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Cisco Small Business 100 Series Wireless Access Points vs. Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco Small Business 100 Series Wireless Access Points

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/ACisco Small Business 100 Series Wireless Access Points are designed to provide simple installation, intuitive web-based configuration, and an integrated setup wizard to make them easy to use. Models include the Cisco WAP 150, and the WAP 125. The WAP 131 and WAP 121 older models are end of sale.N/A

    Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers

    Score9.9 out of 10
    N/ACisco offers wireless LAN.N/A
    Pricing
    Cisco Small Business 100 Series Wireless Access PointsCisco Wireless LAN Controllers
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco Small Business 100 Series Wireless Access PointsCisco Wireless LAN Controllers
    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 Small Business 100 Series Wireless Access PointsCisco Wireless LAN Controllers
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    No answer on this topic
    Cisco
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    83%
    Would buy again
    5 Answers
    94%
    Would buy again
    46 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    6 Answers
    98%
    Delivers good value for the price
    41 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    6 Answers
    96%
    Happy with the feature set
    47 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    6 Answers
    98%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    42 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    6 Answers
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    44 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco Small Business 100 Series Wireless Access PointsCisco Wireless LAN Controllers
    Small Businesses
    WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
    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
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Cisco Meraki MR Wireless Access Points
    Score9.2 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco Small Business 100 Series Wireless Access PointsCisco Wireless LAN Controllers
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.7
    (6 ratings)
    9.4
    (66 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (2 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco Small Business 100 Series Wireless Access PointsCisco Wireless LAN Controllers
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    As an IT technician I was involved in the deployment and configuration of some access points. Work was easy to attach it to the ceiling and connect to the CAT6A network cable. The controller located in the main building transmits all settings remotely in less than 15 minutes to the access point and it is already operational. The WAP 150 has a compact style and looks great on the ceiling because the antennas are internal and radiate omnidirectionally to users. We created three networks, one 2.4Ghz, the second 5Ghz and the other exclusively for patients.
    Incentivized
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    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.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Cisco
    • Compact access point with internal antennas and easy ceiling mounting.
    • They are reliable and fast access points that work on the 802.11ac wave protocol with speeds of up to 1.2gbps at 5ghz. But they also work at 2.4 GHz.
    • Allows you to create a cluster of up to 4 access points on site and thereby manage radio frequency, power, and other network resources.
    • Access points can be managed on management and monitoring platforms with Cisco FindIT Network Management.
    • Allows to be installation easily with ethernet network cable.
    Incentivized
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    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.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Cisco
    • I see that this model does not have the ability to mitigate strong interference at 2.4 GHz.
    • It is a model that does not serve auditors.
    Incentivized
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    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
    Incentivized
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    Likelihood to Renew
    Cisco
    Overall, we have been very happy with the results.
    Incentivized
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    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.
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Performance
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Implementation Rating
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    The products of the Cisco Small Business 100 Series Wireless Access Points family are an excellent option within the segment in which they compete. We provide many enterprise-level features with costs close to entry-level. It allows us to maintain centralized administration, scale easily, and not lose observability, and it maintains the quality and robustness that Cisco has accustomed us to.
    Incentivized
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    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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    Scalability
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • Increased productivity with the use of notebooks and tablets.
    • Mobility and allowed to work from home during the pandemic.
    Incentivized
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    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.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots