Aruba Instant On AP Series Access Points vs. Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points (discontinued)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Aruba Instant On AP Series Access Points
Score 7.7 out of 10
N/A
Aruba Networks offers the Instant On AP series of wireless access points, with models designed for indoor and outdoor access points.N/A
Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Score 9.5 out of 10
N/A
Currently supported by Cisco, but no longer sold, Cisco recommends migration to the Cisco Catalyst 9100 Family of Access Points, which offer greater performance and flexibility.N/A
Pricing
Aruba Instant On AP Series Access PointsCisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Aruba Instant On AP Series Access PointsCisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Aruba Instant On AP Series Access PointsCisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Top Pros

No answers on this topic

Top Cons
Best Alternatives
Aruba Instant On AP Series Access PointsCisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Small Businesses
Ubiquiti WLAN
Ubiquiti WLAN
Score 9.3 out of 10
Ubiquiti WLAN
Ubiquiti WLAN
Score 9.3 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Score 9.8 out of 10
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Score 9.8 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Score 9.8 out of 10
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Score 9.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Aruba Instant On AP Series Access PointsCisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(30 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
7.9
(3 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
9.2
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
7.6
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Aruba Instant On AP Series Access PointsCisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Likelihood to Recommend
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Aruba Instant On AP Series Access Points are well suited for a small to mid-size setup (i.e., from 20 users to 500 devices that need to connect to WiFi). Aruba provides access points for both indoors and outdoors (e.g., commercial spaces and offices, and manufacturing units as well). Aruba Instant On AP Series Access Points can also support controller-based architecture, and I would recommend going for that when the AP devices are more than 30.
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Discontinued Products
As any Cisco Aironet Access Points, the 3800 model is more for power users than beginners. It is for sure very more complex to maintain and trouble shoot than solutions like Cisco Meraki APs.
By the way, there are a lot of settings that can be customized and it is really interesting for difficult environments like industrial factories.
The 3800 model is also robust so it should stay durable and reliable.
But if you want to use the mesh mode or make a wireless bridge, this model is not appropriate as it is not supported for now.
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Pros
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
  • Controllerless solution
  • Users connect to different APs seamlessly (soft handoff) when moving from one region to another
  • Stable--we have never faced any downtime with any APs
  • Different SSID to segregate internal and guest networks
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Discontinued Products
  • Cisco APs are managed very easily from a Cisco WLC controller.
  • Cisco APs provide lots of enterprise-grade options such as rogue detection and automatic power configuration.
  • Cisco APs have many different mounting options, which makes them very versatile in a healthcare environment.
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Cons
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
  • Aruba Instant On AP Series Access Points miss having OTP generation--this is must, for guest users at least
  • Pricing is high
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Discontinued Products
  • Outdoor capabilities. We have actually blown up a few outdoor units. Water got inside the outdoor units and had visible rust
  • Costs compared to other AP’s in the market. Ruckus and EnGenius work out a bit cheaper
  • Mounting options are limited
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Likelihood to Renew
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
No answers on this topic
Discontinued Products
We are all happy with Aironet and Prime.
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Performance
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
No answers on this topic
Discontinued Products
The Cisco 3802 product performance is excellent. Not only for the speed and range of the wireless it provides, but also for the fact that - when deployed in a large scale environment - the performance does not fail. It provides the same network connectivity for users ranging from 1 to 30-plus concurrent connections.
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Alternatives Considered
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
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Discontinued Products
The usage scenario was different. I don't see this as a benefit versus harm comparison, necessarily. What happened was that, at a certain point, the implementation of the cisco solution was the winner of our public bidding process and with that, we implemented it and have used it ever since.
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Scalability
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
No answers on this topic
Discontinued Products
Contrary to a solution like the Cisco Meraki access points, the Aironet access points like the 3800 are linked to the Controler. And depending on the version of the controller, it will support only some models of access points.
For big sites, it may be difficult to upgrade the controler to support new ap models like 3800 because we still have old access points.
And it is also the same between new access points and old client devices so it is always a bit tricky.
After that, if the access point model is supported by the controller, it is really simple to install a new one
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Return on Investment
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
  • Our users' productivity has increased, as they can now connect wirelessly
  • We are now centrally controlling users' traffic from firewall and blocking or limiting use of unwanted web apps
  • Has helped us in improving monitoring of user traffic
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Discontinued Products
  • Users are able to carry on with their work while moving, changing seats, rooms or having an ad-hoc Skype meeting on the way to lunch. It is always hard to justify the value of connectivity but be assured, when it is not working the business impact is immediate.
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