Aruba Wireless vs Fortinet FortiAP comparison

HPE Aruba Networking and Fortinet are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. HPE Aruba Networking is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.4, while Fortinet is ranked #16 with an average rating of 8.2. HPE Aruba Networking holds a 21.8% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to Fortinet’s 1.6% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of HPE Aruba Networking users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of Fortinet users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Aruba Wireless and Fortinet FortiAP based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Wireless LAN solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba Wireless vs. Fortinet FortiAP Report (Updated: September 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Wireless vs. Fortinet FortiAP

September 2024

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Juniper Mist Wireless Acces...

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2024, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points is 5.2%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Aruba Wireless is 21.8%, down from 24.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiAP is 1.6%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

Ayush Jha

Technology Consultant at Cloudfence Technologies

Jul 2, 2024

Mist AI is the valuable aspect and allows for dynamic packet capture

The most valuable feature is the Mist AI. If customers use services like Microsoft Teams and experience issues, they can ask the Mist AI where the problem lies. Additionally, Juniper Mist allows for dynamic packet capture. Every single packet is analyzed by Mist, which helps us troubleshoot and solve problems. Mist AI is a very powerful feature. Juniper is the only company that has introduced AI into networking. It's performance. We can manage all the access points and see what our customers are using on Mist Juniper PC. We can analyze the data. For example, if someone uses a VPN in a firewall, in my company, we use Sophos firewall, Fortinet switch, and Juniper AP. We can't track it with the Sophos firewall, but we can track the data with the AP. Right now, I block social media platforms that our employees uses in the company. Juniper allows our networking team to easily identify this. For instance, if our employees are spending too much time on YouTube, we can block YouTube on the APs, not just on the firewall. The firewall can set a policy, but we can block it on the APs as well. Additionally, if our Juniper Mist license expires, Juniper will continue to run the normal operations, but we can't change any configurations in the future if the license is expired.

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Anil Ergunsah

Managing Partner & Technical Consultant&Trainer(CCIE#29761, CCSI#31865) at IT Expert

Feb 19, 2024

Provides all the needed security options, but the support should be faster

We use the solution for corporate users and guest users who come to the company. We use it for IoT devices, like factory devices and cameras We have a multi-site design with Aruba. For small locations, we use Aruba Remote Access Point. We can open a VPN tunnel to the controllers, and the users…

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Yati Gharat

Chief Technology Officer at Litmus

Mar 27, 2024

Integrates well with Fortinet products, but there are signal issues in the outdoor environment

FortiAP is very good in an indoor environment, but we are struggling with the outdoor environment. That is where we are having certain issues. We are not 100% happy with it. With the indoor environment, we are okay, but we are facing some issues when certain voice-related calls go from wireless points. There are certain drops, and we have faced these issues on an ongoing basis. We also have other vendors such as Aruba and Meraki, and we do not face any issues when there is a Teams or Zoom meeting going on. It could be that FortiAP is okay, but that particular device or appliance is not capable of handling that much load of voice and video. This might be the issue. RF Spectrum Analysis helps to understand what is the coverage and hotspots related to a particular access point, but then when we bought it, we did heat mapping through different vendors. If there are any rogue APs, we can identify them with RF Spectrum Analysis. We can see what the coverage area is, but there are some issues with that. Some of the offices have thick glasses, or the cabins are different, so in the RF coverage, what is shown is not what we get on the practical grounds. There are some issues with signal performance. It has the basic functionality that is mostly used, but there are certain devices that are not able to interconnect. When there is any issue or problem, if the administrator can get some information about that, that will be good. With Meraki and Aruba, we get certain beautiful things. If those can be integrated into this solution, it will be more beneficial, but we understand that being a security company, Fortinet's focus is on security.

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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

"Mist AI is a very powerful feature. Juniper is the only company that has introduced AI into networking."

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

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

"In terms of reporting, in terms of all the user reports, it's very rich."

"It provides private network access, helping us protect our company’s devices."

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

"The simplicity is great."

"Overall, we've been very pleased with the performance."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points pros

"It has an aesthetically pleasing GUI for configuration."

"It provides superior WiFi access and RF management."

"Aruba Wireless is stable and we plan to continue using it in the future."

"The stability is the best. It's very reliable."

"The feature I found most valuable to customers in Aruba Wireless is not a technical feature. It's more of its image, trademark, or brand as the product is very well-known in the market, and that's a good point to offer to customers. My customers just ask about the basic features of the product, and usually, when asking about Aruba products, customers don't pay too much attention to any specific feature as long as the product is solid and sure, and that you can change or modify it, as what you can get from Aruba Wireless."

"Installation is relatively easy."

"It delivers constantly, there is no break in the internet using these devices. It also automatically gets connected when the internet comes back. Failure is very low."

"Overall, it's a very strong solution."

More Aruba Wireless pros

"I like FortiAP's performance and stability. The reporting is also quite good."

