Aruba Instant On Access Points vs Fortinet FortiWLM comparison

HPE Aruba Networking and Fortinet are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. HPE Aruba Networking is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.5, while Fortinet is ranked #15 with an average rating of 8.5. HPE Aruba Networking holds a 0.8% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to Fortinet’s 2.1% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of HPE Aruba Networking users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Fortinet users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

Fortinet FortiWLM and Aruba Instant On Access Points compete in the wireless market. Aruba appears to have an edge due to its ease of deployment and advanced features, making it more appealing for many users.

Features: Fortinet FortiWLM offers a comprehensive security fabric with seamless integration with other Fortinet products. Its centralized management and scalable options reduce manual intervention across extensive networks. Aruba Instant On Access Points are easy to manage and deploy, with robust mobile management and advanced antenna technology enhancing user experience.

Room for Improvement: Fortinet FortiWLM could improve reporting and support for smaller clients and enhance centralized management to showcase advanced technologies like Virtual Cell. Aruba Instant On Access Points should improve range and documentation, with a more flexible pricing model for additional features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortinet FortiWLM provides exceptional customer service and suits enterprises with local infrastructure needs due to its on-premises deployment. Aruba Instant On Access Points offer cloud-based deployment but have average tech support, although deployment is straightforward for both products.

Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiWLM offers reasonable pricing but faces criticism over certain practices like RMA fees, though it integrates security and management well. Aruba Instant On Access Points are license-free and offer clear pricing, ensuring a quick ROI as all necessary features are included in the base price.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Fortinet FortiWLM Report (Updated: October 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Fortinet FortiWLM

October 2024

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Categories and Ranking

Juniper Mist Wireless Acces...

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points is 5.6%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Aruba Instant On Access Points is 0.8%, down from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiWLM is 2.1%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

Gyan Sharma

Assistant Programmer at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha

Apr 17, 2024

Offers good performance, good solution and smooth implementation

I do have a suggestion: it would be helpful to have even stronger security features to help protect against interference from other nearby access points that aren't part of our network. If there are access points from other brands installed nearby; they can cause interference and disrupt the range of our Mist access points. So, the security features could be stronger, especially in terms of authentication. The connectivity is excellent, but security needs improvement. In future releases, integrating more AI features would be beneficial. If Mist had stronger AI features, it could provide better security against network threats and cyberattacks. So, this solution still needs to improve its AI capabilities. It would be great if the AI could improve the range of the access points, and auto-protect functionality should be there to avoid interference by other nearby access points and enhance threat detection. In the future, I'd like to see stronger threat detection features integrated with Mist, as well as better detection of nearby access points that might cause interference.

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Hernan Garribia

IT Manager at Quinto Centenario Hotel

Oct 21, 2024

Reliable management , easy to set up, and good performance

In general, we have a good experience with Unifi switches in our conference rooms. However, we have faced several issues in the last year. We tried changing the cabling, switch, and power injector, but the problems persisted. We also use Unifi in hotels and conference rooms, but only one…

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Zachary Wheeler

President / CEO at Secure Solutions Center LLC

Apr 5, 2022

Impressive manufacturing quality, highly durable, and very easy to deploy

They need to do more with their marketing. That's what's wrong with them. Nobody knows they do all this other stuff. I love the product. For an enterprise-level system, you never have to explain why you're recommending Fortinet, whereas you might have to do that if you want to use the Ubiquiti Professional or the new Netgear line, but you don't have to explain Fortinet. It has been remarkable to work with. It would be nice if they had some smaller switches or hubs. They should offer two-port, three-port, or four-port devices so that you don't have to buy an eight-port switch, and you don't have to use an unmanaged element, but their product line is very complete, and I can't say enough about it.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Juniper Mist offers valuable features like comprehensive network insight, granular policy control, fast device setup, strong security, and efficient SSL traffic management."

"The most useful feature of Juniper Wireless AP is the reporting Marvis."

"The artificial intelligence feature is very good."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is Marvis, the AI-driven network management system."

"The solution is very secure."

"The product is quite user-friendly and easy to deploy, so one should definitely consider buying it."

"The most valuable feature of Juniper Mist is the Virtual Network Assistant, powered by artificial intelligence."

"You can easily monitor, manage, and cover all your IT equipment."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points pros

"Aruba Instant On Access Points are almost enterprise-level equipment but designed for end users who might not have an IT specialist on staff. They can be used in scenarios similar to those in enterprises. The security features, like easily deploying with RADIUS and dot1x, are efficient and satisfactory, providing enterprise-class security. The solution is future-proof and adapts well to changing connectivity needs. It is easy to extend the network, although there are some limitations. For large buildings, you can separate the network into floors or areas, each containing up to fifty access points, and give them one SSID and password. There might be a small gap when switching between sites, but overall, it can be extended effectively."

"Its technical support is excellent."

