Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Cisco Meraki MR Wireless vs Fortinet FortiAP comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 20, 2025

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

Cisco Meraki MR Wireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
21st
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
3.6
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiAP
Ranking in Wireless LAN
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

Laurie Ellims - PeerSpot reviewer
Has lacked advanced features and led to higher costs but has simplified management through cloud access
I don't think there's an advantage with Cisco Meraki MR Wireless; I think it's overpriced for what it does. The pricing is one reason, and there is also a limited feature set without spending more money. If you have a particular device at a site and want to add the advanced feature set, you may have to upgrade the hardware, which increases your costs. In contrast, products such as Palo Alto and Fortinet typically have all those features built in from day one, and they just need to be licensed, if that. There are limitations in terms of scalability. My main concern is that Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is overpriced, has limited functionality, and the hardware is not prepared for any further improvements in terms of features.
Shahnawaz Nusrat - PeerSpot reviewer
Has simplified wireless integration while needing better throughput and captive portal features
The product can be improved depending on the model selected as per requirements. Support is good and throughput is good. What we need to do is select a better product as per our requirement and environment. If proper working is done in terms of wireless heat map or radio connectivity in our environment, I believe it's good. There is always a chance to improve. Throughput can be better in terms of other vendors, but currently, it's working fine. One feature that I still need to explore is the captive portal. When we deploy a unit in a public environment, users need to sign in with a pop-up box to connect.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Cloud management is something I appreciate; it's an easy product to manage in comparison to many others."
"As a user of the product, the biggest advantage for me is that it works seamlessly; users can switch between access points, and it works great."
"The most useful feature of Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is its cloud-based management."
"The Meraki controller, which is a cloud-based controller, allows us to manage multiple Cisco Meraki MR Wireless APs and monitor their performance, user connectivity, signal, and the AP performance itself."
"The setup was straightforward."
"I like FortiAP's performance and stability. The reporting is also quite good."
"The stability of the solution is very high."
"Fortinet FortiAP provides value for money, and I can quantify the savings at about 80%."
"The product's initial setup phase was easy, especially with FortiGate or your FortiManager in place."
"The pricing is reasonable for what it offers."
"If we have FortiClient installed on multiple devices, it is seamless to connect with FortiAP. It supports passwordless authentication as well. That is a great thing about it."
"The product's deployment phase is very easy since its documentation part is available in the public domain."
 

Cons

"The challenge with Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is that for any Meraki device, you require internet connectivity to get it registered on the cloud."
"The challenge with Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is that for any Meraki device, you require internet connectivity to get it registered on the cloud."
"Overall, Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is a bit pricey; that's the main and probably only disadvantage."
"My main concern is that Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is overpriced, has limited functionality, and the hardware is not prepared for any further improvements in terms of features."
"I am not satisfied with Fortinet FortiAP's technical support in India. Whenever we call them, they only provide KB articles first."
"The wireless functionality is not the best."
"Throughput can be better in terms of other vendors, but currently, it's working fine."
"The support offered by the solution has certain shortcomings, making it in areas where improvements are required."
"There is room for improvement in the product by expanding the number of SSIDs that can be broadcast."
"The product fails to offer default access points to deal with the areas revolving around configurations."
"FortiAP could be a little cheaper."
"There is nothing that particularly comes to mind for improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"Fortinet FortiAP offers a more cost-effective solution compared to Palo Alto and Check Point."
"FortiAP is more expensive than some other options."
"The product is available at a very comfortable price for my company compared to the other products available in the market. The prices of products from Meraki and Aruba are high compared to those of Fortinet."
"The devices under Fortinet are not expensive. The solution's licensing part is expensive."
"On a scale of one to ten with ten being the most expensive, I would rate FortiAP a six."
"We purchased perpetual licensing, and additional costs may vary depending on the services acquired from Fortinet."
"If I compare it with the other enterprise products, the price is good."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Wireless LAN solutions are best for your needs.
869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Meraki MR Wireless?
The cost of Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is high; the price of one AP to the end customer is approximately 50,000 INR.
What needs improvement with Cisco Meraki MR Wireless?
The challenge with Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is that for any Meraki device, you require internet connectivity to get it registered on the cloud. Most customers do not have internet connectivity due ...
What is your primary use case for Cisco Meraki MR Wireless?
The main use case for my customers is that they are using Cisco Meraki MR Wireless for their Wi-Fi users. Customers use Cisco Meraki MR Wireless across different industries, including plants and en...
What do you like most about FortiAP?
If we have FortiClient installed on multiple devices, it is seamless to connect with FortiAP. It supports passwordless authentication as well. That is a great thing about it.
What needs improvement with FortiAP?
The product can be improved depending on the model selected as per requirements. Support is good and throughput is good. What we need to do is select a better product as per our requirement and env...
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless LAN. Updated: October 2025.
869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.