Aruba Instant vs Fortinet FortiWLM comparison

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Aruba Instant 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 Instant vs. Fortinet FortiWLM Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,386 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 simplicity is great.""You can easily monitor, manage, and cover all your IT equipment.""With Mist, every Wednesday they roll out new features.""In terms of reporting, in terms of all the user reports, it's very rich.""The solution is pretty generic and easy to use.""The solution is stable.""The AI capabilities of Mist Wireless are superior to other OEMs.""It provides private network access, helping us protect our company’s devices."

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"Aruba Instant's best feature is the ability to manage it in the cloud.""Works automatically in terms of setup with the product finding its master wifi access point.""It's a good solution for small businesses because it's easy to figure out. It's simple to set Aruba up in any configuration, like link aggregation or static loads. It's suitable for less complicated configurations, whereas Cisco devices are bigger and more difficult to implement.""Has many advanced features: Built-in firewall, local radius, application visibility and control, not locked into support agreements.""The installation is very simple. We've limited the security feature, which I found valuable, and that allows two separate networks, one for the company and one for a guest network. During installation, it is very easy at that point to divide it.""The stability of the solution is very good.""Aruba's mobility features, which facilitate seamless switching between wireless access points, are also quite impressive. Users don't even notice the transition, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted experience.""The most valuable feature of Aruba Instant is its cloud capability, which allows us to manage it through the cloud."

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"The firewall integration is very important for the security of the connection.""I found that It's really good when comparing it to any other product or it is much better in terms of features that the customer requires.""The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiWLM is the single management pane and integrated controller inside the firewall.""I use Fortinet FortiWLM for wireless communication and the internet.""This is the only product on the market currently that supports as many access points for wifi users.""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.""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.""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."

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Cons
"They should include SD-WAN features to it.""The product should include adaptive Wi-Fi to show a more accurate location.""The solution is expensive.""There is room for improvement in terms of support and installation.""Juniper Wireless AP can improve by continually improving its reporting and integration with other systems.""The pricing is very high in the Indian market.""The pricing should be made cheaper.""Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series) could improve if the MIST platform had a built-in master key. This would be an advantage."

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"The management component is difficult to understand and not very user-friendly which increases deployment time.""There was only ever one case in which an access point failed, but it was reintegrated. The issue was more of a matter of oversight. One part of the network had covered ten access points.""For on-premises, I would rate the scalability a seven out of ten. For on-prem, if I want to integrate two more controls, and I want to extend my network , and add a couple of access points that need to be integrated with my network, I have to do the configurations and all. So that will be each and every time, as and when the users expand, the Wi-Fi solution expands; I need to do the configuration settings on all other controllers.""The connectivity of the solution can use some improvement.""The security features must be improved.""I think that the next release should offer IP phone security/firewall.""The product’s GUI must be improved.""The support offered by Aruba is slow."

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"The range needs some improvement and also the stability.""Technical support is very poor. We are not satisfied with the technical support because there is not any direct person from Fortinet for any troubleshooting, which we expected.""The initial setup is complex and has room for improvement.""The guest management features need to be improved by adding automation.""The roaming of Fortinet FortiWLM could improve when comparing it to other solutions. We are missing some of the functionality in the controller. Additionally, they should offer more logs instead of using FortiAnalyzer because all the users will not be using the same thing.""When using the FortiGate as the wireless controller, you cannot have automatic user registration, which is something that they should offer.""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.""Documentation could be improved."

More Fortinet FortiWLM Cons →

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."
  • More Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Avoid the Central cloud license if you can."
  • "I purchased the hardware and there are no monthly or yearly licenses to buy."
  • "We only pay for the support and the contract licenses from Aruba Instant."
  • "The licensing cost is somewhere around $20,000."
  • "It is not expensive. Its price is fair. You get many features with the normal licensing. If I look at Cisco, it is very expensive if I need similar things."
  • "The cost was affordable."
  • "Some aspect of the price of Aruba Instant is very economical because if the customer is requiring more features the customer needs to pay a higher amount."
  • "It's a one time cost, including the upgrades, but you have to pay on a yearly basis if you want support. The price is in the middle in comparison to that of competitors' products."
  • More Aruba Instant 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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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:You can easily monitor, manage, and cover all your IT equipment.
    Top Answer:I rate Juniper Mist's pricing a ten out of ten since it is expensive.
    Top Answer:The pricing is very high in the Indian market. Eight to nine OEMs are also available in the market, giving you their… more »
    Top Answer:We researched Ubiquiti and Aruba when looking for a WLAN solution. Ubiquiti offers good WLAN access both indoors and… more »
    Top Answer:The tool's most valuable feature is Captive Portal, which we employ for our guest network. It enables us to create a… more »
    Top Answer:The product has increased its pricing by at least 30 percent.
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Juniper Wireless Access Points (AP Series), Mist Access Points
    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 Instant delivers the only controllerless Wi-Fi solution that is easy to set-up, and loaded with security and smarts needed to accelerate your business without breaking your budget.

    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
    Purdue University, Orlando Magic, Brussels Airport Company, Molecaten Holiday Parks
    Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
    Top Industries
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company19%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Government7%
    Educational Organization6%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company20%
    Comms Service Provider10%
    Media Company5%
    Wholesaler/Distributor5%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company15%
    Comms Service Provider10%
    Construction Company7%
    Government6%
    REVIEWERS
    Educational Organization22%
    Comms Service Provider22%
    University11%
    Consumer Goods Company11%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Comms Service Provider12%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Retailer6%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business42%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise42%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business30%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise53%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business52%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise29%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business32%
    Midsize Enterprise18%
    Large Enterprise50%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business70%
    Midsize Enterprise5%
    Large Enterprise25%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business31%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise54%
    Buyer's Guide
    Aruba Instant vs. Fortinet FortiWLM
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Instant vs. Fortinet FortiWLM and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Aruba Instant is ranked 6th in Wireless LAN with 42 reviews while Fortinet FortiWLM is ranked 15th in Wireless LAN with 22 reviews. Aruba Instant is rated 8.6, while Fortinet FortiWLM is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Aruba Instant writes "A highly stable and easy-to-deploy solution that is free and provides excellent deployment guides". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Fortinet FortiWLM writes "Impressive manufacturing quality, highly durable, and very easy to deploy". Aruba Instant is most compared with Omada Access Points, Aruba Wireless, Ruckus Wireless, Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and D-Link Wireless, whereas Fortinet FortiWLM is most compared with Aruba Wireless, Ruckus Wireless, Cisco Wireless, Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and Ubiquiti Wireless. See our Aruba Instant 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.