"With a variety of switches in their setup, they find that Aruba's online monitoring tools and configuration options for applications effectively manage most of their requirements, all while keeping the process straightforward and user-friendly."

"The solution has fast deployment and easy setup. There is no security PIN for this account."

"The solution's most valuable features include a simple deployment phase, easy management, and scalability."

"The most valuable aspect of Unifi switches is the Unifi Controller."

"The product is scalable. It has 20 users."

"The most valuable feature of Aruba Instant On Access Points is they are easy to manage."

More Aruba Instant On Access Points pros

"We're using SD-WAN at all of our locations now, which helps increase and aggregate and lower response time and improve application performance."

"Having the single pane of glass, by using the Fortinet Security Fabric, allows us to tighten security, and more easily and quickly create additional VLANs to help protect data. Rules in the firewall mean we can protect data and systems so that, should anything go wrong, any security issue is held to an individual device."

"I use Fortinet FortiWLM for wireless communication and the internet."

"The firewall integration is very important for the security of the connection."

"With Fortinet, there is a feature called Network-In-Control. It's the AP controller that decides what the clients are going to connect to... Even though your phone sees, let's say, two APs, since the wireless controller has visibility into and access across all the APs, it knows the best AP for the client to connect to. This way, the controller makes sure that none of the APs is over-crowded, and the spectrum is used properly."

"The most valuable features are the roaming profile, the mesh, and the performance."

"The most valuable features are central management and the many other features available."

"I found that It's really good when comparing it to any other product or it is much better in terms of features that the customer requires."

More Fortinet FortiWLM pros

Cons

"They should include SD-WAN features to it."

"The solution is expensive."

"I need a bit more time with it before criticizing the features."

"Improving third-party integration is key for Juniper Mist's next release."

"There is room for improvement in terms of support and installation."

"Juniper should make the products more affordable."

"The pricing should be made cheaper."

"Though certain security features are integrated into the product, my company has to always look forward to tightening certain security functionalities in the solution."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points cons

"The product's machine or equipment can cater to around 20 connections and cannot go beyond 50 simultaneous connections, because of which I think the tool's scalability is limited."

"It is scalable to a certain degree but not nearly as scalable and robust as your enterprise-grade solutions."

"I believe there's room for improvement in the validation process, especially for customers facing compliance issues when managing access points from the cloud. It would be beneficial if the access points could also be managed from an on-premises controller. Regarding additional features, customers express interest in enhancing the controller, specifically improving the capability to manage a higher number of access points from the same controller. This feature is crucial for better scalability. Another feature that customers would appreciate is the ability to increase the number of access points. However, the current process for obtaining this permission can be time-consuming, and customers would like to see improvements in this regard."

"When I first deployed the solution, I couldn't use a tagged VLAN for the management. It might already have been fixed in a recent firmware upgrade."

"It would be good to integrate some marketing features into Aruba Instant On Access Points, like heat maps. This would allow deployment in warehouses or malls to see how people move from one point to another, helping to locate the original fit."

"The customer service and support are terrible."

"The solution should include higher speed and lesser cost."

"With Aruba, the documentation on the website is not too easy to use, and some information is not found."

More Aruba Instant On Access Points cons

"One of the main features that I see as lacking in any of the Fortinet products is the reporting. If you want to have proper, end-to-end reporting, you must purchase the FortiAnalyzer... If Fortinet could offer some better, built-in reporting, that would be a point of improvement."

"There is very little publicly available information about Virtual Cell and Single Channel Architecture. Promotion of the overall technology is limited as well. Being more vocal about a product that has many advantages would go a long way to eliminating a lot of the confusion and negative perception about Virtual Cell and Single Channel Architecture."

"Licensing is the only area that I think they are below average. They need enterprise licensing, an all-encompassing license to cover all products for a company."

"The range needs some improvement and also the stability."

"Areas for improvement would be the compatibility with Apple products and cross-platform integration."

"The interface could certainly do with some improvement. We have other customers with WiFi networks, and they always use Ubiquiti. With Ubiquiti, it's a much better user interface, and it is much easier to configure."

"The solution should improve user capacity."

"When using the FortiGate as the wireless controller, you cannot have automatic user registration, which is something that they should offer."

More Fortinet FortiWLM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Juniper Wireless AP's price is a little more expensive than other solutions, but you get what you pay for."

"The pricing is something Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) can work on. The pricing is very high compared to the competition."

"I rate the pricing an eight out of ten."

"The pricing is too high."

"I rate Juniper Mist's pricing a ten out of ten since it is expensive."

"I rate the product price as a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is inexpensive, and ten is expensive. It is a reasonably priced tool."

"The solution is expensive."

"We pay maybe 1000 SEK per year, per access point."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points pricing and cost advice

"It needs a license."

"The product's price falls on the cheaper end of the spectrum. The price of the product is one of the biggest benefits that it offers."

