Share this
Juniper Mist AI and Cisco Battle for a Spot in Your Wireless Network
by Hunter Gorman on May 20, 2021 2:00:00 PM
Wireless networking has improved with many features in recent years. The Wi-Fi 6 supported next-generation wireless system can deliver a higher grade of service to older applications. The top two wireless equipment manufacturers, Juniper and Cisco, are leading the market. In this head-to-head comparison, we will investigate the pros and cons of both solutions, which will help you to choose the right product for your application.
Juniper Mist AI Access Point Overview
Juniper is leading the convergence of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, and IoT with its enterprise-grade Access Points. The Juniper Access Points work in conjunction with the Juniper Mist Cloud Architecture and Mist AI to collect and analyze metadata in near real-time from all wireless clients. This enables rapid problem detection and root cause identification with predictive recommendations and proactive correction realizing the self-driving network.
Mist is using AI to revolutionize enterprise networking. By delivering unprecedented automation and insights, the Mist AI Platform saves time and money, maximizes IT productivity, and gives the best networking experience to any digital user. Juniper Mist and PivIT share a core belief in software-defined networking, with a focus on bringing AI to IT to simplify operations and improve customer experience. Learn more about PivIT's partnership with Juniper Mist and how you can access the benefits of the Mist AI Platform.
Cisco Wireless Access Point Overview
Cisco wireless solutions are resilient, have the integrated security you need, and employ adaptive and insightful intelligence providing helpful insight into your network. With intent-based networking built on Cisco Digital Network Architecture, Cisco wireless solutions go beyond the latest Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) standard. They are ready for the growing user expectations, IoT devices, and next-gen cloud-driven applications. With the ability to handle the increased mobile traffic and support IoT at Scale, Cisco's first Wi-Fi 6 access points with superior RF innovations will expand wireless access with intelligence and provide a secure, reliable, high-quality wireless experience for all networks.
Juniper Mist Access Point Features and Benefits
Best Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE performance
- In addition to delivering the best 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) and 802.11ac Wi-Fi range and performance, Mist APs incorporate a patented dynamic vBLE 16 element antenna array to provide the industry's most accurate and scalable location services.
Data collection, analysis, and enforcement
- Mist APs collect data and enforce policies in conjunction with the Mist Cloud, which is critical when doing analytics, machine learning, location services, and event correlation. Several models incorporate IoT sensors and a third radio for business process automation, constant monitoring, and intelligent packet capture to speed up troubleshooting for enhanced visibility.
A single, enterprise-grade platform for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, and IoT
- For network convergence, Mist APs incorporates a port for direct and programmable integration to the analog and digital interfaces of Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Hardware Options For You
Want to test a product without fully committing? We have demo units available for you to try and test out Juniper Mist in your network.
Cisco Wireless Access Point Features and Benefits
Comprehensive Security
- Detect encrypted threats with Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA).
- Multi-lingual access points that provide visibility and communications with not only Wi-Fi but Zigbee and BLE.
- Cisco SD-Access provides automated end-to-end segmentation and group-based policy that is used to separate user, device, and application traffic without completely redesigning the network.
Data-Optimized Intelligence
- Streaming telemetry and contextual data from every access point and controller on the network provides complete visibility.
- Automatically detect and prioritize issues with complex event processing with a series of analytics engines to find anomalies instantly.
Reliability Beyond Wi-Fi 6
- Custom RF ASIC provides Flexible Radio Assignment (FRA), CleanAir, Wireless Intrusion Prevention System (WIPS), and DFS detection.
- Reliability beyond Wi-Fi 6. Support for the latest mobile standard and new technologies allow for better experiences and fewer interruptions.
Cisco Access Point Models
The Cisco Catalyst 9100 series access points are the new models which provide that seamless experience with the Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) standard and AI/ML and advanced analytics baselining the network performance.
The below outlines show Cisco access points that are not at their end of life yet, and suggested upgrade paths for each series:
Juniper Mist AI Access Point Models
The below outlines show the Juniper Mist AI-driven Next-generation Cloud AP details:
Feature | Best In Class | Mission Critical | SMB Deployment | |||
AP43 | AP33 | AP32 | AP12 | AP41 | AP21 | |
Wi-Fi Standard | 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) 4×4: 4SS |
802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) 5GHz: 4×4:4SS 2.4GHz: 2×2:2SS |
802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) 5GHz: 4×4:4SS 2.4GHz: 2×2:2SS |
802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) 2×2: 2SS |
802.11ac Wave 2 4×4: 4SS |
802.11ac Wave 2 |
Wi-Fi Tri-Radio | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Antenna Options | Internal/ External |
Internal | Internal/ External |
Internal | Internal/ External |
Internal/ External |
Virtual Bluetooth LE | Yes | Yes | - | - | Yes | Yes |
IoT Interface | Yes | - | - | - | Yes | - |
IoT Sensors | Humidity, Temperature, and Pressure |
A Model Comparison Based on the Type of Access Point
The below table is a model comparison between Cisco Access point and Juniper Mist AP:
Types of AP | Cisco AP | Juniper Mist AP |
Wi-Fi 6 mission-critical, intelligent | Catalyst 9130AX | AP43 |
Wi-Fi 6 mission-critical | Catalyst 9120AX | |
Wi-Fi 6 business essential | Catalyst 9115AX | AP33/AP32 |
802.11ac Wave 2 mission-critical | Aironet 2800 | AP41 |
802.11ac Wave 2 business essential | Aironet 1850 | - |
Aironet 1830 | AP21 | |
Aironet 1815i |
Extensive Feature Comparison of Juniper and Cisco Access Points
The below table is a feature comparison between Juniper Mist AP and Cisco Access Points:
- Wireless Features
- Architectural Features
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) Features
- AI Operational Features
- Location Engagement Features
Management Options
You've chosen your access points, but you might have questions about how you will manage those APs.
