Fortinet FortiExtender vs Ruckus Wireless WAN comparison

Fortinet and Ruckus are both solutions in the Wireless WAN category. Fortinet is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.0, while Ruckus is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2. Fortinet holds a 1.2% mindshare in Wireless WAN, compared to Ruckus’s 38.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Ruckus users who would recommend it.

Fortinet FortiExtender

Read 8 Fortinet FortiExtender reviews

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149 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Ruckus Wireless WAN

Read 55 Ruckus Wireless WAN reviews

3,910 Views
3,345 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Fortinet FortiExtender

Ruckus Wireless WAN

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 4, 2025

Ruckus Wireless WAN and Fortinet FortiExtender compete in the wireless WAN category. Ruckus tends to have the edge with exceptional performance and user-friendly management, whereas Fortinet excels in SD-WAN integration and interoperability.

Features: Ruckus Wireless WAN is known for its easy deployment, excellent coverage, and reliable connectivity. The solution includes BeamFlex technology, which optimizes coverage and signal quality. Another feature of Ruckus is its robust software infrastructure, contributing to superior performance. Fortinet FortiExtender stands out with its seamless integration with external solutions like 5G LTE, broadband modems, and cellular networks. The solution is noted for its interoperability with Fortinet products and centralized control capabilities. Its integration into an SD-WAN topology adds significant value by minimizing compatibility issues.

Room for Improvement: Ruckus Wireless WAN faces criticism for its high cost, documentation gaps, and the need for better technical support and network access controls. Users also seek customization options for captive portals. Fortinet FortiExtender could enhance its security features, offer more pricing flexibility, and improve interface intuitiveness. A common criticism is that both products could benefit from more competitive pricing strategies, with Fortinet users looking for more affordable 5G models.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Ruckus Wireless WAN offers various deployment models, including hybrid and cloud, and usually receives positive feedback for ease of connectivity. However, recent feedback notes a slight decline in customer service quality. Fortinet FortiExtender operates primarily on-premises, with consistent ease of deployment, though its customer service needs improvement. Ruckus rates higher in connectivity ease, while Fortinet is praised for integrative capabilities.

Pricing and ROI: Ruckus Wireless WAN is perceived as expensive but has competitive pricing and delivers good ROI through extended infrastructure life. Critiques focus on high costs and inconsistent pricing practices. Fortinet FortiExtender is recognized for a straightforward pricing model with perpetually licensed hardware and FortiCare options. Despite not being the most expensive option, Fortinet is generally considered affordable, offering clear value in control and visibility features. Both solutions deliver strong ROI, with Ruckus notable for longevity of equipment.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiExtender vs. Ruckus Wireless WAN Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiExtender vs. Ruckus Wireless WAN

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 FortiExtender

Ranking in Wireless WAN

8th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Ruckus Wireless WAN

Ranking in Wireless WAN

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Wireless WAN category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiExtender is 1.2%, down from 1.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ruckus Wireless WAN is 38.0%, up from 36.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless WAN

Featured Reviews

Mohammad Al-Zard

Technical Manager / Fortinet Product Owner at SPACE DATA SYSTEMS

Seamless with excellent integration capabilities and flexibility

What most of my clients are telling me is the price is a problem. That would be the best thing to start with. They agree on the value, and we have a very solid argument with the clients that proper service and value comes at a proper price. However, we hope to have more flexible pricing. That would be the first point to be mentioned. The product management team has asked to have a Multi-SIM device. We've had this for one year. Covid just drove everything towards working from home regarding teleworking and all of that stuff. The product is mature enough. Mainly, that would be the price. If they could therefore have some more, let's say, enhancements on it, then we can make more of a financial case. One feature that was discussed with the product management team of Fortinet FortiExtender was to have the ability to have the possibility to upload our own drivers. For example, the Extender itself could be dealing with the SIM card directly, where you install it, and then you're ready to go. Or, you may install a USB dongle into the Extender itself. Some mobile carriers here in Jordan do not allow users to relocate the SIM card from within their biscuit or USB dongle and install it in their own modem or their own Extender. However, with particular scenarios, we would appreciate having the possibility to upload a third-party driver for simplicity, integrating whatever sales provider facility we have into the Fortinet technology.

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Udit Narayan

Senior Engineer IT Networking at JSW

Offers robust outdoor connectivity, but signal strength and support need improvement

In Cisco, there is a configuration where it automatically switches from the 2.4 GHz to 5.2 GHz frequency. But with Ruckus, usually, we need to manually define whether we want to use the 2.4 GHz or 5.2 GHz. Another point is that its penetration power is low when we are using it in any location with more walls, as the signal strength diminishes. So, the signal strength and the penetration power of the signal should be improved. It is not like Cisco. We are using Cisco APs also, but Cisco APs perform better when we compare them with Ruckus. In future releases, I would like to see automatic switching between 2.4 GHz and 5.2 GHz frequencies. We should not have to set it manually. It should automatically change its frequency based on the load. For example, if the number of users increases, then its frequency should change automatically, switching to the less congested band.

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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 initial setup was was just beautiful. It was straightforward."

"For me, the best feature of Fortinet FortiExtender is its integration with an external solution such as a 5G LTE broadband modem, wired modem, and cellular network. I also like that the product can be integrated into one device or a unified device, and that is one of its best features because it allows you to manage and centralize the control of every device."

"The product is easy to use and easy to integrate."

"The most valuable feature will be that it works."

"You don't need to have two different vendors to interoperate and get into comparability issues or inter-operability issues."

"Management can be carried out from a central point."

"The solution is extremely user-friendly."

"We appreciate that this solution can be used as an active secondary link as well as a backup."

"I made some comparisons with other competitors and I found that Ruckus was number one in regards to stability."

"Ruckus Wireless WAN's best feature is its virtual controller."

"Scalability is a valuable feature."

"The best feature of Ruckus Wireless WAN apart from its seamless roaming feature where you roam beautifully on the network is its analytics tool that gives you so much insight into your deployment, so it has become more of a business intelligence type of tool as well. I also like that Ruckus Networks, in terms of WiFi security issues on the WiFi protocols, is also the first company to give you notices of security issues, and also the first to provide patches for those issues. Ruckus Wireless WAN is very proactive and much, much faster than Cisco, Aruba, and Meraki."

"The most valuable solution is its simplicity. The solution is simple and easy to use."

"The solution can scale well."

"There are numerous features, but what I like about Ruckus is that they have a good coverage range due to their BeamFlex technique."

"The connectivity is good. There's no lag at all in service."

More Ruckus Wireless WAN pros

Cons

"The solution would be a lot better if it was a little bit more intuitive. Additionally, the help menu would be a lot better if it was easier to identify the items that I was looking for. I find the graphical interface a little bit difficult to navigate. And I find the font that is used on the HTML interface not conducive to being able to be read in low light situations."

"What most of my clients are telling me is the price is a problem."

"The engineering of the solution has some negative points, especially in terms of troubleshooting. It's difficult to troubleshoot when we have a problem. It's not like other products like Cisco or Palo Alto which make troubleshooting much easier."

"I would like to see them make it smaller in the next release so that it has a smaller footprint for mobile clients."

"We would like to see some improvement in the price for 5G models, as they are currently very expensive."

"Though Fortinet FortiExtender has some security features, the product could still be improved by adding features similar to those in FortiGuard, such as antivirus, intrusion, prevention, and detection, as well as web filtering features. The product is also not as user-friendly, so that's another area for improvement. In the FortiGate UTM solution of Fortinet, there's software-defined or SD-WAN, and in the next release of Fortinet FortiExtender, I'd like to see SD-WAN embedded in the product. Most of the communication in Fortinet FortiExtender is related to WAN and Edge, so having an SD-WAN function in the product would be useful for integrating and controlling WAN communication."

"The support could be faster and more responsive."

"There is a huge downside because we need to remove and insert the SIM to get it working."

"The initial setup is complex."

"Ruckus Wireless WAN we have a lot of component shortages in the world. This has impacted deliveries. We have large back orders of the solution."

"I believe there is room for improvement in the price structure."

"The solution needs to offer more analytics."

"The GUI interface of Ruckus Wireless WAN could be more usable, especially the drag-and-drop feature."

"We had a problem with the delivery of the solution."

"The product needs to improve its latency and performance."

"The captive portal should be more customizable because right now, it is very limited."

More Ruckus Wireless WAN cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I've only used the open-source version of Fortinet FortiExtender, but I know that it has some features that require you to pay for a license."

"I'm not sure what the cost is. However, I anticipate that the purchase price will range between $2,500 and $5,000."

"The solution is not that expensive."

"Here in India, Ruckus is chosen often because it is priced low."

"The solution is very competitively priced."

"This solution offers a yearly subscription. The price is not high, other solutions are much higher than Ruckus."

"Licensing for Ruckus Wireless WAN when you compare it to other vendors, it's on par and not expensive. For me, all licensing is expensive by default, but you do get lifelong licenses, and what's cool about it is the license for Ruckus Wireless WAN, especially on the LAN controller, is not linked to an access point. It's just a quantity access point deployment, so you can rip out old APs, and put new ones in and they'll work on the wireless LAN because the license is not linked to a specific access point which is much easier to work with."

"The cost of licensing varies."

"I rate the product's price a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."

"Sometimes they sell it for Rs.20,000, and other times, they sell it for Rs.30,000. Then, suddenly, they ask for Rs.70,000. There should be a tiered pricing structure based on the quantity. We understand that if you buy more, the price should be lower, and if you buy less, it may be higher."

"The product is available at a very good price, but it is not cheap compared to tools like Unifi. I believe it is a very good product for the price that it is offered to users."

More Ruckus Wireless WAN pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

24%

Government

11%

Insurance Company

10%

Media Company

Comms Service Provider

14%

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Fortinet FortiExtender?

The product is easy to use and easy to integrate.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiExtender?

The solution is not that expensive. I rate pricing a six out of ten. The product has a yearly subscription. The clients must pay only for the license. They need not pay any additional costs.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiExtender?

The support could be faster and more responsive.

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

What do you like most about Ruckus Wireless WAN?

Ruckus Wireless WAN is an easy-to-use solution.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ruckus Wireless WAN?

The pricing is reasonable for us as partners since we receive discounts. However, I believe for non-partners, it might not be considered cheap, though it isn't the most expensive either.

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Wireless WAN vs Fortinet FortiExtender

Compared 100% of the time

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Ubiquiti Wireless vs Ruckus Wireless WAN

Compared 89% of the time

Cambium Networks Wireless WAN vs Ruckus Wireless WAN

Compared 10% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Ruckus Wireless WAN

Compared 1% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiExtender

February 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Ruckus Wireless WAN

February 2025

Download Ruckus Wireless WAN product report

Overview

Fortinet FortiExtender is a cost-effective hardware WAN device that is robust, easily scales, and delivers 5G, LTE, and Ethernet options. FortiExtender is designed using Fortinet’s trademark security-focused networking. The solution enables organizations to have enhanced secure network connectivity with cellular and wired broadband network options.

FortiExtender can be used for secure point of sale (POS) systems to transport fleet communications. The device delivers dependable broadband access to the internet and increases the usefulness of the Fortinet Security Fabric integration to enhance seamless business processes that rely heavily on remote device connectivity to get the job done.

FortiExtender delivers super-fast 5G and LTE wireless to connect and quickly scale any WAN edge. Users get 5G/LTE cellular, out-of-band management (OBM), high availability (HA), and dynamic risk security in one comprehensive, reliable solution.

Fortinet FortiExtender Benefits

Failover protection: Users get secure network failover protection with dual SIM, dual modem, and out of band management (OBM) functionalities.
Cloud-based processes: Organizations with a global reach can easily manage processes in the cloud from anywhere. Users can use FortiGate, FortiManager, or FortiExtender Cloud Dashboard to view and easily manage security controls, network changes, and policy and protocol automation.
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with Fortinet Secure SD-WAN for simplified deployment, security, and management.
Improves TCO: FortiExtender is a very cost-effective option when integrated with FortiGate Network Security Platform. FortiExtender implements processes that save money and improve connectivity, functionality, and profitability.

Fortinet FortiExtender Features

Plug-and-play: Out of the box and ready to go, once FortiExtenders are connected to the FortiGate, they are available on the FortiOS management platform. Additionally, FortiOS provides complete visibility, monitoring data usage to ensure limits are not exceeded, resulting in significant cost savings.
Flexible connectivity options:
- LTE/5G : The FortiExtender devices provide dual SIM and dual modem options for four different ISPs. Dual SIM allows for active/passive cellular link for fast failover. Dual modem options provide two active/passive links for super-fast failover and disaster recovery. ISPs can be set for data usage limits and seamlessly switch to other ISPs to balance connectivity and reduce costs.
- WAN connectivity: Using an Ethernet WAN port, users can connect cable, DSL, or another modem. Load balancing and failover options available.
- Hybrid WAN-LAN connectivity: Four LAN ethernet ports enable users to have numerous connections to the LTE connection. Works well for high availability (HA) pairs of FortiGates to connect to FortiExtender. FortiGates then will run in failover or load balancing mode and receive WAN connectivity from the FortiExtender device.

Reviews from Real Users

“Fortinet FortiExtender helps facilitate Fortinet connectivity. When it comes to cell phone towers, you never know what you'll get with global configurations. We use this solution to mitigate switching cell phone towers. The scalability is limitless based on your cell and your internet or your cloud connectivity. It's similar to any other VPN in terms of how simple it is to set up in a global or extended environment with a large number of clients.” - Clement J., Chief Executive Officer at Clemtech LLC

Fortinet

Ruckus Wireless’s WAN (Wide Area Network) suite of switches and solutions provides companies and organizations with a wide variety of products that enable them to deploy and manage the kinds of WANs that best meet their needs. Ruckus Wireless is a leader in the field of WAN creation, deployment, and management. Their solutions are designed with the user in mind. They are sleek products and solutions that are easy for administrators to use and maintain. This makes it a valuable suite for any and every kind of industry. The level of ease that it provides makes it possible for companies and organizations to reap a high level of benefit from whichever product they choose to use.

Ruckus Wireless WAN Benefits

Some of the benefits of using the Ruckus Wireless WAN suite of switches and solutions include:

Simplified network deployment and management. Ruckus Wireless WAN uses Campus Fabric technology to create a streamlined network creation and management process. This technology takes many of the processes used to create and manage networks that usually require many different solutions and combines them so that a single solution can accomplish the same amount of work.

The ability to operate on a massive scale. The Ruckus Wireless SmartZone 100 solution gives administrators the power to handle 1,024 access points and 25,000 users from a single device. Companies can operate at a high level with fewer devices than their competitors require to accomplish a similar level of work.

Ease of use. Solutions like RuckusZoneDirector 1200 can be easily deployed and used by administrators who may not have a background in the use of wireless solutions. Companies that choose Ruckus Wireless WAN do not need to train administrators to deploy it. This makes it extremely valuable to companies looking to keep their budgets to a minimum.

Ruckus Wireless WAN Features

Organizations that choose to use the Ruckus Wireless WAN suite of switches and solutions have a large number of capabilities from which they can choose.

Centralized network management. Ruckus Wireless WAN’s RUCKUS Network Director feature enables administrators to manage their networks from a single location. All of the controls and data that users need to monitor and control the network can be managed from one interface.

Advanced security features. Ruckus Wireless WAN has the capability to encrypt and demand that traffic that is trying to pass through the network be authenticated before it is allowed access. This protects the data that leaves the network and the network itself.
Seamless interoperability. The various solutions and products that make up Ruckus Wireless’s WAN solution suite have the ability to integrate and operate together seamlessly. Users can mix and match solution pieces to best fit their needs.

Reviews from Real Users

Ruckus Wireless’s WAN suite is a truly versatile selection of solutions that offer users a complete package of capabilities and features. This suite makes it possible for users to meet all of their networking needs. Their wireless access points are the kind that is mostly employed in industries like resorts, which have to cater to large volumes of people over extended periods of time. They provide companies with the highest possible level of coverage. Users working in any number of fields would find Ruckus Wireless to be up to the task of handling their networking needs. This suite is appropriate for large corporations and small businesses alikes.

An information technology project manager at a university writes, “The actual wireless access points themselves are very powerful. We get very good coverage from just one access point. The throughput is very good and the centralized management is excellent. Also, the ease of deployment is very good.”

A video conferencing administrator at a technology services company states, “The solution is suitable for many types of environments, such as small businesses.”

Ruckus

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data

American University of Sharjah, Dordt College, Drew University, Lamar University, Raroa School

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiExtender vs. Ruckus Wireless WAN

January 2025

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