Fortinet FortiAP vs Ubiquiti WLAN comparison

Fortinet and Ubiquiti Networks are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Fortinet is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.3, while Ubiquiti Networks is ranked #7 with an average rating of 7.8. Fortinet holds a 3.4% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to Ubiquiti Networks’s 5.1% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 81% of Ubiquiti Networks users who would recommend it.

Fortinet FortiAP

Read 11 Fortinet FortiAP reviews

1,700 Views
1,513 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Ubiquiti WLAN

Read 42 Ubiquiti WLAN reviews

8,118 Views
7,795 Comparison Views

81% willing to recommend

Fortinet FortiAP

Ubiquiti WLAN

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 8, 2024

Ubiquiti WLAN and Fortinet FortiAP compete in the wireless networking category. Ubiquiti WLAN seems to have the upper hand in cost-effectiveness and ease of deployment, whereas Fortinet FortiAP excels in security integration and comprehensive management features.

Features: Ubiquiti WLAN is known for its excellent signal reach, scalability, and a simple, cost-effective setup without ongoing licensing fees. Fortinet FortiAP is praised for its seamless integration with FortiGate and FortiAnalyzer, providing superior security from a unified console, and enhanced security features valuable for those using the Fortinet ecosystem.

Room for Improvement: Ubiquiti WLAN could enhance management and customization features and improve documentation and cloud integration. Fortinet FortiAP could advance automation capabilities and outdoor performance, expand SSID capacity, and improve support to increase appeal for enterprise users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Ubiquiti WLAN is primarily deployed on-premise with limited cloud options and is praised for ease but criticized for slow technical support. Fortinet FortiAP offers on-premise and hybrid cloud deployment, with similar technical support challenges but is noted for improvements over time. Ubiquiti users benefit from extensive documentation and community forums, while direct support can be cumbersome.

Pricing and ROI: Ubiquiti WLAN offers a cost-effective, one-time investment appealing to SMBs seeking budget-friendly solutions without licensing costs. Fortinet FortiAP is generally higher-priced, comparable to Cisco and Aruba, yet valued for providing strong ROI, making the additional investment worthwhile for its integrated and secure capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiAP vs. Ubiquiti WLAN Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiAP vs. Ubiquiti WLAN

January 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

13th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Ubiquiti WLAN

Ranking in Wireless LAN

7th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiAP is 3.4%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubiquiti WLAN is 5.1%, down from 7.7% 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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Geoff Rubin

CEO at Forward Thinking Network Consultancy Ltd

Useful for network management and far more competitive than the other leading American brands

As an importer and distributor, we don't spend any time installing Ubiquiti WLAN products ourselves. We only resell the products to installers and don't do any installations directly. From my knowledge, though, the installation process is extremely straightforward. We get very few technical questions from our customers who do the installations. Based on our experience as distributors, I can say that virtually every installation we deal with now is centered around the UniFi Gateway. Although we don't handle installations directly, more companies rely on Ubiquiti gateways instead of standard options like FortiGate switches as routers. With the new UDM Pro Max product, Ubiquiti WLAN has covered the whole spectrum from home installations to the largest possible enterprise installations.

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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 pricing is reasonable for what it offers."

"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."

"I like FortiAP's performance and stability. The reporting is also quite good."

"The setup was straightforward."

"We really don't need to call technical support. Any time we have had to call, they've been great."

"The product's deployment phase is very easy since its documentation part is available in the public domain."

"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."

More Fortinet FortiAP pros

"The pricing is very competitive and the feature sets are very good. It compares well against more expensive options."

"You can save backups of this controller locally and then I can export it to wherever I want."

"The solution has a lot of great features."

"The main advantage of Ubiquiti WLAN is the network management. The whole concept has one complete range of products from end to end, with very basic and effective management systems. That's a key benefit in my mind. But the main thing is that it's so competitive—far more competitive than the other leading American brands."

"There was a time when we were using Cisco switches and attempting to integrate Ubiquiti UniFi switches into our network infrastructure. Eventually, after some effort, we managed to understand the process. Initially, it was challenging to configure the unified console to manage virtual networks alongside internal networks effectively. We had to comprehend how both systems would integrate carefully. It became apparent that maximizing the usage of Cisco switches required a thorough understanding of how UniFi operates at the backend."

