Re: Aruba vs HP vs Meraki
Hi Ethan, et al, I am new to the list but noticed this discussion and thought I might offer my two cents. I work at Westmont College, a liberal arts college in the Santa Barbara area. We evaluated Aruba, Cisco and Meraki last summer. We had a previous Aruba installation, running for several years, and with moderate success. What we found was that Meraki's model was made extremely flexible and simple by virtue of having no onsite controller. Being in the cloud, the controller itself was accessible by anyone we chose to allow access to it, not just whoever had knowledge of the specific command structure of the onsite controller, as was the case with the Aruba installation. Because of that flexibility, I or any of my network staff can log on from anywhere, be it a cafe, home or iPhone. Additionally, I can easily log into my local AP, wherever I am on campus, and get local information about that AP. Being a smallish shop, we used a local integrator, Novacoast, to work with us on some reengineering and deployment. I only mention that because before we approached them, NC had never even heard of Meraki. Within a few weeks they were fully credentialed and ready to go. That I almost entirely attribute to how easy Meraki is to deploy, though certainly NC were great. We spent some time working through our preferred configuration, some of which was a logical lift from the Aruba and some entirely new. We had around 270 Aruba ABG units (AP61s I think...) that were not upgradeable to N and as I mentioned the controller management was challenging. Only our Network Manager had access and knowledge enough to manage the unit. We replaced with nearly the same number of Merakis but gained full coverage around campus (indoor and out), N, dual and triband radios and an elegance in operation that has continued. With the Meraki setup even our CIO logs on and can easily run usage reports, drill down to specific APs, clients, time frames etc. Whenever Meraki enables a new feature, of which there have been several, they are applied to the cloud controller and have no effect to the local APs (=no down time). There have been a couple firmware updates but those are applied intelligently so that there is minimal downtime in the middle of the night and the update is applied in batches so we don't have a campus of dark APs during the upgrade. We haven't had a single unit fail. The long and short is that we have barely thought about the system since putting it in. We are in it all the time to check usage (...the ongoing struggle to have enough bandwidth etc etc), troubleshoot client issues (typically client misconfiguration by user), and see what new features have been added. But I don't worry about it. Ever. That may not be a standard TCO argument but for my money it's a big one. Cheers Kevin __ Kevin J. Hess '98 Senior Director Information Technology Westmont College 805.565.6154 kh...@westmont.edu ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
RE: Aruba vs HP vs Meraki
Philippe, Actually that looks like it could be an explosive environment. The Aruba AP-85 is designed to function in explosive environments. Bruce Osborne Liberty University -Original Message- From: Philippe Hanset [mailto:phan...@utk.edu] Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 3:57 PM Subject: Re: Aruba vs HP vs Meraki I always wondered what that WarDriving was all about. I get it now! Philippe, don't bother me or I rotate a Xirrus Array at you, and non of your porcupine will make it, Hanset p.s. This calls for a youtube video! On Apr 12, 2010, at 3:10 PM, Lee H Badman wrote: I did pick up a 1252 off of eBay, and filed it down so it fits my hand just right. I keep it under the seat of my truck... just in case things heat up. The only guy I worry about is someone who shows up with one of them big honkin' BelAir keg lookin' things. -Lee the Redneck -Original Message- From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU ] On Behalf Of Patrick Goggins Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 2:56 PM To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Aruba vs HP vs Meraki I believe this would fall under the built-in theft deterrent feature. Patrick Goggins Network Administrator Carroll University -Original Message- From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU ] On Behalf Of Johnson, Bruce T. Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 8:04 AM To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Aruba vs HP vs Meraki I'd bring the 1250 to a bar fight. It's more Medieval. Bruce T. Johnson | Partners Healthcare | Network Engineering 617.726.9662 | Pager: 31633 | bjohns...@partners.org -Original Message- From: Jeffrey Sessler [j...@scrippscollege.edu] Received: 4/11/10 10:27 PM To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU [wireless-...@listserv.educause.edu ] Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Aruba vs HP vs Meraki And as Lee is swinging the 1142s, the song Eye of the Tiger would be playing, along with a slow-motion montage of various IT highlights from his career. :) Jeff Mike King m...@mpking.com 4/11/2010 5:46 PM On Sun, Apr 11, 2010 at 8:30 PM, Lee H Badman lhbad...@syr.edu wrote: If I have to take an AP to a bar fight, I'd want a Cisco to swing around, simply based on heft. Based on that line, I had two images pop in my mind: The first one was Lee Swinging two 1142n (one in each hand) like a ninja. Two was Cisco new Marketing campaign. If I have to take an AP to a bar fight, I'd want a Cisco ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/ . ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/ . The information in this e-mail is intended only for the person to whom it is addressed. If you believe this e-mail was sent to you in error and the e-mail contains patient information, please contact the Partners Compliance HelpLine at http://www.partners.org/complianceline . If the e-mail was sent to you in error but does not contain patient information, please contact the sender and properly dispose of the e-mail. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/ . ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
Re: Aruba vs HP vs Meraki
Hi Lee, From what I can tell, and since I haven't touched it I could be wrong, Bluesocket's vWLAN solution is a software controller that can run on a server of your choosing. If that's correct, I'm wondering how it's any different than a controller-appliance-based implementation (other than just using a x86 server instead of a custom appliance to host the software). Am I misunderstanding their solution? Thanks, Devin Devin K. Akin Chief Wi-Fi Architect Aerohive Networks E: de...@aerohive.com C: +1.404.483.2681 O: +1.770.854.8554 W: www.Aerohive.com I did look at Meraki early on- you are correct that I saw them before they added rogue detection. I will also add that I am gaining a much better familiarization with BlueSocket's vWLAN architecture (outside of my university duties), which I would describe in simplest terms as living somewhere between Meraki in the cloud and the heavy controller vendors. It is a very interesting system as well, with some distinct competitive advantages, and I would say that if you are open minded enough to be looking beyond the major players, BlueSocket is worth throwing in the mix. -Lee From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [wireless-...@listserv.educause.edu] On Behalf Of John Rodkey [rod...@westmont.edu] Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 11:19 PM To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Aruba vs HP vs Meraki Reading Lee's review of Meraki, it appears that he demo'ed the system prior to their introduction of rogue detection. On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 8:01 PM, John Rodkey rod...@westmont.edumailto:rod...@westmont.edu wrote: We moved from Aruba to Meraki within the last year. We were able to get considerably more saturation of the campus with wireless using Meraki than would have been possible for the same cost with Aruba. Administration of the access points was much more intuitive with Meraki than our experience with Aruba, and the functionality provided by the cloud-based controller is quite extensive. Deployment is very much plug and play: the WAPs auto-configure themselves. We've also used the mesh capability built into the Meraki products to extend coverage where we have power but no network connections. Meraki has been very responsive to us in dealing with the problems we have encountered. In retrospect, most of the problems were either Radius configuration or client computer problems. The few that weren't client/config problems were addressed quickly and professionally. We're happy with the results. Stats: we have 270 802.11N APs deployed, 2393 distinct clients. On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 11:21 AM, Ethan Sommer somm...@gac.edumailto:somm...@gac.edu wrote: We are considering replacing our 200+ AP wireless infrastructure with a controller based 802.11n system. I believe we have narrowed it down to Aruba, HP Procurve (we use HP switch gear), and Meraki. I have two questions: 1. Are there any hidden costs we should watch out for with any of these (particularly Aruba.) Will we hit major costs other than the up front cost for the APs and the controllers? 2. I know a lot of schools are very happily using Aruba, but I haven't heard of any schools using HP and very few using Meraki. Are there any schools who have gone with Aruba and regretted it? If so, why? Are there any schools out there using HP Procurve (formerly Colubrius) or Merkai? What do you think of them? Did you have any surprises after you deployed? Ethan -- Ethan Sommer Associate Director of Core Services 507-933-7042 somm...@gustavus.edumailto:somm...@gustavus.edu ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
RE: Aruba vs HP vs Meraki
Although you may be tempted to skip some licensing, I find Aruba's Policy Enforcement Firewall indispensible for the features control you get as an administrator. Bruce Osborne Liberty University -Original Message- From: Patrick Goggins [mailto:pgogg...@carrollu.edu] Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 7:09 PM Subject: Re: Aruba vs HP vs Meraki HP can be decentralized (depending on the model) or controller-based but requires a large number of controllers to scale well. While Aruba does have extra licensing fees some of them can be skipped with the newer licensing model and others passed on if you have an existing NAC/NPS solution which works well for you environment. How is your organization with regards to cloud services in general? If per policy other services were turned down by the organization Meraki might not be an option as wireless configuration is in the cloud. What features are you looking to implement on the access points? For example, we are using ethertype filters at the AP level to block IPv6 which during tests earlier this year HP would not offer but Cisco and 3Com did. When running encryption on your network if certain encrypted SSID's are available campus-wide is this installation a forklift replaced? If not, the new equipment may need to support whatever the existing encryption settings are as different vendors have slight variation on implementation of the standards. If using 802.1x and it is a mixed vendor environment thoroughly test the functionality, we have seen some limitation when running cross-vendor with multiple MAC addresses on a single switch port or access points tying in correctly with different NAC solutions. ~Patrick From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [wireless-...@listserv.educause.edu] On Behalf Of Mike Hydra [mhy...@2fast4wireless.com] Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 4:01 PM To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Aruba vs HP vs Meraki What I personally find interesting is the wide choice not from a manufacturing point of view but more from a Wi-Fi technology point of view. Aruba - Controller based (aka controller based) All data goes through the controller, centralized architecture. HP - decentralized (Controller in not directly essential) Data path is separated from the management path. Meraki - Cloud computing Centralized Cloud, not having to own controller hardware inside your own network. All three very different solutions. I'm looking forward to follow this email threat with the comments, thanks for sharing. I would recommend writing down a proof of concept and invite the vendors of your choice. In this way you've tested your requirement (out of your proof on concept) therefore convinced around the solution you buy is the right one. Good luck... Mike Hydra Cell: +31 6 29 07 18 96 Tel: +31 252 62 61 20 Fax: +31 252 68 88 37 E-mail: mhy...@2fast4wireless.comUrlBlockedError.aspx Skype: Flying-Wireless-Dutchman Web: www.2fast4wireless.com From: Peter P Morrissey ppmor...@syr.eduUrlBlockedError.aspx Reply-To: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDUUrlBlockedError.aspx Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 22:47:26 +0200 To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDUUrlBlockedError.aspx Subject: Re: Aruba vs HP vs Meraki OK, so I'll ask. Why did you eliminate Cisco already? Pete M. -Original Message- From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:wireless-...@listserv.educause.edu] On Behalf Of Ethan Sommer Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 2:21 PM To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDUUrlBlockedError.aspx Subject: [WIRELESS-LAN] Aruba vs HP vs Meraki We are considering replacing our 200+ AP wireless infrastructure with a controller based 802.11n system. I believe we have narrowed it down to Aruba, HP Procurve (we use HP switch gear), and Meraki. I have two questions: 1. Are there any hidden costs we should watch out for with any of these (particularly Aruba.) Will we hit major costs other than the up front cost for the APs and the controllers? 2. I know a lot of schools are very happily using Aruba, but I haven't heard of any schools using HP and very few using Meraki. Are there any schools who have gone with Aruba and regretted it? If so, why? Are there any schools out there using HP Procurve (formerly Colubrius) or Merkai? What do you think of them? Did you have any surprises after you deployed? Ethan -- Ethan Sommer Associate Director of Core Services 507-933-7042 somm...@gustavus.eduUrlBlockedError.aspx ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu
Re: Aruba vs HP vs Meraki
What I personally find interesting is the wide choice not from a manufacturing point of view but more from a Wi-Fi technology point of view. Aruba - Controller based (aka controller based) All data goes through the controller, centralized architecture. HP - decentralized (Controller in not directly essential) Data path is separated from the management path. Meraki - Cloud computing Centralized Cloud, not having to own controller hardware inside your own network. All three very different solutions. I'm looking forward to follow this email threat with the comments, thanks for sharing. I would recommend writing down a proof of concept and invite the vendors of your choice. In this way you've tested your requirement (out of your proof on concept) therefore convinced around the solution you buy is the right one. Good luck... Mike Hydra Cell: +31 6 29 07 18 96 Tel: +31 252 62 61 20 Fax: +31 252 68 88 37 E-mail: mhy...@2fast4wireless.com Skype: Flying-Wireless-Dutchman Web: www.2fast4wireless.com From: Peter P Morrissey ppmor...@syr.edu Reply-To: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 22:47:26 +0200 To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU Subject: Re: Aruba vs HP vs Meraki OK, so I'll ask. Why did you eliminate Cisco already? Pete M. -Original Message- From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:wireless-...