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Cisco Wireless vs Fortinet FortiWLM 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
1.0
Cisco Wireless delivers fast ROI with improved productivity, security, and connectivity, valued by both profit and non-profit organizations.
Sentiment score
1.0
Fortinet FortiWLM offers ROI within 6-12 months, reducing costs and enhancing sales through improved management and security integration.
Sentiment score
6.7
Ubiquiti Wireless is valued for affordability and longevity, despite minor upgrade and support challenges requiring specific user knowledge.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.8
Cisco Wireless customer service is highly rated for prompt, knowledgeable support, despite some regional variability in quality.
Sentiment score
6.7
Fortinet FortiWLM customer support is generally high-rated, proactive, and effective, though response times and first-level support need improvement.
Sentiment score
5.2
Ubiquiti Wireless customer service is responsive yet inconsistent, with varied satisfaction and reliance on online resources.
The technical support from Cisco is of high quality.
The technical support from Cisco is good.
If we encounter any bugs, they inform us of the recommended configuration and firmware to resolve our problems.
The local support we receive from our distributor is perfect.
With active maintenance, we can open tickets and receive professional assistance without issues.
I didn't have any issues with Ubiquiti support.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
5.9
Cisco Wireless offers efficient scalability for various business sizes, though costs and controller limits may pose challenges.
Sentiment score
7.0
Fortinet FortiWLM offers scalable architecture with strong support, excelling in diverse environments, despite occasional scalability limitations in enterprise settings.
Sentiment score
7.6
Ubiquiti Wireless is scalable and versatile, ideal for small to medium deployments, but faces challenges in larger environments.
Fortinet's solutions are integrated into many standard frameworks, allowing for good scalability and interaction with other vendors' products.
Ubiquiti Wireless offers large scalability, which is very important for our company as we have multiple sites that need to be interconnected and managed effectively.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
Cisco Wireless is highly stable and reliable, performing well across environments with minimal issues and high user satisfaction.
Sentiment score
8.4
Users praise Fortinet FortiWLM for its stability and reliability, citing minor issues and minimal downtime with high satisfaction.
Sentiment score
7.4
Ubiquiti Wireless is reliable and stable, though some users face issues in crowded areas or after updates.
Ubiquiti Wireless is rated ten out of ten for stability.
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Wireless faces cost, configuration, usability, security, cloud integration, and compatibility issues, requiring improvements across features, UI, and support.
Fortinet FortiWLM needs improved management, user interface, and integration, with enhancements in reporting, support, and advanced features.
Ubiquiti Wireless needs better support, security, integration, advanced features, and improved setup, scalability, coverage, and product availability.
Sometimes, integration with other Cisco products requires manual intervention for tasks such as firmware upgrades, which should be automated.
In the long term, there could be a cost reduction because it does not require much maintenance.
Firmware upgrades and bug improvements need to be tested well.
Regarding the integration with other vendors, we try to buy only products from a single vendor to avoid problems of compatibility from devices of different vendors.
One area that needs improvement is the configuration aspect, which is more challenging compared to other products.
The user interface could be made more intuitive.
Enterprise users require more details and options.
When I want to deploy a Ubiquiti access point with the centralized appliance, we can't do all the configuration in our lab and send it to the shop.
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Wireless offers premium, high-quality solutions with complex licensing, perceived as costly but justified by reliability, security, and performance.
Fortinet FortiWLM is competitively priced, but some find costs high, especially due to mandatory contracts and unbundled pricing.
Ubiquiti Wireless offers cost-effective, reliable wireless solutions appealing to small businesses, with no licensing fees and competitive pricing.
The setup cost involves licenses.
The licensing of Cisco Wireless is competitive.
Cisco has provided significant discounts for large-scale deployments.
Fortinet's pricing is different from Aruba, as Aruba has solutions for small business and enterprise in different categories.
While the pricing of Fortinet FortiWLM is a bit high, it remains effective.
The price is competitive.
Ubiquiti Wireless is cheaper.
The equipment is priced relatively high, though the value it provides makes it worth the cost.
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Wireless excels in security, scalability, integration, ease of installation, and management, offering reliable connectivity and advanced features.
Fortinet FortiWLM offers centralized, scalable management with high security and integration, praised for ease and cost efficiency.
Ubiquiti Wireless delivers easy setup, strong performance, affordability, and reliability, making it ideal for small businesses.
If one network fails, there is a link between different access points, which ensures network continuity.
Cisco Wireless is easy to configure.
When I install it, I can forget about it because there is no need for ongoing maintenance, and no other problems occur.
It also has integration capabilities with FortiFirewall which is beneficial for customers.
The solution is controlled from one device and one GUI for all devices.
The tool facilitates network connectivity effectively.
All the access points provide good connectivity and are reliable.
Since implementing Ubiquiti Wireless, I have seen improvements in connection security, wireless speed, and overall network stability.
Compared to Ruckus, we have not yet seen all benefits for all users and for administration.
 

Mindshare comparison

Wireless LAN
Wireless LAN
Wireless WAN
 

Featured Reviews

Theesula Majuwanagamage - PeerSpot reviewer
Bridging capabilities ensure network continuity and reliability in large-scale deployments
The most valuable feature of Cisco Wireless is the bridging capability. If one network fails, there is a link between different access points, which ensures network continuity. Additionally, Cisco offers significant discounts for large projects. The reliability and robust solution are also key aspects, as there have been no errors or failures. The implementation is straightforward, and the user interface connection is easy.
Mohammad Talha Talkin Alam - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable network creation and management with an efficient setup process
My primary use case involves creating SSIDs and defining VLANs within the VLAN using Fortinet FortiWLM. I have been working with Wi-Fi access points for network connectivity I primarily use Fortinet FortiWLM for creating SSIDs and defining VLANs. While there isn't much focus on security, layer…
Alejandro Del Rosal - PeerSpot reviewer
Software controller is very nice and provides excellent performance
Ubiquiti products are really good. I am a B2B wholesaler, and my type of business requires profit to sell to my installers or for my installers to sell to the end customers. Right now, Ubiquiti doesn't offer that. They are selling the product on their website. We face difficulties with Ubiquiti's supply chain because their products are usually out of stock. I would recommend Ubiquiti Wireless as a brand. However, we are no longer recommending it in my business. I am a wholesaler who recommends installing wireless or network solutions for other companies. I no longer recommend Ubiquiti Wireless because it is not profitable. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
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Comparison Review

it_user212721 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 24, 2015
Cisco vs. Aruba Wireless Solutions
Cisco or Aruba Networks? If you are considering wireless access solutions, this is a common question that you are probably asking. You probably have sales people knocking at your door. How do you make sense of all the stories that you are presented with. If you have done any research, you are…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Healthcare Company
7%
Computer Software Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Government
6%
Retailer
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Which is better - Cisco Wireless or Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?
Cisco Wireless is very robust, very rugged, and can handle indoor and outdoor coverage extremely well. We found it to...
Which is better - Ruckus Wireless or Cisco Wireless?
Ruckus Wireless offers users the benefit of being both easy to set up and get running as well as being very user frie...
How does Cisco Wireless compare with Aruba Wireless?
On the most basic level, Cisco Wireless can offer a rather straightforward initial setup. In the span of about three ...
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 integ...
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiWLM?
I don't know about potential areas for improvement for Fortinet FortiWLM. Regarding functionality, a lower price for ...
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...
 

Also Known As

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

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 Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless LAN. Updated: July 2025.
865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.