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Fortinet FortiAP vs Ruckus Wireless 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
5.2
Fortinet FortiAP offers enhanced security, cost-effectiveness, and reliability, yielding an 80% savings and boosting productivity and operational efficiency.
Sentiment score
3.0
Organizations save costs and enjoy reliable, seamless connectivity with Ruckus Wireless, reducing hardware needs and technical support dependency.
I do not have to continuously manage them, and their reliability means they are consistently up and running.
Network Administrator at a educational organization with 501-1,000 employees
Fortinet FortiAP provides value for money, and I can quantify the savings at about 80%.
Senior Network Security Engineer at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
I believe that in the coming years, it would be real value for the money.
CIO at Haier
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.4
Fortinet FortiAP's customer service is efficient for some, but regional and service tier disparities affect user satisfaction.
Sentiment score
6.6
Ruckus Wireless customer service receives mixed reviews, praised for responsiveness and quality, but criticized for response delays and staffing issues.
We keep a support contract open with Fortinet, so we have instantaneous response from them.
Network Engineer III at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The RMA process is very good, with same-day replacement in our case.
Head Of Technical Operations at ITE
I am not satisfied with Fortinet FortiAP's technical support in India.
Senior Network Security Engineer at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
I have contacted Ruckus support through our managed services vendor, but the responses have been delayed, possibly due to the vendor.
manager at SSDU Innovations
I have communicated with Ruckus Wireless technical support directly for all technical issues.
CIO at Haier
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.5
Fortinet FortiAP is praised for scalability, handling large volumes well, though it faces challenges, enhanced by ISPs and FortiManager.
Sentiment score
5.3
Ruckus Wireless offers scalable, flexible solutions for seamless operation, supporting diverse environments and easy expansion in high-density areas.
There could be constraints where a product can't be scaled further without purchasing a new model.
Senior IT System Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
We have good scalability with Fortinet FortiAP because we have multiple ISPs connected to it through FortiManager.
Network Engineer III at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
With the Ruckus R1 Cloud, I just need to put it into the venue, and it will automatically sync up and configure itself.
manager at SSDU Innovations
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
6.8
Fortinet FortiAP's stability receives mixed reviews, with users noting both reliable performance and occasional issues after updates.
Sentiment score
7.0
Ruckus Wireless is highly dependable and stable, offering seamless connectivity even in dense environments with minimal maintenance required.
I have not experienced any issues, outages, or problems and have not had to interfere with them at all.
Network Administrator at a educational organization with 501-1,000 employees
The stability of the solution is very high.
Network Engineer III at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Fortinet FortiAP needs improvement in integration, wireless functionality, automation, support, easy deployment, and enhanced configuration for better performance.
Ruckus Wireless needs improved tools, pricing, scalability, interface, support, security, and innovation for better user experience and market competitiveness.
Security is always a concern for any business, and the network should not be compromised easily.
Senior IT System Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
I know they're going up to six soon, which will enhance reliability.
Network Engineer III at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
We earlier expected that Fortinet FortiAP could be managed through the cloud, which would be very good, but nowadays, FortiNet is providing FortiAPs with cloud management also.
Senior Network Security Engineer at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
The current reporting is limited to 30 days, and it would be helpful if there was an option to extend it to one year.
manager at SSDU Innovations
Sometimes when there's a load of work, even within the range of the concurrent users, we feel that the system is burdened and slows down.
CIO at Haier
First of all, the product needs to be updated.
CEO at ajuntament del Prat
 

Setup Cost

Fortinet FortiAP is competitively priced, with varied opinions on affordability compared to Cisco, Palo Alto, Meraki, and Aruba.
Ruckus Wireless, though costly, is valued for great client density management and flexible licensing compared to Cisco and Aruba.
The license costs for Fortinet are more affordable when considering licensing costs with other leaders like Cisco.
Senior IT System Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
The pricing is a little bit high, and I would rate it a ten on the scale where ten is the highest price.
Network Administrator at a educational organization with 501-1,000 employees
The pricing is much better than Cisco pricing.
Network Engineer III at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Some access points cost approximately 3,000 euros per device, which would be appropriate for a great studio or similar facility.
CEO at ajuntament del Prat
Ruckus Wireless is quite economical compared to Meraki or Cisco Umbrella APs.
manager at SSDU Innovations
Regarding the pricing and licensing of Ruckus Wireless, it's a bit expensive compared to other solutions available in Pakistan.
CIO at Haier
 