@listserv.educause.edu] On Behalf Of Ethan Sommer Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 2:21 PM To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU Subject: [WIRELESS-LAN] Aruba vs HP vs Meraki We are considering replacing our 200+ AP wireless infrastructure with a controller based 802.11n system. I believe we have narrowed it down to Aruba, HP Procurve (we use HP switch gear), and Meraki. I have two questions: 1. Are there any hidden costs we should watch out for with any of these (particularly Aruba.) Will we hit major costs other than the up front cost for the APs and the controllers? 2. I know a lot of schools are very happily using Aruba, but I haven't heard of any schools using HP and very few using Meraki. Are there any schools who have gone with Aruba and regretted it? If so, why? Are there any schools out there using HP Procurve (formerly Colubrius) or Merkai? What do you think of them? Did you have any surprises after you deployed? Ethan -- Ethan Sommer Associate Director of Core Services 507-933-7042 somm...@gustavus.edu ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. The information in this e-mail is confidential and may be legally privileged. If you have received this e-mail in error, please reply to its sender indicating received in error in the subject line, then delete the e-mail and destroy any copies of it. If you are not its intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution or any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on this e-mail, is prohibited and may be unlawful. Internet communications are not considered secure. Information might be intercepted, amended, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or might contain viruses. 2 Fast 4 Wireless and/or 2 Fast 4 Wireless Corporation (USA) will not accept any liability with respect to the contents of this email and its attachments. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
Re: Aruba vs HP vs Meraki
I would consider making a list of characteristics/features that you're looking for, and then see which of the three vendors can deliver most of them, with emphasis on the critical features, within your budget. Devin K. Akin Chief Wi-Fi Architect Aerohive Networks E: de...@aerohive.com C: +1.404.483.2681 O: +1.770.854.8554 W: www.Aerohive.com What I personally find interesting is the wide choice not from a manufacturing point of view but more from a Wi-Fi technology point of view. Aruba – Controller based (aka controller based) All data goes through the controller, centralized architecture. HP – decentralized (Controller in not directly essential) Data path is separated from the management path. Meraki – Cloud computing Centralized Cloud, not having to own controller hardware inside your own network. All three very different solutions. I’m looking forward to follow this email threat with the comments, thanks for sharing. I would recommend writing down a proof of concept and invite the vendors of your choice. In this way you’ve tested your requirement (out of your proof on concept) therefore convinced around the solution you buy is the right one. Good luck... Mike Hydra Cell: +31 6 29 07 18 96 Tel: +31 252 62 61 20 Fax: +31 252 68 88 37 E-mail: mhy...@2fast4wireless.com Skype: Flying-Wireless-Dutchman Web: www.2fast4wireless.com From: Peter P Morrissey ppmor...@syr.edu Reply-To: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 22:47:26 +0200 To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU Subject: Re: Aruba vs HP vs Meraki OK, so I'll ask. Why did you eliminate Cisco already? Pete M. -Original Message- From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:wireless-...@listserv.educause.edu] On Behalf Of Ethan Sommer Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 2:21 PM To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU Subject: [WIRELESS-LAN] Aruba vs HP vs Meraki We are considering replacing our 200+ AP wireless infrastructure with a controller based 802.11n system. I believe we have narrowed it down to Aruba, HP Procurve (we use HP switch gear), and Meraki. I have two questions: 1. Are there any hidden costs we should watch out for with any of these (particularly Aruba.) Will we hit major costs other than the up front cost for the APs and the controllers? 2. I know a lot of schools are very happily using Aruba, but I haven't heard of any schools using HP and very few using Meraki. Are there any schools who have gone with Aruba and regretted it? If so, why? Are there any schools out there using HP Procurve (formerly Colubrius) or Merkai? What do you think of them? Did you have any surprises after you deployed? Ethan -- Ethan Sommer Associate Director of Core Services 507-933-7042 somm...@gustavus.edu ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. The information in this e-mail is confidential and may be legally privileged. If you have received this e-mail in error, please reply to its sender indicating received in error in the subject line, then delete the e-mail and destroy any copies of it. If you are not its intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution or any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on this e-mail, is prohibited and may be unlawful. Internet communications are not considered secure. Information might be intercepted, amended, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or might contain viruses. 2 Fast 4 Wireless and/or 2 Fast 4 Wireless Corporation (USA) will not accept any liability with respect to the contents of this email and its attachments. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
