devices
do it so that they support X amount and you can buy the licenses for zero to 20, 20 to 40, et cetera, and it's a little bit more
affordable. That's kind of why I was trending towards Ruckus. They handle their licensing a little bit differently. Every time somebody
Lorenzo asks "How much is a wireless access point? We need wireless in this room." Well, then you tell them the cost and mention "Oh yeah,
Mata
and there's a license." It's ... [Full Review]
It's expensive because a lot of the controls come with licenses. A couple of my controls have 15 or 25 access point licenses. And if
it's in a building that I need more, then I have to go out to a vendor and be able to purchase the add-on license and then pop it in.
It's not bad putting a license in, it's just the biggest complaint I have about Cisco is the cost. Right now there's no subscription.
reviewer148 That's the other thing I like about it. We buy it and that's it. The only thing I purchase is the SMARTnet that allows me to do software
6461
upgrades for my e... [Full Review]
The licensing system is very rigid. I work for a school and we are just treated like big companies. At some point, there's a limit to
what we can do about that. I can't remember what we paid for the equipment, though in the end we bought some extra switches
from an aftermarket company. We started doing our own replacing of equipment, which we didn't really use. The SMARTnet
Housni contract was only for the core switch and the Wi-Fi controllers, and we didn't go that way for the rest of the equipment. If we had, it
Hammoud
would have cost something around $2000-$30... [Full Review]
Cisco Wireless solutions should have a price reduction for educations centers. Education centers are there to help people grow and
there are not large budgets. The solution tends to be expensive and it can cause difficulties when purchasing them here in Africa.
[Full Review]
Ibrahima
Thioub

13
Wireless LAN
Ruckus Wireless See 45 reviews >>
Overview
The Virtual SmartZone Data Plane (vSZ-D) is a wireless LAN data plane appliance in a virtualized form factor. Made to work
seamlessly with the Ruckus Virtual SmartZone Wireless LAN Controller (vSZ), the vSZ-D enables secure tunneled WLANs from
Ruckus APs while minimizing CAPEX spending and maximizing Wi-Fi deployment flexibility and scale. Operators, ISPs and large
enterprises can deploy the vSZ-D in a centralized data center with the vSZ, or at specific venues in a distributed topology.
SAMPLE CUSTOMERS
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
TOP COMPARISONS
Aruba Wireless vs. Ruckus Wireless … Compared 39% of the time [See comparison]
Cisco Wireless vs. Ruckus Wireless … Compared 19% of the time [See comparison]
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. Ruckus Wireless … Compared 14% of the time [See comparison]

Computer Software Company … 16% Educational Organization … 10%
Government … 6% University … 7%
Educational Organization … 5% Engineering Company … 3%


14
Wireless LAN
Ruckus Wireless Continued from previous page
The performance of the product is amazing. The ease of configuration that's on offer is very good. The product is very compatible
with other solutions. The guest onboarding is so simple. We can onboard guests really easily. Each guest that connects has a pre-
shared key that they get which are all unique. We have some great control over the guest and corporate traffic. We can control how
Tim much bandwidth a guest user gets versus a corporate user, and who gets priority on there. Ruckus is way ahead of the game on a
Brumbaugh
lot of stuff like Wi-Fi 6. They're alr... [Full Review]
The solution has an easy configuration. The performance is good. Ruckus is way ahead of the game on a lot of stuff, like Wi-Fi 6.
They're already rolling out their second version of Wi-Fi 6 which is a huge improvement over even Wi-Fi 5. The way wireless started
is you had 802.11b, 802.11a, then 802.11g and 802.11n, then 802.11ac, then AC wave 2, 802.11ax, which is Wi-Fi 6, the first version.
Tim Now, the next version of Wi-Fi 6 is rolling out already. These guys are an engineering company that has some very awesome
Brumbaugh
patterns on how their radios work and ... [Full Review]
The APs themselves have been pretty solid. We haven't had too many of them go bad or anything like that. The wireless
performance seems pretty good. The ability to provision the devices is pretty good, and the back end is also pretty good. [Full
Review]
Tim
Cummings
I use the Wave 2 platform. It'll get up to close to approximately 800 megabits or something to that extent. It outruns whatever
internet connection you have. The wireless is just very fast, and it has a frequency set that can work around local interference that
houses have even if some of their cheaper routers are broadcasting on a given channel. We can tune our wireless network and
PhilipSlaugh open up a lot of channels with DFS and stuff like that. It's a pretty solid product. Once, at the hospital I worked with, they had a
ter
model and they went from a 300 to a ... [Full Review]
They're leaders in what they're doing. I don't know what they can do to improve what they're doing currently. The cost could be
slightly improved. It's not on the low end, and it's not in the high end. It's in that middle area, which can be a deciding factor
between someone going with this solution versus another one. They've got a rotation or a life expectancy of about four years for
Tim the radio. Not that radio is going to die right hten. I've got some that are way older than that, that the customers are still using.
Brumbaugh
However, they take them and they ... [Full Review]
As far as what they can improve, that's a good question, as they're leaders in what they do in my opinion. I don't know what they
can do to improve what they're doing currently. They're not the most expensive, and they're not the least expensive. They're right
there in the middle. Pricing might be a deciding factor for some companies. If they were cheaper, they might land more customers.
Tim They've got a rotation or a life expectancy of about four years for the radio. Not that the radio is going to die. I've got some that are
Brumbaugh
way older than that that t... [Full Review]
Their support has been lacking a little bit and needs to be improved. I have had a ticket open for a month, and it is really hard to get
a resolution out of them. They haven't really come out with anything that is much of an improvement in a long time. It has mostly just
been fixes and things like that. We used to have a ZoneDirector or a physical controller for the wireless network, and that was kind
Tim of end of life. It was very old, and at the time, we were expanding the wireless network, and we didn't want to rely on one piece of
Cummings
hardware that was... [Full Review]

