Wireless Network Vendor

coreyhindmarch8622 · 2012-04-02T12:34:25.000Z

We are looking for a new WiFi in our office, that hosts an employee SSID and a guest SSID. This system should have a centralized management solution as well.

Before a purchase can be made we have to get 2-3 quotes from different vendors and would like some suggestions.

Currently our first quote is from Aerohive and they do look impressive. Any other suggestions would be most appreciated.

Our current setup is 5 APs across 3 offices. I am looking to upgrade to 7 APs max depending on the setup and what my office layout is. Which we are trying to plan out now.

Our 2 remote offices are small and 1 AP covers them just fine.

In our main office we have 1 and a 1/4 floors with 3 covering them now. But a 4th or 5th AP might not be a bad idea.

Thank you in advance.

@Cisco @Aruba @Cisco_Meraki_1

mcianchetti · 2012-04-02T12:36:49.000Z

Ruckus APs coupled with a Zonedirector!

They are so amazing that you’ll likely eliminate an AP or two!

RUCKUS Networks

RUCKUS Networks -- Purpose-driven enterprise networks

RUCKUS Networks is a leading provider of purpose-driven enterprise networks. We design and build truly purpose-driven network infrastructure that meets the strictest requirements of all kinds of enterprise environments. Our customers trust us to...

shawn-contronex · 2012-04-02T12:41:45.000Z

Michael Cianchetti wrote:

Ruckus APs coupled with a Zonedirector!

They are so amazing that you’ll likely eliminate an AP or two!

www.ruckuswireless.com

Agreed, ruckus is pretty awesome, and is manageable

coreyhindmarch8622 · 2012-04-02T12:44:52.000Z

Thank you both. I will check them out.

molan · 2012-04-02T12:46:30.000Z

I would also look at the Ubiquity Unifi line. they can’t be beat for price, features and ease of management. a set of 3 AP’s is only $215

ui.com

UniFi - Introduction - Ubiquiti

UniFi is building the future of IT. Industry-leading products magically unified in an incredible software interface with scalable, license-free cloud management.

mcianchetti · 2012-04-02T12:47:20.000Z

Here’s a pic of one of our 7363’s. If you have 100ms or less latency between your remote offices and you, a single ZoneDirector can be used!

All you do is setup your ZoneDirector (we have the 1100) and set the local and guest access up. Each 7363 has 16 antenna in them (kid you not!) so you can make a bunch of SSID if you want.

Add your 7363’s after setting up the ZD and the ZD will automatically provision each one, update it’s firmware, reboot it and it just works. Within 2 mins.

We are very pleased with the setup. The web interface is very well done. The guest access request page can even be customized with your company logo if you want (I did). Cool stuff.

kevinlee6536 · 2012-04-02T13:16:10.000Z

The Aruba Instant product line is something you should take a look at. It is focused on delivering enterprise-class Wi-Fi and security that is simple and affordable. Here is a link to some information: http://www.arubanetworks.com/product/aruba-instant/

You can get a quick budgetary quote at this link here: http://www.arubanetworks.com/company/contact-us/get-a-quote/

Let me know if I can help.

Kevin

bennysirivoranankul3260 · 2012-04-02T13:25:41.000Z

Also, try Aruba’s BYOD solution, ClearPass QuickConnect for FREE (30-Day trial). http://page.arubanetworks.com/BYODQUICKCONNECT30DayFreeTrial.html

bennysirivoranankul3260 · 2012-04-02T13:26:50.000Z

No controller needed with Aruba Instant.

molan · 2012-04-02T13:38:49.000Z

BennyS1879 wrote:

No controller needed with Aruba Instant.

so how do you manage it?

bennysirivoranankul3260 · 2012-04-02T13:49:15.000Z

It’s built it. A small deployment - “Multiple Aruba Instant APs can be managed by a single AP designated as a Virtual Controller, and multiple Virtual Controller networks can be centrally managed with the Aruba AirWave™ network management system.”

molan · 2012-04-02T14:13:40.000Z

interesting idea, but really you do still have a controller. is just not a software install or a dedicated hardware device

bennysirivoranankul3260 · 2012-04-02T14:21:05.000Z

One of the APs acts as the controller. A mobility controller and additional management software is not aboslutely needed in the DC unless you have a large complex deployment.

brad · 2012-04-02T16:50:04.000Z

Kefob wrote:

Michael Cianchetti wrote:

Ruckus APs coupled with a Zonedirector!

They are so amazing that you’ll likely eliminate an AP or two!

www.ruckuswireless.com

Agreed, ruckus is pretty awesome, and is manageable

yes and if you need a quote for Ruckus PM me I can also answer any questions you might have on them

joelvincent9366 · 2012-04-02T16:53:19.000Z

We are looking for a new WiFi in our office, that hosts an employee SSID and a guest SSID. This system should have a centralized management solution as well.

