Poly Quad Charger battery charger
$337.00
$317.99
Mfg # 1310-37224-701
CDW # 3259707
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The Spectralink 8400 Series Quad Charger can charge up to four batteries simultaneously.
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Spectralink 8400 Series Quad Charger is rated
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Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ramesh Benure from
Good performance, easy to use, quickly configurable, and affordable
What is our primary use case?
I am working in a solution-based company. Whenever we get the product, we create a template and deploy it on the customer's site.
We deal with different versions of this product based on a customer's requirements. I have deployed three Aruba 320M Series switches. One of our customers is a marketing company, and they used Aruba switches for LAN purposes. They used the 2930 and 3810 series, and we configured them according to their requirements with LAN, lags, trunking port, etc.
What is most valuable?
These switches have a good performance, and they are also quickly configurable.
What needs improvement?
We had an issue with the hardware where one or two interfaces went down after one and a half years. This issue impacted only one or two interfaces, not the whole hardware.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I did not have any issues related to its stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is easy to scale. Our customers are medium-sized companies.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their support is good. We once faced an issue related to the programming or configuration of a switch, and we had raised a ticket with them. Their support engineer had a look and resolved the issue.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also use Cisco switches. In terms of configuration, Cisco switches are easier than Aruba switches. The configuration commands of Aruba switches are quite similar to Cisco switches. There is just a little bit of difference in the trunking commands and lab configuration.
In terms of scalability, security, and performance, there is no difference between Cisco and Aruba switches. In terms of features, the VRF feature in Aruba switches is better than the one in Cisco switches. This feature is called stack in Cisco switches.
How was the initial setup?
It is a simple process. It is easy to configure Aruba switches.
The deployment duration depends on customer requirements and the number of switches. For a small setup, we can do the configuration within one or two days. For a big setup, it will take more time.
What about the implementation team?
We are an integrator. We also do the maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't know the exact cost of the licensing, but based on what I have heard from my sales team, Aruba is affordable. Aruba switches are cheaper than the switches from Cisco and other vendors.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution depending on the requirements. It is easy to use and affordable. It is cheaper than other solutions.
I would rate Aruba switches an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator
Date published: 2020-12-31T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Hossam Ismail from
Responsive and helpful support, easy to manage, and includes a good monitoring tool
What is our primary use case?
I use Aruba wired and wireless switches as part of my network infrastructure.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are stability, ease of management, and the monitoring tool.
These switches offer high availability and support stacking.
The audit feature gives me the ability to trust Aruba.
The layer three switches are very scalable and very reliable.
What needs improvement?
The command-line interface could be easier to use, perhaps having voice control.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Aruba Switches for a year and a half.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Our network environment is very stable with these switches, including wireless coverage.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have approximately 100 switches and serve about 2,000 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support team has a very fast response and they are very useful.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Our old environment was also built from Aruba products, which means that all of the components are compatible with each other.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward and very easy. In the last project that we deployed, I and one engineer configured about 100 switches in two days.
What about the implementation team?
Our network team includes two people who are responsible for deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is perfect.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, this is a good product that has all of the features I need. I plan on continuing to use these switches and I can recommend them to others.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-30T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1467366 from
Little to no faults or downtime, with quick and easy install
What is our primary use case?
We use them for our networks as extensions.
What is most valuable?
The product is user friendly, little to no faults and downtime.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have not had any issues with the product and its functions. It has been stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We currently use the solution for approximately 400 employees. We have had no issues with scalability.
How are customer service and technical support?
The customer service could be a bit quicker and the employees could be more professional.
How was the initial setup?
The install was straightforward, we had no issues.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product is a bit expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Aruba Switches an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-20T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1460724 from
Trouble-free setup, stable, and good from a management perspective
What is our primary use case?
We are using Aruba switches for our local network infrastructure.
What is most valuable?
Management-wise, this is a good solution.
This is a very stable switch.
What needs improvement?
It would be better and easier for us to buy if the price were reduced.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Aruba Switches for at least two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I've had no issues with problems related to stability. From my perspective, everything is working well.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have never been in contact with Aruba technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have worked with other switches from other vendors and I have knowledge about Cisco, HP, and others. With HP, we can get some good discounts.
How was the initial setup?
We had no issues or problems with the initial setup.
What about the implementation team?
We have an internal team for deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is an expensive product, costing about double what most competitors do. I would like to keep Aruba as my infrastructure, but it costs a lot.
What other advice do I have?
From the perspective of IT management, this is a good product, it is working fine and I don't have any issues with it. I can recommend it to others.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-08T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1798230 from
Great support, intuitive CLI, and configurable through a Bluetooth connection
What is our primary use case?
We are using these switches for our office network and site-to-site connectivity.
What is most valuable?
Their technical support is great. I have used Cisco products, and as compared to Cisco, Aruba's command-line syntax is not as complex. The command-line interface of Aruba switches is quite intuitive. It also has a graphical user interface. With Cisco, using the graphical user interface for configuration can be complex, whereas Aruba simplifies it, and you can easily use the graphical user interface. The configuration is secured. Their graphical user interface is quite robust.
There is a feature where you can use Bluetooth. You can set up a Bluetooth pairing connection and do the configuration through your phone.
What needs improvement?
There is an issue with Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), but it is escaping me. We aren't using this feature yet, but it is something we are considering.
For how long have I used the solution?
It has been a little over a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable. One time, I had a VSF problem, but that was in the hardware, and they replaced it. We have so many devices, and that was the only one with which we had an issue.
How are customer service and support?
Their technical support is great.
What about the implementation team?
There are just two of us for its deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Cost-wise, you get some good savings as compared to Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
Aruba switches are pretty good. They are robust, and they do pretty much everything that Cisco is doing.
I would rate these switches a nine out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-03-17T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Desmond Koh from
Reliable, reasonably priced, and easy to implement solution for network connectivity
What is most valuable?
What's most valuable about this product is its basic bread-and-butter feature, e.g. network connectivity. We just needed something that's reliable, something that works, and we found those in Aruba Switches.
What needs improvement?
What I'd like to see in Aruba Switches in the next release would be more security features.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using Aruba Switches for almost one year.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My impression of Aruba Switches in terms of scalability is that it's a scalable product.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We switched from Cisco to Aruba because of pricing. Cisco was a more expensive product, and we didn't see the value in paying additional for something that's very basic. There was nothing specifically in the Cisco product that we needed, which wasn't in Aruba Switches.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for Aruba Switches was easy, and it only took between 20 to 30 minutes.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing for this product is reasonable.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Cisco Ethernet Switches.
What other advice do I have?
We have some Aruba Switches and access points, but I can't recall which version we're using.
I'm just an end user of this product, e.g. not a partner or reseller.
Deployment of this product is on-premises, but the management of Aruba Switches is on public cloud. This product is installed and used on-premises.
This product is something that we set and forget, and we didn't have difficulties from the time we set these Aruba Switches up, to present. I can't think of any area for improvement.
We have 15 people using Aruba Switches in our company.
I don't have any advice for people who want to implement Aruba Switches. This product is reliable and easy to implement. There won't be a lot of difficulty with implementing it. It's a good product and has a straightforward implementation.
I'm rating Aruba Switches eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-18T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mohamad Hasan from
We are satisfied with these devices, and they are stable and scalable
What is most valuable?
It is a very good device for our company. It is stable and very scalable.
I use Aruba for access points, and they are our top devices here. They are helpful for our wireless connection.
What needs improvement?
Aruba's website should be localized to support the Indonesian language. The content of their website and the help desk should be in the Indonesian language.
Its price can be improved. It is a little bit expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for about five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is very scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I have not directly contacted their support. I can directly get information from the web. If I have any questions, I ask them on the Aruba forum.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is a little bit expensive. It can be cheaper.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it a nine out of ten. Our employees and our customers enjoy it and are satisfied with it.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-03-28T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Brendin Lewis from
It's an affordable, high-quality product that has never failed us
What is our primary use case?
We use a suite of core, edge, and top-of-rack switches, and all of them do their jobs. We don't have servers anymore, so the top-of-rack switches don't do much, but the core and edge switches are excellent.
What is most valuable?
It's an excellent product. They're high-quality switches, and nothing has failed in the time that we've had them.
What needs improvement?
Aruba's management suite has some room for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using Aruba Switches for nearly two years. I'm the IT manager. I organize people to install and support solutions. I didn't do it myself, but I was responsible for procuring the switches.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba switches are high-quality products. They're well made and never go wrong. They work 100 percent 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, nonstop, with no failures at all — not even a broken fan. What else could I want from a product?
