Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and Fortinet FortiWLM compete in the wireless network management category. Cisco Meraki has the upper hand due to its cloud-managed solution which simplifies management and configuration efforts.
Features: Cisco Meraki provides centralized management through a cloud-based dashboard that allows for easy network monitoring and configuration. The system is user-friendly, making it ideal for organizations with limited IT resources. It supports various deployment models across public, private, and hybrid clouds. Fortinet FortiWLM excels in security features and seamless integration within its Security Fabric, offering a single-pane management interface for controlling network devices. It supports features like centralized wireless management and deployment efficiency through its integrated controller system.
Room for Improvement: Cisco Meraki could enhance its security measures, improve advanced routing capabilities, and streamline support services. Feedback suggests addressing variable support quality and simplifying licensing terms. Fortinet FortiWLM could improve its reporting capabilities, make configuration more user-friendly, and adjust its pricing to be more attractive to smaller businesses. Enhancing support and software updates to address any stability issues could also be beneficial.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Meraki offers flexible deployment in public, private, and hybrid clouds and is noted for its responsive technical support. However, support quality can vary. Fortinet FortiWLM mainly operates in on-premises environments and offers effective technical support, appreciated for rapid problem resolution in on-site management situations.
Pricing and ROI: Cisco Meraki is priced at a premium, with value seen in its robust cloud features and ease of deployment, though the cost is a consideration for some users. Fortinet FortiWLM provides competitive pricing, offering a cost-effective solution in complex environments and supporting investments in enhancing end-user experience. Both solutions demonstrate reasonable ROI, with Cisco Meraki providing long-term licensing benefits and Fortinet enabling cost-saving measures.
I would rate Cisco support a 10, as the response time and process via the dashboard are easy, and response times are always within the SLA.
It would be better if the SLA of technical support was less than four hours.
The local support we receive from our distributor is perfect.
Fortinet provides excellent customer support.
If we encounter any bugs, they inform us of the recommended configuration and firmware to resolve our problems.
Meraki is not scalable enough since it straightforwardly maps its products to segmented specifications.
Now, with any simple FortiGate 60F or newer model, you can manage more than 64 access points.
Fortinet's solutions are integrated into many standard frameworks, allowing for good scalability and interaction with other vendors' products.
We have experienced many instances where we have experienced a lag in our network, and I am not sure if it is due to their devices or our network.
Stability is not an issue for me because it comes with Cisco's proven manufacturer quality.
This is a stable solution.
The most important improvement needed is to eliminate the limitation of uplinks.
Some of the newer models of the Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN access point have encompassed the new wireless protocols and increased the strength of their antennas.
A mobile application to manage the Wi-Fi or the whole network would be beneficial.
Firmware upgrades and bug improvements need to be tested well.
The price is higher than I would like.
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is on par with other devices in that category, offering competitive pricing.
The pricing of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is not competitive enough for the SMB market compared to other brands.
My experience with the pricing of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is that it is competitive with other providers offering paid subscriptions.
While the pricing of Fortinet FortiWLM is a bit high, it remains effective.
Fortinet's pricing is different from Aruba, as Aruba has solutions for small business and enterprise in different categories.
The price is competitive.
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN has helped optimize network traffic very effectively, as we do prioritization for streaming and web conferencing apps, resulting in a clear, visible improvement in performance.
It also manages security clients and switches, providing a single dashboard to manage multiple network infrastructures.
The ability to program all access points from the Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN dashboard, view the status of all of them, and examine the individual devices connected to each access point is very valuable.
The solution is controlled from one device and one GUI for all devices.
The most useful aspect of Fortinet FortiWLM is that you can manage all the Fortinet products from one portal, from one device.
It also has integration capabilities with FortiFirewall which is beneficial for customers.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN | 10.5% |
| Fortinet FortiWLM | 2.4% |
| Other | 87.1% |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 69 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 26 |
| Large Enterprise | 31 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 19 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 3 |
| Large Enterprise | 5 |
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.
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