Wireless Vendor Comparison: Ubiquiti vs Meraki vs Aruba

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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 (a company of HPE), 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 wireless

Meraki Wireless Products

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

Meraki wireless

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.

aruba-wireless-access-point

Ubiquiti vs Meraki vs Aruba

This table shows the comparison.

Brands Ubiquiti Meraki Aruba
Products
Breadth of Product Portfolio Offers all needed wireless, wired, management and security products for a complete enterprise network Offers all needed wireless, wired, management and security products for a complete network solution Offers most needed wireless, wired, management and security products for a complete network solution
SMB Solutions 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

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

 

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

Enterprise Solutions 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

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

 

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.

Arena/Stadium Solutions Arena 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

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)

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)

Users Experience
Deployment Quick and easy

No need to apply any licenses

Quick and easy

Lack of flexibility may cause difficulties

All features included in one license

Difficult, applying the right licenses adds complexity to deployment and is time-consuming
Production Single, user-friendly and intuitive UI for all UniFi network elements

Secure central remote access from anywhere

Easy expansion, no license upgrades needed

Single, user-friendly and intuitive user interface

One license handles all features

Depending on the product, need multiple user interfaces

New features and expansions may require license changes

Support No 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 Meraki, but access to TAC requires an ongoing service subscription

No payment, no support

VAR support also available at additional cost

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

Recommended
Hot Product Series ·Ubiquiti Ceiling Access Points 

·Ubiquiti Panel Access Points 

·Ubiquiti Outdoor Access Points 

·Ubiquiti Wireless Bridges 

·Cisco Meraki MR Wireless Series ·Aruba Instant On Indoor Access Points 

·Aruba 510 Series Access Points 

·Aruba OfficeConnect Series Access Points 

·Aruba 500H Hospitality WiFi-6 Access Points 

Price Low

*Check wireless product price of Ubiquiti.

High

*Check wireless product price of Meraki.

Medium

*Check wireless product price of Aruba.

If you have different opinions, welcome to leave your comment.

Related Topics:

The Importance of Wireless Technology Under COVID-19

How to Check Your Cisco Wireless Access Points Compliance for Your Country?

6 Types of the Wireless Access Point

Huawei Wireless vs. Cisco Wireless

Cisco Wireless AP vs. Aruba Wireless AP

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