Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers vs. UniFi WiFi Access Points

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Cisco offers wireless LAN.N/A
UniFi WiFi Access Points
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Ubiquiti 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 Wireless LAN ControllersUniFi WiFi Access Points
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco Wireless LAN ControllersUniFi 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 Wireless LAN ControllersUniFi WiFi Access Points
Considered Both Products
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Chose Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Unifi Controllers are not much stable in terms of connectivity and user handling, also Unifi controllers are installed on VM which is also a dependability whereas Cisco WLC is a separate appliance.
Chose Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
The Cisco [Wireless] LAN Controllers are the high-end solution to wireless connectivity both in terms of cost and reliability. The Ubiquiti UniFi solution is the lower-cost solution that is both easier to configure and easier to manage long-term. The Cisco RV series is not …
Chose Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers in my experience handles a larger quantity of wireless devices than the offerings from Ubiquiti. But that's not to say Ubiquiti products do not have their place. In my experience, Ubiquiti products do very well in small business environments. …
Chose Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
While the UniFi line of AP's and Controllers from Ubiquity come with very new and flashy Apps and visual controls, they are not an enterprise product from capabilities, feature set but especially support. Unlike Cisco where with a SmartNet contract you can reach an engineer and …
Chose Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
We went with 2504 in our main office vice Meraki due to the enterprise-grade functionality. However, after implementing Meraki at our two smaller sites I'd go with Meraki over the WLC's in the future for this business. Ubiquiti threw the kitchen sink at our trying to buy their …
UniFi WiFi Access Points
Chose UniFi WiFi Access Points
When compared to the leader, Cisco, Ubiquiti Networks UniFi cuts costs tenfold and, depending on the needs of the organization, can perform just as well. While not as customizable and feature-full, Ubiquiti Networks UniFi equipment does provide reliability and function at an …
Best Alternatives
Cisco Wireless LAN ControllersUniFi WiFi Access Points
Small Businesses
WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
Score 9.2 out of 10
WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
Score 9.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Score 9.8 out of 10
Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Score 9.8 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Score 9.2 out of 10
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Score 9.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cisco Wireless LAN ControllersUniFi WiFi Access Points
Likelihood to Recommend
9.2
(76 ratings)
9.0
(51 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.5
(12 ratings)
9.0
(5 ratings)
Availability
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(5 ratings)
2.4
(7 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
7.3
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.3
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco Wireless LAN ControllersUniFi WiFi Access Points
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
I believe that Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers are well suited for the enterprise environment for medium sized to very large companies. While there are smaller WLC appliances for smaller sized businesses, a case can be made for simpler or more cost effective wireless licensing solutions (e.g. Cisco Meraki). Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers are extremely well suited for dense deployments like stadiums, arenas, hospitals, theaters, and large offices because of their ability to support a large number of APs with a very diverse technology feature set.
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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.
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Pros
Cisco
  • The cisco wireless controller allows for very granular access to internal and external systems.
  • The system allows for allowing special needs uses (medical, security, guest) very easy.
  • The system allows for various levels of bandwidth to a variety of users.
  • The security, flexibility and ease of use is phenomenal.
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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.
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Cons
Cisco
  • Configuring wireless settings is very confusing because various settings are scattered all over the interface in different tabs
  • Lots of settings use Cisco's technical verbiage rather than common phrasing, so it's confusing what a lot of settings will do and requires researching the meaning before modifying the setting
  • The interface could be easier to use to do simple tasks such as reboot an access point
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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.
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Likelihood to Renew
Cisco
Although it is a very good product, support is easy and can manage by Level 1 support persons and downtime is too much less but still there is a cost factor matters which is consider by each organization. Furthermore, organizations also compare with other competitors so it is hard to pursue and defend the high prices.
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Ubiquiti Networks
No answers on this topic
Usability
Cisco
As I said before, the only thing we miss in our old model is the fact that the management interface never received an improvement in design. It has the same look and feels since it was launched. It's not that it's hard to use. It's just the case of could be modernized.
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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.
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Reliability and Availability
Cisco
Downtime fear is the first fear which IT persons look and want to eliminate as much as they can but eventually you have to face it as nothing is perfect. Cisco Wireless Lan controller are feasible to use and easy to manage and other than this their issue reported are pretty low so you can get the best up time. now it also depends on scenario as well as environment.
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Ubiquiti Networks
No answers on this topic
Performance
Cisco
Cisco Wireless Lan controller are feasible to use and easy to manage and other than this their issue reported are pretty low so you get the better uptime. if your get the uptime then it means its a stable product in your environment. Product performance also depends on the product management and Cisco Wireless Lan controller management is easy so you can get the great output.
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Ubiquiti Networks
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Cisco
As usual, the support from Cisco's TAC (Technical Assistance Center) is lacking. Granted, they always get the job done, but the amount of lead time on a non-emergency is enough to make you just handle it yourself. The good news is that if you ask for Cisco's assistance and forget about it, they'll jump on by the time you've forgotten where you were in troubleshooting it and have it fixed for you.
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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.
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Implementation Rating
Cisco
Originally, when we deployed our first controller it was on a very limited basis. We only deployed it to our administration building and our High School. It was pretty straight forward. Because this was new to us we leaned heavily on our Cisco partner to assist us. With our last upgrade, we upgraded the controllers, added redundancy and expanded the building count along with new SSID's and restrictions. It went much easier, but again, we did rely on Cisco TAC and our partner to clarify and assist as needed. Having already been familiar with the product help tremendously.
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Ubiquiti Networks
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Cisco
The Aironet access points are used for employee WiFi access, and they integrate well with Meraki. They would offer a separate guest network, too, but the decision was made to physically separate the guest network, so even if a bad actor would gain access to the ethernet port of the AP, they'd still not see any company traffic.
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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.
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Scalability
Cisco
Cisco is a brand name and people trust on it. if any one thing about the networking then Cisco is among those brand which is count as trusted brand and people rely on it. Also it support is good so people can use it. Cisco Wireless Lan controller are easy to use and manage so it requires less effort.
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Ubiquiti Networks
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Cisco
  • We have had our [Cisco Wireless LAN Controller] 5508s for a very long time now and although they are getting dated, they have earned us our money's worth with consistency, stability, and ease of use. Users have minimal wireless complaints and when they do seldom are they WLC-related.
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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.
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