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is not really relevant to us because we only have 250 users. We used to have 250 users on four floors, so we had eight switches. We're on one floor in one building now, but we still use eight switches to spread the users out.
How are customer service and support?
Nothing has ever failed, so I've never used their technical support.
How was the initial setup?
A vendor installed the switches for us, and it was straightforward. It didn't take long to install the first time, and it was done well the second time when we moved buildings.
We have a managed service contract for maintenance. One vendor handles all of our network and desktop support, but I know they only have one network specialist. We had one person perform the installation, and one person provided the support.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Aruba's switches are priced significantly better than Cisco's. They're well placed in the market.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Aruba Switches eight out of 10. I never give any solution a 10. I'm sure they could improve a little bit, but they've been flawless from our point of view.
Aruba is significantly cheaper than Cisco, we've had no issues. Everything about them has been excellent for us.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-04-26T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Hossam Ismail from
A trusted solution that's reliable and has a user-friendly GUI
What is our primary use case?
We have more than 105 switches with different models including 2930, 5412, and 8300 with 3-tier topology.
How has it helped my organization?
The Aruba switching solution is stable. Its credibility is great and the GUI is user-friendly.
What is most valuable?
The Aruba care support and the lifetime warranty are very valuable aspects.
What needs improvement?
The log viewer should be improved. All required features already exist.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for about 2 years and 4 months and I am still using it.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-01-04T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Sara Coronel from
Easy to use and quick to deploy
What is our primary use case?
I work for a government department in Ecuador and we use this product for our projects. We are partners with Aruba.
What is most valuable?
The solution is easy to use and quick to deploy.
What needs improvement?
It takes a long time to import Aruba switches to Ecuador.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for seven months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable, we have around 5,000 users.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay a monthly fee for this solution.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-08-08T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1833807 from
Scalable switches that provide reliable connectivity in a remote environment
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for small and middle sized offices across different locations. The switches connect to the remote sites for distribution to the end user.
What needs improvement?
We have needed to upgrade software to fix some challenges we experienced. After downloading the latest version of Aruba, these were fixed.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used this solution for three years.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. The time to deploy depends on the experience you have and how many switches you are setting up.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is an affordable solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partners
Date published: 2022-04-25T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Michael-Sugg from
As a managed service provider, it's important to have a solution that can manage everything from one console
What is our primary use case?
The Aruba switch is supporting a doctor's office, so it's an on-premise switch. These particular switches provide the fundamental network for the entire office, including power over ethernet for the security cameras and wireless access points. The solution also provides network switching between databases and clients. I manage the switches using the Aruba Central public cloud.
How has it helped my organization?
Aruba gives me greater network visibility compared to an unmanaged solution. I mostly use unmanaged switches at other locations and offices.
What is most valuable?
I like the Aruba Central platform. It makes a lot of sense. The switches have a lot of great capabilities. Central can lockdown VLANs and control the apps and protocols.
There are several built-in security features that I'm not utilizing. However, those capabilities are part of the reason I'm using enterprise switches in a small office. I like knowing that I can do these things when necessary.
What needs improvement?
There are some growing pains with Aruba Central. When you first launch the wireless access points or switches, a lot of updates are needed to get Aruba Central ready, especially on the access points, so the initial deployment time could improve.
I would hope that I could just turn it on and leave the updates until later on. The switches themselves probably did okay. I'm primarily referring to the wireless access points. There was a lot of back and forth before everything was in sync. It took hours.
I can't think of any missing features, but it would be nice if there were a free version of Aruba Central for my small business clients that doesn't have as many features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I got one switch a while back and was using it in a lab situation to play around with it a little bit. I wasn't utilizing it a whole lot. It was more like, "Hey, how do you configure this? How does it work?" In the last couple of weeks, I added a second 6200 S switch and threw it into an actual production environment where it's being utilized.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is fine. I've got two 6200 24-port switches, so 48 ports total. I Aruba switches are capable of putting trunk groups in between. It's a chiropractic office, so we've got 32 network tables all plugged in between servers and all of the devices, and then there are all the computers hanging on the walls and stuff like that.
However, in reality, it's typically only four people working at the office at any given time, but they run around from room to room using x-rays, computers, and all that other stuff, so there are a lot of different devices. In total, there are 32 ethernet cables plugged into these two switches.
Some people define a user as a person typing on the keyboard, but In a chiropractic office, you have customers who walk into the adjusting room and scan their little cards. Meanwhile, the doctor kind of walks from room to room. It's really only one doctor.
We'll be bringing additional computers online over the next couple of years as they ramp up that office, so there will be increased utilization of the switches even inside that office. I will also be adding switches for each of my clients. I mean as I'm going in and taking over managed service provider relationships with these clients, I'll be looking at putting those same switches, so I have complete visibility.
How are customer service and support?
I rate Aruba support six out of 10. Like many vendors, Aruba is dealing with staffing shortages or other things. Once you get somebody on the line, they're usually pretty good. It's just a matter of getting to the correct person and the time it takes to respond.
I'm not trying to bash Aruba because they're not the only ones having this problem with tiered support. It's crucial to learn the equipment, so you can hopefully do most of the maintenance and troubleshooting yourself.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
My other clients have unmanaged Netgear switches, but it's apples to oranges. They may be switches, but they're not in the same class. It's a home network switch versus an enterprise network switch.
How was the initial setup?
Deploying the switches itself wasn't that complex. You can make it complex depending on what you want to do. You can implement VLANs and do all sorts of wonderful things, but for this particular implementation, I didn't really need that level of complexity.
It took about an hour to take the switches out of the box and onboard the devices on Aruba Central. They work out of the box even without Aruba Central. You can take them out, turn them on, plug them in, and they will function as a basic unmanaged switch. There's not a whole lot that you have to do for it.
What about the implementation team?
I do all of my own stuff. I'm a solo managed service provider.
What was our ROI?
The return on investment for me in these switches will come when we start facing network challenges. Some of the applications at this doctor's office rely on old file-based databases. When they start having problems with the application, and the vendor starts saying that's a network problem, that's when I'll get my real return on investment.
I can pull up the Aruba Central platform and say, "Nope, it's not a network problem, and here's why. You're getting no gig speed. There are no errors on any of the ports or failed packets." Having all that visibility is where the true return on investment is going to come. It's preparing for those types of debates. I'm tired of people blaming the networks. It may be. It could be a configuration or something else, but it's something else most of the time.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I am paying for the hardware and Aruba Central licenses, but I would like a version of Aruba Central to come out with a light version with a few features turned off. Ubiquiti and other vendors have free tools.
I believe they're looking at that, but it's not out yet. I hope they will release that to make it competitive because I'm using an enterprise-class switch for small businesses. We're looking for some of those capabilities, but not all of them.
Aruba has its Soho class switches, which are instant-on platforms. However, with the instant-on platform, you need to manage everything with individual clouds instead of bringing all of them under one console.
There's an annual license fee for the Aruba Central cloud management platform for each Aruba device. You don't need licenses for the hardware and other support, but if you don't pay for the Aruba Central license, you will not get firmware updates or technical support. You have to have those at least for probably several years.
When you reach a point where you're managing 100-150 devices in a small business, you suddenly need multiple layers of switches, and then you have to get into campus networks, trunk groups, VLANs, etc. Then, you need segmentation between different levels.
You have to utilize those additional capabilities and features more than you would for a dozen or so computers. You typically aren't going to create a bunch of VLANs, trunk groups, and multiple switches for a dozen computers. It doesn't make sense.
I think under 250 people would technically be classified as a small business. However, when I say "small business," I mean 10-20 people physically working at a building. Still, the price is reasonable. I'd rate Aruba eight out of 10 for affordability.
As a managed service provider, I also have access to discounts that help me manage costs better. As I own all the switches, so I keep adding people to the switches I own. Aruba has been good about providing a managed service provider discount to make it competitive. If they didn't, it would be kind of hard to justify spending $4,000 on these switches for a tiny business like a doctor's office.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I looked at Ubiquiti, Cisco, and some other solutions, but I have a friend who works for Aruba. I opted to go with Aruba after chatting with him about where it's positioned in the market. Aruba seems to be a leader, especially in wireless access points and some of the newer capabilities and features.