15
Wireless LAN
Ruckus Wireless Continued from previous page
I really don't need anything faster right now. However, if I would like to get a faster speed eventually. I have a gigabit at my
townhome. I'd like to be able to get an APX to add a whole gig on. What would be interesting to see is if they had more of an ability
for their customers to capture revenue. They should offer some sort of gateway functionality that you could tie through radius
PhilipSlaugh authentication, so you can bill the customers. That way, when you go in, you could just have a device and set up a hotspot, and it's a
ter
totally billable tool at that ... [Full Review]
For me, licensing is zero. You don't really need to have any licensing for what I own. The only thing is, unless there's some software
update that you need, you don't have the support. If you're stable and it runs, you don't need to do anything. However, if you need
those software updates they'll make you pay. [Full Review]
PhilipSlaugh
ter
Their pricing is expensive. That said, being a partner, their competitive upgrade pricing is phenomenal. I don't remember the exact
pricing. When we bought it, we bought the warranties with them for three years. We got advanced replacement. [Full Review]
Stephen
Kirby
If I compare Ruckus licensing costs with the market leader, they're on the cheaper side. Our competitors are actually charging more
for support and licensing fees to end customers. However, Ruckus charges less for both licenses and support. They are not
expensive when you compare them to the competition. They are very cheap. [Full Review]
reviewer147
0231
Ruckus was much cheaper than their enterprise competition (Aruba, Cisco, etc.). We've found that Ruckus can handle the client
density load with greater success than Aruba, so leveraging Ruckus has allowed us to lower our purchasing needs since we would
need to procure fewer APs. Cloudpath would be an added cost if you wanted to deploy that solution. [Full Review]
D6B8

16
Wireless LAN
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN See 49 reviews >>
Overview
Cisco Meraki access points are built from the highest grade components and carefully optimized for a seamless user experience.
The outcome: faster connections, greater user capacity, more coverage, and fewer support calls. The Cisco Meraki dashboard
gives visibility into the network users, their devices, and their applications. Armed with rich analytics, administrators can quickly
create access control and application usage policies, optimizing both the end-user experience and network security.
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
TOP COMPARISONS
Aruba Wireless vs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN … Compared 45% of the time [See comparison]
Ubiquiti Wireless vs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN … Compared 12% of the time [See comparison]
Ruckus Wireless vs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN … Compared 10% of the time [See comparison]

Computer Software Company … 18% Financial Services Firm … 11%
Government … 6% Educational Organization … 11%
Educational Organization … 5% Government … 8%


17
Wireless LAN
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN Continued from previous page
What I like best about Meraki is that I can change it from anywhere. I'm really the only person here that understands the concepts,
which means that if I'm not on campus, resolving the problem is something that I can do online. We also have a resident program
here as well. So, if something's not right with the resident or they have an issue with their internet over there, I can flip to make it go
Lee Tilley over to a different internet circuit pretty quickly without ever coming onto campus. [Full Review]
The fact that it's cloud-based is valuable because you don't have to have an actual physical controller in your location. That cuts
down on space that you need, the redundancy, the power that you consume, how much it takes to cool down your server room, etc.
Because it's user-friendly, you can hand off some of the easier troubleshooting tasks to people that are not necessarily wireless
reviewer130 engineers. You can hand it off to a desktop team, so that's helpful. With other solutions, you have to configure the right guardrails to
3344
keep people from messing thin... [Full Review]
I think the IoT integration is the most valuable. I started applying IoT solutions 12 years ago on location-based services. Aruba had
implemented this at the time. So I think the integration, particularly into the applications and stuff, is pretty interesting in Meraki. It's
a substantial network from my point of view. It's good. [Full Review]
Barney
Duffy
We like the analysis that allows us to see how our cloud applications are performing and we like the way that the solution shows
where suites are coming from, including if they are coming from overseas. We like the way that we can map the solution against the
floor of our building. We are able to see a few things from a topography perspective and can show us if certain aspects are wrong.
Greg The interface is excellent. We've been really happy with it. [Full Review]
Mikkelsen
Initially, I liked some of the filtering features, but that's one of the components that we ran into problems with. We don't use it as
much anymore. This is one of the things that I'm trying to find out if Aruba does better. For example, I like all of my iOS devices to go
on one network so that if they try to do iOS updates, we have an Apple server online so that they can just pull the iOS updates from
Lee Tilley it instead of having them on other parts of the network. Also, we're a one-to-one school where we give laptops out, and I'd like to be
able to block ... [Full Review]
The advanced configuration makes it so that any user can enable some of these features without having to ask them for help. It's
designed like this because their business model targets people with mid-range expertise. I think Meraki's doing fine, but I had to
leave them because I came from using Cisco before they bought Meraki — which gives you so many options that you can expand
reviewer130 upon that it's absolutely mind-numbing. As you learn, you miss some of those features when you switch to something else. I did
3344
enjoy using Meraki and I would use it again, ... [Full Review]
You're starting to see CO2-type sensors come into the classrooms and stuff like that. So it would be nice to build some "if-then"
functions into IoT-type sensors. For instance, if a classroom has high CO2 levels, you could automatically open the Windows and
use heat exchange to bring in fresh air into the room. At the same time, you could have the temperature control adjust automatically
Barney so it doesn't get too hot or too. So you would need to plug in some configurable where you collect the output from the sensors and
Duffy
have it carry out some small acti... [Full Review]

