Purple Gives You Analytics. IronWiFi Gives You the Whole Stack.
Purple WiFi (now by Broadcom) is a solid analytics platform. But it doesn't do authentication. If you want RADIUS, captive portals, and analytics without juggling multiple vendors, there's a simpler way.
IronWiFi is a unified WiFi identity platform that combines RADIUS authentication, captive portals, guest WiFi management, and network analytics in one service. Purple WiFi (now Purple by Broadcom) is a venue analytics platform focused on footfall tracking, customer behavior, and WiFi marketing. Purple requires separate RADIUS infrastructure for 802.1X authentication, while IronWiFi includes everything in a single platform starting at $3/device/month (billed annually).
Different Problems, Different Approaches
Purple WiFi and IronWiFi started from opposite ends of the WiFi spectrum. Purple built an analytics-first platform - footfall counting, dwell time, customer behavior tracking. Great for venue operators who want to understand their customers.
IronWiFi built an authentication-first platform - RADIUS, 802.1X, WPA2-Enterprise, certificate management. Then added captive portals, guest WiFi, and analytics on top. The result is a single platform that handles both sides: who connects to your network and what you can learn from those connections.
How They Compare
| Capability | IronWiFi | Purple WiFi |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Authentication + Analytics | Analytics + Marketing |
| RADIUS Authentication | Built-in | Not included |
| WPA2-Enterprise / 802.1X | Built-in | Not included |
| Captive Portal | ✓ Built-in | ✓ Built-in |
| Social Login | ✓ | ✓ |
| Guest WiFi Management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Venue Analytics | ✓ Network-level | ✓ Advanced |
| Footfall / Dwell Time | ✗ | ✓ Specialized |
| Certificate Management | ✓ Built-in | ✗ |
| OpenRoaming / Passpoint | ✓ | ✗ |
| Requires Separate RADIUS | No - all-in-one | Yes - for 802.1X |
| Vendor Independence | Independent | Broadcom-owned |
The Real Cost: Unified vs Separate
With Purple, you get excellent analytics but still need separate RADIUS infrastructure. That means two vendors, two dashboards, two support contacts, and integration overhead. With IronWiFi, it's one platform for everything.
⚡ IronWiFi (Unified Platform)
- RADIUS authentication: Included
- WPA2-Enterprise: Included
- Captive portal: Included
- Guest WiFi: Included
- Analytics: Included
- Vendors to manage: 1
- One platform, one bill
📊 Purple WiFi + RADIUS
- Purple analytics license: Quote-based
- Separate RADIUS server: $5,000-50,000+
- RADIUS maintenance: Ongoing
- Integration work: Days-weeks
- Support contacts: 2+ vendors
- Dashboards to monitor: 2+
- Multiple tools, higher complexity
Feature by Feature
| Feature | IronWiFi | Purple WiFi |
|---|---|---|
| EAP-TLS (certificates) | ✓ | ✗ |
| PEAP-MSCHAPv2 | ✓ | ✗ |
| MAC Authentication | ✓ | ✗ |
| Azure AD / Entra ID | ✓ Native | ✗ |
| Okta / Google / SAML | ✓ Native | ✗ |
| Captive Portal | ✓ Built-in | ✓ Built-in |
| Social Login (Facebook, Google) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email / SMS Collection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Venue Footfall Analytics | ✗ | ✓ Specialized |
| Customer Behavior Heatmaps | ✗ | ✓ |
| Network Usage Analytics | ✓ Real-time | ✗ Limited |
| SCEP Certificate Enrollment | ✓ | ✗ |
| OpenRoaming / Passpoint | ✓ WBA Partner | ✗ |
| Multi-vendor AP Support | ✓ 45+ brands | ✓ Multi-vendor |
| AI-Powered Intelligence | ✓ AI Center | ✗ |
When Does Purple WiFi Make Sense?
Purple is the right tool when analytics is your primary need. It might be the better choice if:
- Venue analytics (footfall, dwell time, heatmaps) is your top priority
- You already have a working RADIUS/authentication infrastructure
- You need advanced customer journey mapping across physical locations
- Your main goal is WiFi marketing and customer engagement
- You're in a Broadcom environment and want ecosystem alignment
When Is IronWiFi the Smarter Choice?
IronWiFi is the stronger pick when you need authentication and analytics together. Choose IronWiFi if:
- You need RADIUS authentication and don't want to manage it separately
- WPA2-Enterprise or 802.1X is required alongside guest WiFi
- You want captive portals, authentication, and analytics in one dashboard
- OpenRoaming or Passpoint connectivity is on your roadmap
- You prefer an independent vendor rather than a Broadcom subsidiary
- Certificate-based authentication (EAP-TLS, SCEP) is part of your security plan
- Simpler vendor management matters - one platform, one support contact
The Bottom Line
Purple WiFi is a strong analytics platform for venues that want to understand customer behavior. But if you also need authentication - and most organizations do - you'll be running two platforms. IronWiFi gives you authentication, captive portals, guest WiFi, and analytics in a single unified platform, eliminating the need for separate RADIUS infrastructure and reducing vendor complexity.
Try IronWiFi free for 14 days. See what a unified WiFi identity platform can do.
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