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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
6.6
ExtremeCloud IQ boosts productivity, reduces costs, simplifies management, and enhances scalability, positively impacting ROI and customer satisfaction.
Sentiment score
1.0
Fortinet FortiWLM offers ROI in 6-12 months, enhances profitability, simplifies management, and provides valuable retail customer insights.
I managed to support and deploy ExtremeCloud IQ and handle network management without requiring external staffing, thus saving on external hiring costs.
Technical Coordinator at Yildiz Technical University
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.8
ExtremeCloud IQ is praised for responsive, knowledgeable customer service, despite minor training and escalation improvement suggestions.
Sentiment score
6.6
Fortinet FortiWLM customer service receives mixed reviews, praised for engineer support but criticized for average response times and escalation needs.
GTAC receives a score of ten out of ten.
Ingeniero De Preventa at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
I experienced effective help mainly remotely, though for some issues, a technical person had to assist on-site.
Technical Coordinator at Yildiz Technical University
If we encounter any bugs, they inform us of the recommended configuration and firmware to resolve our problems.
Cybersecurity SNB Technical Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The local support we receive from our distributor is perfect.
Network Specialist at Metropolitan Communications Pvt Ltd
Fortinet provides excellent customer support.
Information Technology Team Lead at IT Solutions AE
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
ExtremeCloud IQ is praised for seamless scalability, easy integration, and reliable performance in both small and large deployments.
Sentiment score
6.5
Fortinet FortiWLM offers high scalability, efficiently managing numerous access points and integrating seamlessly into diverse environments.
Now, with any simple FortiGate 60F or newer model, you can manage more than 64 access points.
Information Technology Team Lead at IT Solutions AE
Fortinet's solutions are integrated into many standard frameworks, allowing for good scalability and interaction with other vendors' products.
Product Owner at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
ExtremeCloud IQ is generally stable with high performance, though occasional firmware bugs and delays can impact operations.
Sentiment score
8.3
Fortinet FortiWLM is highly stable, with minimal operational issues and high user satisfaction despite minor initial software bugs.
It requires some time to update, which affects real-time management.
Technical Coordinator at Yildiz Technical University
This is a stable solution.
Information Technology Team Lead at IT Solutions AE
 

Room For Improvement

Users seek a simpler interface, improved support, and enhanced features, highlighting issues with bugs, security, and pricing concerns.
Fortinet FortiWLM needs better management features, integration, pricing, support, usability, reporting, and enhanced automation and mobile app capabilities.
Improving documentation with more detailed videos and resources would be beneficial.
Technical Coordinator at Yildiz Technical University
This integration aids in resolving problems and issues found in the network and enhances support with the GTAC team of Extreme Networks.
Ingeniero De Preventa at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Enhanced features for the application would be an improvement.
Information Technology Team Lead at IT Solutions AE
Firmware upgrades and bug improvements need to be tested well.
Cybersecurity SNB Technical Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
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.
Responsabile ced at a manufacturing company with 1-10 employees
 

Setup Cost

ExtremeCloud IQ pricing is competitive, offering comprehensive licensing and discounts, appealing to buyers prioritizing quality and reliability.
Fortinet FortiWLM offers competitive, all-inclusive pricing, despite some concerns with enterprise licensing and recent price increases.
The licensing was a challenge due to budget constraints, and I used ExtremeCloud IQ without a license for a period.
Technical Coordinator at Yildiz Technical University
Fortinet's pricing is different from Aruba, as Aruba has solutions for small business and enterprise in different categories.
Network Specialist at Metropolitan Communications Pvt Ltd
While the pricing of Fortinet FortiWLM is a bit high, it remains effective.
Assistant Manager IT at PDS Multinational
The price is competitive.
Cybersecurity SNB Technical Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
 

Valuable Features

ExtremeCloud IQ provides scalable, cloud-based network management with AI analytics, enhancing performance, security, and reducing costs for businesses.
Fortinet FortiWLM offers centralized management with features like security and scalability, enhancing wireless network deployment and performance.
For networking and access points, it acts as a controller in a cloud environment, eliminating the need for an appliance controller or wireless LAN controller, thus saving on investment and reducing TCO costs.
Ingeniero De Preventa at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The automation and information provided by ExtremeCloud IQ, such as connection status and logs, were very beneficial.
Technical Coordinator at Yildiz Technical University
The solution is controlled from one device and one GUI for all devices.
Cybersecurity SNB Technical Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Fortinet FortiWLM is recognized easily, and it is easy to recognize for any device to add to the network.
IT Technical Support at GIAS-DISTRIBUTION
The most useful aspect of Fortinet FortiWLM is that you can manage all the Fortinet products from one portal, from one device.
Information Technology Team Lead at IT Solutions AE
 

Categories and Ranking

ExtremeCloud IQ
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
77
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (12th), Network Access Control (NAC) (10th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (17th)
Fortinet FortiWLM
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
Wireless LAN (10th)
 

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 2.9%, up 2.9% compared to last year.
Fortinet FortiWLM, on the other hand, focuses on Wireless LAN, holds 3.3% mindshare, up 1.9% since last year.
Network Management Applications Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
ExtremeCloud IQ2.9%
Cisco DNA Center9.4%
OpenText Network Node Manager5.5%
Other82.2%
Network Management Applications
Wireless LAN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiWLM3.3%
Aruba Wireless12.3%
Ruckus Wireless10.8%
Other73.6%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

José Roldan - PeerSpot reviewer
Ingeniero De Preventa at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Has improved network monitoring with AI-driven insights and centralized device management
The best features of ExtremeCloud IQ include the integration of different vendors in one dashboard, the evolution of the manager, and any devices in networking. The impact of ExtremeCloud IQ on my organization is positive as the deployment is for a hybrid solution, using third-party vendors and cloud solutions for Extreme devices, switches, IP, and access points or SD-WAN solution devices. My IT team is occupied with other jobs, and ExtremeCloud IQ helps with monitoring networking at low costs. For networking and access points, it acts as a controller in a cloud environment, eliminating the need for an appliance controller or wireless LAN controller, thus saving on investment and reducing TCO costs.
LuayHlaleh - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Team Lead at IT Solutions AE
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
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Construction Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Construction Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business45
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise24
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise5
 

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 use ExtremeCloud IQ's real-time analytics. In the cloud solution, I get reports, and it works together with machine learning and artificial intelligence for those reports. This tool permits the c...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiWLM?
I do not have knowledge about the pricing or the cost of Fortinet FortiWLM because the license is for the package of the firewall, FortiGate.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiWLM?
Overall, I find it useful, though I have concerns because after every update, some functionality is deleted or closed. For the moment, I don't have anything else in Fortinet FortiWLM that I would l...
What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiWLM?
I use this solution for the enterprise to segment the department.
 

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, Fortinet, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and others in Network Management Applications. Updated: May 2026.
894,830 professionals have used our research since 2012.