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Aruba Instant 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
5.9
Aruba Instant provides a positive ROI by enhancing productivity, safety, and manageability, making it a cost-effective choice for users.
Sentiment score
1.0
Fortinet FortiWLM offers ROI within 6-12 months, reducing costs and enhancing sales through improved management and security integration.
Overall, it's a fair pricing and good in terms of cost-effectiveness or ROI.
Technical Consultant at Vertex Techno Solutions (B) Pvt Ltd
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
8.2
Aruba Instant's support receives mixed reviews, praised for guidance but criticized for slow responses and integration issues with HPE.
Sentiment score
6.6
Fortinet FortiWLM customer support is generally high-rated, proactive, and effective, though response times and first-level support need improvement.
I rate Aruba TAC as a 9 out of 10.
Technical Consultant at Vertex Techno Solutions (B) Pvt Ltd
The technical support from Aruba is of high quality, and I would rate it a ten.
Director and Co-Founder at Converge Systems & Services Pvt. Ltd.
Fortinet provides excellent customer support.
Information Technology Team Lead at TechnoPeak
The local support we receive from our distributor is perfect.
Network Specialist at Metropolitan Communications Pvt Ltd
If we encounter any bugs, they inform us of the recommended configuration and firmware to resolve our problems.
Cybersecurity SNB Technical Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
5.3
Aruba Instant is praised for scalability and efficiency in diverse environments, ideal for small to medium businesses.
Sentiment score
6.9
Fortinet FortiWLM offers scalable architecture with strong support, excelling in diverse environments, despite occasional scalability limitations in enterprise settings.
I find Aruba Instant to be highly scalable.
Director and Co-Founder at Converge Systems & Services Pvt. Ltd.
Now, with any simple FortiGate 60F or newer model, you can manage more than 64 access points.
Information Technology Team Lead at TechnoPeak
Fortinet's solutions are integrated into many standard frameworks, allowing for good scalability and interaction with other vendors' products.
Product Owner at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.6
Aruba Instant is praised for reliability, ease of management, excellent support despite rare bugs, cloud dependency, and latency issues.
Sentiment score
8.4
Users praise Fortinet FortiWLM for its stability and reliability, citing minor issues and minimal downtime with high satisfaction.
Aruba is a known name in the market providing sufficient support for all these products.
Technical Consultant at Vertex Techno Solutions (B) Pvt Ltd
This is a stable solution.
Information Technology Team Lead at TechnoPeak
 

Room For Improvement

Aruba Instant needs improved security, support, interface, scalability, IoT compatibility, cost efficiency, and enhanced equipment availability with feature additions.
Fortinet FortiWLM needs improved management, user interface, and integration, with enhancements in reporting, support, and advanced features.
Some features are not listed in the cloud management platform and still require offline access, so enhancing the cloud management features would be better for us.
Technical Consultant at Vertex Techno Solutions (B) Pvt Ltd
An important missing feature is the console port, which allows direct management without the cloud.
Sales Engineer at SGE
Enhanced features for the application would be an improvement.
Information Technology Team Lead at TechnoPeak
Firmware upgrades and bug improvements need to be tested well.
Cybersecurity SNB Technical Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The price is higher than I would like.
Assistant Manager - IT at PDS Limited
 

Setup Cost

Aruba Instant offers enterprise buyers cost-effective pricing, focusing on hardware without ongoing licenses, despite some feature-related expenses.
Fortinet FortiWLM is competitively priced, but some find costs high, especially due to mandatory contracts and unbundled pricing.
We do not sell very expensive devices as we move to other products.
Sales Engineer at SGE
However, when compared to entry-level market segments, the price is higher.
Director and Co-Founder at Converge Systems & Services Pvt. Ltd.
While the pricing of Fortinet FortiWLM is a bit high, it remains effective.
Assistant Manager - IT at PDS Limited
Fortinet's pricing is different from Aruba, as Aruba has solutions for small business and enterprise in different categories.
Network Specialist at Metropolitan Communications Pvt Ltd
The price is competitive.
Cybersecurity SNB Technical Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
 