I was looking for network switches that could be managed with the same wireless access points in one console, so that gave it to me with Aruba. Some people are fine with having one console for switches and another for wireless access points. As a solo managed service provider, I'm all about simplicity, so I was really looking for one solution that would handle both.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Aruba Switches nine out of 10. If you're deploying these types of switches, I encourage people to utilize some type of cloud-based management console. If you don't use Aruba, make sure whatever you use has cloud management to give you visibility into what's going on in terms of configuration, errors, etc.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-06-21T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Anil Ergunsah from
Secure, helpful support, and quick installation
What is our primary use case?
Aruba Switches can be used for enterprise networks and local networks.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Aruba Switches is security.
What needs improvement?
Aruba Switches' price could improve, if they were less expensive it would be beneficial.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Aruba Switches for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba Switches are stable.
How are customer service and support?
The support for Aruba Switches is very good. They helped us with any problems we had.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Aruba Switches is easy and only took approximately five minutes.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a license required if you want to use wireless controls for micro-segmentation. However, for Aruba Switches there is no license required.
The price of the solution is good and they provide discounts depending on the projects. The price could still be reduced.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend this solution to others.
I rate Aruba Switches an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-07-23T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
JoseMolina from
Beneficial command line interface, scalable, and simple implementation
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Aruba Switches is the command-line interface (CLI). It is similar to Cisco's CLI, making the learning curve very small compared to other solutions.
What needs improvement?
I have some security issues with Aruba Switches. I need to update the firmware and then the problems might go away.
The integration for Aruba Switches could improve. The solution works well with some solutions, such as Cisco, Ruckus, or Brocade switches. However, nonstandard switches could have better integration in order to comply with the standards of natural communication Aruba Switches need to integrate with the other brands.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Aruba Switches for approximately two months.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Aruba Switches is scalable.
We have approximately 2,000 people using the solution. We have plans to increase usage in the future.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support from Aruba Switches could improve.
How was the initial setup?
The initial installation of Aruba Switches is easy.
What about the implementation team?
We have one person for the maintenance of the solution. However, we have four people who are managing the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Aruba Switches has a lifetime warranty on the solution and after five years the solution will be at its end of life.
What other advice do I have?
Aruba Switches is a solution that is growing at the moment in my country.
I rate Aruba Switches an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-06-11T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Adeline Mah from
6000 series switches are stable and reasonably scalable
What is our primary use case?
We are using the 6000 and 2005 series.
What needs improvement?
I'm not sure if they have the core switch series as well.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 8 out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-06-10T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Chandana Weerasinghe from
Cost-effective with quick turnaround on delivery
What needs improvement?
The migration from older to newer products could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Aruba Switches for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba Switches are quite stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Aruba Switches are scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Aruba's technical support is good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was quite straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Aruba Switches are quite cost-effective.
What other advice do I have?
Aruba has an advantage over their competitors because they specialize in delivery, which means they don't have the long delivery times that Cisco and others quote. I'd rate Aruba Switches eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-06-15T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
SunilNair from
A cost-effective networking switch that is easy to maintain and configure to your requirements
What is our primary use case?
We got Aruba Switches when we wanted something very redundant. I have two core switches, and both of them are configured for fault tolerance. If one fails, the other one will be able to sustain the load of the network.
How has it helped my organization?
Initially, we had a 1G switch. Now that we have upgraded to Aruba, the infrastructure is on 10G. The throughput has definitely increased, and many people were able to realize the speed of the internet and data sharing immediately.
What is most valuable?
I like the number of available throughputs and its ability to have different speeds of ethernet cards or fiber-optic SFPs. It's a core switch, and you can configure it as per your requirements.
All the configuration details are well documented on the HP website or Aruba website, and one can easily refer to those and find all the relevant commands from the documentation itself. It's also easy to maintain this solution. It's also cheaper than competing products.
What needs improvement?
I don't think there is much to improve. I have seen that Aruba releases the patches on time, and it keeps upgrading the firmware. I have configured this device on an active basis. I don't think I have any bad reviews about the device's overall performance.
In the next release, I would like Aruba to incorporate wireless controllers and build them into the chassis.If we can integrate a wireless module, we can have a segment dedicated to wireless infrastructure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Aruba Switches for nearly three or four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba Switches stable. Until now, I haven't had a chance to restart the device. It's pretty stable and working well.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Aruba Switches are scalable. The device that I procured is a six-day device. In these six days, you can probably populate any number of ethernet ports or SFP plus ports, or any kind of interface.
How was the initial setup?
It was okay as we had the help of an experienced external team. It took us almost two days to implement this solution. We have two technicians maintaining this solution.
What about the implementation team?
I had an experienced team from outside who got the contract for configuring it. It was a team effort, a team from outside and my own IT department team. Both had to copy the old configuration running on an Extreme Network Switch and configure it on Aruba's high availability platform. As we did it over a weekend, the workers weren't affected.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Aruba Switches are cost-effective.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Aruba is cost-effective. I have a direct account manager who used to visit us to understand the complete requirement. On the other hand, Cisco costs way too much for the same kind of switching device.
I think Aruba did a better job compared to many other vendors. In the end, I just wanted a solution that could serve the university's requirements. We have tested many different products like Alcatel Extreme and others.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Aruba Switches a nine.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-06-02T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
BenjaminRafrafi from
User-friendly, highly scalable, and priced well
What is our primary use case?
We are using Aruba Switches as a distribution switch everywhere in our business for Wi-Fi.
We only have access points connected to the Aruba switches. Aruba Switches are connected to our main infrastructure, but everything else is still on the old infrastructure.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Aruba Switches are the use of use and user-friendliness.
What needs improvement?
The main issue we had with the Aruba Switches was that they would heat up easily when placed outside. We have two locations with no cover in the corridor and it's a historical building. We experienced outages on the first batch of Aruba Switches we received, which we never had with the Dell Switches, for example, even though Dell Switches are not as well-known. However, the Dell Switches had been outside for a few years and we never had any issues with them. In contrast, we encountered an issue with the Aruba Switch after only one week of being outside when it shut down in security mode.
The Aruba Switches would heat up too much and shut down. The CPU temperature would reach a certain point and then it would just shut down. As far as I know, the temperature threshold on the Aruba Switches was lower than on other brands. It could also be related to the specific series we ordered, as I am not sure if they have higher-grade switches that can handle higher temperatures. We are in Singapore, so if the switches are placed in a corridor without air conditioning, the temperature inside can get very warm, even hotter than outside. The temperature can rise quickly in these conditions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Aruba Switches for approximately six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There are some stability issues with Aruba Switches.
I rate Aruba Switches an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is highly scalable.
I rate the scalability of Aruba Switches a ten out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
When Cisco Meraki was presented, it seemed to be a strong solution and appeared to be superior to the Aruba Switch solution, particularly with regard to the console. It was more user-friendly. However, in the end, the Aruba Switch console proved to be user-friendly. Ultimately, Cisco Meraki would be the better choice, but it's not surprising as Cisco is known for being the number one choice.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Aruba Switches was simple. The process is the same if you were to install other similar solutions from other vendors, such as Cisco.
Aruba Switches are similar to HP.
What about the implementation team?
We utilized the services of a company that both resells and provides consulting. They sent a consultant to assist with bringing the system in-house. They handle the installation and our role is to ensure everything is running smoothly and verify the configurations.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing was still affordable compared to Cisco, which is usually less affordable for most companies. We are using the solution in a school, we need the price to be affordable.
I rate the price of Aruba Switches an eight out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Aruba Switches an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-01-19T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Pathawee Jaito from
High availability and good performance
What is our primary use case?
I am using Aruba Switches in hospitals, educational institutions, and government networks.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Aruba Switches is its performance.
What needs improvement?
There is a long delay in receiving Aruba Switches when ordered. There should not be a long delay in receiving the solution. Additionally, there should be a lifetime warranty to compete with other solutions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Aruba Switches for approximately 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba Switches are highly scalable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have approximately 4,000 people using this solution.
We do not scale the solution because after five years the technology is old and needs to be updated.
How are customer service and support?
When I contact support, such as through email, it takes a long time to receive a response.
How was the initial setup?
The installation of Aruba Switches is not difficult. The implementation took me two hours.
What about the implementation team?
I did the implementation of the solution myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a license to use the solution.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Aruba Switches a ten out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator
Date published: 2023-02-04T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Reffy Mahesya from
Great lifetime warranty; great config using when using the menu
What is most valuable?
The most valuable Aruba switch feature is the lifetime warranty. It is a plus point in the budget. Aruba some switches have a menu, so we can configure them without CLI. In addition, configuring is easier when using the menu.
What needs improvement?
