Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Fortinet FortiWLC vs Fortinet FortiWLM 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiWLC
Ranking in Wireless LAN
25th
Average Rating
9.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiWLM
Ranking in Wireless LAN
15th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiWLC is 0.3%, down from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiWLM is 2.0%, down from 2.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

Panagiota Aggelopoulou - PeerSpot reviewer
Quick support, overall high quality, and reliable
We have used the support from Fortinet FortiWLC. We opened a ticket to Fortinet support. They have good support, but it was a simple issue that we had to be resolved. They responded quickly and with a correct answer. We contacted them during regular business hours. I rate the support from Fortinet FortiWLC a five out of five.
Zachary Wheeler - PeerSpot reviewer
Impressive manufacturing quality, highly durable, and very easy to deploy
They need to do more with their marketing. That's what's wrong with them. Nobody knows they do all this other stuff. I love the product. For an enterprise-level system, you never have to explain why you're recommending Fortinet, whereas you might have to do that if you want to use the Ubiquiti Professional or the new Netgear line, but you don't have to explain Fortinet. It has been remarkable to work with. It would be nice if they had some smaller switches or hubs. They should offer two-port, three-port, or four-port devices so that you don't have to buy an eight-port switch, and you don't have to use an unmanaged element, but their product line is very complete, and I can't say enough about it.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiWLC is the overall high quality."
"It's easy to set everything up during implementation."
"Security is the feature we like most from Fortinet. In general, their security architecture is really great, because it involves everything: firewalls, wireless LANs, the user. Everything is really secure."
"Having the single pane of glass, by using the Fortinet Security Fabric, allows us to tighten security, and more easily and quickly create additional VLANs to help protect data. Rules in the firewall mean we can protect data and systems so that, should anything go wrong, any security issue is held to an individual device."
"Although there are a few steps, the initial setup is pretty straightforward."
"The firewall integration is very important for the security of the connection."
"Fortinet FortiWLM is good for tracking assets, monitoring, and overall management."
"In FortiWLM, it has been very reliable."
"This is the only product on the market currently that supports as many access points for wifi users."
"If you do have a FortiGate Firewall somewhere in the network, you can connect the wireless controller to that... You get 100 percent visibility from a single point... You can see everything that's connected to the FortiGate, whether it's a switch or a wireless AP or a wireless controller or any other Fortinet product."
 

Cons

"Fortinet FortiWLC is not simple to configure when compared to other solutions. The design could be better."
"One thing that is lacking is, compared with some other brands, the signal is a bit weaker. Ruckus has much wider signal coverage."
"Licensing is the only area that I think they are below average. They need enterprise licensing, an all-encompassing license to cover all products for a company."
"Areas for improvement would be the compatibility with Apple products and cross-platform integration."
"I have used Cisco previously and I don't see any specific differences from Fortinet FortiWLM or other vendors."
"The pricing for the solution is expensive and can be improved."
"Documentation could be improved."
"There is very little publicly available information about Virtual Cell and Single Channel Architecture. Promotion of the overall technology is limited as well. Being more vocal about a product that has many advantages would go a long way to eliminating a lot of the confusion and negative perception about Virtual Cell and Single Channel Architecture."
"In the next release, they could improve by adding a controller-less server, or architecture that is provided in other solutions, such as Aruba. This would be a great benefit for customers."
"The pricing model can be improved to encourage use by small business and individuals and the hardware could stand to be redesigned."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of Fortinet FortiWLC is high. The solution will be out of the market for us because the price is too high for the features it provides."
"The solution is expensive. I give the solution a one out of ten for the price."
"To save yourself from increased setup and maintenance costs, I highly recommend undertaking a proper site survey from the beginning."
"For indoor access points, there is a one-time cost, upfront, whereas outdoor access points have an annual fee."
"There is a perpetual license required for this solution and the price could be reduced."
"The product is highly expensive. I rate the pricing a ten."
"Fortinet would do something with their pricing model to attract smaller business users and eliminate the mandatory service contracts."
"Licensing costs are reasonable. There are so many different types of licenses with Fortinet, but the licensing and the 24/7/365 support are so reasonable that I automatically include it with every transaction. I never line item it without it. There are no additional costs."
"Support contracts typically cost approximately $100.00 per year."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Wireless LAN solutions are best for your needs.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Non Profit
9%
Real Estate/Law Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
 

Also Known As

No data available
FortiWLM, FortiAP, Fortinet AP/OAP, Meru Wireless LAN
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiWLC vs. Fortinet FortiWLM and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.