What users are saying about
51 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 9.3 out of 100
Based on 51 reviews and ratings
48 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 8.8 out of 100
Based on 48 reviews and ratings
Attribute Ratings
- Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller is rated higher in 2 areas: Likelihood to Recommend, Support Rating
Likelihood to Recommend
9.7
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
97%
11 Ratings
8.7
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
87%
27 Ratings
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
91%
1 Rating
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
N/A
0 Ratings
Usability
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
N/A
0 Ratings
8.2
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
82%
1 Rating
Support Rating
9.2
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
92%
8 Ratings
9.0
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
90%
2 Ratings
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
I consider that its implementation is recommended for configurations where the amount of access points exceeds 50 devices and the performance exceeds 4 Gbps. In environments where the access point density is less than 10 units, we can use the option of Express Mobility.
Network Engineer
Cardon IVOil & Energy, 501-1000 employees
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
[Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller's] software quality has been shed in recent years. The only problem I have with it is its inability to work with older Cisco Access Points. However, that's to be expected for any deployment. While the controller's UI works well, some areas could be improved. API integrations lack flexibility. [I feel] it's time for policy redesign. It can be a little difficult to determine coding quality.
IT Specialist
Lamda I-TECHInformation Technology & Services, 11-50 employees
Pros
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
- It has the ability to manage all Cisco access points that we have, regardless of the model. The limit is 1500 pieces of equipment.
- The WLC enables roaming functionality in the localities, this helps with collections, wireless IP phones, and access with notebooks.
- The WLC manages the quality of the "air" and "signal" of the 2.4ghz frequency, avoiding noise and interference.
- The WLC has an interesting feature of visibility of the traffic of the internal network.
Analista de sistema
NaturaChemicals, 201-500 employees
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
- The GUI on the Cisco 8540 WLC is much better designed than other Cisco products. Its easy to navigate between the different settings to find what is needed.
- The AP groups allows touching multiple APs at one time.
- It also allows us to create standard SSIDs that can be used at all sites that connect back to it, this saves a lot of time instead of hitting each site with a local controller.
Senior Network Engineer
EatonMachinery, 10,001+ employees
Cons
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
- We have had some issues with access points losing their configurations and going offline. This is not a common issue and we are not entirely certain if it is a fault of the controller or the individual APs. That said, the controller does not appear to retain the knowledge of the offline AP which can be a management headache.
Network Systems Administrator
Foremost Farms USADairy, 1001-5000 employees
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
- Code quality is a bit hit and miss. This will be great for a while, then things will be bad for a while, then we'll do it again. The UI of the controller works, but could do with a refresh, and I would like to see some improvement on layout and organization.
- The constant code/firmware upgrades and the QA of new code could be better.
- Maybe the compatibility with old Cisco Access Points could be improved, but it's normal in all kinds of deployments.

Verified User
Analyst in Information Technology
Information Technology & Services Company, 51-200 employeesPricing Details
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—Likelihood to Renew
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller 9.1
Based on 1 answer
It works great and [we] will definitely renew.

Verified User
Team Lead in Information Technology
Financial Services Company, 501-1000 employeesCisco 8540 Wireless Controller
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Usability
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller 8.2
Based on 1 answer
Very well made product. Very stable. We have had no issues administering the 8540.
Senior Network Engineer
EatonMachinery, 10,001+ employees
Support Rating
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller 9.2
Based on 8 answers
Cisco is always available if we need support. If they are unable to solve the problem right away, they will reach back to us in a timely manner and advise what we need to do. Their team provides additional guidance as well if we hit any stumbling blocks. Their service has been great.

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Retail Company, 201-500 employeesCisco 8540 Wireless Controller
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller 9.0
Based on 2 answers
It is a better product. The evolution is positive.
Gerente de Noc and support
EVCON GROUPComputer & Network Security, 51-200 employees
Alternatives Considered
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
Cisco is the most stable company in switching parts including wireless, and it has the most powerful support team with a lot of online documents, community, and market share so when you get stuck, you can find support from anywhere. And usually, you won't need it as its product is very stable and reliable.
IT Network Manager
WadiDeglaSports, 1001-5000 employees
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
We have [done] some work before with the Cisco 3504 product, but the more recent Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller provides a wider range of capabilities for managing the wireless network and each individual device [and] also being able to handle more users. Unfortunately, we didn't test and deploy equivalent products from other concurrent companies.
Researcher
Instituto de TelecomunicaçõesTelecommunications, 501-1000 employees
Return on Investment
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
- [It provides] centralized management.
- Implementing the [Cisco] 5520 [Wireless] Controllers offered us a huge improvement in administrative time over our previous Cisco 3850 deployment. Being able to see all of our APs on a single controller as well as centrally manage them is a great benefit. This also removed the need to deploy specific equipment in different IDFs throughout our Industrial locations and instead only requiring switches with Power Over Ethernet (POE) capability.
- Wireless performance has improved with the deployment of our 5520s, which allows our plant operators to do their jobs more efficiently while on the move.
- Having three Cisco 5520 Wireless Controllers provides tertiary redundancy for our wireless networks. The solution is elegantly simple. Preventing downtime is, obviously, a profound part of our supply chain capabilities.
Network Systems Administrator
Foremost Farms USADairy, 1001-5000 employees
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
- Network engineers find it easier to [manage] high-stress levels since they're more reliable and robust.
- Their initial cost is very high compared to other router providers, such as Juniper.
- Their hardware dependability can be a big drawback if you run on a budget.

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Information Technology & Services Company, 1-10 employees