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiAP offers seamless integration, strong security, and simplified management with Zero-Touch Deployment and passwordless authentication for enterprises.
Ruckus Wireless excels with BeamFlex, offering superior coverage, easy management, scalability, and reliable connectivity in high-density settings.
Compatibility with Fortinet firewalls allows clients to set up new businesses with integrated firewalls and access points, offering a cost-effective solution while providing excellent wireless coverage.
Senior IT System Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Fortinet FortiAP is effective in protecting against wireless threats.
Senior Network Security Engineer at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
Unlike other wireless controllers, the firewall is controlling the AP, so you have a much higher level of security.
Co Founder And Consultant at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
The most valuable feature of Ruckus Wireless is its AI capability, which automatically scales up and down the coverage areas.
manager at SSDU Innovations
Overall, we have fewer issues using these devices, and it's more stable.
CIO at Haier
We are satisfied, but there are some problems in the current Ruckus Wireless solution that we could not solve two years ago, and we are still waiting for a solution.
CEO at ajuntament del Prat
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiAP
Ranking in Wireless LAN
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Ruckus Wireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
106
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiAP is 5.3%, up from 4.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ruckus Wireless is 12.0%, down from 14.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Ruckus Wireless12.0%
Fortinet FortiAP5.3%
Other82.7%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

Shahnawaz Nusrat - PeerSpot reviewer
Head Of Technical Operations at ITE
Has simplified wireless integration while needing better throughput and captive portal features
The product can be improved depending on the model selected as per requirements. Support is good and throughput is good. What we need to do is select a better product as per our requirement and environment. If proper working is done in terms of wireless heat map or radio connectivity in our environment, I believe it's good. There is always a chance to improve. Throughput can be better in terms of other vendors, but currently, it's working fine. One feature that I still need to explore is the captive portal. When we deploy a unit in a public environment, users need to sign in with a pop-up box to connect.
PS
CEO at ajuntament del Prat
Reliable wireless coverage has supported busy operations and has improved daily connectivity
We have areas that are interference-prone. I am not using BeamFlex technology with Ruckus Wireless. We are satisfied, but there are some problems in the current Ruckus Wireless solution that we could not solve two years ago, and we are still waiting for a solution. These are lateral management problems, and we solved them with another type of tools. However, I do not know if the new versions of the product have resolved that issue. We had approximately 150 access points at that time, so we had many points to change. We had another solution five years ago, and we changed all the access points to Ruckus Wireless solution as well as the Ruckus Wireless platform to manage all the access points.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business69
Midsize Enterprise22
Large Enterprise26
 

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.
What needs improvement with FortiAP?
A point for improvement for Fortinet FortiAP would be improvements in the GUI, which is adequate but could be improved. Additionally, wireless coverage and the mapping area are fairly static and co...
Aruba Wireless or Ruckus Wireless?
At my organization, we researched Ruckus Wireless among other solutions but ultimately chose Aruba wireless. What did we like about Ruckus? First, it was very easy to use, and anybody with minimal...
Which is better - Ruckus Wireless or Cisco Wireless?
Ruckus Wireless offers users the benefit of being both easy to set up and get running as well as being very user friendly. This user-friendly quality also renders it easy to learn how to use and ma...
How does Ruckus Wireless compare to Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?
Cisco’s Meraki Virtual MX is a virtual instance of the Meraki SD-WAN appliance. We liked the Meraki. The Wifi APs are a great feature. The dashboard is a simple interface and easy to learn. It feat...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
American University of Sharjah, Baruch College, Centro Escolar Liceo Santo Tomšs, Chevalier College, Chico Unified School District, Colegio de Fomento El Prado, Columbia Public Schools, Delta School District, Dordt College, Douglas County School District, Drew University, Armonea, Central Utah Clinic, Grove Hill Medical Center, Inner South Community Health Service, Midwest Surgical, Satilla Regional Medical Center, Lyndoch Living, Polonus, Roaring Fork School District, Sonora State, Vivid, Sydney, Players Club, Sandals, Scandic Hotels, Sheraton LAX, Sunbird
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiAP vs. Ruckus Wireless and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
883,692 professionals have used our research since 2012.