In my opinion, Aruba's new features, like the new firmware, the Operating System CX, some of the security profiles and the security protocol, need to be improved. When we want to gather some information from the switches, we should be able to use Aruba. We need more options in the outsourcing and open source environments. We often struggle to connect with Aruba.
In the next release, I'd like to see more security protocols.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Aruba Switches for around two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability of this solution a seven, on a scale from one to 10, with one being the worst and 10 being the best. Sometimes my switches get struck by lightning through the electricity and this is where the lifetime warranty comes in and helps fix and replace them.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability of this solution an eight, on a scale from one to 10, with one being the worst and 10 being the best. There are around 70 or 80 users of this solution in our company right now.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate their technical support an eight, on a scale from one to 10, with one being the worst and 10 being the best.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
My impression was that the initial setup was quite simple.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate the pricing of this solution a five, on a scale from one to 10, with one being the worst and 10 being the best.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate this solution an eight, on a scale from one to 10, with one being the worst and 10 being the best.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-01-16T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
RioAdi Nugroho from
Reliable with good technical support and the ability to expand
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for switches.
What is most valuable?
It's a stable switch.
The solution is scalable.
Technical support is quite good. It's fast and reliable.
What needs improvement?
The software materials could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is quite good. We haven't had an issue with it. There are no bugs or glitches. it doesn't crash or freeze. It even works well for enterprise-level organizations.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's quite scalable. It's more scalable than many switches.
How are customer service and support?
The solution offers very fast support. We are quite satisfied with the level of services we get.
What other advice do I have?
We are an Aruba partner. We tend to recommend this solution to our customers.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. We are quite satisfied with its capabilities.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-05-24T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Darko Skurla from
Continuous innovation, simple to implemented, and great support
What is most valuable?
Aruba Switches are always innovating to bring new solutions to the market.
What needs improvement?
Aruba Switches cover lots of areas and support automated and IOPS and with the central products, but I think when we look at the solutions overall, IOPS devices are not covered so much in Aruba Central. We are in Croatia and it is a small country, I don't know how its situation is in Europe, America, or Asia.
In a future release, I would like to see old switches have coverage in Aruba Cloud Central.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Aruba Switches for approximately three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Aruba Switches is very good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Aruba Switches are scalable.
I rate the scalability of Aruba Switches a five out of five.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate the technical support from Aruba Switches a five out of five.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used other solutions such as Cisco. When comparing Cisco and Aruba Switches, Aruba Switches work with open standard protocols, use ZTP configurations, and beneficial support.
How was the initial setup?
Aruba Switches offers a very easy solution to establish and set them up. Series six is created with a cloud solution central, creating lots of automated setup in the cloud.
What other advice do I have?
If you have 100 Aruba Switches you only need one person for the maintenance. However, if you have a mixed environment with different switches then two to three people would be required for the maintenance and support.
I rate Aruba Switches a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-05-02T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Alfred_Pullicino from
Easy to expand, reliable, and allow users to manage switches from the cloud
What is our primary use case?
We've got switches on-premises, and they're managed by central management.
We primarily use the solution for normal office use. It is for normal networking, including wireless.
What is most valuable?
I like that I can cloud-manage my network. This is useful due to the fact that I have multiple offices.
It's a stable product.
We can scale as needed.
What needs improvement?
The initial setup is relatively complex.
There is nothing to improve on in an enterprise environment, however, if you're wanting various functionalities, you need to know how to do these things. It's not straightforward per se. Some training would be ideal for getting the most out of the solution. I had to learn a lot on the job by myself.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very solid, and very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is scalable. We can expand usage if we need to.
We have 300 people on average using the solution.
In terms of expanding usage, as a solution, at this point in time, I don't need to. With its wifi capabilities, it can handle a little bit more load, so that's fine.
How are customer service and support?
Since I have the solution through a partner, I use the partner services. It's up to them to get me in touch with support if needed.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had very low-end build switches or old Cisco switches previously, however, they were relatively minor since we had moved to a new office and the company was relatively young at that point in time. Afterward, we made an investment in Aruba.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not necessarily straightforward. It is complex.
A service partner did the implementation. It took about a month and a half.
What about the implementation team?
We had a service provider assist us with the setup.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay an annual license for the solution.
It is an enterprise product, so it's not the cheapest, definitely. I'd rate the affordability between a three and four out of five.
What other advice do I have?
I'd recommend the solution if a company wants an alternative to a Cisco environment. It's a very reliable solution.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
They do have partnerships, and users can get training and insights on how to manage it from a partnership perspective.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-11-27T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Liyakath Muhammed from
Excellent technical support, enjoy the working environment, and reasonable budget pricing
What is most valuable?
I find the most valuable feature is it is part of the Aruba family.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see easier learning and configuration from previous switch deployments.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Aruba Switches for the past two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We do see scalability.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is excellent.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We have used a consultant team and it has taken two years to deploy because of the size of the project.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay for the clear pass and the controller.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Aruba Switches an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-12-11T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
HendrikVelloen from
Easy and quick to setup, smooth sailing
What is our primary use case?
As a company many of our deployments are focused at the medical industry, we install Aruba network switches to facilitate interconnectivity and network connectivity. This is our primary use case.
We have also installed and deployed into the banking and pharmaceutical sectors.
What is most valuable?
One of the features I like most is the intuitive GUI dashboards the Aruba product provides. Having worked with various switches from different vendors, most of the focus is around the command line interface (CLI). Aruba also has a CLI, but their GUI is better than other manufacturers. You can easily log on to the GUI, you can see a nice visual dashboard presented, where you can check the status of switches, fans and power levels. At a glance you get a good overall view of what is happening.
What needs improvement?
There are no areas for improvement I can think of, the product supports all the latest features, security is quite good and doesn't bring forward any requirements. Aruba has a single management AirWave and the Aruba Central. It also integrates nicely with ClearPass and Palo Alto firewalls.
From my perspective there is not much missing with what is offered.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Aruba switches for approximately 9 years
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
With the amount of switches we have out in the field and what we manage, the number of call backs are very few. The product is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is very easy to scale. When you have a modular chassis, it's just a matter of installing an extra module and then the setup is quite quick.
Stacking between switches is also very easily done.
How are customer service and support?
The maintenance service support offered is pretty good. You usually have to buy additional support if you would like extended warranties and that kind of offering, in general the support is very good.
The turnaround times for returns of faulty hardware is very quick, and you can either phone in or process this online to get your replacements done.
The technical support from Aruba is very interactive also.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup out of the box is very straightforward. It prompts you right away to get the initial setup going and from there it's smooth sailing. It has the usual familiar HP interfaces and it's very quick and easy.
After racking and stacking the network switch, it's usually about 5-10 minutes of setup.
What about the implementation team?
We deploy and implement IT services ourselves for clients, including Aruba network switches.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The advice I would provide others is if you are a customer running Aruba for your switching infrastructure, consider taking the basic switching training offered. They cover everything from out of the box setup, everything you need including GUI's and CLI interfaces.
The product pricing is competitive and approximately 10% cheaper than the likes of Nexus. Professional services and training can also be provided by the vendor.
What other advice do I have?
The performance of the product is very good, no problem there. You can either purchase a gigabyte or 10 gigabyte switch.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-08-21T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mukunthan RAJAGOPALAN from
Has a large range of options and has decent new switches but areas could be simplified
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution in a hospital setting for switching.
What is most valuable?
The newest switches are pretty decent.
It is slightly more price effective than Juniper and it has a slightly larger range.
What needs improvement?
The solution could always be a bit cheaper.
My experience with Aruba's account manager hasn't been the greatest.
Dealing with the server is very complicated. We'd like it to be simplified.
The setup is complex.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've used the solution for three to four months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I'm pretty new to the solution. It is hard to gauge stability at this time.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. It comes in a range of options.
How are customer service and support?
The account managers are not the best. They make you do a lot of running around. A lot of the time, they don't even pick up calls. We don't like the way the business side is handled.
The dealers, however, are very responsive. That said, there are just too many rules and regulations when dealing with Aruba.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
As a systems integrator, we work with Aruba, Juniper, and Cisco switches. Aruba has more of a range than Juniper, which is more fixed.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very complex.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Typically, the solution is paid for annually.
The price could always be improved upon.
What other advice do I have?
We are a system integrator.
I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator
Date published: 2023-02-19T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Eytan Segal from
Scales well but deployment could improve
What is our primary use case?
We are using Aruba Switches for clusters.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Aruba Switches for one and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba Switches is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Aruba Switches is good.
