HPE Aruba Networking Management Reviews & Product Details

HPE Aruba Networking Management Software, also known as AirWave, is a comprehensive network operations system designed to manage both wired and wireless infrastructures from HPE Aruba Networking and various third-party manufacturers. It offers granular visibility into devices, users, and applications, enabling IT organizations to proactively optimize network performance, enhance security, and improve the end-user experience. Key Features and Functionality: - Unified Network Management: AirWave provides centralized control over wired and wireless networks, allowing for efficient management of global enterprise infrastructures. - Granular Visibility: The software delivers detailed insights into network devices, user activities, and application performance, facilitating proactive monitoring and troubleshooting. - Real-Time Monitoring and Alerts: AirWave offers real-time diagnostics, proactive alerts, and historical reporting to quickly identify and resolve network issues. - Support for Multi-Vendor Environments: It manages a wide range of devices from HPE Aruba Networking and third-party manufacturers, ensuring flexibility in diverse network environments. - Enhanced Security: The platform strengthens wireless security by providing detailed visibility and control over network access and usage. Primary Value and Solutions Provided: AirWave addresses the challenges of managing complex, multi-vendor network environments by offering a unified platform that simplifies operations and enhances visibility. By providing real-time monitoring, proactive alerts, and detailed reporting, it enables IT teams to optimize network performance, swiftly troubleshoot issues, and ensure a secure and reliable network experience for end-users. This comprehensive approach reduces operational complexity and supports the efficient management of enterprise networks.

Seller

Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company

Discussions

HPE Aruba Networking Management Community

Solution Type

Best-of-Breed

Value at a Glance

Averages based on real user reviews.

Time to Implement

2 months

Return on Investment

16 months

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Top-Rated Alternatives

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4.4/5(398)

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User Insights

Average based on 27 real user reviews.

Implementation Time

2 months

Perceived Cost

$$$$$

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Abdelkrim M.

Systems and Networks Administrator

Pharmaceuticals

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

10/14/2026

"All Switches and APs in One Clean Dashboard—with Proactive AI Alerts"

4.5/5

What do you like best about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

Honestly, the best part for me is having all our switches and APs in one dashboard without having to SSH into each box individually whenever something goes wrong. The UI is pretty clean once you get used to where everything is. I also rely a lot on the client health view and AI alerts—they actually point out DHCP or roaming issues before users even start opening tickets, which saves me a ton of time every week. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

The licensing model is probably the most frustrating part—figuring out the right subscription tiers and renewal costs feels way more complicated and pricey than it needs to be. Also, the web UI can get a bit sluggish when loading historical logs or large topology maps. Initial onboarding has a steep learning curve if you're migrating from older controllers, and technical support sometimes takes a while to escalate complex tickets. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is HPE Aruba Networking Management solving and how is that benefiting you?

Before using this, we struggled with inconsistent configurations across different floors and buildings because we were managing switches and APs manually. Now we can push standard VLANs, security policies, and firmware updates from one place without worrying about human error. It has easily cut our deployment and onboarding time for new network gear in half, and gave us a solid ROI just by reducing network downtime and user complaints. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Primary/Secondary Education

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

5/5/2026

"Higher-Level Network Management and Troubleshooting with Aruba Central"

4.5/5

What do you like best about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

Aruba Central has given us a higher level of network management, which in turn has enabled us to troubleshoot issues in ways that weren’t previously possible. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

The new version of Aruba Central is not as intuitive as the previous version. It still needs further development to improve usability and make navigation clearer. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Higher Education

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

2/18/2026

"Easy Centralized Access Point Configuration"

4.5/5

What do you like best about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

Easy to use, and it makes it simple to configure your access points from a single place. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

It can be confusing at times, especially with how things are nested, but overall it works well. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Hasan A.

Computer Engineer

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

4/24/2025

"manage access points, switches and HPE DL380Gen10 servers"

4.5/5

What do you like best about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

Unified Management (Aruba Central), Strong Security Integration & User-Friendly Interface Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

Cost for Advanced Features, The base functionality is solid, but many of the more advanced features (like AI-powered insights, advanced security tools, or detailed analytics) require additional licensing, which can get expensive quickly. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is HPE Aruba Networking Management solving and how is that benefiting you?

HPE Aruba Networking Management solves the problem of juggling multiple tools by giving us a unified platform to manage wired, wireless, and WAN networks. It improves visibility, speeds up troubleshooting with AI insights, and strengthens security with Zero Trust and role-based access.

The result? Less downtime, faster deployments, better scalability, and a smoother experience for both IT and end users. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Mark T.

Director of Network Services

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

10/26/2022

"Love how it works for our company"

5/5

What do you like best about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

I like how you are presented with all the information you need at a glance. Helps me quickly check the health of the wireless network Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

At times it will slow down if you do not keep up with allocating the correct amount of resources as you add features and APs Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Shawn O.

Systems Support Specialists

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

10/19/2023

"Aruba AirWave - Easy Network Monitoring and Management"

5/5

What do you like best about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

AirWave is very useful and very easy to use. It has a very user friendly interface that makes monitoring and managing your network devices quick and easy on a daily basis. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

The only con I found to AirWave is the initial cost. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is HPE Aruba Networking Management solving and how is that benefiting you?

The largest problem we face in our district was being able to monitor all our access points at each site. AirWave has turned this tedious task into a simple task. The second problem AirWave has helped us to solve is keeping all the firmware and configurations up-to-date on all our network switches. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Consumer Services

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

1/10/2024

"airwave manages devices and operations in batches"

5/5

What do you like best about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

airwave manages devices and operations in batches Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

It is not convenient to move devices in groups Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Design

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

1/10/2024

"airwave helps us troubleshoot the network"

5/5

What do you like best about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

Review user history connection information Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

It is inconvenient to delete offline devices in batches Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

1/10/2024

"airwave helps us operate efficiently"

5/5

What do you like best about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

airwave helps us operate efficiently, Quick troubleshooting Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

The number of clients is incorrectly displayed Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Information Technology and Services

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4/12/2023

"Aruba One Plane of Glass"

4/5

What do you like best about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

The Aruba system is robust and they are one of the last few fully offering a true Layer 3 Switch/system. The Access Points look good and you can get them in a few different colors to match whatever surface you are mounting them too. Need an all black appliance to match that restaurant ceiling on the waterfront, you got it. The airwave device is kind of like HPE, Ubiquiti or others, a physical appliance that sits in a rack and provides monitoring of all the solutions. We've utilized it both per client or one hosted externally and sending devices back to it, so it is versatile in that aspect. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about HPE Aruba Networking Management?

Aruba is on the moon with pricing. $6000 for a layer 3 48 port switch and that's the barebones version. The airwave devices are also very expensive. Something to consider they are harder to sell for an MSP with small to Medium size clients. Great for larger clients that have deeper pockets or a larger dataroom needing the additional VLANing and route support. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.