Aruba Instant On Access Points vs Fortinet FortiWLM comparison

Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Fortinet FortiWLM

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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

Aruba Instant On Access Points

Ranking in Wireless LAN

10th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Fortinet FortiWLM

Ranking in Wireless LAN

17th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Instant On Access Points is 0.9%, down from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiWLM is 1.9%, down from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

Ricardo Quintero

Infrastructure/Telcom Coordinator at Schnellecke Group AG & Co. KG

Affordable and offers an easy setup phase

I was working on the on-premises solutions, like IronNet, Aironet, and some other tools from Cisco, but not with Meraki. The last Aironet model that we have here in Mexico, in the corporate office, and in some of the other regions of Mexico is Cisco Aironet 3700 and Cisco Aironet 3800, so it is just two or three devices. Aruba Instant On Access Points was working with Aruba 2540 and Cisco 3850 In Cisco, I found some issues. I was working well with a vendor. I was working with Cisco Catalyst 9200 and Cisco Catalyst 9300, along with Cisco Catalyst 2916M XL Switch. With all devices, we got a report. During the immigration, we choose another vendor, which Aruba. We have some issues with Aruba Instant On Access Points in iOS that are targeting the devices, and I have seen some problems with the DHCP solution.

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Zachary Wheeler

President / CEO at Secure Solutions Center LLC

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.

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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 is easy."

"The initial setup is very simple."

"It's super user-friendly."

"The product is incredibly stable and meets our needs excellently."

"It's a good solution and a good technology."

"The solution is scalable."

"The coverage Aruba provides across the physical area is much better. Most probably because of the new technology, the 4x4 antenna, and everything around it. It's just a much better, easier to use, and easier to manage product."

"The solution has fast deployment and easy setup. There is no security PIN for this account."

More Aruba Instant On Access Points pros

"We're using SD-WAN at all of our locations now, which helps increase and aggregate and lower response time and improve application performance."

"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."

"I have not faced any issues with stability or downtime."

"The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiWLM is the single management pane and integrated controller inside the firewall."

"The Fortinet FortiWLM system can be controlled through the cloud controller, which is convenient when the solution is not installed in our environment, as it allows us to manage the entire WiFi or access points and provides more adaptability."

"I use Fortinet FortiWLM for wireless communication and the internet."

"Overall, I would rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"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."

More Fortinet FortiWLM pros

Cons

"The pricing could be a little cheaper."

"Software-wise, I would like to have a way of moving APs from site to site and wish there would be a way to add more APs to one site. I know the limit is 25 APs per site and I wish there were more."

"When there are a lot of people connected, especially during video streaming demonstrations, the connection can get a bit choppy."

"The solution's range could be better."

"The solution should include higher speed and lesser cost."

"The product's machine or equipment can cater to around 20 connections and cannot go beyond 50 simultaneous connections, because of which I think the tool's scalability is limited."

"The limited functionality of the mobile app restricts its use primarily to small and medium-sized setups, making it less suitable for enterprise-level solutions."

"It's only suitable for smaller offices. It doesn't scale well."

More Aruba Instant On Access Points cons

"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."

"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."

"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."

"Cost is something that could be improved, but you have to pay for what you get."

"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."

"Documentation could be improved."

"Areas for improvement would be the compatibility with Apple products and cross-platform integration."

"This solution should be easier to set up in a production environment."

More Fortinet FortiWLM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product's price falls on the cheaper end of the spectrum. The price of the product is one of the biggest benefits that it offers."

"You buy it for $165 an AP, which is what we paid."

"It is expensive."

"There is a need to make yearly payments towards the standard licensing charges associated with the product. There are some additional costs associated with the product since I have seen customers who purchase three-year or five-year plans."

"It's a cost-effective solution."

"It is competitively priced. It was at a price point that made sense for me to put in my home, and that says something. The cost of the solution includes everything we need to manage and upgrade our Wi-Fi network, including the mobile management app. Having the licensing and all the functionality built into the base price of the product is really important for me. There are no extra costs for the security feature or automatic software/firmware updates, which is really important to me."

"It needs a license."

"Its price is fair. It is not really cheap, and it is also not expensive. It is in the middle."

More Aruba Instant On Access Points pricing and cost advice

"The solution is fairly priced."

"For indoor access points, there is a one-time cost, upfront, whereas outdoor access points have an annual fee."

"Support contracts typically cost approximately $100.00 per year."

"The solution is expensive. I give the solution a one out of ten for the price."

"Fortinet FortiWLM's pricing is regular and competitive."

"In the last few years, due in part to the impact of COVID on the market, Fortinet has increased its prices by 35 percent."

"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."

"The price of Fortinet FortiWLM is reasonable compared to the other vendors. We are using a five-year license."

More Fortinet FortiWLM pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

58%

Computer Software Company

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Instant On Access Points?

It's really easy to set up. And, you don't have to pay for the cloud solution. That's really interesting for our clients. And the other thing is, the roaming is also quite good.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Instant On Access Points?

The cost of Aruba Instant On Access Points is reasonable; however, I do not have information on the exact pricing, such as cost per user or annual license fees.

What needs improvement with Aruba Instant On Access Points?

We can improve Aruba Instant On Access Points by tuning some of the parameters of the radio. The default configuration can be overridden to enhance performance beyond the default settings.

What do you like most about Fortinet FortiWLM?

The security is a valuable feature.

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

While the pricing of Fortinet FortiWLM is a bit high, it remains effective. However, the cost could be better if reduced.

What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiWLM?

In terms of improvements, the price is higher than I would like. A reduction in pricing would be beneficial.

Fortinet FortiAP vs Aruba Instant On Access Points

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Compared 26% of the time

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Product Reports

Aruba Instant On Access Points

Download Aruba Instant On Access Points product report

Fortinet FortiWLM

Download Fortinet FortiWLM product report

Also Known As

No data available

FortiWLM, FortiAP, Fortinet AP/OAP, Meru Wireless LAN

Overview

Ingredients for success.

Fast 802.11ac Wave 2, secure employee and guest access, easy-to-use web, and mobile app management.

Say yes to secure Wi-Fi access.

Pre-built access control lists (ACLs) and built-in firewall in the access points prevent malicious traffic from entering your network – we call it “hassle-free” security.

Never drop an important call.

With Instant On, voice and video business applications are automatically prioritized, so you stay connected with your peers.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

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.

Fortinet

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

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

Aruba Instant On Access Points vs. Fortinet FortiWLM