Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Likelihood to Recommend

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.

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Verified User

Administrator in Information Technology

Government Administration Company, 501-1000 employees

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Ubiquiti is well suited to not just indoor WLAN access, but also outdoors. In fact, the range of the outdoor applications, while maintaining throughput is astonishing. I would say this is not a solution for a 1-5 person small office, due to the costs.

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Hunter Bonner

Chief Editor

TechEdge - BlogInformation Technology & Services, 11-50 employees

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Pros

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

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Val Langenburg

Managing Director IT Operations and Governance

Markel CorporationInsurance, 1001-5000 employees

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The access points are rock solid for uptime. Once configured, they don't skip a beat and you'll forget they're there.
Excellent range and signal strength.
Very comprehensive configuration and administration via the UniFi Controller software.
The Ubiquiti access points look great! Whether wall or ceiling mounted, they are discrete and neutral enough to just blend in with the building.
Being powered via PoE, it's easier to place the access points where they're most useful.

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Verified User

Employee in Information Technology

Information Technology & Services Company, 1-10 employees

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Cons

Some bugs in the interface.
Issues with licensing and Cisco DNA integration.
Frequent software patches needed,

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Verified User

Engineer in Information Technology

Government Administration Company, 501-1000 employees

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Management of devices has become much simpler with the UNMS application, but personally, I would like to see some AirMax-like devices from their Unifi line where everything could be managed from an Unifi controller.
Most Ubiquiti devices are 24V PoE, which is the bane of my existence. I have had several devices fried when staff plugged into standard 48V PoE. They generally don't fail catastrophically, either. You just get strange issues that are difficult to diagnose and eventually need to replace them.
Devices seem to have trouble with many patch cables/switches. Make sure you certify any patch cables you make and don't over crimp.
Sending devices from the factory with same 192.168.1.20 IP instead of DHCP makes it a pain to bulk-setup devices.

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Patrick Plaisance

CTO (Chief Technical Officer)

Pachyderm ConsultingInformation Technology and Services, 1-10 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

Starting Price

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General

Free Trial

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Free/Freemium Version

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Premium Consulting/Integration Services

—

Entry-level set up fee?

No

Starting Price

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Usability

No score

No answers yet

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Ubiquiti WLAN 10.0

Based on 1 answer

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.

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Verified User

Administrator in Information Technology

Insurance Company, 11-50 employees

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Support Rating

No score

No answers yet

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Ubiquiti WLAN 1.0

Based on 1 answer

Ubiquiti's support is basically non-existent by design. However, their forums are a great resource if you are willing to do the research and ask questions. Keep in mind Ubiquiti sells hardware, not support so the responses will be from the community of professionals also using Ubiquiti just like you.

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Verified User

Administrator in Information Technology

Insurance Company, 11-50 employees

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Alternatives Considered

Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller provides the ability to manage and deploy the wireless network from a web UI or mobile application, and without the expense or complexity of a wireless controller appliance.

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Val Langenburg

Managing Director IT Operations and Governance

Markel CorporationInsurance, 1001-5000 employees

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We have used products from Netgear, ZyXEL, Cloudmesh, Datto, Mereki, and EnGenius previously often choosing products based on a specific situation, since starting with Ubiquiti [WLAN] we have pretty much stopped [usage] of all other vendors in the networking field and standardized which better allows us to stock spare equipment. Best part is if you need to replace equipment it is easy to swap it out quickly as the controller also acts as a live configuration backup.

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Brian Cook

Senior Technology Specialist - VP

Unified Technology Solutions, Inc.Information Technology & Services, 1-10 employees

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Return on Investment

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

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Verified User

Administrator in Information Technology

Government Administration Company, 501-1000 employees

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it has improved our warehouse's abilities to pick, pack and dispatch faster and more accurate
Office wide wi-fi signal allows users to work off their laptops almost anywhere in on site.
The wi-fi has allowed us to reduce mobile data usage on company mobiles as well, as everyone is on the wireless lan instead on 4G

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Verified User

Manager in Information Technology

Retail Company, 501-1000 employees

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Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller vs Ubiquiti WLAN