Fortinet FortiAP vs Juniper WLC Series comparison

Fortinet and Juniper are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Fortinet is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.4, while Juniper is ranked #18 with an average rating of 8.7. Fortinet holds a 4.8% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to Juniper’s 0.8% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Juniper users who would recommend it.

Fortinet FortiAP

Read 14 Fortinet FortiAP reviews

2,269 Views
1,984 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Juniper WLC Series

Read 14 Juniper WLC Series reviews

934 Views
974 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Fortinet FortiAP

Juniper WLC Series

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

Juniper WLC Series and Fortinet FortiAP are two competitive products in the wireless networking solutions category. Fortinet FortiAP seems to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive features and seamless integration with related products, which makes it a preferred choice for organizations needing extensive network management and security.

Features: Juniper WLC Series offers scalability, ease of management, and high stability with reliable remote support and monitoring. Fortinet FortiAP is recognized for its strong security integrations, ease of management from a single console, and good reporting capabilities, especially when integrated with Fortinet products.

Room for Improvement: Juniper WLC Series users suggest improvements in traffic monitoring, security, and continued product development. Fortinet FortiAP users seek enhancements in outdoor performance, support improvements, and extended features like automation and SSID management. Pricing adjustments are also a concern for both products.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both products offer on-premises deployment options. Juniper provides excellent technical support with a templating approach that enhances network response; however, support declined after development stopped. Fortinet FortiAP offers comprehensive technical support with responsiveness and extensive documentation, ensuring smooth troubleshooting and deployment.

Pricing and ROI: Juniper WLC Series is considered pricey, justified by its enterprise-level features and cost savings. Fortinet FortiAP is reasonably priced compared to competitors like Cisco and Aruba, though some note high licensing costs but acknowledge its overall value. Both solutions are good investments, providing significant ROI through reliable performance and reduced administrative resources.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiAP vs. Juniper WLC Series Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiAP vs. Juniper WLC Series

March 2025

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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

Fortinet FortiAP

Ranking in Wireless LAN

12th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Juniper WLC Series

Ranking in Wireless LAN

18th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiAP is 4.8%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper WLC Series is 0.8%, down from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

Yati Gharat

Chief Technology Officer at Litmus

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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Matilda Elwell

Technical Team Leader - Network &Security at STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Offers visibility and cost benefits

The tool has given us more visibility, but I'm not very technical, so I can't comment on specific features. However, the diagnostic tools for identifying system issues have greatly improved, which we appreciate. We still use Cisco ICE for authentication on the Juniper network, as we did before. We've seen cost benefits with the Juniper WLC Series, which was a key factor in our decision-making during the proof of concept. Besides cost improvements, we've also noticed better resolution of issues and faults in our help desk, thanks to the enhanced features.

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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

"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."

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

"Fortinet FortiAPs are useful for small to medium-scale companies where there are budget concerns."

"The integration is efficient, allowing for management through the firewall."

"I would give FortiAP a rating of ten out of ten so far."

"The setup was straightforward."

"The stability of the solution is very high."

"The most valuable aspect of Fortinet FortiAP is the support."

More Fortinet FortiAP pros

"The installation process is nice and easy."

"It is a very stable solution."

"It's easy to set up, and I feel it's very secure. I also prefer its reporting feature. The devices are quite good."

"The tool has given us more visibility, but I'm not very technical, so I can't comment on specific features. However, the diagnostic tools for identifying system issues have greatly improved, which we appreciate. We still use Cisco ICE for authentication on the Juniper network, as we did before. We've seen cost benefits with the Juniper WLC Series, which was a key factor in our decision-making during the proof of concept. Besides cost improvements, we've also noticed better resolution of issues and faults in our help desk, thanks to the enhanced features."

"Juniper Wireless is reasonable, with a bit of complexity compared to Alibaba and SQL."

"It prevents a large number of unauthorized modifications of access point devices."

"The installation process is very easy."

"The AI integration with Marvis is very valuable."

More Juniper WLC Series pros

Cons

"The wireless functionality is not the best."

"There is nothing that particularly comes to mind for improvement."

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

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

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

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

"There could be constraints where a product can't be scaled further without purchasing a new model."

"FortiAP could be a little cheaper."

More Fortinet FortiAP cons

"There could be a high level of security."

"The support on offer to other vendors switching - like Aruba or Ruckus - could be improved."

"The solution should create configuration documentation."

"The network coverage of Juniper WLC Series and Cisco is different. We need to add additional access points."

"The biggest issue was that Juniper stopped developing, so we had to look for another solution."

"Juniper lacks a network access control agent similar to solutions like Alubakya Path and Cisco ISE."

