Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and Fortinet FortiWLM both compete in wireless networking. User data suggests that Cisco Meraki holds an edge with its cloud-managed simplicity and robust security, appealing to smaller IT teams. Conversely, Fortinet FortiWLM's comprehensive security features and integration with Fortinet's ecosystem make it a preferred choice for enterprises needing extensive controls.
Features: Cisco Meraki offers a cloud-based dashboard for streamlined network management, handling multiple APs and user monitoring efficiently. It is known for its centralized control making it suitable for diverse organizational sizes. On the other hand, Fortinet FortiWLM integrates well with Fortinet's security network, providing extensive visibility and control that benefit organizations seeking robust security integrations.
Room for Improvement: Cisco Meraki users often seek enhanced configuration options and better logging. The pricing model and license renewal process can be confusing. Fortinet FortiWLM could improve its guest management and reporting features. Simplifying its licensing would bring it more in line with market expectations.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Meraki offers deployment across private, public, and hybrid clouds, enhancing flexibility. Its support is praised for responsiveness, though sometimes lacks depth in technical expertise. Fortinet FortiWLM operates mainly on-premises, offering stability but less flexibility. Users report consistent, yet occasionally slow, technical support.
Pricing and ROI: Cisco Meraki is seen as expensive with a complex licensing model, yet it often shows good ROI for organizations with minimal network management staffing. Fortinet FortiWLM offers competitive pricing, especially beneficial to budget-conscious sectors like education, and provides strong ROI through reduced security management costs.
It would be better if the SLA of technical support was less than four hours.
The local support we receive from our distributor is perfect.
If we encounter any bugs, they inform us of the recommended configuration and firmware to resolve our problems.
Fortinet provides excellent customer support.
Meraki is not scalable enough since it straightforwardly maps its products to segmented specifications.
Now, with any simple FortiGate 60F or newer model, you can manage more than 64 access points.
Fortinet's solutions are integrated into many standard frameworks, allowing for good scalability and interaction with other vendors' products.
We have experienced many instances where we have experienced a lag in our network, and I am not sure if it is due to their devices or our network.
Stability is not an issue for me because it comes with Cisco's proven manufacturer quality.
This is a stable solution.
The most important improvement needed is to eliminate the limitation of uplinks.
Some of the newer models of the Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN access point have encompassed the new wireless protocols and increased the strength of their antennas.
A mobile application to manage the Wi-Fi or the whole network would be beneficial.
Firmware upgrades and bug improvements need to be tested well.
The price is higher than I would like.
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is on par with other devices in that category, offering competitive pricing.
The pricing of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is not competitive enough for the SMB market compared to other brands.
While the pricing of Fortinet FortiWLM is a bit high, it remains effective.
Fortinet's pricing is different from Aruba, as Aruba has solutions for small business and enterprise in different categories.
The price is competitive.
It also manages security clients and switches, providing a single dashboard to manage multiple network infrastructures.
The ability to program all access points from the Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN dashboard, view the status of all of them, and examine the individual devices connected to each access point is very valuable.
The solution is controlled from one device and one GUI for all devices.
The most useful aspect of Fortinet FortiWLM is that you can manage all the Fortinet products from one portal, from one device.
It also has integration capabilities with FortiFirewall which is beneficial for customers.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN | 11.6% |
| Fortinet FortiWLM | 1.9% |
| Other | 86.5% |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 68 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 26 |
| Large Enterprise | 31 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 18 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 3 |
| Large Enterprise | 6 |
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.
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