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ExtremeCloud IQ vs Fortinet FortiWLM 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
6.8
ExtremeCloud IQ enhances productivity by simplifying management, stabilizing Wi-Fi, reducing costs, and offering quick deployment for business growth.
Sentiment score
1.0
Fortinet FortiWLM offers ROI within 6-12 months, reducing costs and enhancing sales through improved management and security integration.
I managed to support and deploy ExtremeCloud IQ and handle network management without requiring external staffing, thus saving on external hiring costs.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.8
ExtremeCloud IQ offers efficient, responsive customer service with knowledgeable support, though some find documentation and resources lacking compared to competitors.
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 experienced effective help mainly remotely, though for some issues, a technical person had to assist on-site.
Fortinet provides excellent customer support.
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.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
ExtremeCloud IQ offers scalable, seamless network expansion with cloud-based architecture, supporting high-density and smaller-scale applications efficiently.
Sentiment score
6.9
Fortinet FortiWLM offers scalable architecture with strong support, excelling in diverse environments, despite occasional scalability limitations in enterprise settings.
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.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
ExtremeCloud IQ is stable, with minor firmware issues; updates improve reliability, with newer bands performing well and occasional reboots needed.
Sentiment score
8.4
Users praise Fortinet FortiWLM for its stability and reliability, citing minor issues and minimal downtime with high satisfaction.
It requires some time to update, which affects real-time management.
This is a stable solution.
 

Room For Improvement

ExtremeCloud IQ needs improvements in UI, stability, performance, security, support, and pricing to meet user and market expectations.
Fortinet FortiWLM needs improved management, user interface, and integration, with enhancements in reporting, support, and advanced features.
I needed deep details and more thorough resources.
Enhanced features for the application would be an improvement.
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.
 

Setup Cost

ExtremeCloud IQ is competitively priced, offering flexible licensing and reasonable support costs, especially advantageous for educational institutions.
Fortinet FortiWLM is competitively priced, but some find costs high, especially due to mandatory contracts and unbundled pricing.
The licensing was a challenge due to budget constraints, and I used ExtremeCloud IQ without a license for a period.
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.
 

Valuable Features

ExtremeCloud IQ excels with centralized management, AI analytics, seamless scalability, and integration with planning tools for efficient networking.
Fortinet FortiWLM offers centralized, scalable management with high security and integration, praised for ease and cost efficiency.
The automation and information provided by ExtremeCloud IQ, such as connection status and logs, were very beneficial.
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.
The solution is controlled from one device and one GUI for all devices.
 

Categories and Ranking

ExtremeCloud IQ
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
76
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (13th), Network Access Control (NAC) (11th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (22nd)
Fortinet FortiWLM
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
29
Ranking in other categories
Wireless LAN (13th)
 

Mindshare comparison

ExtremeCloud IQ and Fortinet FortiWLM aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. ExtremeCloud IQ is designed for Network Management Applications and holds a mindshare of 2.7%, down 2.9% compared to last year.
Fortinet FortiWLM, on the other hand, focuses on Wireless LAN, holds 1.9% mindshare, down 2.1% since last year.
Network Management Applications Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
ExtremeCloud IQ2.7%
Cisco DNA Center22.1%
Cisco Catalyst Center9.5%
Other65.7%
Network Management Applications
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Fortinet FortiWLM1.9%
Aruba Wireless15.7%
Ruckus Wireless14.0%
Other68.4%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

KristianLarsen - PeerSpot reviewer
Helps resolve network-related issues quickly and is reasonably priced
The tool has both advantages and weaknesses because it has several pieces of software on which it has been working because of buyouts. The tool has several branches of software versions, and you can consolidate it into ExtremeCloud, but it also has the disadvantage that sometimes people can get issues because the software on the hardware is different than they expected, especially if it is not converted to the tool used. The tool has simplified things, but it also adds a complexity that sometimes stumps some users. In the future, I think the tool’s onboarding setup of a new tenant could be smoother or faster. I also think that they could provide a simpler setup for first-level support so that it can be easier for them to have a support dashboard that would help them. I am talking about customer support organizations, so you usually have a high turnaround, but you need to have something that is easier to use and where you don't need so much training.
LuayHlaleh - PeerSpot reviewer
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
11%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Educational Organization
8%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Healthcare Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business45
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise24
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise6
 

Questions from the Community

What are pros and cons of Aruba 515 Series AP vs. Cisco Meraki or Extreme Networks?
Depends. I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them. Extreme I am not, so unless they have some feature that I need or want, I wouldn't consider them. Do you have expe...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ExtremeCloud IQ?
The licensing was a challenge due to budget constraints, and I used ExtremeCloud IQ without a license for a period. The documentation and training courses were also costly, impacting how easily I c...
What advice do you have for others considering ExtremeCloud IQ?
I rate the overall solution nine out of ten only due to the poor documentation. Despite this, I was very happy with ExtremeCloud IQ as it greatly eased my workload, allowing me to manage the networ...
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?
I don't know about potential areas for improvement for Fortinet FortiWLM. Regarding functionality, a lower price for Fortinet FortiWLM would be better, but it's difficult. Regarding the integration...
 

Also Known As

Aerohive Networks, Aerohive HiveManager, HiveManager, ExtremeCloud , ExtremeSecurity
FortiWLM, FortiAP, Fortinet AP/OAP, Meru Wireless LAN
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Henry Ford Health System, Baltimore Ravens, Brandili, Federal University of Alagoas, CEDAE, Caxias do Sul, UNISC Concurrency, CenturyLink Field, Louisiana College, Cricket Tasmania Stadium, Moscow Internet Exchange
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Fortinet and others in Network Management Applications. Updated: August 2025.
867,497 professionals have used our research since 2012.