18
Wireless LAN
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN Continued from previous page
We haven't had any issues with the solution. We like the way it works. There isn't anything I can think of that makes me worry that it
might be lacking in a certain area. [Full Review]
Greg
Mikkelsen
The only thing that always causes problems with Meraki is the license. It's a bit of a bugbear with Meraki, and it remains today. So
it's an unusual concept compared to the other products in the marketplace, but then it does cause a bit of a nuisance from time to
time. The license they sell is difficult. [Full Review]
Barney
Duffy
I don't have any information about the pricing of the solution. I'm not sure I could estimate the costs on a yearly or monthly basis as I
don't deal with finances at our organization. I do believe our company offers very good value for money, although it's my
understanding that it's not exactly on the cheapest end of the spectrum. [Full Review]
Greg
Mikkelsen
Licensing is on an annual basis and there is also the hardware inventory. If the firewall goes down, for example, that could cause a
problem. The point of failure and the work involved around it makes it a more costly solution. [Full Review]
reviewer164
4681
We do a three-year or five-year license and support. Its price could be better, but overall, we get competitive prices. A lot of times,
Cisco puts itself out of range, especially with Meraki. I've dealt with a lot of business development from Cisco, and they have always
been accommodating, especially in dealing with hospitals or government. There is also a right time to buy it. July is when they are
Robert eager to sell a lot of things because that is the end of their calendar year. [Full Review]
Jump

19
Wireless LAN
Ubiquiti WLAN See 11 reviews >>
Overview
UniFi is a revolutionary Wi-Fi system that combines Enterprise performance, unlimited scalability, a central management controller
and disruptive pricing.
SAMPLE CUSTOMERS
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
TOP COMPARISONS
Aruba Wireless vs. Ubiquiti WLAN … Compared 46% of the time [See comparison]
Cisco Wireless vs. Ubiquiti WLAN … Compared 12% of the time [See comparison]
Aruba Instant vs. Ubiquiti WLAN … Compared 12% of the time [See comparison]
TOP INDUSTRIES COMPANY SIZE

Comms Service Provider … 41% 1-200 Employees … 43%
Computer Software Company … 15% 201-1000 Employees … 29%
Government … 7% 1001+ Employees … 29%
Educational Organization … 4%

20
Wireless LAN
Ubiquiti WLAN Continued from previous page
The feature that I really like is the backup. You can save backups of this controller locally and then I can export it to wherever I want.
It notifies me when I have to update the access points. It is consistently roaming my environment and alerts me when it is not up-to-
date, or if it requires my attention. For example, it alerts me, if there is an access point that is conflicting with another access point
Henrique outside of my organization and is using the same channel. It includes a heat map, which is pretty good. I can import an image with
Barjas
my company or... [Full Review]
The most beneficial thing about Ubiquiti is that it is simple to deploy. I found that the access points were easy to identify on the
network and they came over easily, which was an upside. [Full Review]
Spencer
Malmad
The configuration is straightforward. The initial set up is easy. All solutions at this point, at a basic level, are very similar in terms of
features and items of that nature. The pricing is very competitive and the feature sets are very good. It compares well against more
expensive options. [Full Review]
reviewer1481
301
The solution has a pretty simple approach to WLAN. You can manage it for free. It's just a one-off purchase. It offers a very good
hotspot manager where you can manage vouchers, credit, et cetera, right from Windows. It makes it very easy. Everyone wants to
buy a Cisco or Aruba or one of the other products, due to the fact that they have all these nice features. However, at the end of the
Craig day, they never use them. Most of the clients never use the features that they're paying a lot more money for, whereas with Ubiquiti
Mortassagn
e I certainly wouldn't say that ... [Full Review]
For me there is little room for improvement on my scenario, I have never used cloud solutions or had a glance on it. The
improvement I see right now as a good feature is firmware related, if I were able to re-firmware my legacy/old Ubiquiti AP's with a
generic new firmware, this would definitely extend the life-cycle of my older assets that still work smoothly, It would allow me to
Henrique avoid some hardware expenses within years and keep my environment up-to-date. Another nice improvement for this would be a
Barjas
seamless integration with PowerBi from Microsof... [Full Review]
The downside is the interface changes, where they are constantly doing firmware updates. I often felt like I was being pushed into
updates, in spite of it already working. In my mind, it also raises a red flag because you have to wonder why they keep changing the
firmware. You can decide to ignore the update, but then if you move the access point then it will update automatically anyway. This
Spencer is a little bit of control that you give up. So, while it is easy to deploy, all of these things that happen in the background make me
Malmad
uncomfortable. [Full Review]
The support needs improvement. The official support is kind of complex. It's not that straightforward compared to Cisco and Aruba.
Their support is probably so much better. That's one of the reasons I'm looking for an alternative solution. You may find a lack of
features compared to Cisco, or other options. For example, on Cisco or Aruba you've been able to find the Wi-Fi 6 access point for
reviewer1481 a long time now. If you have set up a new solution, you probably will look for something with Wi-Fi 6 coverage. Ubiquiti at that point
301
didn't have it. Now they h... [Full Review]