Re: Aruba vs HP vs Meraki
Ethan, Was the narrowing process done based on specs or perhaps a list of criteria that they had to meet? Obviously there are lots of methods of buying (best of breed, best of brand, bake-off/performance-test, etc)...so I was just curious as to how you narrowed it down (since someone else was asking about 'why not Cisco') thanks! Devin K. Akin Chief Wi-Fi Architect Aerohive Networks E: de...@aerohive.com C: +1.404.483.2681 O: +1.770.854.8554 W: www.Aerohive.com/isc (See our Infinitely Scalable Controller!) We are considering replacing our 200+ AP wireless infrastructure with a controller based 802.11n system. I believe we have narrowed it down to Aruba, HP Procurve (we use HP switch gear), and Meraki. I have two questions: 1. Are there any hidden costs we should watch out for with any of these (particularly Aruba.) Will we hit major costs other than the up front cost for the APs and the controllers? 2. I know a lot of schools are very happily using Aruba, but I haven't heard of any schools using HP and very few using Meraki. Are there any schools who have gone with Aruba and regretted it? If so, why? Are there any schools out there using HP Procurve (formerly Colubrius) or Merkai? What do you think of them? Did you have any surprises after you deployed? Ethan -- Ethan Sommer Associate Director of Core Services 507-933-7042 somm...@gustavus.edu ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
Re: Aruba vs HP vs Meraki
We are an anti cisco shop. We moved away to hp and didn't look back. Their smartnet philosophy just doesn't work in our environment. We are looking at hp primarily because we use hp swittch gear. Then we chose a sampling of other brands we know other schools are happy with. We are open to considering other brands with good references, who will let us demo 10 aps, that will cost us about 100k for a 200 ap system. -- Sent from my Palm Pre On Apr 2, 2010 5:01 PM, Devin Akin lt;de...@aerohive.comgt; wrote: Ethan, Was the narrowing process done based on specs or perhaps a list of criteria that they had to meet? Obviously there are lots of methods of buying (best of breed, best of brand, bake-off/performance-test, etc)...so I was just curious as to how you narrowed it down (since someone else was asking about 'why not Cisco') thanks! Devin K. Akin Chief Wi-Fi Architect Aerohive Networks E:nbsp;de...@aerohive.com C: +1.404.483.2681 O: +1.770.854.8554 W:nbsp;www.Aerohive.com/isc (See our Infinitely Scalable Controller!) We are considering replacing our 200+ AP wireless infrastructure with anbsp; controller based 802.11n system. I believe we have narrowed it down to Aruba, HP Procurve (we use HPnbsp; switch gear), and Meraki. I have two questions: 1. Are there any hidden costs we should watch out for with any of thesenbsp; (particularly Aruba.) Will we hit major costs other than the up frontnbsp; cost for the APs and the controllers? 2. I know a lot of schools are very happily using Aruba, but I haven'tnbsp; heard of any schools using HP and very few using Meraki. Are there any schools who have gone with Aruba and regretted it? If so, why? Are there any schools out there using HP Procurve (formerly Colubrius)nbsp; or Merkai? What do you think of them? Did you have any surprises afternbsp; you deployed? Ethan --nbsp; Ethan Sommer Associate Director of Core Services 507-933-7042 somm...@gustavus.edu ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found atnbsp;http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
RE: Aruba vs HP vs Meraki
HP can be decentralized (depending on the model) or controller-based but requires a large number of controllers to scale well. While Aruba does have extra licensing fees some of them can be skipped with the newer licensing model and others passed on if you have an existing NAC/NPS solution which works well for you environment. How is your organization with regards to cloud services in general? If per policy other services were turned down by the organization Meraki might not be an option as wireless configuration is in the cloud. What features are you looking to implement on the access points? For example, we are using ethertype filters at the AP level to block IPv6 which during tests earlier this year HP would not offer but Cisco and 3Com did. When running encryption on your network if certain encrypted SSID's are available campus-wide is this installation a forklift replaced? If not, the new equipment may need to support whatever the existing encryption settings are as different vendors have slight variation on implementation of the standards. If using 802.1x and it is a mixed vendor environment thoroughly test the functionality, we have seen some limitation when running cross-vendor with multiple MAC addresses on a single switch port or access points tying in correctly with different NAC solutions. ~Patrick From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [wireless-...@listserv.educause.edu] On Behalf Of Mike Hydra [mhy...