Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller vs Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points | TrustRadius

What users are saying about

Score 8.7 out of 10

Based on 34 reviews and ratings

Score 8.8 out of 10

Based on 22 reviews and ratings

Pros

The user interface is faster and more responsive than the previous model.
Well built and sturdy hardware.
Included racking equipment was a nice touch.

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Verified User

Engineer in Engineering

Government Administration Company, 501-1000 employees

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Until 2018, our Aironets were 1560 series, and each was managed separately. We had about 9 devices, 3-4 per floor, strategically placed on each floor to get a good coverage map over a three-floor environment. Their coverage was greater than expected. With the latest 1852 models we have, they are managed by a controller, and frankly, the coverage is a smaller area, requiring more units. We have worked with support for months and this is the final outcome of all the setting changes - we simply need more devices to cover the same area.
None of the models I have used have needed reboots. We usually only reboot the devices annually, and they don't have issues requiring restarts.
With the 1560 series, the connection strength was extremely consistent. With the new 1852 model, which is managed by one of the WAPs as a controller, it is supposed to use smart technology to load balance (optional) and determine which of the WAPs is appropriate to connect the requesting device to - great idea - but it does NOT work well.

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Technology Systems Manager

Gentry Locke Rakes & MooreLaw Practice, 51-200 employees

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Cons

I think that the price is a little bit expensive in comparision with other vendors.
Maybe need to add a redundant power supply.
Maybe better time for booting the WLC.

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Benjamín Marrón Rojas

Help Desk Network Engineer

SpconnetTelecommunications, 11-50 employees

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On the Mobility Express models, it’s hard to configure all from the GUI, and sometimes the GUI is buggy
In Mobility Express, the (virtual) controller is not able to push the right image to the APs. This sometimes results in not joining the APs
Some minor issues with firmware

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Verified User

Administrator in Information Technology

Outsourcing/Offshoring Company, 11-50 employees

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Likelihood to Renew

Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller 9.0

Based on 1 answer

We have been using Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller in our network infrastructure for a long time now and it has been a very critical and beneficial addition in our network infrastructure. it has provided us with the tools required to efficiently manage and monitor our wireless network and users. it is a highly reliable and efficient device for any kind of environment.

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Deputy Manager - IT Operations (Network Infrastructure)

Pak Suzuki Motor Company LimitedAutomotive, 1001-5000 employees

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Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points 9.1

Based on 1 answer

If Cisco keeps innovating the feature sets on the next 1800 models, I would definitely try it out to improve the experience of my users and to keep them on the latest technologies

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Verified User

Engineer in Engineering

Research Company, 5001-10,000 employees

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Usability

Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller 8.0

Based on 1 answer

The GUI is easier to navigate as compared to the 2504. Also the responsiveness of the GUI, the quicker failover capabilities and the enhanced visibility are all major improvements over the previous generation WLC.

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Verified User

Director in Engineering

Information Technology and Services Company, 51-200 employees

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Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points 9.1

Based on 2 answers

Pretty straightforward guide, which was built since OEAP600 AP's and never improved, this is a good thing for user to tackle when they configure the personal SSID, but does not reflect how it should be in 2020, where everything is mobile compatible and app ready. Cisco are going to have an app for this, but it comes with greater cost.

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Verified User

Engineer in Engineering

Research Company, 5001-10,000 employees

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Performance

No score

No answers yet

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Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points 8.1

Based on 3 answers

Great overall Performance from a WIFI perspective, creating a truly enhanced coverage map and providing good VOIP throughput. The dual radio, 4x4 MIMO WAVE2 spec provides up to 1.7Gbps to client devices and has Link Aggregation Group (LAG) for the two 1 Gigabit ethernet ports. In conjunction to this the Wave2 has the ability to transmit beam-forming connectivity for a better client experience overall.

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Verified User

C-Level Executive in Information Technology

Information Technology & Services Company, 11-50 employees

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Support Rating

Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller 8.1

Based on 7 answers

Cisco TAC is well known and SLA levels are great. Cisco support website and Cisco communities are another help for issues resolution. TAC is always supportive over Webex and helps to resolve issues pretty fast. This is another assurance for people to go with Cisco as the TAC capabilities are proven for all product lines.

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Verified User

Employee in Information Technology

Computer Networking Company, 1001-5000 employees

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Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points 8.2

Based on 1 answer

If you are able to identify the problem initially, you would be able to explain it to the TAC. In order for the TAC to understand it, the TAC engineer must be competent enough to understand it, and have the devices already in lab to test with. Each bug I encountered the TAC was able to help. And I was able to file at least 3 bugs on the 1815T and M.

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Verified User

Engineer in Engineering

Research Company, 5001-10,000 employees

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Alternatives Considered

Like I said previously, switching wireless controllers was really simple and the process was very smooth. We believed that the 3504 could do everything and maybe a little more than what the 9800 was giving us when it started getting old. Both were great at managing the networks and the response times was similar

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Duncan Hernandez

Sr. Data Analytics Consultant

Armanino LLPAccounting, 1001-5000 employees

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Speaking about Access Points in the 1830 series that are devices slightly below the 1850 series that we have talked about, the biggest advantage that I think we can have when buying one of the 1850 series would be to have a greater data transfer from the Access Point to the users since the 1830 APs only reach 867 Mbps at the frequency of 5GHz, compared to the new series that can reach 1.7 Gbps. That helps us a lot when making transfers of heavy data, improving download time on wireless devices, be it a smartphone or a laptop, etc.

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Benjamín Marrón Rojas

Help Desk Network Engineer

SpconnetTelecommunications, 11-50 employees

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Scalability

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points 8.2

Based on 3 answers

This is the beauty of any Cisco WLC controlled AP series, you get almost zero setup rollout. You just plug this thing in on the network and it searches for the WLC, upgrades itself, and sits there ready to be named and deployed. You can even setup profiles that it can take without any admin intervention.

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Verified User

Analyst in Information Technology

Government Administration Company, 501-1000 employees

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Return on Investment

We have saved countless hours not having to configure each AP individually.
Budgets on the WLAN side have increased due to the cost increases.
Smart software has made it easier to get a new tech up and running.

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Verified User

Engineer in Engineering

Government Administration Company, 501-1000 employees

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We can be in Mobility Express mode where the AP provides the controller functionality to support a small to medium deployment without requiring a dedicated controller.
Access Points are centrally managed via a WLC reducing the management overhead for deployment, configuration, and upgrade.

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Solutions Architect

NEC AustraliaComputer Networking, 1001-5000 employees

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Pricing Details

General

Free Trial

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Free/Freemium Version

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Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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Entry-level set up fee?

No

General

Free Trial

—

Free/Freemium Version

—

Premium Consulting/Integration Services

—

Entry-level set up fee?

No

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