Wireless Vendor Comparison: Ubiquiti vs Meraki vs Aruba

//Wireless Vendor Comparison: Ubiquiti vs Meraki vs Aruba

Wireless Vendor Comparison: Ubiquiti vs Meraki vs Aruba

Nowadays, there are more and more wireless vendors in the market. How to choose the right wireless products is a question for every enterprise. Today in this post, you can find the differences among Ubiquiti Network (UBNT), Meraki (a Cisco’s sub-brand) and Aruba, and find the right one for your wireless network deployment.

Ubiquiti Network Wireless Products

UBNT Wireless networking solutions provide various products including UBNT Access Points, wireless controllers, antennas and wireless bridge, etc. for various needs.

Ubiquiti - UniFi® AP XG

Meraki Wireless Products

Cisco Meraki MR series delivers WiFi 6 AP, faster AP deployment, simplified administration, and richer visibility.

Cisco Meraki - IT Services and IT Support Vancouver, BC | Cisco Partner

Aruba Wireless Products

Aruba Access Points deliver fast, reliable Wi-Fi performance, boost network efficiency, and support the growing mobile and IoT density demands on your network.

Optrics Partner - Aruba Wireless Networking

BrandsUbiquitiArubaMeraki
What does it do?Offers all needed wireless, wired, management and security products for a complete enterprise networkOffers most needed wireless, wired, management and security products for a complete network solutionOffers all needed wireless, wired, management and security products for a complete network solution
PriceLowMediumHigh
When Used in?
LArge Homes and Small Business
500-500sqFt
Easy to deploy and use
Both cloud (US) and on-premises available

Feature-rich, all features included

One intuitive UI handles everything

No SW licensing fees

Colorado Factory user story

Mid-Sized Church in Florida user story

Unbeatable value
HW Controller based products difficult to deploy and use
Instant APs lack features without separate Aruba Central or AirWave license

Aruba Central offers a good cloud product for SMB, except its very expensive
Easy to deploy and use
Product is useless if subscription fees are not paid

Need to pre-pay and commit to several years if want better pricing

Good product for SMB, except it’s very expensive
5000-10000sq ft
Enterprise
Easy to deploy and use
All-in-one management; All APs, switches and routers in one UI

Central management and troubleshooting capabilities

Low learning curve for network admin, no vendor certifications necessary

Cloud and on-premises available

Very high AP performance

No HW controller as a bottleneck

Good HD Wi-Fi control capabilities (cell size, data rates, power)

Central Coast Grammar School case study

British Armed Forces case study
Large configurations can handle large networks
Base product is traditional single tenant HW controller, which makes product difficult to deploy and use

For sufficient reliability need redundant controllers ($$)

Instant AP not sufficient for larger facilities or multisite

Aruba Central provides a cloud alternative

Central uses separate licenses for features. New future functionalities may require additional licenses which makes it very expensive

Handling and renewing expiring licenses or adding new devices is time-consuming.
Easy to deploy and use cloud architecture
No on-premises alternative

Performance lacking at higher traffic loads

Product is useless if annual subscription fees are not paid

Expensive ongoing licensing

Need to pre-pay and commit to several years if want better pricing
Arena/StadiumsArena APs with integrated high gain antennas
Up to 3, 5 GHz client-serving radios in one AP

Good HD Wi-Fi control capabilities (cell size, data rates, power)

Multi 5 GHz radio APs save in installation and cabling costs

18,000 seat FedExForum arena in Memphis runs Ubiquiti Wi-Fi with outstanding performance
Need to use external antennas for focused RF (mounting, cost)
Max. two 5 GHz radios/AP

Multi 5 GHz APs have filtering

Weak HD performance (see performance section)
No stadium-targeted capabilities. Rating is for use of base product in stadium situation
Need to use external antennas for focused RF (mounting, cost)

No multi 5 GHz radio products

Weak RF tuning capabilities

Weak HD performance (see performance section)
Ease of Use
DeploymentQuick and easy
No need to apply any licenses
Difficult, applying the right licenses adds complexity to deployment and is time-consumingQuick and easy
Lack of flexibility may cause difficulties

All features included in one license
ProductionSingle, user-friendly and intuitive UI for all UniFi network elements
Secure central remote access from anywhere

Easy expansion, no license upgrades needed
Depending on the product, need multiple user interfaces
New features and expansions may require license changes
Single, user-friendly and intuitive user interface
One license handles all features
SupportNo support agreement needed. Free support, including instant chat support with escalation tickets.
Ubiquiti community support boosted with Ubiquiti employees is fast and efficient. Operates much like the Linux OS community.

Ubiquiti VARs offer paid support

Ubiquiti Elite provides advanced paid services in US. In Linux parallels, this would be the RedHat subscription.
Support is available from Aruba, but access to TAC beyond 90 day product failure warranty requires a paid support agreement
No payment, no support

VAR support also available at additional cost
Support is available from Meraki, but access to TAC requires an ongoing service subscription
No payment, no support

VAR support also available at additional cost
Recommendation
Most Commonly Used devicesUBNT Ceiling Access PointsUBNT Ceiling Access Points

https://amzn.to/3sUVQLB

·UBNT Outdoor Access Points

·UBNT Wireless Bridges
Hospitality WiFi-6 Access Points ·Aruba Instant On Indoor Access Points ·Aruba 510 Series Access Points ·Aruba OfficeConnect Series Access Points ·Aruba 500H Hospitality WiFi-6 Access Points Cisco Meraki MR Wireless Series
2021-03-06T15:49:18-05:00 TV and Home Entertainment Installation|Comments Off on Wireless Vendor Comparison: Ubiquiti vs Meraki vs Aruba
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