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Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller vs. Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller

    Score9.8 out of 10
    N/AThe Cisco 3504 Wireless (WLAN) Controller provides centralized control, management, and troubleshooting for small to medium-sized enterprises and branch offices.N/A

    Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller

    Score7 out of 10
    N/AThe Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller is a highly scalable, service-rich, resilient, and flexible platform. It provides centralized control, management, and troubleshooting for high-scale deployments in service provide, enterprise, and large campus deployments.N/A
    Pricing
    Cisco 3504 WLAN ControllerCisco 8540 Wireless Controller
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco 3504 WLAN ControllerCisco 8540 Wireless Controller
    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 3504 WLAN ControllerCisco 8540 Wireless Controller
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    Chose Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller
    The 3504 Controller compared to the other WLC models has a capacity to support access points smaller than any other equipment since it is developed with the intention of being implemented in small organizations. With the other models we have greater performance and physically …
    Incentivized
    Cisco
    Chose Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
    The Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller was a more recent product than that and my organization grew out of the Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller, which did a superb job. When the company progresses, a need for something powerful is always required with time. We progressed to the Cisco …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
    Cisco products offer an unrivaled experience that outperforms the majority of other alternatives. This is a long-term investment that will provide a great return on investment. The Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller, on the other hand, is more powerful and has more features for …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
    We have [done] some work before with the Cisco 3504 product, but the more recent Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller provides a wider range of capabilities for managing the wireless network and each individual device [and] also being able to handle more users. Unfortunately, we …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
    We tried out the Cisco Catalyst 9800-40 in the past and haven't noticed too much difference with the Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller. We generally trust Cisco products and found no issues within any product we have purchased in the past. We have looked at other organization's …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
    Cisco 8540 is just a newer and more modern product. Our company grew out of the 3504, which did a fine job at what it does. We just needed something more powerful and that can handle way more users. Software is more recent on the 8540, probably because it is a newer product.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    18 Answers
    92%
    Would buy again
    24 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    16 Answers
    92%
    Delivers good value for the price
    22 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    18 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    26 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    94%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    16 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    20 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    17 Answers
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    21 Answers
    Best Alternatives
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    Score9.5 out of 10
    WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
    Score9.5 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
    Score9.8 out of 10
    Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
    Score9.8 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Meraki MR Wireless Access Points
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Cisco Meraki MR Wireless Access Points
    Score9.1 out of 10
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    User Ratings
    Cisco 3504 WLAN ControllerCisco 8540 Wireless Controller
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.9
    (18 ratings)
    7.0
    (27 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.4
    (5 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco 3504 WLAN ControllerCisco 8540 Wireless Controller
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    What I
    like most about the Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller is that its user interface makes
    networking very simple. Shows real-time information about the network which
    helps admins watch the traffic flow and client connections using the dashboard.
    Since it’s so simple, people find it very easy to start using the system. The complexity in setting it up for the first time could hinder
    efficient deployment in fast-paced environments.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cisco
    [Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller's] software quality has been shed in recent years. The only problem I have with it is its inability to work with older Cisco Access Points. However, that's to be expected for any deployment. While the controller's UI works well, some areas could be improved. API integrations lack flexibility. [I feel] it's time for policy redesign. It can be a little difficult to determine coding quality.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Cisco
    • Allows an administrator to manage all the wireless access points through a single point.
    • It can accommodate the increase in the size of the network and accommodate other new devices with ease.
    • It has several technological features that make it secure against hackers, especially to corporate networks and data owned by the user.
    Read full review
    Cisco
    • The GUI on the Cisco 8540 WLC is much better designed than other Cisco products. Its easy to navigate between the different settings to find what is needed.
    • The AP groups allows touching multiple APs at one time.
    • It also allows us to create standard SSIDs that can be used at all sites that connect back to it, this saves a lot of time instead of hitting each site with a local controller.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Cisco
    • I have been using the Cisco 3504 wlan controller for about 1 years now. I have found it to be very reliable, but cumbersome to setup and configure. The GUI is not very user friendly, but if you configure it a few times you get used to it. It is lacking in some of the latest features that are offered by other vendors. The power usage is pretty good and the amount of AP's you can add is pretty standard
    • Cisco is everywhere. If you are looking for WLAN, Switching, or other related products, Cisco is the 800 pound gorilla in the room. With this in mind, you'd figure that their wireless controller would be their flagship product, right? Unfortunately, this is not the case. For the price point, the 3504 is a pretty lackluster product.
    • I was given the task to setup a new wifi network in a very large building. With many departments and a complicated layout, we needed to have a solid router to handle all of the network traffic and throughput. I was given the task to find a reliable, robust and cost-effective solution. With the Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller, I was easily able to setup an autonomous access point with a few clicks. The cloud based controller software was easy to use and had many features I was able to utilize and control, all other things are perfect .
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cisco
    • Code quality is a bit hit and miss. This will be great for a while, then things will be bad for a while, then we'll do it again. The UI of the controller works, but could do with a refresh, and I would like to see some improvement on layout and organization.
    • The constant code/firmware upgrades and the QA of new code could be better.
    • Maybe the compatibility with old Cisco Access Points could be improved, but it's normal in all kinds of deployments.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Cisco
    We have been using Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller in our network infrastructure for a long time now and it has been a very critical and beneficial addition in our network infrastructure. it has provided us with the tools required to efficiently manage and monitor our wireless network and users. it is a highly reliable and efficient device for any kind of environment.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Cisco
    The centralized management give a good overview of the Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller. Its rich in security features like advanced security, RF optimization, and scalability. Cisco provides extensive documentation and support, although it can be highly technical. It is easy to configure and setup the Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller. Strong security features, including WPA3, rogue AP detection, and WIPS, enhance network protection.
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    Very feature rich, easy enough for beginners to understand layout and initial setup. Need a good training (online, Cisco Leaning Network, etc.) to fully understand all features and product capabilities. Strict power requirements for APs are only major drawback for our specific implementation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Cisco
    Cisco TAC is well known and SLA levels are great. Cisco support website and Cisco communities are another help for issues resolution. TAC is always supportive over Webex and helps to resolve issues pretty fast. This is another assurance for people to go with Cisco as the TAC capabilities are proven for all product lines.
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    It is a better product. The evolution is positive.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    The main reason why our company chose to opt for the Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller was the magnificent quality-price ratio of the product. It is very easy to handle if you have the appropriate technical knowledge and if not, you will always have Cisco technical support supporting you for whatever you need. Once the product is configured, it works stably without intervention and is fully integrated with the company's other Cisco solutions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cisco
    We have [done] some work before with the Cisco 3504 product, but the more recent Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller provides a wider range of capabilities for managing the wireless network and each individual device [and] also being able to handle more users. Unfortunately, we didn't test and deploy equivalent products from other concurrent companies.
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • Due to the stability of the system, there is practically no incidence of serious problems that require total interruption of the environment.
    • Even with EOL, product support will still continue for a long time, ensuring peace of mind and time to work on a new solution and/or upgrade.
    • Investment in a single wireless network, segmented, without multiple devices from multiple brands.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cisco
    • The Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller allows you to reduce your hardware footprint of wireless controllers deployed in your environment. Instead of having a controller per site deployed, you can have a couple of 8540 controllers in your data center that can handle up 6000 Access Points.
    • Some of the savings on hardware cost is offset by the cost of redundant WAN circuits. The access points will continue to function when connectivity to the Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller is unreachable, but it will not allow any new connections in that wireless environment.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots