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Cisco Wireless WAN vs Fortinet FortiExtender vs Ubiquiti Wireless comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Wireless WAN category, the mindshare of Cisco Wireless WAN is 8.3%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiExtender is 7.5%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubiquiti Wireless is 30.0%, down from 40.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless WAN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Ubiquiti Wireless30.0%
Cisco Wireless WAN8.3%
Fortinet FortiExtender7.5%
Other54.2%
Wireless WAN
 

Featured Reviews

HassanBilal - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager IT Infrastructure & Helpdesk at LCI Pakistan
Solution supports extensive connectivity but faces occasional coverage challenges
Cisco Wireless WAN has room for improvement in WiFi coverage. Sometimes, their coverage is normally good, but at the same area where the access points are deployed, people face continuous disconnectivity issues. These kinds of issues come over time, and we need to do troubleshooting, but they get resolved. This is a performance-related issue, and I think they have to work on that.
SyedQuadri - PeerSpot reviewer
IT director at Sajaya Medical Care Services
Has supported multi-branch connectivity effectively and still has potential for deeper feature utilization
Centralized management via FortiManager for my organization is very useful and a must-have. I have used Sophos Central as a manager and Fortinet manager as well. I believe Fortinet Manager has more in-depth features compared to Sophos or some other manager. The threat intelligence integration in Fortinet FortiExtender helps me to meet my industry's compliance standards. Fortinet FortiExtender brought many benefits to my organization. It was a very useful solution for us to have such a service.
Donald Ochanda - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Manager at Network Security and Crypto
Seamless coverage amplifies connectivity while enhanced responsiveness strengthens potential
We do not prefer Ubiquiti Wireless switches for more complex environments, not because they lack scalability, but because we haven't explored their products extensively. We are strong on their Wi-Fi solution. When implementing Wi-Fi for a campus, we use Cisco for the core backbone infrastructure, while implementing Ubiquiti Wireless for the Wi-Fi and controller. Perhaps we haven't discovered switches that would match our requirements, or maybe they exist but we haven't explored their capabilities fully. Regarding improvements to Ubiquiti Wireless, I cannot provide specific suggestions as I'm not an expert on Wi-Fi, as there is a dedicated team that handles Wi-Fi solutions.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We never had any issues with it; it just gives you the ability to use it around the office without being tied up to an actual physical connection."
"Cisco Wireless WAN's best feature is the integration with other Cisco products."
"The initial setup of Cisco Wireless WAN is one of the easiest on the market."
"The solution also allows us to increase the power when it's too low."
"Whatever they have in this product is already the best in the market, and I recommend it for people who can afford it."
"It's a small feature, but Cisco allows me to see access points with blinking lights. This shows me which access point is which."
"Recently, the most valuable and in-demand feature that users are enjoying is WiFi 6 support on the access points. The other good thing about Cisco Wireless LAN is how easily it provides clean access to the WiFi network."
"Cisco is always number one in terms of technical support."
"The most valuable feature will be that it works."
"The initial setup was was just beautiful; it was straightforward."
"For me, the best feature of Fortinet FortiExtender is its integration with an external solution such as a 5G LTE broadband modem, wired modem, and cellular network. I also like that the product can be integrated into one device or a unified device, and that is one of its best features because it allows you to manage and centralize the control of every device."
"The integration is easy and it works as a normal internet connection."
"The most valuable feature is that management can be carried out from a central point, as a result, the Fortinet Firewall's management is centralized, making things easier."
"You don't need to have two different vendors to interoperate and get into comparability issues or inter-operability issues."
"With Fortinet, it's cheaper and we don't sacrifice quality."
"The ease of the setup and integration into the entire Fortinet solution is seamless."
"In general, I like the solution very much."
"The strength of the signal coverage is exceptional, especially around vegetation and densely populated areas."
"Ubiquiti is about money. If you don't have the budget for IT, you go with Ubiquiti."
"The UniFi Controller Software provides excellent statistical and monitoring facilities."
"What I found most valuable in Ubiquiti Wireless is that it's priced competitively, compared to other brands available in the market. From a price competitiveness standpoint, it's a product I would recommend. I also find Ubiquiti Wireless quite reliable, at least for me using it as a home access point, it seems to serve its purpose. I also like that with Ubiquiti Wireless, you can build a very modular network, so you could change out your router to use a Ubiquiti router if you want to. The solution also has gateway equipment and all, so I like the modular concept of Ubiquiti Wireless. Another feature I find valuable in the solution is monitoring. It is pretty good. For example, as a home user, I have the unified app on my computer, so I'm able to watch how my APs are performing."
"Overall, it's a straightforward solution."
"The indoor WiFi connection works well."
"I would say that the user experience is pretty good in this solution as well as the roaming solution part of it."
 

Cons

"The tool's speed and IP address acquisition from the domain controller should be improved"
"I hope Cisco can improve the capacity to service a high density of users in a small area, as currently we have difficulties with this."
"The reporting feature needs improvement, especially adding information with regards to availability uptime."
"The pricing is a bit high."
"The only disadvantage of Cisco is maybe the cost."
"There is no centralized management for multiple wireless control deployments or a user tracking feature."
"The solution has all the features we need, but it is very expensive."
"You cannot go to different versions or different access points. 9115s cannot interact with 9120s, and 9130s can interact with 9115s."
"The support could be faster and more responsive."
"In future updates of Fortinet FortiExtender, I would definitely want to see AI. They are working on the AI feature, but so far it is a great, amazing product."
"I would like to see them make it smaller in the next release so that it has a smaller footprint for mobile clients."
"We would like to see some improvement in the price for 5G models, as they are currently very expensive."
"The engineering of the solution has some negative points, especially in terms of troubleshooting."
"There is a huge downside because we need to remove and insert the SIM to get it working."
"What most of my clients are telling me is the price is a problem."
"They could improve the remote console server feature and make it more user-friendly for more users."
"It didn't work very well."
"We need an official distributor in Egypt as we don't have one right now."
"Basically, Ubiquiti is a great product for beginners or home users; if you are a really proficient user, on the other hand, you will need more features."
"There isn't any technical support."
"The technical support services need improvement."
"Ubiquiti requires more improvement in wireless penetration. It has significantly less penetration in indoor devices."
"The solution should offer simpler management for guests; that would be helpful in the hospitality industry, for example."
"Performance could be improved in the solution because when I compare it with Ruckus and other APs, some of those APs are better performing, so you don't have to deploy too many APs to get the same level of Wi-Fi coverage and stability."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is expensive."
"The price of Cisco Wireless WAN could improve upon pricing, it is expensive. We purchased the hardware through a vendor that Cisco used and we received approximately 75 percent off."
"Cisco Wireless WAN is fairly expensive."
"The pricing is good."
"The product is highly-priced."
"Cisco's pricing is reasonable."
"It is a bit expensive compared to others."
"The price could be better, but it's been okay. You must pay license fees for each access point connected to the controller."
"I've only used the open-source version of Fortinet FortiExtender, but I know that it has some features that require you to pay for a license."
"The solution is not that expensive."
"I'm not sure what the cost is. However, I anticipate that the purchase price will range between $2,500 and $5,000."
"Its price is more attractive when compared to competitor pricing."
"The price of this solution is ok."
"The product is around $300 or $400 depending on the device. It's a one-time fee. There aren't ongoing licensing costs."
"We don't buy directly. We have our finance department that buys things. My speculation on the price is that because we buy from private companies and because the product is imported, people tend to give us at higher prices. This is due to the fact that it is government procurement. So, sometimes, they are not paid directly, and they have to go through the whole administrative process before they are paid. So, they tend to compensate by increasing the price, but I won't be able to say what is the exact price."
"We mostly use Ubiquiti solutions due to their affordable price."
"We initially spent around 10,000 euros on this solution and have been running it for several years. An access point costs approximately 160 to 180 euros."
"All the vendors' prices have gone up, so Ubiquiti has gotten more expensive. In terms of price versus performance, they're still well priced, but they are more expensive than entry-level products like Tenda and TP-Link."
"In South Africa, for some Cisco access points, it will cost you 10,000 Rand ($690 USD), whereas with Ubiquity that same access point will cost you less than 3,000 Rand ($210 USD)."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Marketing Services Firm
18%
Construction Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
6%
Media Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Government
6%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Government
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business26
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise36
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise1
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business48
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise18
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco Wireless WAN?
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Wireless WAN?
I think the pricing of Cisco Wireless WAN must be reasonable at present.
What needs improvement with Cisco Wireless WAN?
Cisco Wireless WAN's interface could be simplified in the future. Simplification would make it more helpful to see ho...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiExtender?
The price for Fortinet FortiExtender deserves the highest rating.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiExtender?
In future updates of Fortinet FortiExtender, I would definitely want to see AI. They are working on the AI feature, b...
What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiExtender?
Since I was having FortiManager and everything, Fortinet FortiExtender was suggested by the vendor. I went through it...
Is Ubiquiti Wireless better than Ruckus Wireless WAN?
Ubiquiti Wireless is extremely easy to set up and is an excellent option for small businesses, offering enterprise fe...
Which is better - Cambium or Ubiquiti Wireless?
For me, Ubiquiti was easy to install, configure, set up, and maintain, while also providing solid coverage and better...
Which is better - Ubiquiti Wireless or Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?
Ubiquiti Wireless offers a wide range of WLAN products. We tested their devices before ultimately choosing Cisco Mera...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Aegean Motorway, Baylor Scott & White Health, Beachbody, Bellevue, Brunel University London, Bucks County Intermediate Unit , Chartwell School, Children's Hospital Colorado, Cisco Live Milan, City of Biel, City of Mississauga, Dundee Precious Metals, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Erickson Living, Goldcorp, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS)
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
NASCAR Grand-AM, Maritime Parc, Outdoor Music Festival, British Armed Forces, Arcadia School District, Moscow - Enforta
Find out what your peers are saying about Ubiquiti, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless WAN. Updated: March 2026.
885,444 professionals have used our research since 2012.