Aruba Wireless vs Fortinet FortiWLM comparison

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Juniper Logo
5,118 views|3,582 comparisons
100% willing to recommend
HPE Aruba Networking Logo
46,892 views|38,061 comparisons
86% willing to recommend
Fortinet Logo
4,478 views|4,081 comparisons
94% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Aruba Wireless and Fortinet FortiWLM based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Wireless LAN solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Aruba Wireless vs. Fortinet FortiWLM Report (Updated: March 2024).
771,581 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The solution is very secure.""Juniper Mist offers valuable features like comprehensive network insight, granular policy control, fast device setup, strong security, and efficient SSL traffic management.""With Mist, every Wednesday they roll out new features.""The most valuable feature of Juniper Mist is the Virtual Network Assistant, powered by artificial intelligence.""You can easily monitor, manage, and cover all your IT equipment.""The artificial intelligence feature is very good.""Overall, we've been very pleased with the performance.""The AI capabilities of Mist Wireless are superior to other OEMs."

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"Aruba is an industry leader. The hardware is on par, and its performance is also on par with anybody else. The Aruba brand really only focuses on wireless, so they're not competing their R&D for switching data center products and cloud security. They're really focused on that and their underlying key pieces. They provide a role-based authentication that is native to the controller. A lot of other systems don't do that. They won't provide you the ability to basically have everybody join the network, regardless of whether or not they share the same network space, the SSID, or the wireless LAN. You can segment it down to a specific user role based on any kind of attributes that you like. That's their differentiator. If you need per user, per device, or per port segmentation, you can get that with Aruba. There isn't another vendor who does it.""The Airwave is the best feature for a single management point for all APs in the environment.""The cost is pretty good. It's what draws in the clients.""We have three wireless networks: One for employee use, one for guest use, and one for our warehouse use, which uses MAC authentication. These wireless networks just simply work, they do not fail. The IAP-205 devices are very strong with great range. Very durable equipment; it always works.""​Support through third party vendors or direct from HPE has been easy to manage. They are very responsive.​""The initial setup was very simple.""Good wireless solution that's user-friendly, stable, and scalable, with very good product support, and a limited lifetime warranty.""The most valuable feature in this product would be the stability. You build it, install it, and it’s good to go, with no further tweaks needed unless adding or replacing APs."

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"The most valuable features are the roaming profile, the mesh, and the performance.""With Fortinet, there is a feature called Network-In-Control. It's the AP controller that decides what the clients are going to connect to... Even though your phone sees, let's say, two APs, since the wireless controller has visibility into and access across all the APs, it knows the best AP for the client to connect to. This way, the controller makes sure that none of the APs is over-crowded, and the spectrum is used properly.""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.""Seamless roaming by leveraging Virtual Cell is a major advantage which reduces roam times and issues related to roaming. Code stability has been excellent and the hardware quality is second to none.""We're using SD-WAN at all of our locations now, which helps increase and aggregate and lower response time and improve application performance.""We can deploy a tunnel-based VLAN and SSID, for something that happens at the last minute, in a matter of minutes, because of the interaction between the FortiGate, the FortiSwitches, and the FortiAPs.""This is the only product on the market currently that supports as many access points for wifi users.""The most valuable feature of the solution is the management."

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Cons
"Enrolling into the tool is a tedious process.""The pricing is very high in the Indian market.""The product should include adaptive Wi-Fi to show a more accurate location.""Improving third-party integration is key for Juniper Mist's next release.""There is room for improvement in terms of support and installation.""Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) could improve if the MIST platform had a built-in master key. This would be an advantage.""Improvement is needed in the user-friendliness of Juniper Mist, particularly in enhancing the interaction with AI features.""Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points’ support services need improvement."

More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Cons →

"The solution needs to add features and enhance security.""Aruba Wireless could improve the dashboard. It is not straightforward or intuitive to use and could be more user-friendly. For IT employees the dashboards are fine but when it comes to the end-user it is difficult. The Mobility Controller dashboard is not meant for non-IT employees.""Aruba Wireless could improve the interface, it does not have a smart web interface. Other solutions have smart web interfaces, such as Cisco Meraki.""When we connect to Wi-Fi devices it could be easier because sometimes, it takes a lot of time to complete.""The support should be faster.""Our customers ask for a security portfolio, which the tool doesn't have.""Customer service really needs to be improved. If the customer support was better, I would recommend it to others more than I do now. Considering that you have to pay yearly for support, I expect a higher level of support.""Aruba’s poor performance and random upgrade issues caused too much time consuming maintenance and troubleshooting."