@2fast4wireless.com] Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 4:01 PM To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Aruba vs HP vs Meraki What I personally find interesting is the wide choice not from a manufacturing point of view but more from a Wi-Fi technology point of view. Aruba – Controller based (aka controller based) All data goes through the controller, centralized architecture. HP – decentralized (Controller in not directly essential) Data path is separated from the management path. Meraki – Cloud computing Centralized Cloud, not having to own controller hardware inside your own network. All three very different solutions. I’m looking forward to follow this email threat with the comments, thanks for sharing. I would recommend writing down a proof of concept and invite the vendors of your choice. In this way you’ve tested your requirement (out of your proof on concept) therefore convinced around the solution you buy is the right one. Good luck... Mike Hydra Cell: +31 6 29 07 18 96 Tel: +31 252 62 61 20 Fax: +31 252 68 88 37 E-mail: mhy...@2fast4wireless.comUrlBlockedError.aspx Skype: Flying-Wireless-Dutchman Web: www.2fast4wireless.com From: Peter P Morrissey ppmor...@syr.eduUrlBlockedError.aspx Reply-To: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDUUrlBlockedError.aspx Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 22:47:26 +0200 To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDUUrlBlockedError.aspx Subject: Re: Aruba vs HP vs Meraki OK, so I'll ask. Why did you eliminate Cisco already? Pete M. -Original Message- From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:wireless-...@listserv.educause.edu] On Behalf Of Ethan Sommer Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 2:21 PM To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDUUrlBlockedError.aspx Subject: [WIRELESS-LAN] Aruba vs HP vs Meraki We are considering replacing our 200+ AP wireless infrastructure with a controller based 802.11n system. I believe we have narrowed it down to Aruba, HP Procurve (we use HP switch gear), and Meraki. I have two questions: 1. Are there any hidden costs we should watch out for with any of these (particularly Aruba.) Will we hit major costs other than the up front cost for the APs and the controllers? 2. I know a lot of schools are very happily using Aruba, but I haven't heard of any schools using HP and very few using Meraki. Are there any schools who have gone with Aruba and regretted it? If so, why? Are there any schools out there using HP Procurve (formerly Colubrius) or Merkai? What do you think of them? Did you have any surprises after you deployed? Ethan -- Ethan Sommer Associate Director of Core Services 507-933-7042 somm...@gustavus.eduUrlBlockedError.aspx ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. The information in this e-mail is confidential and may be legally privileged. If you have received this e-mail in error, please reply to its sender indicating received in error in the subject line, then delete the e-mail and destroy any copies of it. If you are not its intended recipient, any disclosure
Re: Aruba vs HP vs Meraki
ABC. :) SWEET. I know lots of folks who leverage their relationship with HP because of the Ethernet gear. Nothing wrong with that really...as long as HP gives you a system that can do what you're looking to do with Wi-Fi. Cool. Devin Devin K. Akin Chief Wi-Fi Architect Aerohive Networks E: de...@aerohive.com C: +1.404.483.2681 O: +1.770.854.8554 W: www.Aerohive.com/isc (See our Infinitely Scalable Controller!) We are an anti cisco shop. We moved away to hp and didn't look back. Their smartnet philosophy just doesn't work in our environment. We are looking at hp primarily because we use hp swittch gear. Then we chose a sampling of other brands we know other schools are happy with. We are open to considering other brands with good references, who will let us demo 10 aps, that will cost us about 100k for a 200 ap system. -- Sent from my Palm Pre On Apr 2, 2010 5:01 PM, Devin Akin de...@aerohive.com wrote: Ethan, Was the narrowing process done based on specs or perhaps a list of criteria that they had to meet? Obviously there are lots of methods of buying (best of breed, best of brand, bake-off/performance-test, etc)...so I was just curious as to how you narrowed it down (since someone else was asking about 'why not Cisco') thanks! Devin K. Akin Chief Wi-Fi Architect Aerohive Networks E: de...@aerohive.com C: +1.404.483.2681 O: +1.770.854.8554 W: www.Aerohive.com/isc (See our Infinitely Scalable Controller!) We are considering replacing our 200+ AP wireless infrastructure with a controller based 802.11n system. I believe we have narrowed it down to Aruba, HP Procurve (we use HP switch gear), and Meraki. I have two questions: 1. Are there any hidden costs we should watch out for with any of these (particularly Aruba.) Will we hit major costs other than the up front cost for the APs and the controllers? 2. I know a lot of schools are very happily using Aruba, but I haven't heard of any schools using HP and very few using Meraki. Are there any schools who have gone with Aruba and regretted it? If so, why? Are there any schools out there using HP Procurve (formerly Colubrius) or Merkai? What do you think of them? Did you have any surprises after you deployed? Ethan -- Ethan Sommer Associate Director of Core Services 507-933-7042 somm...@gustavus.edu ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