"The solution supports recent security components like encryption or hashing algorithms. We can control the APs from FortiGate Firewalls and integrate those APs into FortiGate. You don't have to purchase a separate controller for it."

"We really don't need to call technical support. Any time we have had to call, they've been great."

"The product's initial setup phase was easy, especially with FortiGate or your FortiManager in place."

"The setup was straightforward."

"The product's deployment phase is very easy since its documentation part is available in the public domain."

"If we have FortiClient installed on multiple devices, it is seamless to connect with FortiAP. It supports passwordless authentication as well. That is a great thing about it."

"The pricing is reasonable for what it offers."

More Fortinet FortiAP pros

Cons

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

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

"Enrolling into the tool is a tedious process."

"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."

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

"Juniper should make the products more affordable."

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

"Improvement is needed in the user-friendliness of Juniper Mist, particularly in enhancing the interaction with AI features."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points cons

"I would have liked to see more manufacturer driven events and outings to drive brand recognition and familiarity."

"They should provide usage guides and solutions to frequent problems."

"The management system would be better if it were more polished, if it had a better interface like, for example, Meraki"

"Aruba Wireless has room to improve the connection from one AP to another."

"An area of this product that could use improvement would be the troubleshooting. At times I had to engage Aruba Support which ran some pretty complicated troubleshooting commands. I would not have been able to do with existing CLI documentation."

"Making the setup more simple is an area for improvement in Aruba Wireless. Security-wise, this solution also needs work."

"Our customers ask for a security portfolio, which the tool doesn't have."

"I believe it would benefit from more reporting, other than just a dashboard. It needs some type of report builder so you can have PDFs to show upper management what is going on in the wireless network."

More Aruba Wireless cons

"The security integration between the network and firewall has room for improvement."

"FortiAP could be a little cheaper."

"FortiAP is very good in an indoor environment, but we are struggling with the outdoor environment."

"I would like to have automation capabilities that would help us reduce the configuration steps."

"Technical support is a pain. Fortinet has to get its act together. If you don't pay for premium service, you will have issues."

"The product fails to offer default access points to deal with the areas revolving around configurations."

"The support offered by the solution has certain shortcomings, making it in areas where improvements are required."

"There is room for improvement in the product by expanding the number of SSIDs that can be broadcast."

More Fortinet FortiAP cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is too high."

"The solution 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."

"If a customer has a budget of around five lakhs in Indian currency, they can afford Juniper products."

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

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

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

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

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points pricing and cost advice

"AP signal strength and price. I know this is a competitive market, but APs should not cost so much if they do not cover a large area. "

"The price of Aruba Wireless is reasonable."

"Besides paying for the APs, you need to pay a license each year for their use. Therefore, watch out for that and do the best you can to keep costs down."

"The pricing has increased and it was always more costly than some of the other solutions available."

"The price is low. There is an additional cost for maintenance."

"My main concern about this product is the price. The cost is causing me to look at other vendors and competing products."

"If you compare it to other solutions then it's reasonably priced."

"Aruba Wireless is much cheaper than our previous solution by Cisco. It is a significant saving, measured in thousands of dollars per year."

More Aruba Wireless pricing and cost advice

"If I compare it with the other enterprise products, the price is good."

"The product is available at a very comfortable price for my company compared to the other products available in the market. The prices of products from Meraki and Aruba are high compared to those of Fortinet."

"FortiAP is more expensive than some other options."

"We purchased perpetual licensing, and additional costs may vary depending on the services acquired from Fortinet."

"On a scale of one to ten with ten being the most expensive, I would rate FortiAP a six."

"Fortinet FortiAP offers a more cost-effective solution compared to Palo Alto and Check Point."

"The devices under Fortinet are not expensive. The solution's licensing part is expensive."

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Comparison Review

it_user212721

President at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Mar 24, 2015

Cisco vs. Aruba Wireless Solutions

Cisco or Aruba Networks? If you are considering wireless access solutions, this is a common question that you are probably asking. You probably have sales people knocking at your door. How do you make sense of all the stories that you are presented with. If you have done any research, you are…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

19%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Government

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

11%

Retailer

Government

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.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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 are pros and cons of Aruba 515 Series AP vs. Cisco Meraki or Extreme Networks?

Depends. I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them. Extreme I am not, so unless they h...

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Aruba Wireless or Ruckus Wireless?

At my organization, we researched Ruckus Wireless among other solutions but ultimately chose Aruba wireless. What di...

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How does Cisco Wireless compare with Aruba Wireless?

On the most basic level, Cisco Wireless can offer a rather straightforward initial setup. In the span of about three ...

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What do you like most about FortiAP?

If we have FortiClient installed on multiple devices, it is seamless to connect with FortiAP. It supports passwordles...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FortiAP?

The product is cheaper than Cisco. I rate the product’s pricing an eight out of ten, where one is expensive and ten i...