21
Wireless LAN
Ubiquiti WLAN Continued from previous page
Room for improvement could likely happen in small areas. Largely we're happy with the product, however, the firmware
deployments could maybe be managed a little bit differently. I would like it if there was a better way of integrating the hotspot
manager into payment gateways. When you run a desk metric, it would be nice to have integration into payment gateways so
Craig people can buy bandwidth themselves, on your wireless network. [Full Review]
Mortassagn
e
The relationship between the cost versus performance is probably the reason this is the best solution from a pricing perspective. It's
pretty cheap and has the best features if you were to compare it to others. [Full Review]
reviewer1481
301
The pricing of the solution is fairly reasonable. There are other solutions, such as Aruba, that cost much more, and I don't see any
extra features and benefits that a client gets for the cost difference. [Full Review]
Craig
Mortassagn
e

22
Wireless LAN
Aruba Instant See 7 reviews >>
Overview
Aruba Instant delivers the only controllerless Wi-Fi solution that is easy to set-up, and loaded with security and smarts needed to
accelerate your business without breaking your budget.
SAMPLE CUSTOMERS
Purdue University, Orlando Magic, Brussels Airport Company, Molecaten Holiday Parks
TOP COMPARISONS
Ubiquiti WLAN vs. Aruba Instant … Compared 42% of the time [See comparison]
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. Aruba Instant … Compared 17% of the time [See comparison]
Ruckus Wireless vs. Aruba Instant … Compared 11% of the time [See comparison]

Manufacturing Company … 4%

23
Wireless LAN
Aruba Instant Continued from previous page
I think Aruba Instant Management is really pretty flexible because of the versatility of the configuration and it just works very well for
our purposes. [Full Review]
reviewer127
3287
I use Aruba Instant because it has firewall and inspection features that are the best for me because my child is using the wireless
network and I can just block whichever websites I don't want my child to see. For what I need, the roaming is working okay for small
networks. [Full Review]
reviewer124
9992
The access it grants to wifi is the solution's most valuable feature. The features menus are good. The cloud configurations are very
easy. We can put it on mobile, etc. if we need to. [Full Review]
ThanadetKa
nlaphat
The virtual controller can handle up to 16 access points. The features you get in the controller are excellent. You can handle all of
the access points at once virtually instead of manually handling each one. You're able to populate all of the information to all of the
access points through the virtual controller as well. It transforms everything it a single access point, which simplifies things. [Full
UsaidRashid Review]
The management interface in Aruba Instant Management is Aruba AirWave. In my opinion, it is not very user-friendly. This is not a
criticism of the Aruba Products overall. In fact they work very well. I am referring specifically to Aruba Airwave — just that one
component within the solution. If Aruba would do something with this to make this interface better, the product would be much
reviewer127 improved. Other than that I have no idea what the product would need. I have everything that I need functionally, so I can not think
3287
of a missing feature. [Full Review]
Nothing really to improve. The Instant is simple. But when I'm using the controller, then I'll use the advanced features. The Instant
has a problem with the VPR 3 when I am working with the roaming. The problem is that the keys are incorrect and I must do a
disconnect and reconnect, and then it's okay. But I don't know exactly where the problem is because VPR 2 is okay. I would like it if
reviewer124 they could fix this. Again, I don't know if it's a problem with them or it's a problem with my device. Additionally, storage is difficult for
9992
me. Metal storage, sw... [Full Review]
The reach of the solution could be improved. It could be a bit stronger. I don't know if it would be possible, but it would be helpful if
there was a social login for the layer. This would help smaller clients that I work with. There are also some features missing in the
layer - like authentification and logon capabilities. [Full Review]
ThanadetKa
nlaphat

24
Wireless LAN
Aruba Instant Continued from previous page
The solution should be able to support more users on the access points. The solution should allow for more roaming capabilities. If
you're roaming from one access point to another, the process should be quicker. The solution could use auto-channeling so that it
could automatically pick up channel overlap. [Full Review]
UsaidRashid

25
Wireless LAN
NETGEAR Insight Access Points See 8 reviews >>
Overview
At NETGEAR, we turn ideas into innovative networking products that connect people, power businesses, and advance the way we
live. Easy to use. Powerful. Smart. And designed just for you.
SAMPLE CUSTOMERS
TOP COMPARISONS
Ubiquiti WLAN vs. NETGEAR Insight Access Points … Compared 27% of the time [See comparison]
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. NETGEAR Insight Access Points … Compared 22% of the time [See comparison]
Ruckus Wireless vs. NETGEAR Insight Access Points … Compared 14% of the time [See comparison]
REVIEWERS *
TOP INDUSTRIES
Comms Service Provider … 23%
Retailer … 19%
Computer Software Company … 14%
Energy/Utilities Company … 5%

