Fortinet FortiExtender Reviews

Name: Fortinet FortiExtender
Brand: Fortinet
Rating: 4.1 (8 reviews)

4.1 out of 5

8 reviews
100% willing to recommend

What is Fortinet FortiExtender?

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.

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Fortinet FortiExtender is the #8 ranked solution in top Wireless WAN solutions. PeerSpot users give Fortinet FortiExtender an average rating of 8.2 out of 10. Fortinet FortiExtender is most commonly compared to Ubiquiti Wireless: Fortinet FortiExtender vs Ubiquiti Wireless. Fortinet FortiExtender is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 43% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 30% of all views.

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiExtender

November 2024

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Featured reviews

Mohammad Al-Zard

Technical Manager / Fortinet Product Owner at SPACE DATA SYSTEMS

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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Daniele Parodi

Senior Information Technology Consultant at Firstpoint Poland

The product or service could be improved by ensuring the current firmware works as well as the one in the old model. For example, with the old model, we only needed to restart it once in a while. However, with the new model and the new firmware, there is a huge downside because we need to remove and insert the SIM to get it working. I'm unsure what additional features could be included in the next release because we manage it quite well from the current systems and can reset it as needed.

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Jose-Rivera

Account Manager at Telefónica

This solution provides secure WAN connectivity to the internet through the mobile network, while maximizing signal strength The port extenders provided by this solution allow us to reach the network through a mobile solution where, normally, access would be limited or unavailable. We appreciate…

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Fortinet FortiExtender mindshare

As of November 2024, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiExtender in the Wireless WAN category stands at 1.4%, down from 1.6% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless WAN

Key learnings from peers

Valuable Features

"The product is easy to use and easy to integrate."
"We appreciate that this solution can be used as an active secondary link as well as a backup."
"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."

Room for Improvement

"The support could be faster and more responsive."
"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."

Pricing

"The solution is not that expensive."
"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."

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Fortinet FortiExtender Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

30%

Insurance Company

10%

Government

Media Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Retailer

Healthcare Company

Wholesaler/Distributor

Legal Firm

Construction Company

Pharma/Biotech Company

Consumer Goods Company

Cloud Solution Provider

Hospitality Company

Outsourcing Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Paper And Forest Products

Logistics Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Educational Organization

Engineering Company

University

Non Profit

Compare Fortinet FortiExtender with alternative products

Learn more about Fortinet FortiExtender

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