"The ease of use and simplicity of the solution is its most valuable feature. This tool is best suited for small environments."

"Ubiquiti WLAN's best feature is the free controller system software."

"The most valuable feature is the level of security on the Wi-Fi network."

More Ubiquiti WLAN pros

Cons

"Technical support is a pain. Fortinet has to get its act together. If you don't pay for premium service, you will have issues."

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

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

"FortiAP could be a little cheaper."

"I would like to have automation capabilities that would help us reduce the configuration steps."

"There is room for improvement in the product by expanding the number of SSIDs that can be broadcast."

"The wireless functionality is not the best."

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

More Fortinet FortiAP cons

"The solution could improve by having a cloud version. A cloud version is the easiest to configure anywhere in the world."

"The product’s bandwidth could be better."

"The support needs improvement. The official support is kind of complex. It's not that straightforward compared to Cisco and Aruba."

"The statistics you can get on it are a bit limited from what I have seen so far."

"The room for improvement is in the controller levels."

"Ubiquiti WLAN only supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio and would be improved by including support for 5GHz."

"When I started to upgrade, the controller for Unbuntu was really struggling to start up, however, that has since been solved."

"The product must provide better warranties."

More Ubiquiti WLAN cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

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

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

"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."

"FortiAP is more expensive than some other options."

"The tool is affordable."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."

"It is a stand-alone price."

"The solution is cheap. I rate its pricing as three out of ten."

"There is no licensing cost for this solution."

"Ubiquiti WLAN is fairly well priced and available as a one-time purchase."

"It is a cost-effective solution."

"This product is more cost-effective than some others on the market."

More Ubiquiti WLAN pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Retailer

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

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.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FortiAP?

The pricing for Fortinet FortiAP is good compared to other competitive vendors.

See all answers

What needs improvement with FortiAP?

The radio band support could be improved, especially for legacy devices. We have faced issues where older devices are not able to connect to the access point, often receiving messages that the pass...

See all answers

Is Ubiquiti Wireless better than Ruckus Wireless WAN?

Ubiquiti Wireless is extremely easy to set up and is an excellent option for small businesses, offering enterprise features for a one-time fee and no ongoing licensing fees. Ubiquiti Wireless is ve...

See all answers

Which is better - Ubiquiti WLAN or Aruba Instant?

We researched Ubiquiti and Aruba when looking for a WLAN solution. Ubiquiti offers good WLAN access both indoors and outdoors. It provides an enterprise-level WIFI while remaining cost-effective. U...

See all answers

What do you like most about Ubiquiti WLAN?

Anyone can buy the product off the shelf and configure it.

See all answers

Comparisons

Ruckus Wireless vs Fortinet FortiAP

Compared 26% of the time

Aruba Access Points vs Fortinet FortiAP

Compared 17% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs Fortinet FortiAP

Compared 11% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Fortinet FortiAP

Compared 6% of the time

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points vs Fortinet FortiAP

Compared 6% of the time

More Fortinet FortiAP Competitors

Aruba Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 18% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 16% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 9% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 8% of the time

Omada Access Points vs Ubiquiti WLAN

Compared 8% of the time

More Ubiquiti WLAN Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiAP

January 2025

Download Fortinet FortiAP product report

Buyer's Guide

Ubiquiti WLAN

December 2024

Download Ubiquiti WLAN product report

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Fortinet

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Ubiquiti Networks

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.

UniFi is a revolutionary Wi-Fi system that combines Enterprise performance, unlimited scalability, a central management controller and disruptive pricing.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

NASCAR Grand-AM, Maritime Parc, Outdoor Music Festival, One Republic Tour, British Armed Forces, Arcadia School District, Bartlett School District, Universidad del Azuay, Estelar Hotels, Intercontinental Bali, Moscow - Enforta, Miami - Sling Broadband, Manhattan - MST, Ecuador - Aire.EC

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiAP vs. Ubiquiti WLAN

January 2025

Free Report: Fortinet FortiAP vs. Ubiquiti WLAN

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