26
Wireless LAN
NETGEAR Insight Access Points Continued from previous page
Once the network is set up, you have the ability to: * See when things have gone online and offline, because you want to know
about things before the client. * Know if a firmware update that you have on a schedule, and you manage, was successful or not. *
Look at traffic, e.g., what are these access points being hit with as far as traffic? Looking at traffic visualization, you can see how
Greg Phillips many devices are hitting it and when is its peak usage. That's helpful. Where you have lots of access points, you can see which
ones (over time) are getting hit mo... [Full Review]
The configuration and monitoring have been very valuable features. When it comes to the pain points, the ability to monitor and
address these is one of the best perks of the app. Setup becomes a breeze once you pass this stage. We only need to scan in a QR
code for things to basically be set up. Insight Management is extremely user-friendly and very relevant with the details that it gives.
Korey I'm not a trained IT person, but the layout of Insight or the capabilities of the Insight management tool have allowed us to build a
Rutherford
pretty complex network with l... [Full Review]
The GUI is pretty stable—I haven't had any issues go down— and it's pretty user-friendly. I'm able to do a lot of things, because the
GUI is designed very well. I'm able to remotely make certain changes via my phone and apply them right away. It makes life easier
when it comes to managing the equipment. The Insight management solution phone app is very good. It enables me to do what I
reviewer160 want to do. The fact that I don't need an additional cloud controller, appliance, or network manager is the point, exactly. I specifically
8018
bought everything with remot... [Full Review]
The meshing capabilities are the most valuable feature. When I am going in-between buildings, my phone doesn't have to pick up
different WiFi. They are all the same. Even in-between the buildings, I stay connected. They are strong devices. We use the
NETGEAR Insight management solution. It is pretty simple and easy to use. It is an easy way to update the devices that I have: five
Warren switches and a firewall. It is an easy way to keep all my other devices updated. I have used the Insight management solution app on
Clemons
my phone. That is usually how I access i... [Full Review]
The user-friendliness of the Insight management solution is good. Like everything, it has its idiosyncrasies. Sometimes, it is a
challenge when adding a device. Certain devices have been harder to register. I'm not trying to knock it. I'm just trying to say
everything has its areas of improvement, and device registration might be one area. NETGEAR is on this and addressing this issue.
Greg Phillips The registration is annoying. I have to go back to NETGEAR and log tickets. Access points and router registration are something
that they need to address in Insight. T... [Full Review]
While the data throughput does provide us with full insight into data being used, we find that it's not very accurate. The numbers are
just way off. I have already brought this up with NETGEAR Insight Access Points. As for the Insight portal and the Insight app,
meaning the part of the app that allows you to see which clients are connected to the access points and how they're connected,
Korey these do not work at all. Although our main WiFi network has 50 devices on it, when we enter the app on the website it shows it to
Rutherford
be zero. When it comes to features... [Full Review]
When it comes to Insight Access Point's throughput, sometimes there's a lag. Sometimes, when you apply a setting, it takes a few
minutes, but the majority of the time it goes well. Also, there's a big difference when you remote into a switch or a router. When
you're not remote you have more options, configuration-wise. With Insight you can do some of that initial setup without any
reviewer160 problem, but not everything. They have to keep their game up with the physical products. Not all physical products are compatible
8018
with Insight. You have to buy certain pro... [Full Review]

27
Wireless LAN
NETGEAR Insight Access Points Continued from previous page
A con is the backend system which is very, very slow. I don't understand why that has to be so slow when this is 2021. There should
be no web application that is slow, especially from a company as large as NETGEAR. I would suggest they speed up the backend
portal. Another con is with the Insight Portal, and I've heard other people talk about this before as well. It's not too user-friendly. It's
David a nice UI, very user-friendly to the eyes, but as far as usability, I think it needs to be revamped. I suggest giving it a little more
Grissom
functionality and reva... [Full Review]
For a little guy like me, it is very cost-effective. I am able to have the tools of the enterprise networker on a pretty reasonable
budget. The Insight management solution’s pricing helps to get people onboard because the first year is free. On bigger networks,
you need to have clients who buy into managed services. If you don't, meaning someone is not going to buy managed services,
Greg Phillips then at $10 an access point, or whatever it is on a big network, I can't maintain that. However, for people who buy into having
someone monitoring their network, it is a... [Full Review]
The yearly pricing is reasonable. For what you get, the price of Insight access points is very reasonable. I don't feel like there is
anything cost prohibitive or difficult to operate or use. Overall, I am impressed with the Insight portal and how it works and maintains
itself, as well as with its scalability. My only concern is that our costs will increase with continued use of the product, since they
Korey license us annually. This will probably result in some of the less reliable devices being taken offline. Should we not see satisfactory
Rutherford
delivery, we ... [Full Review]
It wasn't much more than 100 dollars a year. For the devices that we have, the pricing was pretty fair. They have good, reasonable
pricing, so I can pass that price difference onto my customers. [Full Review]
Warren
Clemons
In terms of pricing and licensing, the NETGEAR solution is reasonable. I usually get the Pro license, which is a little bit more
expensive. Their pricing is perfect for smaller businesses who are money and budget conscious. There are a lot of other solutions
out there that are two to three times more expensive. [Full Review]
David
Grissom

28
Wireless LAN
Huawei Wireless See 10 reviews >>
Overview
Huawei WLAN products are compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac standards to establish high-speed, secure, and reliable wireless
network connections for indoor and outdoor applications.WLAN products can be used in enterprise offices, schools, hospitals,
large shopping malls, exhibition centers, airports, and more.
SAMPLE CUSTOMERS
Anhui Agricultural University (AAU), China Everbright Bank
TOP COMPARISONS
D-Link Wireless vs. Huawei Wireless … Compared 37% of the time [See comparison]
Cisco Wireless vs. Huawei Wireless … Compared 15% of the time [See comparison]
Aruba Wireless vs. Huawei Wireless … Compared 15% of the time [See comparison]