More Aruba Wireless Cons →

"The range needs some improvement and also the stability.""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.""The pricing model can be improved to encourage use by small business and individuals and the hardware could stand to be redesigned.""The interface could certainly do with some improvement. We have other customers with WiFi networks, and they always use Ubiquiti. With Ubiquiti, it's a much better user interface, and it is much easier to configure.""One of the main features that I see as lacking in any of the Fortinet products is the reporting. If you want to have proper, end-to-end reporting, you must purchase the FortiAnalyzer... If Fortinet could offer some better, built-in reporting, that would be a point of improvement.""The pricing for the solution is expensive and can be improved.""When using the FortiGate as the wireless controller, you cannot have automatic user registration, which is something that they should offer.""The initial setup is complex and has room for improvement."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "We pay maybe 1000 SEK per year, per access point."
  • "Juniper Wireless AP's price is a little more expensive than other solutions, but you get what you pay for."
  • "The pricing is something Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) can work on. The pricing is very high compared to the competition."
  • "The pricing is too high."
  • "The solution is expensive."
  • "I rate Juniper Mist's pricing a ten out of ten since it is expensive."
  • "I rate the pricing an eight out of ten."
  • "The pricing is fair."
  • More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Partner had been using Cisco. They switched to Aruba, because of price and functionality, also with an option for adding a SW, like AirWave, Meridian, ClearPass, and Central."
  • "Pricing is very competitive."
  • "Pricing support has always been cost-effective."
  • "Licensing is a one time purchase (only the cloud license has to be renewed, which is worth trying out).​"
  • "​We will be buying the ClearPass solution, which will be pricey. However, in the trial version, it has even more tools to manage a busy network.​"
  • "There is so much licensing, you literally pay for every solution, add-on, or cool feature. Compared to others, we were in the middle with pricing, but as you start to invest more into features it will get very pricey."
  • "​Trial different solutions and compare pricing to how well they perform, their stability, how easy it is to maintain, etc."
  • "Licencing can be surprising and needs improvement. Look into all features, what you need versus what you want, and know that nothing comes without some kind of license."
  • More Aruba Wireless Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Licensing has become easier. There is no longer a per-AP license needed on the controller."
  • "If a customer already is a FortiGate customer, the cost to go to the FortiAP is incredibly affordable, because you already have the controller."
  • "For indoor access points, there is a one-time cost, upfront, whereas outdoor access points have an annual fee."
  • "Fortinet would do something with their pricing model to attract smaller business users and eliminate the mandatory service contracts."
  • "There is a perpetual license required for this solution and the price could be reduced."
  • "Support contracts typically cost approximately $100.00 per year."
  • "To save yourself from increased setup and maintenance costs, I highly recommend undertaking a proper site survey from the beginning."
  • "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."
  • More Fortinet FortiWLM Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Comparison Review
    Anonymous User
    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:The most valuable feature of Juniper Mist is the Virtual Network Assistant, powered by artificial intelligence.
    Top Answer:Juniper Mist is very reasonable in terms of pricing, especially when compared to competitors like Cisco.
    Top Answer:Improving third-party integration is key for Juniper Mist's next release. Better control over devices from vendors like… more »
    Top Answer:Depends.  I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them.  Extreme I am not, so unless they have… more »
    Top Answer:At my organization, we researched Ruckus Wireless among other solutions but ultimately chose Aruba wireless. What did… more »
    Top Answer:On the most basic level, Cisco Wireless can offer a rather straightforward initial setup. In the span of about three… more »
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series), Mist Access Points
    Aruba WLAN, HP WLAN, HP Wireless, Aruba Instant On AP Series Access Point
    FortiWLM, FortiAP, Fortinet AP/OAP, Meru Wireless LAN
    Learn More
    Overview

    Juniper Wireless Access Points work in conjunction with Juniper Mist Cloud Services and Mist AI to deliver premier wireless access capabilities. The Juniper Mist Edge extends microservices to the campus to bring agility and scale while enabling new applications at the edge.

    Aruba Wireless is a secure, high-performance, multi-user wireless LAN supporting Wi-Fi 6. As workplaces and user expectations change, users can now maintain hybrid workplaces and IoT without compromising performance, reliability, or security. Aruba Wireless delivers better performance and capacity and greater AIOps visibility throughout all devices and users. In addition, through built-in network intelligence, network operations are made simpler while keeping everything secure through user and guest encryption.

    Aruba Wireless, offered through Aruba Networks, is helping achieve digital transformation and IoT with seamless connectivity through multiple Wi-Fi access points. For the user’s convenience, Aruba Wireless provides indoor, outdoor, and remote access points to help boost faster and safer connectivity.