The Juniper Mist cloud APs have only a central cloud management option. All operations are managed via Mist's open and programmable microservices cloud architecture. This delivers maximum scalability and performance while also bringing DevOps agility to wireless networking and location services. It provides unprecedented insights into network performance, behaviors, traffic patterns, and potential trouble spots by using data science to analyze large amounts of rich metadata collected by Juniper Access Points.
Conclusion
From our above discussion, we can see that both OEMs can offer the new 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), IoT capabilities, and wireless security. Juniper Mist is a good choice for AI-driven technology and IoT features when Cisco focuses more on wireless performance. Cisco provides options to integrate with its other solutions to make your AP more intelligent. Juniper Mist has its controller-free modern microservices architecture for management, monitoring, analytics, and troubleshooting.
Share this
- Configuration Guides (47)
- Cisco Routers (29)
- Switches (27)
- Network Security (23)
- Routing Protocols (21)
- Cisco Switches (20)
- Routers (20)
- Cisco (19)
- Product Comparisons (19)
- Firewall (18)
- Cisco Security (17)
- Cisco Technical Information (17)
- IT Hardware Solutions (17)
- Network Protocols (17)
- Wireless (17)
- Security (15)
- OneCall (13)
- cisco asa (12)
- Cisco Wireless (11)
- Router Protocols (11)
- Servers (11)
- Cisco UCS (9)
- Upgrading Network (9)
- Cisco Catalyst (8)
- Product Highlight (8)
- Access Control Lists (7)
- Cisco Servers (7)
- Fortinet (7)
- Access Points (6)
- Arista Networks (6)
- OSPF (6)
- Server Comparisons (6)
- Wireless APs (6)
- Cisco ASR (5)
- Cloud Solutions (5)
- HPE-Aruba Wireless (5)
- Juniper Mist (5)
- Network Management (5)
- SD-WAN (5)
- Storage (5)
- Switch Comparison (5)
- Back To Basics (4)
- Cybersecurity (4)
- EIGRP (4)
- Firewall Architecture (4)
- HSRP (4)
- Juniper Networks (4)
- Network Automation (4)
- OEM Comparison (4)
- Aruba Central (3)
- Cisco Telephony (3)
- DHCP (3)
- DHCP Snooping (3)
- Dell EMC PowerEdge (3)
- Internet (3)
- Maintenance (3)
- Maintenance Renewal (3)
- Network Accessories (3)
- TPM (3)
- Telephony (3)
- aruba (3)
- Cisco NX-OS (2)
- Cisco Nexus (2)
- Dell Servers (2)
- Fortinet NGFWs (2)
- IT Trends (2)
- LAN Networks (2)
- Network Servers (2)
- Network Time Protocol (2)
- Palo Alto NGFWs (2)
- Rapid PVST+ (2)
- Remote Configuration (2)
- Software Defined Networking (2)
- WLAN (2)
- fortigate (2)
- Asset Management (1)
- CPU Usage (1)
- Cisco AIR-CT (1)
- Cisco Aironet (1)
- Cisco DNA (1)
- Cisco ISR (1)
- Cisco Supervisor Engines (1)
- Cisco UCS Manager (1)
- Cognitive Campus (1)
- Cost of Downtime (1)
- Dell EMC Data Domain (1)
- Edge Switches (1)
- Fabric Extenders (1)
- GRE Tunnel (1)
- HPE BL (1)
- Juniper SRX (1)
- Nexus Switches (1)
- Nutanix (1)
- Optics (1)
- PowerEdge R740xd (1)
- STP Extension (1)
- Sparing Integrity Program (1)
- Switched Virtual Interface (1)
- TCP (1)
- UCS Fabric Interconnects (1)
- Ways to Save (1)
- hyperconverge (1)
- February 2024 (2)
- January 2024 (1)
- December 2023 (1)
- November 2023 (2)
- October 2023 (1)
- September 2023 (3)
- August 2023 (5)
- July 2023 (2)
- June 2023 (4)
- May 2023 (5)
- April 2023 (8)
- March 2023 (7)
- February 2023 (5)
- January 2023 (2)
- December 2022 (3)
- November 2022 (3)
- October 2022 (8)
- September 2022 (9)
- August 2022 (9)
- July 2022 (8)
- June 2022 (9)
- May 2022 (5)
- April 2022 (3)
- March 2022 (1)
- February 2022 (2)
- November 2021 (2)
- October 2021 (1)
- September 2021 (2)
- August 2021 (2)
- July 2021 (3)
- June 2021 (2)
- May 2021 (4)
- April 2021 (4)
- March 2021 (2)
- February 2021 (1)
- January 2021 (2)
- December 2020 (2)
- November 2020 (2)
- October 2020 (2)
- September 2020 (2)
- August 2020 (4)
- July 2020 (5)
- June 2020 (4)
- May 2020 (6)
- April 2020 (2)
- March 2020 (1)
- February 2020 (2)
- January 2020 (2)
- December 2019 (1)
- May 2019 (2)
- April 2019 (5)
- February 2019 (1)
- January 2019 (3)
- December 2018 (1)
Comments (1)