Computer Software Company … 14% Manufacturing Company … 30%
Government … 4% Energy/Utilities Company … 10%
Media Company … 4% Government … 10%
COMPANY SIZE
1-200 Employees … 38%
201-1000 Employees … 38%
1001+ Employees … 23%

29
Wireless LAN
Huawei Wireless Continued from previous page
The most valuable thing about Huawei Wireless is that it is one of the cheapest WiFi 6 systems. Its price is very nice. The other WiFi
systems cost about 15% more. [Full Review]
Bartłomiej
Solarz-
Niesłuchow
sk
You can add a lot of features, such as cloud, integration with IoT, etc. They have a lot of options available but the top feature is the
performance. The throughput and speed of the wireless is good. Huawai has been successfully introduced to the IPv6 access point.
[Full Review]
Anjan Basu
Chowdhury
The quality of the product is quite good. Stability-wise, it's perfect, as, previously, we had a very old Cisco solution, and we were
having some issues. Now, in terms of performance and bandwidth, it's pretty good. The stability and reliability are good. The
solution is easy to set up. We have some high-traffic areas, such as auditoriums, and they had high-density APs available. It's been
reviewer168 working well. [Full Review]
0213
The product is easy to use. The signal is very stable and it offers very good performance. For network devices it is great. The most
important aspect of the solution is that it is cheap. It beats solutions at a higher cost. We've found the solution to be quite stable.
The scalability is okay. The speed of the product is pretty good. I've found that the configuration is quite simple to handle. Technical
reviewer146 support has always been quite helpful. The initial setup is very easy and the deployment is very fast. [Full Review]
7366
Huawei Wireless has a small technical problem. When you use a power injector, it needs to be specially configured for the switch to
which it is connected. It tries to take power not from the power injector but from the switch. The funny thing when you look at it is
that you have three switches or maybe four or five that are theoretically capable. However, the port on these switches is disabled.
Bartłomiej When you connect the access point to a power injector, the access point checks for features from the switch, but on this port, the
Solarz-
Niesłuchow switch doesn't do power. S... [Full Review]
sk
Huawei has a bit of a gap in the SMB segment. Apart from the enterprise and big customers, you have also very big market in India
for the small- and medium-class businesses (SMBs) and Huawei Wireless could adapt to these smaller businesses. SMB IT
procurement is almost 40 to 45 percent of the business happening. I would recommend for Huawei to introduce some SMB product
Anjan Basu line because Cisco and Aruba, which are very big organizations, already have very good SMB product portfolios. Very recently,
Chowdhury
Aruba introduced one product portfolio called Aruba Inst... [Full Review]
As such, there are no problems. It has been good. There were some issues with the network design, but that is not specifically
related to the product. We had to make some improvements in the network design. The product as such is fine, and there are no
big issues. We are using the latest version having most of the features available in the industry, so the specs are very high. If
reviewer1451 something new comes up new in the industry, it needs to be incorporated into the product. [Full Review]
421

30
Wireless LAN
Huawei Wireless Continued from previous page
The scalability could be better. While the pricing is good, it still might not be acceptable to some people on the market. If they could
lower it further, it would be ideal. [Full Review]
reviewer142
9659
Its price is very good. This wireless system totally costs about 30,000 euros, and some of the other solutions cost about 45,000
euros. It is a difference of 15,000 euros, which is quite a lot of money. [Full Review]
Bartłomiej
Solarz-
Niesłuchow
sk
You can purchase an additional switch with an additional switch. That is a good milestone. We don't have any control on the pricing.
This comes from Huawei in India. Pricing-wise, Huawei is very aggressive and competitive if you compare them to competitors, like
Cisco, Aruba, and Ruckus. The Indian Huawei team tells us, "Just pick up the order and design the infrastructure. If there are any
Anjan Basu pricing challenge, we'll work on that and we will try to match things 100 percent." [Full Review]
Chowdhury
The pricing of the solution is excellent. It's much cheaper than the competition. The pricing is a great selling point. I don't pay for
licensing. I just pay for the device. [Full Review]
reviewer146
7366

31
Wireless LAN
Aruba Instant On Access Points See 1 review >>
Overview
Ingredients for success.
Fast 802.11ac Wave 2, secure employee and guest access, easy-to-use web, and mobile app management.
Say yes to secure Wi-Fi access.
Pre-built access control lists (ACLs) and built-in firewall in the access points prevent malicious traffic from entering your network –
we call it “hassle-free” security.
Never drop an important call.
With Instant On, voice and video business applications are automatically prioritized, so you stay connected with your peers.
SAMPLE CUSTOMERS
TOP COMPARISONS
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. Aruba Instant On Access Points … Compared 67% of the time [See comparison]
NETGEAR Insight Access Points vs. Aruba Instant On Access Points … Compared 20% of the time [See comparison]
TP-Link Auranet EAP vs. Aruba Instant On Access Points … Compared 13% of the time [See comparison]