Valuable Features

Aruba Instant delivers easy setup, robust performance, advanced security, seamless cloud management, and cost-effective scalability with flexible deployment options.
Fortinet FortiWLM offers centralized, scalable management with high security and integration, praised for ease and cost efficiency.
I highly value Aruba Instant for its ClearPass feature, which is an exceptional product for network access control and works as a NAC solution.
Director and Co-Founder at Converge Systems & Services Pvt. Ltd.
Aruba Instant's intrusion detection feature stands for application visibility and includes their latest technology such as Wi-Fi 6E and remote monitoring capability.
Technical Consultant at Vertex Techno Solutions (B) Pvt Ltd
The most beneficial features for network management are the price and the cloud console.
Sales Engineer at SGE
The solution is controlled from one device and one GUI for all devices.
Cybersecurity SNB Technical Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
It also has integration capabilities with FortiFirewall which is beneficial for customers.
Network Specialist at Metropolitan Communications Pvt Ltd
The most useful aspect of Fortinet FortiWLM is that you can manage all the Fortinet products from one portal, from one device.
Information Technology Team Lead at TechnoPeak
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Instant
Ranking in Wireless LAN
11th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
52
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiWLM
Ranking in Wireless LAN
12th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
29
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Instant is 2.2%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiWLM is 2.4%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Aruba Instant2.2%
Fortinet FortiWLM2.4%
Other95.4%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

SreejeshSoman - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Consultant at Vertex Techno Solutions (B) Pvt Ltd
Has supported mid-market deployments with cloud-based centralized management and reliable wireless performance
I faced challenges earlier with a limitation of 50 APs in single sites, but that has enhanced to 100 numbers, eliminating that challenge for Aruba Instant On team. Additionally, some features are not listed in the cloud management platform and still require offline access, so enhancing the cloud management features would be better for us.
LuayHlaleh - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Team Lead at TechnoPeak
Offers robust network management with cost considerations for large deployments
Large enterprises typically invest in FortiAnalyzer, though our company and SMB clients don't require this analysis tool. We use Ekahau for floor planning and Wi-Fi coverage analysis rather than Fortinet FortiWLM's built-in features. Ekahau helps us perform site surveys and plan access point placement. Fortinet FortiWLM is a flexible and common solution in Dubai. It's one of the best-selling products, with Etisalat, the largest ISP, installing Fortinet FortiGate for approximately 70-80% of their clients. The solution offers different series to accommodate various needs. The triple radio model costs around $1,000 (3,500 dirham) and supports 40-50 connected devices. The 231F model suits smaller deployments of 20-25 devices. I rate Fortinet FortiWLM a seven out of ten. While it's an excellent solution, Cisco remains the market leader.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Healthcare Company
6%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Healthcare Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business31
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise14
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise5
 

Questions from the Community

Which is better - Ubiquiti WLAN or Aruba Instant?
We researched Ubiquiti and Aruba when looking for a WLAN solution. Ubiquiti offers good WLAN access both indoors and outdoors. It provides an enterprise-level WIFI while remaining cost-effective. U...
What do you like most about Aruba Instant?
I find network management features related to monitoring Wi-Fi usage and visited sites particularly valuable. Content filtering is also important to prevent access to malicious or inappropriate web...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Instant?
In my experience, Aruba Instant's price is reasonable compared to premium products like Ruckus, Cisco, or Juniper. However, when compared to entry-level market segments, the price is higher. Overal...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiWLM?
Regarding functionality, a lower price for Fortinet FortiWLM would be better, but it's difficult. Regarding the integration with other vendors, we try to buy only products from a single vendor to a...
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiWLM?
The price could be reduced by 20%. In Dubai, UniFi costs 700 dirham for the UniFi Pro 7th generation. For Fortinet FortiWLM, a similar model would cost around 1,300 dirham. If this price was reduce...
What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiWLM?
Our customers' main use cases for Fortinet FortiWLM come from three classes. We have clients that pay attention to the cost, and we have customers that pay attention to security, such as in the DIF...
 

Also Known As

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

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Instant vs. Fortinet FortiWLM and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,889 professionals have used our research since 2012.