Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller vs Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points | TrustRadius

What users are saying about

Score 8.8 out of 10

Based on 36 reviews and ratings

Score 8.7 out of 10

Based on 35 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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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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Verified User

Technician in Information Technology

Hospital & Health Care Company, 1001-5000 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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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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Manager Information & Communications Technolofy

Fiji AirportsAirlines/Aviation, 501-1000 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 3800 Series Access Points 7.9

Based on 3 answers

We are all happy with Aironet and Prime.

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Sr. Information Security Lead

Choice Hotels InternationalHospitality, 1001-5000 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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No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Performance

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points 9.5

Based on 2 answers

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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Verified User

Project Manager in Information Technology

Oil & Energy Company, 1001-5000 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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No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

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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Our selection of Cisco Aironet Access Points versus the Meraki Access Points was entirely on a political basis with our vendor. In the future, we are actually looking to migrate towards the Meraki system. Even though the Meraki feature-set is lacking, we really only require those features, and our cost would be largely cut by this migration. It would be a solid win, but maybe not recommendable to everyone.

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Verified User

Engineer in Information Technology

Government Administration Company, 1001-5000 employees

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Scalability

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points 8.5

Based on 2 answers

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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Verified User

Engineer in Engineering

Computer Networking Company, 10,001+ 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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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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Verified User

Consultant in Customer Service

Information Technology and Services Company, 10,001+ 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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