Acquiring reliable connectivity is a baseline requirement for the modern enterprise campus. However, campus networks are a little trickier to provide quality Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) services than traditional enterprise networks. This is because campus networks have divergent connectivity requirements and encompass a wide range of industries. Adding to the challenge is the fact that campus networks require scalable indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi solutions that support long-distance building-to-building connectivity. These connectivity challenges have borne a number of technological advancements from WLAN vendors.
As reported in ABI Research’s WLAN for Campus Networks competitive ranking, WLAN vendors target enterprise campuses with different strategies and innovations. In this article, I will walk you through the strategies being implemented by seven leading solution providers in the WLAN market.
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1. Cisco
San Jose, California-based Cisco is the market leading enterprise WLAN vendor in terms of market share, with 28.5% of worldwide enterprise-grade WLAN Access Point (AP) shipments in 2Q 2023 being Cisco products. A core pillar of the company’s strength is its unmatched level of Research & Development (R&D) investment, the highest amongst its peers. This R&D powers initiatives that allow the company to make significant technological breakthroughs addressing the WLAN challenges of virtually all industry verticals and campus environments. Cisco has also leveraged its close ties with device manufacturers like Intel, Samsung, Zebra, and Apple to develop innovative WLAN solutions such as Fastlane+ for iOS devices.
Cisco’s WLAN network management offerings fall under either the Catalyst or Meraki platforms, with the former targeting on-premises management, and the latter centered around cloud-based APs. While these two lines have historically been separate and distinct, in 2023, Cisco devoted significant resources for integrating the two lines, vastly improving the company’s value proposition to consumers. Furthermore, it’s also noteworthy that Cisco is one of just a handful of campus WLAN vendors offering solutions for both enterprise Information Technology (IT) and industrial Operational Technology (OT) environments.
2. Huawei
Chinese telecommunications company Huawei is one of the most forward-looking WLAN providers in the market. The company exerts a major influence on the direction of the IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) standard and has brought significant innovation through the advanced features that it has built into its proprietary Wi-Fi 6 Advanced and Wi-Fi 7 Advanced standards. Huawei was also the first company to offer a Wi-Fi 7 AP to enterprise customers in the form of the AirEngine products launched in November 2023. Huawei’s enterprise-grade APs are renowned for their cost-effectiveness and ability to be used in all primary campus verticals/deployment scenarios.
Huawei’s innovative WLAN solutions, notably iMaster NCE-Campus, run on the CloudCampus 3.0 campus network architecture. Campus customers will appreciate CloudCampus 3.0’s ability to reduce network complexity and latency and increase flexibility and scalability while using a two-layer approach to networking architecture. Key features include automated management, Four-Dimensional (4D) fault visualization, intelligent Three-Dimensional (3D) planning tools, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based fault detection. For enterprises that rely on the Internet of Things (IoT), Huawei has thankfully embedded IoT ports into all of its modern APs and has strong ties with IoT module providers.
3. HPE Aruba Networking
Santa Clara, California-based company HPE Aruba Networking has a long history of leading innovation in the Wi-Fi industry. Notable milestones for HPE Aruba Networking include releasing the first Wi-Fi 6E AP for enterprises in 2021 and being the driving force behind developing the Standard Power 6 GHz spectrum band. HPE Aruba Networking is also known for its pioneering role in converging Wi-Fi and cellular. The AirPass platform, for example, allows for a smooth handover between Wi-Fi 6 and 5G. Other areas where HPE Aruba Networking is leading the campus WLAN market include network automation, AI Operations (AIOps), security, data analysis, anomaly detection, Network-as-a-Service (NaaS), and End-to-End (E2E) network orchestration.
With an 18.9% market share by enterprise WLAN AP shipment volume in 4Q 2022, HPE Aruba Networking is one of the industry’s leading vendors. The company’s market success is thanks to its wide range of WLAN solutions, with options for a variety of industries and budgets. For example, smaller enterprises can use the Instant On series of APs if their budgets are constrained. On the other end of the spectrum, companies with deep pockets can leverage the flagship 650 series for more network-intensive campus environments.
4. RUCKUS Networks
Another WLAN company our analysts found impressive is Ruckus Networks, a brand of American infrastructure provider CommScope. The California-based company specializes in optimizing WLAN performance for sophisticated campus environments with high-density, volatile client behavior, and demand for client roaming. RUCKUS Networks has developed a range of proprietary technologies to address these specific challenges. Some of the most notable are the patented BeamFlex and ChannelFly technologies. BeamFlex is a smart antenna software solution that automatically adjusts antennas based on client location and environmental conditions, whereas ChannelFly implements automatic Radio Frequency (RF) channel selection and interference mitigation. Alongside these, RUCKUS has also implemented cutting-edge AI into its software solutions, including its AI-driven Radio Resource Management (RRM) and RUCKUS One platform.