32
Wireless LAN
Aruba Instant On Access Points Continued from previous page
Aruba Instant on Access Points is easy to manage, has a very nice interface, and looks nicer on the ceiling. The coverage Aruba
provides across the physical area is much better. Most probably because of the new technology, the 4x4 antenna, and everything
around it. It's just a much better, easier to use, and easier to manage product. The cloud-based solution is very easy to set up and
Izzy Berger easy to manage. You get reporting on it, alerts, and everything. There is no need to have any physical buttons on the devices, when
it's done through the cloud interfa... [Full Review]
If there's a way to get a floor map of our office space so we can place the access points on a map to be able to see what's what,
where everything is going, where the most traffic is being connected, that would be a nice feature. We had it on Ruckus Access
Points. But it's not a must, based on the trade-off of price versus functionality, there's nothing that I would expect to be better than
Izzy Berger what it is. [Full Review]
It's not expensive and it comes with everything included. There's no need to buy extra stuff on both, like hardware and software
support. It's very well priced. I can't see that anyone could be cheaper or better. It is important to us that there are no extra costs for
the solution's security features. You buy the product with all the features. Security-wise and manageability, you don't have any extra
Izzy Berger costs out of pocket. You pay below $200 for an access point. It's a very good price and everything's included, there's nothing extra.
[Full Review]

33
Wireless LAN
Fortinet FortiWLM See 6 reviews >>
Overview
Consolidate security and wireless LAN management with our integrated wireless solutions. Single-pane-of-glass management for
security and access without the need to add point products simplifies deployment and reduces management complexity. These
solutions are highly scalable to support even the largest organizations and distributed enterprises.
SAMPLE CUSTOMERS
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
TOP COMPARISONS
Aruba Wireless vs. Fortinet FortiWLM … Compared 21% of the time [See comparison]
Cisco Wireless vs. Fortinet FortiWLM … Compared 18% of the time [See comparison]
Ruckus Wireless vs. Fortinet FortiWLM … Compared 17% of the time [See comparison]

Manufacturing Company … 4%

34
Wireless LAN
Fortinet FortiWLM Continued from previous page
The concept of V2R cell services [similar to wifi hotspot technology], is a concept where a controller monitors the access points in
the installation. It is possible to reduce the transmission power and that can reduce exposure of users and the community to the
electrobiological effects of wifi. The goal is to try to reduce the radio power necessary and to only transmit the signal that you have
PeterMacTa to transmit to reach the access point. In my work, I try to protect people from electronic emissions and V2R is one of my weapons
ggart
against the current problem... [Full Review]
The most valuable feature is the ability to connect and broadcast to different networks without using a VLAN or a layer two switch,
which allows you to easily create guest networks. This is a very useful and very different feature compared to other solutions on the
market. In every customer meeting, this is the feature that we highlight. The solution is easy to use and the GUI is user-friendly. [Full
Piyush-Patel Review]
All their features are common. Nothing more. All the features are controlled behind the Fortinet firewall. Is there any wireless
controller to balance the load? Or what report do they give for the stated purpose? Basically, we need to put more focus on the
reporting end for their sustainability. [Full Review]
Suresh
Sharma
I have used the multiple feature keys that were available and they allow each user to have their own feature key. A good feature is
the IP security profiles, IPFS, anti-virus, RIP filtering, as that can be used with FortiGate as a wireless controller. The solution is
stable. Technical support is helpful. The scalability is good. Although there are a few steps, the initial setup is pretty straightforward.
JoelGaari [Full Review]
Something that can be improved by Fortinet is the organization-wide policy on service contracts. I find that it is a little bit stressful.
They have a business model where whatever you buy, you must make a service contract. You can do that for one year or three
years or five years. But it seems a little bit like a moneymaking machine rather than a necessity. They require these service
PeterMacTa contracts and that is not always so well accepted by the clients. To judge the circumstances of the market by bigger business
ggart
clients who can afford these additional f... [Full Review]
The guest management features need to be improved by adding automation. There is a facility for guest management through a
portal, but it should be automatic. As it is now, the IT person has to edit and do things manually. All of the details should be
maintained in the FortiCloud. I would like to see some small access points or signal extenders added to the product line to help with
Piyush-Patel areas that do not have full coverage. [Full Review]
There is a need to put a logging device in, which could be an analyzer, so that, if you want to have an inside-up graph and weekly
and monthly graphics reports, you'd be able to do so. When using the FortiGate as the wireless controller, you cannot have
automatic user registration, which is something that they should offer. That way, you can email the user, in their account, and it
JoelGaari would be easier. [Full Review]

35
Wireless LAN
Fortinet FortiWLM Continued from previous page
In the next release, they could improve by adding a controller-less server, or architecture that is provided in other solutions, such as
Aruba. This would be a great benefit for customers. Additionally, they could improve the feature sets to be more competitive. [Full
Review]
reviewer162
5379
The licensing is all contained in the purchase and implementation. The customer will look at the licensing at purchase and make
sure all is in order. All the subscriptions that are relevant for the purchase and maintenance are involved. The implementation will
be monitored and have a secure wireless connection. [Full Review]
Dilip_Kumar

