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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
6.3
Fortinet FortiAP offers high ROI with robust security, minimal maintenance, and 80% cost savings compared to competitors.
Sentiment score
4.1
Ruckus Wireless delivers high ROI by reducing costs, boosting efficiency, and enhancing connectivity with fewer disruptions.
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
7.5
Fortinet FortiAP's customer service experiences vary, with mixed support quality influenced by region, service tier, and training resources.
Sentiment score
6.8
Ruckus Wireless support is generally prompt and helpful, but some experience delays and additional costs post-acquisition.
The RMA process is very good, with same-day replacement in our case.
Head Of Technical Operations at ITE
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
I am not satisfied with Fortinet FortiAP's technical support in India.
Senior Network Security Engineer at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
I have communicated with Ruckus Wireless technical support directly for all technical issues.
CIO at Haier
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
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
Fortinet FortiAP is scalable, supporting thousands of users, but may require new purchases due to technology constraints.
Sentiment score
5.6
Ruckus Wireless excels in scalability, seamless deployment, flexible licensing, and effective management for diverse enterprise environments.
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
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
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
6.6
Fortinet FortiAP's stability is mixed; some praise performance while others face disconnections and vulnerabilities, influenced by location and setup.
Sentiment score
7.0
Ruckus Wireless is praised for its high stability and reliability, maintaining strong connections even in challenging environments.
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 improvements in wireless functionality, support, outdoor performance, and configuration, despite effective cloud management capabilities.
Ruckus Wireless faces cost, security, and support issues; users seek improved cloud features, analytics, and performance under load.
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
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
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 it happens when I see the number of users increasing on one access point, which slows down a little bit, especially when we are having online meetings and teams are communicating over the internet.
CIO at Haier
 

Setup Cost

Fortinet FortiAP offers competitive enterprise pricing, though licensing costs can be high, generally rated six to nine out of ten.
Ruckus Wireless is viewed as a premium, reliable investment, with justified costs due to performance and multiple licensing options.
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 much better than Cisco pricing.
Network Engineer III at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Fortinet FortiAP is affordable, not expensive.
Senior Network Security Engineer at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
Regarding the pricing and licensing of Ruckus Wireless, it's a bit expensive compared to other solutions available in Pakistan.
CIO at Haier
Ruckus Wireless is quite economical compared to Meraki or Cisco Umbrella APs.
manager at SSDU Innovations
 

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiAP excels in integration, management, and security, providing stability and performance for small to medium enterprises.
Ruckus Wireless is lauded for reliability, innovative features, and superior connectivity, offering ease of management and strong performance.
Fortinet FortiAP is effective in protecting against wireless threats.
Senior Network Security Engineer at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
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
In a FortiGate, especially a Forti wireless environment, it's always easy to troubleshoot problems and it gives better visibility of our environment.
Head Of Technical Operations at ITE
Overall, we have fewer issues using these devices, and it's more stable.
CIO at Haier
The most valuable feature of Ruckus Wireless is its AI capability, which automatically scales up and down the coverage areas.
manager at SSDU Innovations
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiAP
Ranking in Wireless LAN
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Ruckus Wireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
105
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiAP is 5.7%, up from 3.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ruckus Wireless is 12.8%, down from 14.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Ruckus Wireless12.8%
Fortinet FortiAP5.7%
Other81.5%
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.
QaiserYousaf - PeerSpot reviewer
CIO at Haier
Has delivered strong performance for office connectivity and reduced technical issues
I cannot suggest much for Ruckus Wireless, but I think all the new versions have already incorporated all the improvements that are required in this device. So I cannot suggest something which I believe is already either in process or already been given to the customer. There is something on my mind about how the product could be optimized. The number of users they claim can simultaneously connect to the system actually varies. 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. Perhaps there is something that can make it work better when there's a high load on that. However, this does not happen frequently. Sometimes it happens when I see the number of users increasing on one access point, which slows down a little bit, especially when we are having online meetings and teams are communicating over the internet. This trouble causes a little bit of irritation to the user, wondering why data downloading or uploading or transferring takes extra time. That is my concern.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Computer Software Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business69
Midsize Enterprise21
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?
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 env...
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: December 2025.
879,422 professionals have used our research since 2012.