    Choosing Aruba Wireless can help improve your organization’s user experience with wireless LAN in many ways, including:

    • Transforming hybrid workplaces: Employees can move seamlessly between home and office, with reliable internet and without compromising security.

    • Connect and protect IoT: With built-in AP support for BLE, Zigbee, and USB-port extensions, users can extend visibility, control, and connectivity to IoT devices and applications.

    • Expand the 5G experience to the enterprise network: Empower users to experience 5G with Wi-Fi 6 by automatically enabling cellular devices to join Aruba Wireless LAN securely and reliably.

    Aruba Gateways and Controllers

    Small organizations as well as large enterprises require excellent performance and security for cloud, mobility, and digital transformation. Therefore, in addition to the access points, Aruba Wireless also offers a variety of gateways and controllers, including:

    • 9000 Series: With SD-WAN capabilities, it’s excellent for small campus networks looking for enhanced Wi-Fi scalability and security.

    • 7200 Series: Perfect for campus WLAN scalability or branch SD-WAN and VPN Concentrator capabilities, the 7200 Series optimizes Wi-Fi performance to guarantee smooth roaming.

    • 7000 Series: Acting as a controller or gateway to provide WAN intelligence, the 7000 Series is a policy-based router and an excellent solution for small to mid-sized campuses.

    • Mobility Controller Virtual Appliance: Maximizes Wi-Fi and network services in an economical, virtualized environment.

    • SD-WAN Virtual Gateways: Orchestrate virtual gateways in public cloud infrastructure, like Amazon Web Services (AWS).

    • Mobility Conductor Hardware Appliance: While enhancing the scalability and reliability for large campus WLANs, Aruba Mobility Conductors bring the full capability of ArubaOS.

    • Mobility Conductor Virtual Appliance: To scale large campus deployments, Aruba Mobility Conductors simplify the deployment and management of up to 1,000 Mobility Controllers.

    • ArubaOS Network Operating System: Great for remote workers in mid-sized and large companies who need seamless connectivity to and security over Wi-Fi.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Aruba Networks is aiding organizations in transforming to a hybrid work environment with Aruba Wireless. Users especially love its ability to work with many devices and its ability to group and manage access points.

    A senior IT solutions architect at a manufacturing company says, "The most valuable feature is the fact that it can work with many devices. It supports everything that we need it to."

    Gary F., a network administrator at wireless at Abilene Christian, notes, "I like the way it groups and manages access points."


    Consolidate security and wireless LAN management with our integrated wireless solutions. Single-pane-of-glass management for security and access without the need to add point products simplifies deployment and reduces management complexity. These solutions are highly scalable to support even the largest organizations and distributed enterprises.

    Sample Customers
    Information Not Available
    Consulate Health Care, Los Angeles Unified School District, Science Applications International Corp (SAIC), San Diego State University, KFC, ACTS Retirement-Life Communities
    Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Educational Organization25%
    Computer Software Company25%
    Newspaper13%
    Healthcare Company13%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company18%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Government7%
    Educational Organization6%
    REVIEWERS
    University17%
    Comms Service Provider13%
    Educational Organization9%
    Manufacturing Company9%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    Government7%
    Manufacturing Company6%
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider22%
    Educational Organization22%
    University11%
    Computer Software Company11%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company16%
    Comms Service Provider11%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Government6%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business38%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise44%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business30%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise53%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business39%
    Midsize Enterprise22%
    Large Enterprise38%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business28%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise55%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business70%
    Midsize Enterprise5%
    Large Enterprise25%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business31%
    Midsize Enterprise16%
    Large Enterprise54%
    Buyer's Guide
    Aruba Wireless vs. Fortinet FortiWLM
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Wireless vs. Fortinet FortiWLM and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    771,581 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Aruba Wireless is ranked 1st in Wireless LAN with 138 reviews while Fortinet FortiWLM is ranked 16th in Wireless LAN with 22 reviews. Aruba Wireless is rated 8.4, while Fortinet FortiWLM is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Aruba Wireless writes "The portal for centralized management and virtual controller for APs are very valuable". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Fortinet FortiWLM writes "Impressive manufacturing quality, highly durable, and very easy to deploy". Aruba Wireless is most compared with Cisco Wireless, Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN, Ruckus Wireless, Ubiquiti WLAN and Ubiquiti Wireless, whereas Fortinet FortiWLM is most compared with Ruckus Wireless, Cisco Wireless, Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN, Ubiquiti Wireless and Omada Access Points. See our Aruba Wireless vs. Fortinet FortiWLM report.

    See our list of best Wireless LAN vendors.

    We monitor all Wireless LAN reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.