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Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller vs. UniFi WiFi Access Points

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller

    Score9 out of 10
    N/AThe Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points (EWC-AP) is a next-generation Wi-Fi solution, combining an advanced controller – the Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers – with a Wi-Fi 6 access point – the Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points – to create a wireless experience for evolving and growing organization.N/A

    UniFi WiFi Access Points

    Score8.9 out of 10
    N/AUbiquiti Networks in San Jose provides the UniFi wi-fi access points. The enterprise products support 1,000+ client capacity, long-range 6 GHz performance, and 10 GbE PoE connectivity with native high availability architecture for critical enterprise environments.N/A
    Pricing
    Cisco Embedded Wireless ControllerUniFi WiFi Access Points
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco Embedded Wireless ControllerUniFi WiFi Access Points
    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 Embedded Wireless ControllerUniFi WiFi Access Points
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    No answer on this topic
    Ubiquiti Networks
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    85%
    Would buy again
    33 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    95%
    Delivers good value for the price
    36 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    87%
    Happy with the feature set
    34 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    84%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    31 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    87%
    Implementation went as expected
    34 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco Embedded Wireless ControllerUniFi WiFi Access Points
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    Medium-sized Companies
    Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
    Score9.2 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco Embedded Wireless ControllerUniFi WiFi Access Points
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (4 ratings)
    9.0
    (51 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    2.4
    (7 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco Embedded Wireless ControllerUniFi WiFi Access Points
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    Overall I could see myself recommending these to others if they have the right set of circumstances at their place of business. Those would be like ours, if they had a location that couldnt be served by a WLC. Once setup they are easy to manage and self healing as in they wont go down when one is offline.
    Incentivized
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    Ubiquiti Networks
    I love the equipment for small-scale commercial solutions and quality without the price tag. I might not recommend their products for a large organization with multiple locations and servers. However, the GUI interface will allow remote access and setup across the network. I think this is a great solution for small businesses and families or home office solutions, provided there is some IT knowledge for setup and maintenance.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Cisco
    • Offers enterprise-class security that keeps the network protected
    • Cost-effective connectivity
    • Deploying WiFi 6 network without complexity or added expense
    • Controlling access points and clients
    Incentivized
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    Ubiquiti Networks
    • Ubiquti WLAN is very easy on setup for fast deployment.
    • The monitoring software is offered at different level. Cloudkey, or just throwing up their free controller on a PC somewhere.
    • It also does a great job of publishing timely updates to firmware, and addressing bug issues.
    • The ease of the interface, without adding a bunch of fluff, makes this literally the best out there in my opinion.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Cisco
    • Some bugs in the interface.
    • Issues with licensing and Cisco DNA integration.
    • Frequent software patches needed,
    Incentivized
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    Ubiquiti Networks
    • Initial configuration of access points can be rather tricky. Each one I have installed was a complete pain to get setup and connected with the UniFi Controller software. I never worked out what causes me problems, but thankfully once I've stumbled through the correct procedure, it does work completely reliably after that, for years on end.
    • The UniFi Controller software will nag you to share usage data. When offered to opt-in, I choose not to do so, but you'll eventually be nagged again on a future login.
    • Some of the 'tooltips' within the Controller software could be more informative.
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Cisco
    Giving this rating as i have recommended and configured EWC for many customer where they don't needed much AP and on-prem controller was also not needed. most of features available on 9800 WLC is also available on EWC
    Incentivized
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    Ubiquiti Networks
    Ubiquiti makes great Access points at various tiers provided far better coverage and throughput than consumer-grade wireless repeaters and routers. We have not had any performance complaints from guests or from the administration who use the wifi on a daily basis.
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Ubiquiti Networks
    Ubiquiti support is minimal, which is said to help decrease the cost of the equipment. However, with many reports of emails going directly to the Ubiquiti support line taking days to hear a response, you're better off either engaging with the community forums for help from fellow UniFi users or reaching out to a reseller that has training on the equipment that can assist.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    Cisco EWC is better to all its competitor as it provide same robust solution which is available to its hardware based controller, Customer experiences are similar to what other 9800 hardware based devices provides.
    Incentivized
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    Ubiquiti Networks
    Ubiquiti is overall easier to work with. There is no special training needed to accomplish many of the things required with a Cisco product. Since my time is stretched thin, I need something that I can manage without being weighed down by command-line communications. Also, I am able to use my wireless devices to maintain every Ubiquiti device on my network.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • Makes having remote sites less problematic when it comes to managing AP's
    • Saved money on managed AP's as they're found cheaper
    • Takes more time to manage additional controllers versus a WLC
    Incentivized
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    Ubiquiti Networks
    • Can't say it enough, prices are awesome, so ROI is very high IMHO.
    • Remote cloud management allows me to service more clients at greater distances.
    • Project estimates become much more attractive when you can show the savings vs more expensive solutions.
    Incentivized
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