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ExtremeWireless 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

ExtremeWireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
16th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
29
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiWLM
Ranking in Wireless LAN
17th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of ExtremeWireless is 1.6%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiWLM is 2.0%, down from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

Seungho Yang - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced employee access with effective wireless monitoring and seamless roaming
Our use case for ExtremeWireless is to allow our employees to access the company systems The monitoring systems in ExtremeWireless have been very effective, and they are cheaper than other products. It provides better monitoring logs and detailed logs compared to Cisco Wireless. The most…
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

"ExtremeWireless offers profiles, policies, and tags."
"ExtremeWireless is a powerful solution with good integration. It works perfectly for us."
"The customer service and support provided by Extreme are excellent."
"ExtremeWireless is known for its strong security engine, Air Defense, which provides necessary wireless security assistance to many of my customers."
"The technical support from Extreme Networks is perfect."
"ExtremeWireless is a flexible solution."
"Based on my experience, I would recommend ExtremeWireless to others."
"The monitoring system is integrated with AI features."
"The most valuable features are the roaming profile, the mesh, and the performance."
"The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiWLM is the single management pane and integrated controller inside the firewall."
"The greatest advantage is the security fabric Fortinet offers."
"I use Fortinet FortiWLM for wireless communication and the internet."
"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."
"We're using SD-WAN at all of our locations now, which helps increase and aggregate and lower response time and improve application performance."
"The Fortinet FortiWLM system can be controlled through the cloud controller, which is convenient when the solution is not installed in our environment, as it allows us to manage the entire WiFi or access points and provides more adaptability."
"At the moment, particularly with the COVID-19 situation, the most valuable feature is probably the IPsec VPN, which is easy to implement with Fortinet."
 

Cons

"I experienced issues during firmware upgrades, as some devices required a physical restart, which affects system stability."
"It is a subscription model, so it is maybe a bit pricey."
"In the next release, I would like to see more security features."
"The product must be provided at a cheaper price."
"The solution should offer better support."
"The ability to integrate with network devices from other vendors would be helpful."
"Wireless products, in general, have room for improvement compared to wired ones, which are more stable."
"The performance of the access points could be improved."
"Areas for improvement would be the compatibility with Apple products and cross-platform integration."
"This solution should be easier to set up in a production environment."
"There are currently issues with Fortinet's software quality."
"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."
"In terms of improvements, the price is higher than I would like. A reduction in pricing would be beneficial."
"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."
"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."
"When using the FortiGate as the wireless controller, you cannot have automatic user registration, which is something that they should offer."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is reasonable."
"Our access points device is at its end of life. I can buy one more and then I must buy a new device, but if it is a new device it will not support the old virtual appliance. I would need to upgrade our virtual appliance to the next version or build a new virtual appliance with new devices, and it's not good for us. The overall licensing subscription could be better."
"It's not as expensive as some and is scalable to our needs."
"The solution has a yearly subscription, and we have to pay additional costs for technical support."
"The solution is priced well and we currently are only paying for a license for maintenance."
"I rate the price of Extreme Wireless a three out of five."
"ExtremeWireless isn't budget-friendly. The hardware costs around 20,000 Indian rupees. We're still using an older controller, so it doesn't require a license, unlike the newest versions of the ExtremeWireless controller."
"There are both paid and free licenses of the cloud environment, with only basic functionality in the free version."
"The price of Fortinet FortiWLM is reasonable compared to the other vendors. We are using a five-year license."
"There is a perpetual license required for this solution and the price could be reduced."
"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."
"Fortinet would do something with their pricing model to attract smaller business users and eliminate the mandatory service contracts."
"For indoor access points, there is a one-time cost, upfront, whereas outdoor access points have an annual fee."
"To save yourself from increased setup and maintenance costs, I highly recommend undertaking a proper site survey from the beginning."
"The solution is expensive. I give the solution a one out of ten for the price."
"Support contracts typically cost approximately $100.00 per year."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Government
11%
Educational Organization
6%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with ExtremeWireless?
There is some delay in firmware upgrades for access points. When there is a problem with the firmware of one access point, the correction might be too late.
What is your primary use case for ExtremeWireless?
We work with some end customers, and we use ExtremeCloud IQ ( /products/extremecloud-iq-reviews ) for the administration of the wireless platform. We use Wi-Fi 6 E for many users.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiWLM?
While the pricing of Fortinet FortiWLM is a bit high, it remains effective. However, the cost could be better if reduced.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiWLM?
In terms of improvements, the price is higher than I would like. A reduction in pricing would be beneficial.
 

Also Known As

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

Overview

 

Sample Customers

St. Xavier High School, Americatel, Diamond Light Source
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about ExtremeWireless vs. Fortinet FortiWLM and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
842,296 professionals have used our research since 2012.