We are using the solution in an educational institute with over 100 to 500 people.
How are customer service and support?
I have not contacted support from Aruba Switches. We have local support.
What about the implementation team?
We had an integration team do the setup of the solution.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Aruba Switches a six out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-11-10T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Marius Celliers from
Reliable and stable switch that is easy to use with a good interface and added warranty
What is our primary use case?
We use industrial switches called Moxa switches for our Edge devices and our Edge networks. For the backbone, we use Aruba switches because of the throughputs.It's much cheaper to put in an Aruba Switch than putting in a Moxa switch. We use it for CCTV cameras and we have about 150 to 200 cameras on the system.
For each of our clients who use this switch, we assign one of our engineers for maintenance. Our service level agreements determine the type of support they receive and how many of our engineers are needed. One of our engineers handles about four or five clients.
What is most valuable?
This solution is really easy to use. It is much easier to use than Cisco. It's got a nice web interface for stepping up and an added warranty. We need this limited lifetime warranty on the switches because we also have service level agreements with our clients and I want to make sure we provide them with the best product.
What needs improvement?
This solution could be improved if it offered long term support on a specific model or product. What we find in the market is that companies bring out too many new models, and if you still have an older model on your project, you do not get support.
In a future release, we would like to see MQTT protocols added as well as OPC. We have this functionality on other industrial switches and some of our clients like that feature. Using those two protocols, we can provide cloud based monitoring of their systems.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution. I would rate it a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable solution but we have experienced challenges with availability of certain versions of the solution that allow it to be used at scale.
I would rate it a five out of five for scalability.
How are customer service and support?
I've dealt with them once or twice but most issues have been sorted out by our distributor. It it is a bigger query, I submit it to HP for resolution.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
I would rate the initial setup a four out of five. We had some issues with high-level protocols that you use for redundancy. You have to set it up via a console, like MST and RSDP. If your network is not complex, it's very easy to set up.
We have two engineers or two technicians who usually complete the installation and this takes one week.
What was our ROI?
I wouldn't say we have experienced ROI but I would say that we have saved money on our service level agreements. Because of the stability, we do not need to do any replacements.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-11-01T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Wajid Khattak from
Easy to configure, support power over ethernet, and the support is good
What is our primary use case?
We use this product for network access, including setting up VLANs.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is that it's very easy to configure. Aruba is comparable to Cisco in this regard, and we are comfortable with them. Huawei Ethernet Switches are also easy to configure but we are less comfortable with them.
We can easily connect access points to these switches, and there are no major issues.
What needs improvement?
The delivery time for this product is slow and is something that needs to be improved. This is the biggest challenge in the market right now.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Aruba Switches for between 10 and 12 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Aruba Ethernet Switches are scalable. We have approximately 200 users.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support for Aruba is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I also work with different models of Cisco Ethernet Switches, such as the Catalyst 2960-X series, and the Catalyst 2960-X-24TS-L.
Another product that I have experience with is Huawei. We are most comfortable with Aruba and Cisco switches, configured for use as VLANs.
The cost of Aruba switches is higher than that of Huawei and many other brands.
How was the initial setup?
Aruba switches are easy to set up and we have had no issues with them.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Aruba switches cost between $500 and $600 more than similar products by Huawei, as well as many other brands.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for anybody who is interested in using Aruba switches is that they are easy to configure. In a normal network environment, we have almost zero complaints about them.
Many of their switches support power over ethernet (POE).
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-09-01T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Wajid Khattak from
Easy to set up with good support and great reliability
What is most valuable?
It is very easy to configure. Aruba and Cisco are more comfortable for us in terms of configurations, including VLAN and most technical things.
Aruba is similar to Huawei or any other brand.
It is very easy to set up.
The solution can scale.
It is very stable.
Technical support has been good.
What needs improvement?
The biggest issue right now is the delivery timeline. It takes too long to get the product.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for ten to 12 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. It's reliable and free of bugs and glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product can scale as needed. It's not a problem at all.
We have two people who directly use the solution in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good. it's not bad. We are largely satisfied with their level of assistance.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I'm familiar with Cisco and Huawei solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very simple and straightforward. It's not complex at all.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The Aruba Switch cost is normally high if it is compared to Huawei and many other brands. Typically it is a $500 to $600 difference in price.
What other advice do I have?
We have a partnership with Aruba.
The solution is deployed at an access level.
It's a comfortable switch to use and we don't really have any complaints. Normally they have built-in PoE Switches as well. We can connect an access point to them. There's no major issue in that regard.
I would rate them nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-09-09T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ayman Said from
Reliable, easy deployment, with proven scalability
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case is in the manufacturing area in our factory and the other places like our warehouses for the stores.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the switches are reliable and replaced for free if anything goes wrong.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see something like a Cisco Prime, an application controlling the entire system, switches, and access points.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Aruba Switches for the past ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba Switches are highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is excellent. We have around three hundred users currently.
How are customer service and support?
Customer service takes around a month to replace a switch and they bring it from the USA. We are not under an SLA or maintenance contract. Their responses take a lot of time, but the quality is very good. I think we need another level of support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward and has a GUI interface.
What about the implementation team?
The installation took some time and is not as good as CISCO. We used both in-house and vendor teams to assist us.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost is very cheap when you compare it to CISCO.
What other advice do I have?
I would strongly recommend Aruba Switches and rate them an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-01-02T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2106399 from
Licensing costs are competitive and the solution is very stable
What is our primary use case?
We're a government entity and use Switches for LAN and for pushing up to a router or a firewall. From an infrastructure perspective, we're a medium-sized organization but only have 100 employees. We are customers of Aruba and I'm a network engineer.
What is most valuable?
Black time warranty is a valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
Aruba's switches are older so I'd like to see more upgrades. The newer ones may have that built-in. The product could be more user-friendly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for 12 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We scaled up easily and added a couple of blades to it.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't used the tech support with HP but they were helpful when it came to replacing switches.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was pretty straightforward; I did everything through the CLI and I'd had previous experience with the process. Aside from the firmware, there's almost no maintenance required.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing costs are competitive with other solutions on the market.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution eight out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-03-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Tham Cm from
Reliable, straightforward integration, using all the features with results
What is our primary use case?
We use Aruba Switches for our network, basically, we are segmenting into various VLANs, and also we have a routing switch.
What is most valuable?
We use all the features of Aruba Switches and find it very helpful.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see a lower price for the device.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Aruba Switches for the past two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba Switches are definitely stable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we used Cisco, Huawei, and Avaya.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is straightforward and not complex.
What about the implementation team?
We are system integrators and it took us about three months to setup. We set it up in stages.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing for Aruba Switches is definitely expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Aruba Switches an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-09-29T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Patricio Andres Tapia Jahiatt from
Helpful support, good connectivity, and very reliable
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for WiFi and LAN. It's for connectivity.
What is most valuable?
We find the connection while using Aruba to be very good.
Aruba has many good products that can be used with this solution. It has a good controller and antivirus.
The solution is stable.
Technical support is helpful and responsive.
It is pretty easy to implement the product.
Scaling the solution is possible.
What needs improvement?
The endpoint capabilities could be improved.
There are no missing features at this time.
It was a bit expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze. I'd rate the solution's stability ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability has been okay. I'd rate the scalability seven out of ten overall. We do plan to increase usage.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was simple. It is not overly difficult at all.
What about the implementation team?
I implement with external support.
What was our ROI?
I have not personally looked into ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price could be a bit better. We'd like it to be lower.
What other advice do I have?
I'm not sure which version of the solution I'm using. I use the solution for my clients.
There could be more specialists available in Chile. There aren't as many in the country.
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-05-09T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Aslam Khabou from
Great monitoring and notification capabilities with useful reliability
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for networking.
What is most valuable?
The cloud management is very good.
Overall, it's a good solution. It is pretty robust.
The monitoring and notifications on offer are very helpful.
It can scale well.
It's stable.
What needs improvement?
We've had issues with availability. We cannot source switches right now. They are hard to get.
There are no missing features.
The pricing could be lowered.
Technical support could be improved in terms of dealing with time changes.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for three years. I've used it for a while now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution has been very stable. I'd rate it ten out of ten. It doesn't crash or freeze. There are no bugs or glitches. It is reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution has been scaleable. I'd rate it ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is helpful or responsive. However, they could always improve their services. The time difference when dealing with support can cause answers get delayed.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also use HP switches. However, we have the same issue in that we are having trouble with availability.
