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Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller vs. D-Link Wireless Access Points

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    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

    D-Link Wireless Access Points

    Score4.7 out of 10
    N/AD-Link offers wireless access points. Designed for versatile deployment, their enterprise products supports indoor, outdoor, and wall-mounted installations to meet diverse coverage and environmental needs.

    $120.99

    one-time fee

    Pricing
    Cisco 8540 Wireless ControllerD-Link Wireless Access Points
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    D-Link Wi-Fi 6 AX1800 Access Point (DAP-X2810)
    $120.99
    one-time fee
    D-Link Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 Outdoor Access Point for Business (DAP-X3060OU)
    $239.99
    one-time fee
    D-Link BE9500 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 Smart Router (R95)
    $249.99
    one-time fee
    D-Link Nuclias Cloud-Managed AX3600 Access Point - (DBA-X2830P)
    $349.99
    one-time fee
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco 8540 Wireless ControllerD-Link Wireless Access Points
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—Available through D-Link's shop or through third-party resellers.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Cisco 8540 Wireless ControllerD-Link Wireless Access Points
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    Chose Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
    The Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller is more than worth its cost. It helps us to monitor every device to which an AP is connected and which MAC address is configured with it. In terms of D-link configuration, you will observe a slight difference--there is lag of few seconds in …
    Incentivized
    D-Link
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    92%
    Would buy again
    24 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    92%
    Delivers good value for the price
    22 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    26 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    20 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    21 Answers
    No answers on this topic
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    Cisco 8540 Wireless ControllerD-Link Wireless Access Points
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    User Ratings
    Cisco 8540 Wireless ControllerD-Link Wireless Access Points
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.0
    (27 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco 8540 Wireless ControllerD-Link Wireless Access Points
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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
    D-Link
    Best in small networks & appropriate in industrial areas. AP works fine in any temperature & location (in remote locations office or remote location). Open area wireless connectivity is good with good range. Simple VLAN management and management are good. Backup and restoration is very good. Small home offices using wireless network work awesome.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    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
    D-Link
    • Due to multiple switches in a single network environment, communication issues are common; therefore, productivity is effected. After installing D-Link Wireless, we resolved these kind of issues in our network.
    • One windows solution make management easy via D-Link Wireless.
    • Logs and troubleshooting is now easily handled. Pictorial form help in configuration and users management.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    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
    D-Link
    • Hanging issues are common in large scale networks. Even wireless controller is hanged in peak hours.
    • Issues in VLAN configuration and port configurations.
    • Cost is high in front of other brands.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    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
    D-Link
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Cisco
    It is a better product. The evolution is positive.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    D-Link
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    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
    D-Link
    We studied and selected D-Link due to usage in a limited area, and it is a very cost effective solution; therefore, D-Link Wireless AP and D-Link Wireless Controller [were] selected for our organization. We also [researched] Cisco, but Cisco was an expensive product and not appropriate in our required area or task; therefore, we selected D-Link.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    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
    Read full review
    D-Link
    • Organizational needs are fulfilled [which] means return on investment.
    • Smooth connectivity increases productivity. Yes, we are satisfied in this area.
    • Management and troubleshooting are core features & very quick in production area.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
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