Aruba Instant will need additional software and licensing to provide secure guest management solution. Aside from the other limitations it presents (L3 roaming, limited to 6 SSIDs, limit on the number of users that can attach, no redundancy or mesh backup, no identity-based policy enforcement without additional software and licensing, etc.) your original requirement already starts the spin to come out.

sultanzhakutov7984 · 2012-04-03T08:14:50.000Z

Many other factor may impact your decision. Will there be voice over WLAN? How many simultaneous voice appliances will use a single AP at max estimation? Do you need smth like location check? Do you need to to check intrusionary appliances? Many vendors do cool stuff. Cisco has a nice technology they call “Clean Air”

Cisco

Wireless Network, Wi-Fi Networking, and Mobility Solutions

Cisco wireless networking products and mobility solutions deliver Wi-Fi 6/6E designed to support high-density environments. See how your network will improve.

and demo how it works

http://newsroom.cisco.com/video-content?type=video&videoId=12037

Moto has something similar - they call it “Air Defence”.

Pros of cisco - a lots of literature, info and help online. One time license purchase and won’t need to renew it, smooth inetgration if you use cisco LAN. Cons as always - expensive, need separate controller.

Moto: cool - I really like their wallplate AP 6511 series. http://www.motorola.com/Business/US-EN/Business+Product+and+Services/Wireless+LAN/Access+Points+and+Ports/AP6511_US-EN

Not cool - licences has to be renewed every year.

coreyhindmarch8622 · 2012-04-03T08:23:12.000Z

Sultan_z wrote:

Many other factor may impact your decision. Will there be voice over WLAN? How many simultaneous voice appliances will use a single AP at max estimation? Do you need smth like location check? Do you need to to check intrusionary appliances? Many vendors do cool stuff. Cisco has a nice technology they call “Clean Air”

Wireless Network, Wi-Fi Networking, and Mobility Solutions - Cisco

and demo how it works

http://newsroom.cisco.com/video-content?type=video&videoId=12037

Moto has something similar - they call it “Air Defence”.

Pros of cisco - a lots of literature, info and help online. One time license purchase and won’t need to renew it, smooth inetgration if you use cisco LAN. Cons as always - expensive, need separate controller.

Moto: cool - I really like their wallplate AP 6511 series. http://www.motorola.com/Business/US-EN/Business+Product+and+Services/Wireless+LAN/Access+Points+and+Ports/AP6511_US-EN

Not cool - licences has to be renewed every year.

We do not use WiFi for voice thankfully. Makes my life easier. We are looking for a more basic setup that is easy to manage. I will check the Moto site.

We currently have cisco, but yes it is expensive.

Areohive is nice and I am demoing it now, but I am also testing Ruckus and others. Getting accurate quotes is my goal now.

salahnassar4250 · 2012-04-03T08:52:08.000Z

Aruba Instant is the way to go. It does NOT require external management, does NOT require any licensing, it does NOT require annual subscription for managment whether its in your data center or in a cloud. It is the most robust enterprise WLAN solution in the industry and it does not require an IT department to instal it. If you have ever installed wifi at home, you will find this much more intuitive than a consumer solution. It’s faster than making toast.

Salah

joelvincent9366 · 2012-04-03T09:00:56.000Z

Instant does NOT do many things. Doing the due diligence is the right thing. Make sure it meets your requirements and do your testing. If Aerohive doesn’t work for you, thanks for considering us. if you have any questions feel free to ask.

salahnassar4250 · 2012-04-03T09:18:38.000Z

Aruba Instant features:

Zero Limits on scale. Read recent press releases for customer references.
Advanced firewall and rogue AP detection and containment functionality. Both network and role based ACL.
Built in Radius server as well as integration with AD or your .1x choice
Intelligent QoS, you dont’ need to know if it’s a Voice over IP device or Application. AI will detect the streams and auto assign QoS to ensure high quaility calls and video for that matter.
The simplest user interface for configuration and management.
ZERO annual subscriptions, ZERO licensces, ZERO external management required. Don’t see that as a limitation, you can actually integrate it with you favorite guest access or access management software, your favorite network management software.
OpenDNS etnerprise integration, making the integration a one step process.
Integrated Guest Access without the need for additional VLANs. It’s like magic.
Resilient network without the pain of setting up backup and redundancy. Every Aruba Instant AP is a Virtual Controller that will run the entire network. No need to configure backup and main AP for network redundancy, for radius, or guest access. It’s fully distributed and automatic.
ALL Aruba Instant APs can fully migrate to any other Aruba Solution. You will never need to rip and replace your network.

Let me know if you need any competitive information.