"Juniper WLC Series has certain shortcomings in traffic monitoring."

"There could be more information from the controller, and it could be easier to work with the controller lights. It's not easy to bring up the upgrades."

More Juniper WLC Series cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"FortiAP is more expensive than some other options."

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

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

"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."

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

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

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

"The licensing cost is quite high, but considering it's an enterprise solution, the complexity justifies the price."

"There is a certain amount that needs to be paid towards the licensing charges associated with the product, but though I am not sure, I feel the licenses that we have in our company are for three years."

"The product is relatively affordable for enterprise companies."

"The solution's pricing is reasonable."

"Juniper WLC Series is a bit pricey but worth its cost."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

13%

Retailer

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about FortiAP?

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.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FortiAP?

Fortinet solutions are more cost-effective compared to Cisco. The license costs for Fortinet are more affordable when considering licensing costs with other leaders like Cisco.

See all answers

What needs improvement with FortiAP?

I cannot pinpoint the exact improvements needed at the moment. However, security is always a concern for any business, and the network should not be compromised easily. There should be alerts to in...

See all answers

What do you like most about Juniper WLC Series?

Juniper WLC Series is a very high-performance device designed for indoor wireless deployment.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Juniper WLC Series?

Juniper lacks a network access control agent similar to solutions like Alubakya Path and Cisco ISE. There should be a network access control engine. Some customers find it challenging as they do no...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Juniper WLC Series?

I work with Juniper service provider solutions. I have a service provider customer and some enterprise customers in retail.

See all answers

Comparisons

Ruckus Wireless vs Fortinet FortiAP

Compared 22% of the time

Aruba Access Points vs Fortinet FortiAP

Compared 21% of the time

Ubiquiti WLAN vs Fortinet FortiAP

Compared 19% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs Fortinet FortiAP

Compared 13% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Fortinet FortiAP

Compared 9% of the time

More Fortinet FortiAP Competitors

Cisco Wireless vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 45% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 31% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 24% of the time

More Juniper WLC Series Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiAP

April 2025

Download Fortinet FortiAP product report

Buyer's Guide

Wireless LAN

April 2025

Download Juniper WLC Series product report

Also Known As

No data available

Juniper WLAN

Overview

Fortinet FortiAP provides wireless network access for industries such as banking, healthcare, and logistics. It enhances connectivity with FortiGate and FortiSwitch, ensuring secure data exchange in settings like offices and malls.

Fortinet FortiAP is integral for managing connected devices across sectors. It integrates seamlessly with Fortinet products, enhancing security and connectivity. Users benefit from a unified console that simplifies configuration and monitoring without additional controllers. The support for passwordless authentication and cloud visibility adds value, while its use in environments like shopping centers and offices facilitates secure data sharing and access.

What are the key features of Fortinet FortiAP?

Integration with FortiGate and FortiAnalyzer: Simplifies network management and monitoring.
Passwordless Authentication: Enhances security and accessibility.
Cloud Dashboard: Provides comprehensive visibility over network activities.
Direct Control from FortiGate: Eliminates the need for separate controllers.
SSID Customization: Supports tailoring of wireless access.

What benefits should users expect from Fortinet FortiAP?

Efficient Network Management: Centralized control and configuration simplify operations.
Comprehensive Reporting: Transparent insights for improved decision-making.
Secure Access: Protects data through advanced security measures.
Seamless Connectivity: Improves user experience with simplified networking.

In industries like banking and healthcare, Fortinet FortiAP is deployed to enhance network security and provide reliable access. Retailers leverage its capabilities in shopping centers, while warehouses benefit from its reliable connectivity to support seamless operations. Managed service providers use it to deliver tailored solutions, ensuring effective network segmentation and coverage.

Fortinet

WLC Series Wireless LAN Controllers deliver and manage wireless local area networks with the highest level of reliability, performance, security, and management in the industry. They integrate secure, wireless LANs with any size wired infrastructures, from small branch offices to the largest enterprise or university campus.

Juniper

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Apollo Hotel Papendrecht, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Bajaj Capital, Baloise Insurance, BAS Group, Borealis, Danish Crown, Deloitte Belgium, Jan Yperman Hospital, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, MercaSID, S.A., NHTV Breda University, Parklands College and Christopher Robin Pre-Primary, San Antonio Community Hospital, Sandia National Laboratories, Springfield Public Schools (SPS), St. Catherine University, TalkTalk, The Education Village, University of Copenhagen, University of the Highlands and Islands, University of the West of Scotland (UWS), Valdosta State University, Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec), zulily

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiAP vs. Juniper WLC Series

March 2025

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