Cloud Based Wireless Vendor Comparison Matrix

As an System Engineer for a Value Added Reseller doing a lot of time responding to the latest changes in the FCC's erate proposal. In order to give a better solution to the customer, I created a spreadsheet looking at the various features of the following competitive solutions.

Extreme Networks (which we sell and I install)
Aruba
Meraki
Aerohive

Some notes and disclaimers. This matrix was created by using the test or evaluations available for and for some examples like Aruba clearpass youtube videos and datasheets. Due to the way technology works, this is a point in time snapshot of features around the time of first of the year 2015. I am sure there are features that each vendor will argue about and disagree and see their solution is better, but this was as agnostic of an approach as I could take because its purpose was to help our sales people know when to and when not to chase business based on customer pain points.

For a brief synopsis of the various solutions.

Meraki - Excellent at small, multiple location deployments and staff with very little experience. Larger lifetime costs because of license model. ( Well and also probably because it carries the Cisco name and people pay more just for that.)

Aerohive - Basic AP settings, will work for multiple location deployment but limited feature set

Extreme Networks - Excels in high dense, highly complex environments with a great deal of flexibility. Initial install is more complicated than Meraki, but easy to use thereafter.

Aruba - similar to extreme networks particularly when including clearpass.

So now for the Wireless Vendor comparison matrix.

	Extreme Cloud Hosted - With Identity and Access	Extreme On Premise Hosted - With Identity	Extreme Cloud Based - No Nac (priced as partner)	Extreme Networks - On Prem no NAC (Purchased as normal)	Meraki	Aerohive	Arbua Instant
Management Features
Accessible from anywhere via Web	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	yes
Browser based management	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Annaul AP License required	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	YEs	Yes	yes
Usable if license expires	if migrated local	yes	if migrated local	yes	no	no	yes
Fully Redudant Design	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	yes
Zero touch AP Provisioning	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Automatic firmware updates	yes if managed but can be scheduled	yes if managed, but can be scheduled	yes if managed but can be scheduled	no	yes	yes	yes
802.11ac only requires PoE not POE+	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	runs in low performance mode	yes
Layer 3 roaming	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes with limitations	no	yes
Guest/ Captive Portal Features
Guest Portal Support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	yes
Guest portal registration	Yes	Yes	No	No	some	yes	no
Guest verification by SMS	yes	yes	no	no	yes	no	no
Captive Portal registration	Yes	Yes	No	No	no	yes	yes
Guest Portal Sponsorship	yes	yes	no	no	no	no	not sure
Guest portal billable	no	no	no	no	yes	no	no
Application and Integration Features
Layer 7 Application firewall	no	no	no	no	yes	no	yes
URL filter	no	no	no	no	yes	no	no
Integrates with Palo Alto	yes	yes	no	no	no	no	yes
Integrates with Iboss	yes	yes	no	no	no	no	no
Integrates with lightspeed	yes	yes	no	no	no	no	no
Radio/Band Features
AP support 100+ Simulentanous clients	Yes	YES	Yes	Yes	no	no	no
Per SSID bandwidth Limit per AP	No	No	No	NO	Yes	no	yes
2.4Ghz and 5Ghz band steering	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Load Balance clients in high density areas	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no	yes
Automatic RF Optimization	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
User/ Device Features
AD/LDAP user login	Yes	Yes	Yes with external radius	yes with external radius	yes	yes	yes
AD user to group policy decisions	yes	yes	no	no	no	no	yes
Mobile Device registration	Yes	Yes	No	No	allow and deny only	no without airwatch	yes with clearpass
Allow or Deny access by Device type	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	no	yes with clear pass
Dynamically change policy by device type	Yes	Yes	no	no	no	no	yes with policy enforcement firewall
User based reporting and lookup	Yes	Yes	No	No	some	no	yes with clear pass
Per User bandwidth Limit	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	no	yes
multiple VLANs, device typein  1 SSID	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no	yes

Finally when looking at costs of these various solutions, I worked up a couple of models to best approximate some costs based on realistic numbers not list price. These are NOT set it stone as vendors can adjust margins/discounts but it should give you an approximation.

So the following is for 100 3x3:3 access points from each vendor. The Extreme Networks price includes installation the other vendors do not.