We wanted to move to Aruba based on the simplicity of integration. We can manage all access points with the same interface using Aruba. The monitoring and notifications are also good.
How was the initial setup?
There only needs to be one engineer involved in the deployment and maintenance.
What was our ROI?
We have seen an ROI in terms of stability and the simplicity of monitoring and management.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is expensive. It's gone up in price. For 24 ports, we are looking at a cost of $600 annually. I'd rate the affordability of the solution seven out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
I'd recommend the solution to others.
I would rate it ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Date published: 2023-03-20T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Joshy Varghese from
Easy to deploy, stable, and scalable
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for our network switches and access points.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the lifetime warranty.
The bandwidth is good.
The throughput is high.
What needs improvement?
Aruba does not have local support in our region of Kerala. The support is from Bangalore and support can be delayed.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I give the stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I give the scalability a nine out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Cisco Switches and switched to Aruba because of the speed.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. The deployment was easy to configure. I give the deployment a nine out of ten. The configuration can be completed within half an hour.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was completed in-house.
What was our ROI?
I believe in the next year we will see a return on investment with Aruba Switches.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Aruba Switches are less expensive than Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
I give the solution a nine out of ten.
We have around 1,000 users.
We have two administrators for the solution.
I recommend Aruba Switches to others. The cost is lower, the performance is higher, and the solution has higher throughput.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-04-08T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
AmrIssa from
A product with a good GUI that needs to be made available with a longer life span for its users
What is our primary use case?
I use the tool in my company for our infrastructure's network switches, access points, and the controllers that the product provides.
What needs improvement?
There were some issues in Aruba Switches, specifically Aruba PoE Switches since working with it in our company damaged our network. The timer and the internal battery in Aruba Switches don't work sometimes, and if users want to replace the battery, it is not safe. Sometimes, there is a need to configure and reconfigure Aruba Switches every two or three months to avoid cutting off the power of the product. Considering the need to
reconfigure the switches in the controller when it comes to Aruba, I would say that, comparatively, Cisco is a stable product.
From an improvement perspective, I want Aruba Switches to have a longer life since it doesn't work properly after five years of use.
If a user wants to configure Aruba Switches after using it for five years, there is a need to keep reconfiguring the product, the controller, and access points every three to five months, which is very problematic. Considering the controllers or the access points attached to Cisco at multiple sites in our company, I can say that the switches from Cisco are good when it comes to the setup phase. If I compare the switches and controllers from Aruba and Cisco, I would say that the products that fall under Cisco's side are better.
Aruba Switches should have a longer life and not just a product that offers stability for five years. The tool should be able to function properly for around ten years. Considering factors like infrastructure, cost, management, and business decisions, the production is able to offer a long life to users.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have experience with Aruba Switches. I don't remember the model of the solution.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a six out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.
Aruba offers better options when it comes to the area of scalability compared to what Cisco offers. Aruba has a better graphical user interface that helps users with the configuration part.
Around 200 people in my company use the product. There are two administrators for the product in my company.
How are customer service and support?
My company doesn't use any technical support from Aruba because the switches we use are very old.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before Aruba Switches, my company used switches from 3Com, HPE, Dell, and many other vendors for around nine years. After a period of nine years, my company switched to Aruba Switches. My company chose Aruba Switches since we wanted to move to a new product. Presently, my company's experience with Aruba Switches has been very bad.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Aruba Switches are very expensive. The product has many features printed on it, but the problem my company faces with the product is related to the fact that there is a need to reconfigure the solution every two months or three months after five years. Aruba Switches don't work properly in a stable manner after five years.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
My company may opt to upgrade our network and infrastructure in the future, so we are considering the switches from Aruba and Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
I won't suggest other people buy Aruba Switches since, for any infrastructure or network, the tool may come across as a costly product for the owner. Users expect the product to offer a long-life appliance for the infrastructure. I personally recommend Cisco Switches since it offers a longer life when compared to Aruba Switches.
I rate the overall tool a seven out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-01-30T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
SunilNair1 from
Highly scalable, stable and offers seamless expanding capabilities
What is our primary use case?
We use Aruba switches, access points, and everything. We're a hospital chain. We've deployed them in at least 78 of our hospitals and are happy with the performance.
Overall, we're satisfied with the performance of our Aruba switches. They're working well for our current needs.
How has it helped my organization?
Our uptime has been flawless since implementing Aruba switches.
We haven't had any issues expanding our network infrastructure with Aruba switches. Scalability and integration are excellent. I'd rate them nine out of ten.
What is most valuable?
The advantage I found is that they can be used as both on-premises devices and cloud-managed devices, with the option for an additional license to become cloud devices. This flexibility is very valuable to us.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement in the pricing because the Aruba Central licenses add a high cost.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for the past couple of years, specifically the 2930 model.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's very stable. I'd rate it a nine out of ten, with ten being highly stable. We haven't had any issues so far, so I'm happy with it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We haven't had any scaling issues, so I'd rate it a nine out of ten, with ten being highly scalable.
I have 19 people using it. They are network engineers who maintain the switches.
The network is our core business, so we use it constantly. It's always configured and running in our hospitals.
How are customer service and support?
We haven't had the need to open a technical support ticket yet. Everything has gone smoothly so far.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had a heterogeneous network with Aruba and Cisco switches. Both worked fine, but we switched to Aruba for cost reasons.
How was the initial setup?
I would rate my experience with the initial setup a nine out of ten, with ten being easy.
The deployment itself shouldn't take long. Our network team handles it, and I haven't heard any complaints about the deployment process.
What about the implementation team?
An HP partner did the deployment for us, and we just handled the configuration. They applied everything, and we took care of the authentication procedures and access points.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with ten being expensive. The hardware itself is reasonable, but the licensing can be a bit expensive especially the Aruba Central licenses.
What other advice do I have?
It's good overall. However, I plan to implement centralized management, which might slightly increase the licensing cost. But beyond that, it's been very positive.
So, if I consider stability, I would rate it a ten out of ten because I never faced any issues at all. But regarding cost, especially the licensing, Aruba needs to consider how that impacts your budget. Maybe somewhere between seven out o ten, compared to Meraki switches.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-02-14T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Dhenj Prasetyo from
A very stable and scalable product that does not take much time to set up
What is our primary use case?
We used the product for distribution.
What needs improvement?
The UI could improve, where menus and features or functions could be moved a bit, so it's better for us. For example, the one dealing with uplinks could be grouped into a dropdown or something like that.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used Aruba switches for about five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the stability of Aruba switches an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is scalable. Seven people in my company are working with Aruba switches.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not complex. It could take up to two hours to set up VLANs or different work groups, but it depends.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented the solution in-house. We have 11 staff members deploying and maintaining the product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is higher than other brands, so I recommend the product to enterprises.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Aruba switches an eight out of ten and recommend the product to other users.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-08-31T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Suhaib Al-Khatib from
Easy to scale and setup
What is our primary use case?
We use it mostly for data center switches such as the CX Series 6405 and 6300 as a distribution or TurboRock. We also use it for access switches like the 2000 and 6000 series.
What is most valuable?
Aruba's SameNet platform allows for a seamless transition from the data center to access switches, unlike Cisco, which has different operating systems for each. Additionally, Aruba offers zero licensing fees for Layer 3 features, and their solution is known for its stability.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement in the customer service and support team.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have worked with Aruba Switches since 2013. But once I convert to the sales sections, I'm not using it anymore.
I have had a great experience with it. I'm currently working with a partner platinum partner with Aruba.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability a seven out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
I've had experience with Aruba technical support. In some cases, we have opened robust support tickets for critical customers, and the first layer of engineers took a long time to solve the issue. They didn't know how to proceed, so we had to escalate, which also took time.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I like Aruba switches. There's no specific reason for the switch, but I prefer the configurations on Aruba switches over HPE.
How was the initial setup?
It's very easy, not complex at all. Moreover, it offers seamless integration. It has good third-party integration. It's very good in this case. It is easy to customize. For example, with the CX series, we can use Python scripting and API.
What about the implementation team?
For the deployment process, I usually place the order and communicate with the vendor about the delivery time. Moreover, maintenance is not difficult.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's not cheap or very expensive, but I think the price has increased recently.
What other advice do I have?
Mainly, customers need to consider whether they need switches for data centers or access networks. Also, they should consider the name ID. Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-05-12T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Khaled Shaker from
Integrates very well with other vendors' solutions and can help save costs on licenses
What is our primary use case?