"Its price is fair. It is not really cheap, and it is also not expensive. It is in the middle."

"I rate the product's pricing a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive."

"There is a need to make yearly payments towards the standard licensing charges associated with the product. There are some additional costs associated with the product since I have seen customers who purchase three-year or five-year plans."

"You buy it for $165 an AP, which is what we paid."

"I would rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."

"Aruba Instant On Access Points are license-free. It's a very good and cheap solution for wireless networks. It can be compared with solutions from Ubiquiti and TP-Link, but it is in a different class. Aruba Instant On Access Points are cheaper than those from Cisco, Ruckus, and Motorola. It's perhaps the cheapest one. They do not use licenses, so it is a solution from the box. You don't need to pay extra money or deal with hidden payments."

More Aruba Instant On Access Points pricing and cost advice

"Licensing has become easier. There is no longer a per-AP license needed on the controller."

"Licensing costs are reasonable. There are so many different types of licenses with Fortinet, but the licensing and the 24/7/365 support are so reasonable that I automatically include it with every transaction. I never line item it without it. There are no additional costs."

"If a customer already is a FortiGate customer, the cost to go to the FortiAP is incredibly affordable, because you already have the controller."

"The price of Fortinet FortiWLM is reasonable compared to the other vendors. We are using a five-year license."

"The solution is fairly priced."

"To save yourself from increased setup and maintenance costs, I highly recommend undertaking a proper site survey from the beginning."

"Fortinet FortiWLM's pricing is regular and competitive."

"Fortinet would do something with their pricing model to attract smaller business users and eliminate the mandatory service contracts."

More Fortinet FortiWLM pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Government

Educational Organization

62%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

17%

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series)?

The solution is very secure.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series)?

If a customer has a budget of around five lakhs in Indian currency, they can afford Juniper products. But for a new c...

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What needs improvement with Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series)?

HP recently acquired Juniper, and I'm not happy about that. Juniper is a brand, and HP acquired them because of Junip...

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What do you like most about Aruba Instant On Access Points?

It's really easy to set up. And, you don't have to pay for the cloud solution. That's really interesting for our clie...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Instant On Access Points?

Instant On Access Points are expensive. Compared to other solutions like Ubiquiti and Extreme, they're very expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Aruba Instant On Access Points?

The radio frequency coverage area is not good. The number of users that can connect at the same time and the user den...

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What do you like most about Fortinet FortiWLM?

The security is a valuable feature.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiWLM?

The product is highly expensive. I rate the pricing a ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiWLM?

The platform's pricing needs improvement.

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 45% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 18% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 15% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 4% of the time

Omada Access Points vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 1% of the time

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Competitors

Cambium Networks Wireless LAN vs Aruba Instant On Access Points

Compared 25% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Aruba Instant On Access Points

Compared 12% of the time

Fortinet FortiAP vs Aruba Instant On Access Points

Compared 11% of the time

Aruba Instant vs Aruba Instant On Access Points

Compared 11% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs Aruba Instant On Access Points

Compared 6% of the time

More Aruba Instant On Access Points Competitors

Aruba Wireless vs Fortinet FortiWLM

Compared 26% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs Fortinet FortiWLM

Compared 21% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Fortinet FortiWLM

Compared 17% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Fortinet FortiWLM

Compared 13% of the time

Omada Access Points vs Fortinet FortiWLM

Compared 8% of the time

More Fortinet FortiWLM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

October 2024

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points report

Download Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points product report

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant On Access Points

November 2024

Download Aruba Instant On Access Points product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiWLM

November 2024

Download Fortinet FortiWLM product report

Also Known As

Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series), Mist Access Points

No data available

FortiWLM, FortiAP, Fortinet AP/OAP, Meru Wireless LAN

Learn More

Juniper

HPE Aruba Networking

Fortinet

Overview

Juniper Wireless Access Points work in conjunction with Juniper Mist Cloud Services and Mist AI to deliver premier wireless access capabilities. The Juniper Mist Edge extends microservices to the campus to bring agility and scale while enabling new applications at the edge.

Ingredients for success.

Fast 802.11ac Wave 2, secure employee and guest access, easy-to-use web, and mobile app management.

Say yes to secure Wi-Fi access.

Pre-built access control lists (ACLs) and built-in firewall in the access points prevent malicious traffic from entering your network – we call it “hassle-free” security.

Never drop an important call.

With Instant On, voice and video business applications are automatically prioritized, so you stay connected with your peers.

Consolidate security and wireless LAN management with our integrated wireless solutions. Single-pane-of-glass management for security and access without the need to add point products simplifies deployment and reduces management complexity. These solutions are highly scalable to support even the largest organizations and distributed enterprises.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Fortinet FortiWLM

October 2024

Free Report: Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Fortinet FortiWLM

Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Fortinet FortiWLM and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.

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