Another major strength of RUCKUS is its extensive portfolio of hardware optimized for campuses, with options for different needs and budgets. All of RUCKUS’ Enterprise WLAN APs are equipped with SmartMesh technology, enabling campuses to connect all their APs with a single click. Most of RUCKUS’ WLAN equipment can integrate with IoT radios, which is a value proposition for enterprises looking to transform digitally. Finally, RUCKUS is closely allied with Automatic Frequency Control (AFC) service provider Comsearch, another CommScope subsidiary. This partnership allows RUCKUS to provide campuses with unlicensed 6 Gigahertz (GHz) spectrum utilization.
5. Juniper Networks
Yet another top WLAN vendor based out of California, Juniper Networks increased its enterprise sales by 40% Year-over-Year (YoY) in 2Q 2023. Much of this sales growth is thanks to innovations from the company’s cloud-based Mist management platform for campus WLANs. The Mist platform is highly scalable and includes features like provisioning, monitoring, analytics, and alerts.
Juniper Networks is an industry leader in AI-driven WLAN tools, and it is for this reason that many companies are choosing Juniper as their WLAN provider. Marvis, an AI-driven Virtual Network Assistant (VNA), is the first of its kind in the WLAN industry. Marvis, which functions with Windows and Android devices, provides campuses with real-time insights and proactive recommendations; 2023 updates to Marvis include integration with ChatGPT for more Natural Language Processing (NLP) and adding user experience feedback. AI remains a huge focus for Juniper Networks, as it aims to simplify Wi-Fi network management further.
Although not as wide-ranging as other WLAN vendors’ offerings, Juniper Networks’ APs feature superior technology capabilities such as virtual Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE) antenna arrays. This technology can be used with proprietary algorithms to position APs in the optimal location on a site map.
6. Cambium Networks
Based out of Illinois, Cambium Networks offers enterprise WLAN solutions optimized for the education, hospitality, retail, municipal, transportation, large public venue, Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU), and healthcare industries. Cambium’s portfolio contains a variety of solutions for all demands and budgets, with one of the key differentiators being its highly competitive outdoor range, an area in which the company has a strong legacy of leadership. Another notable strength for the company is its Cambium ONE Network fabric, launched in late 2022. The Cambium ONE network fabric significantly raises Cambium Networks’ competitive position in terms of campuses, as it enabled the company to offer an E2E, converged network solution managed through a single pane of glass to its customers. This flagship platform features common visibility, policy, network security, and troubleshooting capabilities.
Whereas many other North American campus WLAN vendors have become industry leaders primarily through acquisitions, Cambium Networks has instead focused on expanding its capabilities through organic growth. This organic growth has led to greater harmony and consistency across the company’s WLAN product portfolio, increasing network management simplicity, efficiency, and scalability.
7. TP-Link
TP-Link demonstrated industry-leading innovation in late 2022 by becoming one of the first vendors to release enterprise-grade Wi-Fi 7 APs, proving that the company is not just competitive on pricing (its historical strength), but is now competitive innovatively, too. That said, TP-Link’s greatest strength still resides in its highly cost-effective WLAN solutions—its enterprise WLAN APs and controllers remain among the most competitively priced in the Wi-Fi market, and customers can expect free software licenses and an extended 8-year warranty on all TP-Link products.
TP-Link’s cost-effective solutions are available for virtually all campus environments. One of the fastest areas of growth for TP-Link is in the warehouse vertical. Warehouses will find value in TP-Link’s proprietary smart antenna technology that leverages AI-driven roaming management, which is excellent for Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) use cases. Automated channel setting and power level adjustments are other innovations that the Singapore-headquartered telco company has delivered in recent years for campus WLAN environments. Omada WLAN products are managed through an on-premises hardware controller, a software controller, or a cloud-based controller.
Learn More before Choosing Your Next Campus WLAN Provider
The WLAN companies listed in this article all excel in meeting the growing needs of enterprise campuses to varying degrees. Whether it’s the transition to Wi-Fi 7 or AI-supported network management, all the top WLAN vendors provide solutions that address the increasingly complex Wi-Fi connectivity requirements in the campus segment. To learn more about what to look for in your next campus WLAN solution provider, read our Selecting the Right WLAN Vendor for Your Camus Network in 2024 Research Highlight.