Aruba switches are divided into many categories: core, distribution, access, and small switches called Instant On. Small businesses and home users use those. We use 6400 Aruba switches, which are core switches that support the new CX operating system. We also use distribution switches such as the 8300 and category access layers such as the 6100, 6200, and 6300. There are many Aruba category switches in access layers and Instant On switches for small offices, such as Aruba Instant On 1930 and 1960.
We have set up Aruba switches for customers in Egypt's hospitality, and oil and gas industries.
What is most valuable?
With Aruba, I like its stability and lifetime warranty. I haven't seen any other vendors provide a lifetime warranty, which is the most preferred benefit with Aruba switches. Moreover, Aruba gives all its features from day one without any extra license.
Aruba offers VSX with its core switch. It is a redundancy. A call configured between two core switches or two distribution switches makes the two switches active for working. We can connect servers with the two core switches, and the connectivity between the server and the core switch is 20 gigabits with active forwarding. Other vendors provide this feature, but for data center switches, not LAN switches. This is a big feature with Aruba at layer code and distribution. At access, Aruba provides logically stacking switches. Especially the new 6000 series, which has the CX operating system. The CX operating system has logical stacking. Logical stacking does not require any modules.
What needs improvement?
If we compare Aruba and Cisco at the data center layer, Cisco has its Nexus switch. Aruba provides the new 10000 series, but it does not compare with the Nexus switch. Aruba is in networks but still not in data centers since their data center switches are not as good as Cisco's.
Aruba should enhance its performance and management solution to manage Aruba and non-Aruba switches. Aruba needs better layer management or a software management solution. When we talk about Aruba Central, the integration with the management software is not good enough. When we need to push a configuration in a switch, Aruba Central can manage Aruba access switches only. We work with the Aruba OS for normal management, but the CX switches are for monitoring only. Aruba'a management solution is a weak point. Management solutions are a weak point for other vendors, too, but we need to enhance Aruba to be better than other vendors.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've worked with Aruba switches for around five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba is very stable now but was not very stable seven years ago. I haven't seen anyone suffering from Aruba's stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Aruba switches are very easy to scale.
How are customer service and support?
If the customer doesn't buy an SLA, support may arrive after two weeks or one month. It also depends on the stock availability.
Regarding tech support, levels one and two are not skilled enough. They can support normal issues, but not if we have abnormal or new issues. We have engineers with more experience.
How was the initial setup?
The product is easy to set up. A single engineer with a certificate for Cisco switches can work with Aruba switches because it is the same thing. They can manage Aruba using the CLI or the GUI.
The time taken to deploy Aruba switches depends on the number of switches, such as if the customer has one or two core switches. It also depends on the distribution of the switches, whether they are distributed around the network in the company or at the same center as the customer. It also depends on whether the customer has more than one data center or more than one rack.
If the customer needs only one core switch, deploying it takes two to four hours. But that also depends on the number of the LANs and the number of points connected to the core switch.
You can divide the tool's maintenance into two parts: whether maintenance requires hardware, spare parts, hardware RMA, or if it requires configuration. Configuration depends on the engineers' skill, while spare parts depend on the vendor and if the customer buys an SLA.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Aruba switches work without a license. A license is needed when working with a management solution, but not for enabling switch features. This is a big feature of Aruba, making it better than other vendors. For example, we need to buy a license to enable features with Cisco. Aruba's features exist in a datasheet of any switch, available from day one without a license.
SLAs are available for 24 hours or four hours.
What other advice do I have?
If a customer doesn't have experience with Aruba switches, they can work with Aruba after limited job training. We provide on-the-job training for customers, after which they can work in an environment with Aruba switches.
I recommend the product to enterprise and small business customers. I recommend it to hospitality and oil and gas customers. We can recommend Aruba to any customer with a LAN or enterprise network. Aruba has features such as a lifetime warranty. In Egypt, a lifetime warranty is a very effective feature. Other competitors do not provide the same.
Along with a lifetime warranty, we get scalability and stability, and we can enable any feature without a license. Aruba switches integrate with other vendors. Aruba can work with Cisco or other vendors. For example, if we have Cisco or any other platform to run ciphers, they can work in Aruba switches. I can integrate it with any management solution, which is a valuable feature. If any customer has switches from Cisco, for example, they need to buy a management solution. The customer is forced to get the software. But if the customer has Cisco switches and is asking about integration between the old and the new network, it won't be an issue to integrate it with Aruba's solution.
I rate Aruba switches a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator
Date published: 2023-09-19T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
ManojKumar7 from
Scalable and secure switches offering high-speed connectivity
What is most valuable?
Aruba Central is very valuable to us.
What needs improvement?
I would prefer it if they reduced the cost of the switches and the access points. They are very high for a country like Sri Lanka. It's a good product, but the price is too high.
Here, most customers are interested in cheaper, local solutions like Planet Switches. I think Auba is better than the local solutions, but they need to cut the cost down in order for people to switch over to them.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Aruba Switches for three years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Aruba Switches are both scalable and stable. I am pretty satisfied with this product.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their technical support is pretty good. Actually, the first level of support is given by our supplier. Regardless of the time, they will help you.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before Aruba, we worked with Cisco, but personally, I prefer Aruba.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very easy.
What about the implementation team?
I'm not part of the configuration team. We have a team that handles all implementation and configuration. I am part of the design team.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Aruba for anyone looking for a stable enterprise-level solution.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Aruba Switches a rating of eight. If they lowered the cost and introduced some basic-level features and access points, I would give them a higher rating. Basic Aruba access points are expensive in Sri Lanka.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-11-05T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1428423 from
Extremely reliable with great back-up and support provided
What is our primary use case?
These are ethernet switches that provide power over the net for our PoE requirements, basically layer two and layer three features that we have. I'm the head of technical support and we are customers of Aruba.
What is most valuable?
One valuable feature about HP is the warranty. All switches are very similar when it comes to most functionalities. Mostly switches provide a one-year warranty, but with HPE switches, if there's a unit that malfunctions, we call them and they replace it the next business day if that line is still available. We had a switch we reported the other day, it was a 25-10, which we procured way back, around 2014, and they replaced it. In general, HP provides a lot of support for its products. We will be doing some tinkering on the VLAN soon, first the layer two, and then connecting the layer three functionalities for some other departments. The advantage of Aruba compared to other switches is their reliability. If the product is trustworthy, I'll continue to use it.
What needs improvement?
The cost of the solution could be improved. Before it became Aruba, it was a cheaper product. When Aruba was acquired by HPE, the prices went up. Most features I would want are there already. It's basically the upgrade, in terms of speed, and the price aspect that are issues for us. Right now we have the new switches, the Pen G features, which are still very expensive. Maybe in two or three years, these switches will be more affordable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable product, the whole department uses them.
How are customer service and technical support?
HP have had problems with support from time to time but they're quite good. We report when we need and then they replace what's required.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. They have certain manuals which we can follow on how to define the VLANs and other things, including some of the security. As far as the programming is concerned, I think it's very similar to Cisco. We have an IT team for our implementations and we've built the competency inside. We get the product, we get the manuals, we download and we test it and see if we can do it. If we cannot do it then we ask the vendor for support. We define the IP addresses that we can access remotely and the rest can be done from our office. It's more about testing the equipment to see if it works.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Aruba switches.
I would rate this product a nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-11-09T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1296138 from
Reasonably-priced and easy to manage from a central location
What is our primary use case?
The 5400 series is a modular chassis-based switch and it allows us to buy parts for different needs, such as 10 gigs, or a one gig ethernet over copper for workstations. It's really our core switch and we actually have a couple of different models.
That's in our headquarters, and then we have some other sites that use Aruba. I think they're the 2600 series or 2700 series, the smaller, modular ones, and stackable ones. Not the chassis-based.
How has it helped my organization?
When I first started two years ago, we didn't have these centralized modular switches and we had a bunch of stackable switches and there were many loops in the network.
We had different brands too. HP, Cisco, Linksys, Aruba, we had NETGEAR. There was not a common type of interface. We had network issues almost weekly.
We were able to get it organized and centrally managed, with a spanning tree to detect loops and more.
What is most valuable?
All of the networking products that we use are Aruba, so we use Aruba Central to manage them. This gives us a single place to look at land switches, wireless switches, and switches in other offices. It makes management a little easier.
It's the same type CLI commands to manage these.
What needs improvement?
There are many options with the modular switch and you buy cards for it. If you want 48 ports of one gig, you can buy a card for that, but more options would be better.
Right now, there's only eight, an eight-port, 10 gig module and sometimes we need a little denser than eight ports. It would be good if I could get a 24-port, 10 gig module.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Aruba Switches for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The Aruba Switches are very stable. We keep it up to date.
