Meraki vs. Aruba – Which is a better network provider?
Among the most renowned network providers in the technology market are Aruba Networks and Cisco Meraki Wireless. Let us take a look at their top features and highlight the differences in the performance and operation of their network devices.
Finding the right network products for your new home or small business may be a challenge when you have not interacted much with the technology market. At the same time, you would preferably settle for a network device that allows you to enjoy a secure network, a strong internet connection and a network that is reliable. This way you do not have to frequently take up so much of your time troubleshooting your network and constantly spending more resources on additional devices.
To help you identify which among the two is a better network provider for your home or business, the table below outlines the features and differences of Aruba Networks and Cisco Meraki Wireless.
Company |
Cisco Meraki Wireless |
Aruba Networks (Winner) |
Founding Year |
2006 |
2002 |
Network management options |
Cloud management only through the Meraki dashboard |
Cloud, Local or on-premises |
Product Categories |
Indoor and outdoor access points which are categorized based on small and medium businesses |
Indoor and outdoor access points which are categorized by purpose intended for them |
Access Points |
Dual-band, MU-MIMO technology |
Dual- band, MU-MIMO technology but higher performing than Cisco access points |
Switches |
Low PoE power and uplink capacity |
High PoE power, uplink capacity and multi-gigabit Ethernet |
Optimized user experience |
No |
Yes |
Table of Contents
What are the differences between Meraki and Aruba network providers?
Network Management
Aruba has optimized its network devices with a scalable and a more flexible architecture that allows you to transition from controller less to controller-based configurations on the same access points. Also, with this architecture you are able to seamlessly move from cloud-based to multi-vendor network management without having to buy new switches and access points. With this features and networking abilities, you don’t have to worry about changing your entire network when your business grows and more clients join your network.
At the same time, Aruba Airwave allows for end-to-end visibility and control over all the mobile devices on your network and it has additional features such as real-time monitoring of apps, user location and map loading. Cisco Meraki devices on the other hand, only offer enterprise cloud management through its Meraki Dashboard which has limited security options and network control. To transition your network from cloud-based to multi-vendor network management may need you to upgrade your entire network and purchase new network devices.For this reason, Aruba wireless devices allow for easier management and control of your network than Cisco Meraki.
Performance of network devices
Aruba Access points and Meraki Access Points both have similar radio specifications and almost similar network technology. However, Aruba access points provide you with a faster, stronger and more reliable network. When it comes to the switches, the Aruba ones have faster multi-gig Ethernet, more PoE power and high performance networks when compared to Cisco Meraki switches. In addition to that, the unlimited scalability of the Aruba network devices allows you to grow and expand your network at all times.With these features and capabilities in mind, Aruba network devices are higher performing and more network efficient than the Cisco Meraki wireless devices.
User Experience
Aruba network devices have been optimized with radio frequency innovation such as ClientMatch and AirTime Fairness which work together to ensure that the network performance on your devices is not compromised despite any interferences. Cisco Meraki devices on the other hand, have not been optimized with any features that would mitigate any Wi-Fi interferences.This makes the Aruba wireless devices more user friendly than the Cisco Meraki wireless devices.
Meraki vs. Aruba – A Comparison Overview
Cisco Meraki
Cisco Meraki is an American technology company that is based in San Jose, California. It was established in 2006 and ti specializes in the manufacture of networking hardware & software, high technology services and telecommunication equipment. Its product line includes routers, switches, cloud computing services, access points, storage networking and data center switching.
Its devices have been designed to provide radio frequency excellence for high density environments and they allow you to manage your devices and network through its Meraki Dashboard.
Access Point: Cisco Aironet 1815i
- DUAL RADIO 802.11AC WAVE 2 ACCESS POINT WITH MULTI-USER MIMO: Improved client experience with increased...
- INTEGRATED BLUETOOTH 4.1: Integrated Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) 4.1 radio for location and asset tracking
The Cisco Aironet 1815i is an indoor access point with a compact design for its easy deployment. It provides your connected Wi-Fi devices with throughput speeds of up to 1 Gbps and it supports 802.11 ac wave 2 Wi-Fi standard. It is powered by a 710 MHz processor, has 1 GB of RAM and 256 MB flash memory which enhances its network efficiency.
In addition to that, it is a dual band access point with MU-MIMO technology. It has WPA encryption to ensure that you access a secure network and it supports VLAN and Wi-Fi Multimedia.
Aruba Networks
As an American technology company founded in 2005, Ubiquiti Networks is based in Sunnyvale, California. It manufactures wireless data communication products for both enterprise and wireless broadband providers. For optimal performance, it ensures that a strong, secure and reliable network is established for all your connected devices.
Aruba Access points operate through AI powered radio frequency optimization, dynamic segmentation, rich user and app intelligence and smart management for optimized user experience. Also, they support IoT devices running Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee and other third party protocols.
Access Point: Aruba AP-335
- up to 1,733 Mbps in the 5 GHz band, up to 800 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band
- Each 5 GHz radio chain has a switch and two antennas, 802.11ac Wave 2
The Aruba AP-335 access point comes with a white color and a compact design that allows for easy deployment. It delivers throughput speeds of up to 800 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and 1733 Mbps on the 5 GHz band. Its dual band functionality alongside MU-MIMO technology makes it network efficient and high performing in high density environments. It has antenna polarization diversity that allows for its optimized radio frequency performance.
It comes with built-in Bluetooth Low-energy radio that enables location based services that’s allows your devices to receive signals from multiple Aruba beacons simultaneously. It has unlimited scalability and allows you to connect up to 1500 devices to your network without having to worry about any connectivity failures. It is featured with Adaptive Radio Management technology which provides airtime fairness, assigns channel & power settings and ensures that all your access points stay clear of any Wi-Fi interference. Also, it has integrated wireless intrusion protection which offers protection for your network as it identifies, classifies and blocks malicious URLs and files as you use the internet.
A summary of the Specifications of the Cisco Aironet 1815i and the Aruba AP-335
Model |
Cisco Aironet 1815i |
Aruba AP-335 |
Wifi technology |
802.11 ac wave 2 |
802.11ac Wave 2 |
Frequency band |
2.4 and 5 GHz |
2.4 and 5 GHz |
Throughput speed |
1 Gbps |
2.533 Gbps |
MU-MIMO |
Yes |
Yes |
Environment |
Indoor |
Indoor |
Availability |
Conclusion
Both Aruba and Meraki are network provides who seek to provide you with a stable and secure network in your home and business. In as much as their devices all have unique features and operate differently to provide you with a seamless network, one always ranks on top of the other.
Final Verdict: So, which is better- Aruba or Meraki?
Aruba is a better network provider than Meraki. This is seen in the network management options that its network devices offer, the optimized user experience that comes with its devices and the general network performance of its devices. All these indicate that Aruba network devices would be ideal for your new home or business.
FAQs
What mobile services are supported by Aruba Networks?
Mobile coverage is important to provide backup connectivity when there is a network outage and so that you are able to make the most of user experience insight sensor’s Ethernet-free set up process. The supported mobile service providers are T-Mobile, Vodacom and Vodafone.
How should I place my Aruba access points/ sensors?
Generally, each Aruba access point/ sensor should be as close to your connected devices as possible. Each comes with its recommended range coverage area and mounting brackets which expands your choices of deployment.
