Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers vs. WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Score 9.8 out of 10
N/A
The Cisco Catalyst 9800-80 is a modular wireless controller with optional 100 Gigabit Ethernet (G) modular uplinks boasting seamless software updates for large enterprises and campuses, and security with ETA and SD-Access.N/A
WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
The vendor says WatchGuard Wi-Fi Cloud is where you take your access points to unlock their full potential. With a Secure Wi-Fi license, you get patented WIPS security, compliance reporting including PCI, Wi-Fi vulnerability assessment reporting, and every enterprise-grade WLAN feature you’ll need to take your access points into the toughest environments – with features like live floorplan views, hotspot 2.0, application firewall, and role-based access with 802.1x. WatchGuard Wi-Fi Cloud has…N/A
Pricing
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless ControllersWatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless ControllersWatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
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
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless ControllersWatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless ControllersWatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
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 Meraki Wireless Access Point
Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point
Score 9.6 out of 10
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Score 9.8 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point
Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point
Score 9.6 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
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless ControllersWatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(35 ratings)
8.0
(5 ratings)
Availability
8.1
(34 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.8
(35 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.1
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless ControllersWatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
If we are thinking about replacing old Cisco AireOS controllers with a new technology, we can only choose Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers. Configuration based on Profiles and SiteTag is convenient and easier compared to the previous configuration. You can see that the entire controller has been designed from scratch. Support for new AccessPoints in Wifi 6 offers great possibilities.
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
The WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud works well in any scenario. With the number of AP model options, this solution can work at a coffee shop all the way up to a multi-tenant facility with thousands of users.
Read full review
Pros
Cisco
  • Easily manages a large number of APs.
  • It can push out settings or a new OS to a large group of APs at once.
  • The GUI is very intuitive, and follows the model Cisco has created for many of their products.
  • It integrates well with our ISE environment for handling RADIUS requests.
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
  • enable wireless access on watchguard-based networks
  • ensure reliable performances
  • allow fast wireless data transfer operations
Read full review
Cons
Cisco
  • add more sub-genres to the main menu
  • make the product easier for people to use, that aren't working with it all day
  • make the initial setup menu, where policies can be attached to Tags etc. more accessible
  • When selecting APs from the Landing Page, make it possible to rename them immediately without having to switch to "Configuration" -> "Access Points"
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
  • Better Access Points from WG
  • Map Feature
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Cisco
The availability of the cisco 9800 wireless lan controller depends on several factors including deloyment mode of the controllers itself, network size and architecture and the maitenance and support factor. It is designed to meet the needs of a large enterprise and together with a cisco support contract any outages will be covered
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
No answers on this topic
Performance
Cisco
Fully robust and well-built solution. The solution fully is able to support a full campus WiFi environment without having any issues. There is no slowness to setting up a WiFi solution or any delays when changes are made. The product [can handle] beyond the listed specifications, but Cisco has kept performance and throughput to allow for a robust and smooth experience.
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Cisco
Great contact to Wireless Innovate Program Team and TAC to solve our problems.
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
The support team is great! I have never had an issue getting the support I needed. They make it a point to stick with the issue until it's resolved to the customer's satisfaction. They do not make you feel like you need to hurry up and close the ticket. They make sure the solution is working as designed.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Cisco
We original worked with a Linksys based wireless system. Cisco improved our network reliability and speed which were the key reasons we upgraded our hardware in the first place. It appears that Cisco is better suited in a Business environment than its competitors are. I look forward to completing the network and to see it fully functional.
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud offers the cloud management solution unlike Ubiquiti which needs a controller that you need to setup, configure, update, and maintain. Also Security is offered with Secure Wi-Fi cloud.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Cisco
  • We did replace several WLCs in our site with a redundant [Cisco Catalyst 9800-L Wireless Controller] and saved the cost
  • [Cisco Catalyst 9800-L Wireless Controller] with IOS-XE enable us to manage APs in our branches easily, easier than AireOS
  • ISSU enable us to do firmware upgrade with minimum downtime, a site with 24/7 activity will not be interrupted anymore
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
  • It is not the cheapest one by price but with all the features it is it worth
  • They follow costs after buying are not so high because of the centralized and easy deployment and managemet
  • To see where we have a bottleneck is so easy in the WatchGuard Cloud
Read full review
ScreenShots

WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud Screenshots

Screenshot of WatchGuard Wi-Fi DiscoverScreenshot of WatchGuard Wi-Fi AnalyzeScreenshot of WatchGuard Wi-Fi EngageScreenshot of WatchGuard Wi-Fi Manage