36
Wireless LAN
Answers from the Community
When evaluating Wireless LANs, what aspect do you think is the most important to look for?
Let the community know what you think. Share your opinions now!
Several things come to mind but a few things stand out. 1. The term "future ready" comes to mind. I've seen businesses put significant
money into WiFi only to find some aspects of their networks are either not compatible with new Wireless IP standards or their
infrastructure incapable of handling the increased bandwidth for the newer standard. Operating at 2.4GHz is no longer efficient. The
it_user163 newest standard is 802.11x. The foundation of your network sets the tone for all that occurs on it. If it needs an upgrade that should be
557
part of any research and planning. Technology moves quickly, you must be able to move ahead with it. 2. You need to understand the
range of WiFi specifications from 802.11 to 802.11x and everything inbetween as to how it affects your network and how it will affect
your networks future growth. 3. If you aren't the person with the...
Reliability, ease of diagnostics...enabling a no-hassle always on wireless service to my users.
Tony C
Leung 梁仲江
I've found that Juniper networks equipment is more scalable and less proprietary. Cisco isn't a bad solution but more expensive initially
and for replacement components. Juniper is solid and reliable and some say better than Cisco because open source software can be
used with it. I deliberately did not recommend a brand and really dislike doing so in a forum. Makes one look like a sales person with
it_user163 an agenda. WiFi not so fundamental anymore. More mainstream yes but getting much more complex with load balancinng, access
557
security and equipment compatibility. Compatibility is where it's at for scalability. Cisco does not guarantee their equipment will work
with other vendor equipment though at times it might.
See all 26 answers >>

37
Wireless LAN
About this report

This report is comprised of a list of enterprise level Wireless LAN vendors. We have also included several real user reviews posted on
itcentralstation.com. The reviewers of these products have been validated as real users based on their LinkedIn profiles to ensure that they
provide reliable opinions and not those of product vendors.
About IT Central Station

The Internet has completely changed the way we make buying decisions. We now use ratings and review sites to see what other real users think
before we buy electronics, book a hotel, visit a doctor or choose a restaurant. But in the world of enterprise technology, most of the information
online and in your inbox comes from vendors but what you really want is objective information from other users.
We created IT Central Station to provide technology professionals like you with a community platform to share information about enterprise
software, applications, hardware and services.
We commit to offering user-contributed information that is valuable, objective and relevant. We protect your privacy by providing an environment
where you can post anonymously and freely express your views. As a result, the community becomes a valuable resource, ensuring you get
access to the right information and connect to the right people, whenever you need it.
IT Central Station helps tech professionals by providing:
• A list of enterprise level Wireless LAN vendors

• A sample of real user reviews from tech professionals
• Speciﬁc information to help you choose the best vendor for your needs
Use IT Central Station to:
• Read and post reviews of vendors and products

• Request or share information about functionality, quality, and pricing
• Contact real users with relevant product experience
• Get immediate answers to questions
• Validate vendor claims
• Exchange tips for getting the best deals with vendors
IT Central Station
244 5th Avenue, Suite R-230 • New York, NY 10001
www.itcentralstation.com
reports@itcentralstation.com
+1 646.328.1944

38

Wireless LAN Report From IT Central Station 2021-11!13!17lc

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Wireless LAN Report From IT Central Station 2021-11!13!17lc

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

WL

Get a custom version of this report...personalized for you!

Get your personalized report here.

Top Vendors 5-6

Top Solutions by Ranking Factor 7

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN 17 - 19

NETGEAR Insight Access Points 26 - 28

Aruba Instant On Access Points 32 - 33

Answers From the Community 37

About This Report and IT Central Station 38

© 2021 IT Central Station

Alcatel-Lucent Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess Stellar Fortinet Fortinet FortiWLM

© 2021 IT Central Station

Top Wireless LAN Solutions

Views Comparisons Reviews Words/Review Average Rating

© 2021 IT Central Station

4 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

7 NETGEAR Insight Access Points

9 Aruba Instant On Access Points

© 2021 IT Central Station

Top Solutions by Ranking Factor

1 Aruba Wireless 50,555

2 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN 31,665

3 Ruckus Wireless 28,295

4 Cisco Wireless 26,459

5 Ubiquiti WLAN 15,279

2 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN 37

1 NETGEAR Insight Access Points 1,389

2 Aruba Instant On Access Points 1,092

3 Fortinet FortiWLM 674

4 ADTRAN Bluesocket Wireless 631

5 Aruba Wireless 620

© 2021 IT Central Station

Aruba Wireless See 18 reviews >>

REVIEWERS * VISITORS READING REVIEWS *

TOP INDUSTRIES TOP INDUSTRIES

COMPANY SIZE COMPANY SIZE

© 2021 IT Central Station

Aruba Wireless Continued from previous page

Top Reviews by Topic

VALUABLE FEATURES See more Valuable Features >>

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT See more Room For Improvement >>

© 2021 IT Central Station

Aruba Wireless Continued from previous page

© 2021 IT Central Station

Cisco Wireless See 59 reviews >>

REVIEWERS * VISITORS READING REVIEWS *

TOP INDUSTRIES TOP INDUSTRIES

COMPANY SIZE COMPANY SIZE

© 2021 IT Central Station

Cisco Wireless Continued from previous page

Top Reviews by Topic

VALUABLE FEATURES See more Valuable Features >>

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT See more Room For Improvement >>

© 2021 IT Central Station

Cisco Wireless Continued from previous page

© 2021 IT Central Station

Ruckus Wireless See 45 reviews >>

REVIEWERS * VISITORS READING REVIEWS *

TOP INDUSTRIES TOP INDUSTRIES

COMPANY SIZE COMPANY SIZE

© 2021 IT Central Station

Ruckus Wireless Continued from previous page

Top Reviews by Topic