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Cambium Networks Wireless LAN vs Fortinet FortiWLM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Cambium Networks Wireless LAN
Ranking in Wireless LAN
17th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiWLM
Ranking in Wireless LAN
16th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Cambium Networks Wireless LAN is 1.1%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiWLM is 2.0%, down from 2.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

Md Anwar Hossain - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers zero-touch provisioning feature and is very user-friendly
I have used the product, and I haven't found any problem with the tool. The problem with the tool is that its prices are on the higher end. The tool should be made more cost-effective so that anyone can buy and use the product. The product's price is higher than that of other similar brands like Ubiquiti. Cambium should look at the pricing model it offers. Recently, Cambium released Cambium Networks Wi-Fi 7 with just one technology. It is a very outdated technology, and I don't know why it has introduced such a type of technology in 2024. With the new product, I don't know why Cambium has brought in an old technology associated with MIMO. Cambium should design its products more to be like 2x2 MU-Mimo. Cambium also has a product, 2x2 MU-MIMO, that is in the high-price category. In Grandstream and Ubiquiti, products are offered in categories like 2x2, 3x3, or 4x4. In Cambium, the tools have been designed in such a way that the basic model offers 2x2 MU-MIMO. If you need 4x4 MU-MIMO, you need to go with a higher category product, which is very expensive and costlier than the other OEMs in the market. In Grandstream and Ubiquiti, the tools have been designed in such a way that the product lineup is such that the transfer from one model to another model, the pricing gap is about 20 to 30 USD, but in Cambium, it is around 300 to 400 USD to move to the next product, making it an area that should improve. Cambium should design its products within a certain budget. With Cambium, it would be very expensive if I changed from the 2x2 to the 4x4 category. I need to add an additional 400 to 500 USD for the next model of the product.
Zachary Wheeler - PeerSpot reviewer
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Cambium Networks Wireless LAN was well-priced and offered a controllerless setup, which was more unusual at the time we first used them. This meant they could operate independently without a controller, unlike many other products that required a controller."
"It provides good support remotely, and it's very easy to configure."
"It provides strong coverage for outdoor areas."
"We can scale it if we need to."
"It offers features that are essential for an efficient and high-performance wireless LAN deployment, where capacity, coverage, and quality are optimized, and frequency bands are selected based on the specific needs of the network."
"They all have controllers built in, and we manage them all with a web-based management tool."
"The product's initial setup phase is very simple and involves just a PnP process."
"The product is user-friendly and helps with cost minimization."
"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."
"If you do have a FortiGate Firewall somewhere in the network, you can connect the wireless controller to that... You get 100 percent visibility from a single point... You can see everything that's connected to the FortiGate, whether it's a switch or a wireless AP or a wireless controller or any other Fortinet product."
"Fortinet FortiWLM is good for tracking assets, monitoring, and overall management."
"The greatest advantage is the security fabric Fortinet offers."
"We can deploy a tunnel-based VLAN and SSID, for something that happens at the last minute, in a matter of minutes, because of the interaction between the FortiGate, the FortiSwitches, and the FortiAPs."
"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."
"I use Fortinet FortiWLM for wireless communication and the internet."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is the management."
 

Cons

"Cambium Networks Wireless LAN should improve its pricing."
"Channel management required manual intervention, especially in environments with multiple floors, leading to potential signal interference issues."
"Not a lot of technical engineers are familiar with Cambium Networks Wireless LAN. They are familiar with implementing and using other solutions such as Aruba. Therefore, Cambium Networks needs to be more visible in the marketplace."
"We would like this product to have more information data sheets available. At present we cannot easily access details around the full capability of a piece of equipment."
"The solution should be scalable, offering better pricing options as we optimize the network for coverage, capacity, and quality"
"The problem with the tool is that its prices are on the higher end."
"The product pricing needs improvement."
"There is room for improvement in the pricing model."
"Technical support is very poor. We are not satisfied with the technical support because there is not any direct person from Fortinet for any troubleshooting, which we expected."
"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 guest management features need to be improved by adding automation."
"The roaming of Fortinet FortiWLM could improve when comparing it to other solutions. We are missing some of the functionality in the controller. Additionally, they should offer more logs instead of using FortiAnalyzer because all the users will not be using the same thing."
"Documentation could be improved."
"The platform's pricing needs improvement."
"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."
"Improving support and firmware upgrades is necessary."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing and licensing might vary based on each country's specific needs and telecommunication regulations."
"If one is a high price and ten is a low price, I rate the product price as one."
"The licensing costs for this solution are calculated per asset, and depending on the model of the equipment, it starts at $230, and goes up to roughly $1,200. The benefit of this solution is that there are no hidden costs; no cost for managing the equipment, and no cost for maintaining the equipment during its usable lifetime."
"I would place it in the mid-range market segment, balancing affordability and profitability."
"High-end products from Cambium PTP, point-to-point radio, maybe cost around $1000 per year."
"It is an expensive product compared to other competitors."
"It's a good price, but not the best price. It's on the higher end of what I would call affordable for small to medium-sized businesses."
"Cambium Networks Wireless LAN is cheaper than Aruba."
"To save yourself from increased setup and maintenance costs, I highly recommend undertaking a proper site survey from the beginning."
"The product is highly expensive. I rate the pricing a ten."
"If a customer already is a FortiGate customer, the cost to go to the FortiAP is incredibly affordable, because you already have 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."
"The price of Fortinet FortiWLM is reasonable compared to the other vendors. We are using a five-year license."
"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."
"The solution is expensive. I give the solution a one out of ten for the price."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
16%
Computer Software Company
13%
Educational Organization
8%
Retailer
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cambium Networks Wireless LAN?
Cambium Networks Wireless LAN is not expensive compared to Cisco or Huawei. It is considered in the same price range as Ruckus.
What needs improvement with Cambium Networks Wireless LAN?
The direct technical support from Cambium teams needs to be improved. In Africa, particularly in projects like in Mauritania, there is a lack of support from Cambium's direct teams, making it diffi...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiWLM?
The pricing for Fortinet products has increased. While historically there was a bundle price available, it's now gone, making Fortinet less affordable than before. However, they are not the most ex...
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiWLM?
There are currently issues with Fortinet's software quality. We have concerns regarding the frequent updates needed because of short software cycles. More cloud orientation like that seen in compan...
 

Also Known As

No data available
FortiWLM, FortiAP, Fortinet AP/OAP, Meru Wireless LAN
 

Overview

Information not available
 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Cambium Networks Wireless LAN vs. Fortinet FortiWLM and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.