We update the firmware and software annually, as needed. We haven't had any issues. They are relatively new.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Aruba Switches scale well, because of the modularity of it and to be able to buy different modules and interchange modules. We have a pair of them and they are linked together with 40 gig connections, so all of the cards are interchangeable between the two switches and some of that is just by design.
These are the core switches in our organization and everybody in the office uses them. This includes our remote offices. Everybody passes data through them, albeit this is somewhat less at the moment because of the COVID quarantine.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not had to contact technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had a mix of modular switches at this company. We had some HP, Cisco, NETGEAR, and Linksys. We looked at the switches that can provide us the port density that we needed, in one or two chassis-type units, and was also affordable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price point was a big consideration for us and it is reasonable enough that we're able to standardize on Aruba for the networking pieces in our organization. This also includes Wi-Fi and access points.
Generally speaking, the price is good.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, this is a good, solid tool. It doesn't do anything fancy but it does what we need it to do. We don't do any routing through it. We have other routers to do all of that work. Again, the modular flexibility was a big attraction for us.
I've used Switches forever, so I knew what to expect. There was no installation really needed. We knew how to set up VLAN and set up the interfaces. We're happy with it.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-10-31T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2405865 from
A stable solution with faster deployment and better support
What needs improvement?
Replacement could be automated.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is providing better stability to the users.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution can scale up with your needs.
If your company grows, you can add a number of hardware or switches to support your network.
How are customer service and support?
Aruba support is much better than Netgear's.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward and quick.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is 20-30% costlier than Netgear.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Aruba is more stable than Netgear.
What other advice do I have?
Aruba has helped to improve network efficiency in some ways.
I recommend the solution.
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-06-16T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Umer Uzair from
Easy configuration and efficient integration with an easy installation process
What is our primary use case?
We are using it for LAN Switches in our corporate offices with PoE switches and access points. This is primarily a normal LAN switching use case.
What is most valuable?
They are easy to configure and integrate well with the Aruba ecosystem.
What needs improvement?
The power supplies are generally susceptible to power fluctuations and failure due to these fluctuations.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using it for four years as Aruba Access Point as well.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There are no serious bugs. The solution is pretty stable.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service is rated nine out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The installation is easy. We generally have only one person deploying it.
What was our ROI?
I have not quantified it exactly, but I would estimate a twenty percent cost savings or improvement in efficiency of operations.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is a bit on the pricey side.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We had been comparing other vendors, such as Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-16T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
MaheshSankhe from
Reliability and pricing advantages improve network efficiency
What is our primary use case?
The most typical use case for Aruba Switches is its reliability and good pricing compared to other solutions like Cisco.
How has it helped my organization?
Aruba Switches are reliable and easy to install and configure, which greatly helps maintain network integrity and efficiency in our operations.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Aruba Switches include the basic features like STP and RSTP, as well as its reliability and ease of installation. The hardware is also considered better than Cisco, which is a significant advantage.
What needs improvement?
Although the pricing of Aruba Switches is good compared to Cisco, there is room for improvement in further reducing the cost to make it more preferable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have experience working with Aruba Switches for more than 12 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Aruba Switches is near perfect, rated nine to ten out of ten. I find it very reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability of Aruba Switches as high, giving it a score of eight to nine out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support from Aruba is good. I rarely need to use it due to my expertise; the support is really nice, and the people are experienced.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not easy, so I rate it a five out of ten. It requires prior knowledge of switching instructions, although I find it manageable due to my over 25 years of experience with switches.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of Aruba Switches is good compared to Cisco. If they further reduce the price, it would be preferable.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator
Date published: 2024-10-22T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Dmitry Spomza from
Affordable and feature-rich network solutions with dual control plane benefits
What is our primary use case?
The primary use cases for Aruba Switches are for campus networks and data center stackable switch solutions.
How has it helped my organization?
Aruba Switches have provided significant improvements to my organization by offering robust networking solutions without the need for additional licenses.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Aruba Switches include the dual control plane, stackable features such as stack V6 and VSF stacks. Additionally, the switches work with all necessary features out of the box, without requiring additional licenses.
What needs improvement?
Aruba Switches don't need licenses to activate features and work straight out of the box, which is an advantage over some competitors. This implies less room for complaints compared with other solutions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Aruba Switches for about five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Aruba Switches is high, as rated ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Aruba Switches offer high scalability, receiving a ten out of ten rating.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service and support from Aruba are rated ten out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We work with Cisco and Juniper where extra licenses are often needed to activate features, which is not the case with Aruba Switches.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Aruba Switches are rated six out of ten when it comes to pricing, which means they might be more affordable compared with other vendors since they do not require additional licensing for features.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Other solutions that could be evaluated include Microsoft tools, AWS, and Juniper.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend Aruba Switches as they are more affordable compared to other vendors and do not require additional licensing for our customers.
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2024-10-21T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
ChukwuemekaOnyemelukwe from
Boost network capacity with quick boot-up and abundant connectivity options
What is our primary use case?
We use Aruba Switches primarily as access switches, which are employed to provide network access to users. These switches are part of our existing infrastructure, replacing older models that have become damaged due to aging.
How has it helped my organization?
Aruba Switches help by providing a greater number of switch ports, offering better speed and more bandwidth to the users. This enhances the network's capacity, allowing for an aggregation of users without degradation in performance.
What is most valuable?
The Aruba Switches are valuable because they come with a large number of switch ports by default, including forty-eight ports with each being a one-gig port.
They also include additional ports for SFP modules, enhancing connectivity with the potential to support up to ten GB SFP modules.
Additionally, the speed of the processor allows for quicker boot-up times compared to Cisco switches.
What needs improvement?
A challenge is the process required to reset the switches, which involves using two pins in tiny holes. An easily accessible button for resets would be a better design. The configuration aspect, although I have a personal learning curve since I come from a Cisco background, it might be complex for those transitioning from different systems.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been providing services for Aruba Switches for at least five years or more.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability of Aruba Switches at eight or nine out of ten. However, they are more susceptible to power interruptions. Proper power protection is essential for maintaining their stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I am uncertain about the scalability due to prior issues experienced in extending networks from Aruba's trunk ports. This may be due to configuration shortcomings on our end.
How are customer service and support?
We haven’t had reason to contact Aruba's support, as the switches work reliably until they need replacing.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Cisco Switches were previously used, but due to budget considerations, Aruba was chosen for its affordability while still offering similar features.
How was the initial setup?
The setup, in terms of configuration, requires an understanding of Aruba's command line, which differs from Cisco. Once familiar with it, it's manageable, especially since we copy configurations.
What about the implementation team?
Typically two engineers handle the installation and configuration tasks. However, if one engineer understands the configuration well, they can manage both installation and configuration.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Aruba Switches are cost-effective compared to Cisco switches. This is affirmed by the customer's choice to procure Aruba over Cisco.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Cisco is another vendor we considered. Aruba was chosen due to its affordability and its close feature parity with Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
Ensure that the power supply to the switches is protected with a UPS to prevent damage from power outages. Additionally, proper ventilation and cleanliness must be maintained to prevent dust accumulation. Aruba Switches offer a viable alternative to Cisco for those needing reliable performance at a lower cost.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Date published: 2024-10-21T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer956109 from
Good cloud management, efficient network solutions, and satisfactory support
What is our primary use case?
We are really just using Aruba Switches for ourselves. We're not like a service provider, but if you ask me, I will recommend it to my colleagues or friends.
How has it helped my organization?
It allows us to manage the switches through the cloud, which is good.
What is most valuable?
I mentioned earlier that managing the switches through the cloud is very beneficial.
What needs improvement?
Maybe the licensing model could be improved. It's a bit of a pain because it depends on when we activated the purchase.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Aruba Switches for about three to four years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product has been quite stable. I don't have a lot of experience with technical support because we haven't really required engagement.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I think Aruba Switches are scalable and support our organization's growth.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support has been all right. We may have engaged once or twice, and it was satisfactory.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The deployment was quite easy and straightforward. It took us maybe 30 to 45 minutes to set it up.
What about the implementation team?
We deployed some of the setup ourselves.
What was our ROI?
It's very hard to justify return on investment because it's something required for the network to function. I'm not sure how to address that.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We don't have a regular payment system because it's a one-off project that lasts for a few years until a refresh is needed. We pay for each Aruba product separately.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Aruba Switches; it's a very stable product.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-21T00:00:00-04:00