See all answers

What needs improvement with FortiAP?

The improvement factor could be in APs. Also, it could have a control, like MAC address. The report provides the host...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 45% 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

Ubiquiti WLAN vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 4% of the time

Mist AI and Cloud vs Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

Compared 2% of the time

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Competitors

Cisco Wireless vs Aruba Wireless

Compared 23% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Aruba Wireless

Compared 21% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Aruba Wireless

Compared 20% of the time

Ubiquiti WLAN vs Aruba Wireless

Compared 6% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Aruba Wireless

Compared 4% of the time

More Aruba Wireless Competitors

Ruckus Wireless vs Fortinet FortiAP

Compared 39% of the time

Ubiquiti WLAN vs Fortinet FortiAP

Compared 20% of the time

Aruba Access Points vs Fortinet FortiAP

Compared 12% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs Fortinet FortiAP

Compared 8% of the time

More Fortinet FortiAP Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points

September 2024

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points report

Download Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points product report

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Wireless

September 2024

Download Aruba Wireless product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiAP

September 2024

Download Fortinet FortiAP product report

Also Known As

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

Aruba WLAN, HP WLAN, HP Wireless, Aruba Instant On AP Series Access Point

No data available

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.

Aruba Wireless is a secure, high-performance, multi-user wireless LAN supporting Wi-Fi 6. As workplaces and user expectations change, users can now maintain hybrid workplaces and IoT without compromising performance, reliability, or security. Aruba Wireless delivers better performance and capacity and greater AIOps visibility throughout all devices and users. In addition, through built-in network intelligence, network operations are made simpler while keeping everything secure through user and guest encryption.

Aruba Wireless, offered through Aruba Networks, is helping achieve digital transformation and IoT with seamless connectivity through multiple Wi-Fi access points. For the user’s convenience, Aruba Wireless provides indoor, outdoor, and remote access points to help boost faster and safer connectivity.

Choosing Aruba Wireless can help improve your organization’s user experience with wireless LAN in many ways, including:

Transforming hybrid workplaces: Employees can move seamlessly between home and office, with reliable internet and without compromising security.
Connect and protect IoT: With built-in AP support for BLE, Zigbee, and USB-port extensions, users can extend visibility, control, and connectivity to IoT devices and applications.
Expand the 5G experience to the enterprise network: Empower users to experience 5G with Wi-Fi 6 by automatically enabling cellular devices to join Aruba Wireless LAN securely and reliably.

Aruba Gateways and Controllers

Small organizations as well as large enterprises require excellent performance and security for cloud, mobility, and digital transformation. Therefore, in addition to the access points, Aruba Wireless also offers a variety of gateways and controllers, including:

9000 Series: With SD-WAN capabilities, it’s excellent for small campus networks looking for enhanced Wi-Fi scalability and security.
7200 Series: Perfect for campus WLAN scalability or branch SD-WAN and VPN Concentrator capabilities, the 7200 Series optimizes Wi-Fi performance to guarantee smooth roaming.
7000 Series: Acting as a controller or gateway to provide WAN intelligence, the 7000 Series is a policy-based router and an excellent solution for small to mid-sized campuses.
Mobility Controller Virtual Appliance: Maximizes Wi-Fi and network services in an economical, virtualized environment.
SD-WAN Virtual Gateways: Orchestrate virtual gateways in public cloud infrastructure, like Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Mobility Conductor Hardware Appliance: While enhancing the scalability and reliability for large campus WLANs, Aruba Mobility Conductors bring the full capability of ArubaOS.
Mobility Conductor Virtual Appliance: To scale large campus deployments, Aruba Mobility Conductors simplify the deployment and management of up to 1,000 Mobility Controllers.
ArubaOS Network Operating System: Great for remote workers in mid-sized and large companies who need seamless connectivity to and security over Wi-Fi.

Reviews from Real Users

Aruba Networks is aiding organizations in transforming to a hybrid work environment with Aruba Wireless. Users especially love its ability to work with many devices and its ability to group and manage access points.

A senior IT solutions architect at a manufacturing company says, "The most valuable feature is the fact that it can work with many devices. It supports everything that we need it to."

Gary F., a network administrator at wireless at Abilene Christian, notes, "I like the way it groups and manages access points."

Fortinet’s wireless LAN equipment leverages Secure Networking to provide secure wireless access for the enterprise LAN edge. Our solution tightly integrates with the Fortinet Security Fabric to offer built-in security, end-to-end network visibility, and automated threat response. You can easily manage your wireless network and security with a single console to minimize administration time.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Consulate Health Care, Los Angeles Unified School District, Science Applications International Corp (SAIC), San Diego State University, KFC, ACTS Retirement-Life Communities

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Wireless vs. Fortinet FortiAP

September 2024

Free Report: Aruba Wireless vs. Fortinet FortiAP

Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Wireless vs. Fortinet FortiAP and other solutions. Updated: September 2024.

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