ExtremeCloud IQ vs Fortinet FortiWLM comparison

The compared Extreme and Fortinet solutions aren't in the same category. Extreme is ranked #10 in NMA , with an average rating of 8.3, and holds a 2.9% mindshare in the category. Fortinet is ranked #15 in Wireless LAN , with an average rating of 9.0, and holds a 1.9% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Extreme users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Fortinet users who would recommend it.

ExtremeCloud IQ

Read 76 ExtremeCloud IQ reviews

539 Views
398 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Fortinet FortiWLM

Read 27 Fortinet FortiWLM reviews

2,179 Views
2,016 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

ExtremeCloud IQ

Fortinet FortiWLM

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between ExtremeCloud IQ and Fortinet FortiWLM based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Fortinet and others in Network Management Applications.

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Network Management Applications

April 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

ExtremeCloud IQ

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (10th), Network Access Control (NAC) (10th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (18th)

Fortinet FortiWLM

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Wireless LAN (15th)

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%, down 3.1% 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

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

Sriman L

Senior Network Engineer at Nipun Net Solutions

One of the best cloud-based wireless solutions that helps manage multiple APs from a single dashboard across multiple locations

ExtremeCloud IQ’s user interface needs to be improved, and its current bugs need to be fixed. Sometimes, AP details, like the AP firmware and the AP hostname, are not updating properly because of a few bugs in the current version, which they might fix in the next version. Compared to the central and other cloud solutions, a couple of bugs still running on these portals need to be rectified. For ExtremeCloud IQ's next releases, I expect to get all the users and the events alerts. Also, if any AP goes down, I should be able to do some scheduled reports specific to the site because it is currently in beta. If any AP goes offline, that's an event. If you want to do the filter for a specific site event, we don't have that filter option. I expect specific site-level and category-level events and alert filters to get reports.

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Zachary Wheeler

President / CEO at Secure Solutions Center LLC

Impressive manufacturing quality, highly durable, and very easy to deploy

They need to do more with their marketing. That's what's wrong with them. Nobody knows they do all this other stuff. I love the product. For an enterprise-level system, you never have to explain why you're recommending Fortinet, whereas you might have to do that if you want to use the Ubiquiti Professional or the new Netgear line, but you don't have to explain Fortinet. It has been remarkable to work with. It would be nice if they had some smaller switches or hubs. They should offer two-port, three-port, or four-port devices so that you don't have to buy an eight-port switch, and you don't have to use an unmanaged element, but their product line is very complete, and I can't say enough about it.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's extremely easy to deploy. Even our access points are behind the net, not using real, public IP. We can easily add to the cloud. For deployment, we just need to let the access point take the DSCP from IP and then, even if it's not a requirement, we can see the serial number from the access points and add the serial number to the cloud directly."

"a true controller-less approach, where each Access Point is 100% independent from the management system."

"ExtremeCloud IQ is a complete package with the pilot and the co-pilot feature that gives me full visibility of the network."

"Everything can be seen from the dashboard."

"What our customers like the most is that this device is so rugged. It has very good performance and throughput. Its console is very easy to use and has many features, which makes it different from its competitors. Cloud IQ has all the features built into the console, whereas other solutions require you to integrate multiple solutions with their consoles. You don't need to add anything extra with Cloud IQ. With this single solution, you can do almost everything."

"Another valuable feature is the automation of Wi-Fi configurations, which allows the wireless network to auto-reconfigure in case of problems."

"The deployment made my life very easy."

"I like ExtremeCloud IQ's unified single-pane-of-glass dashboard. It offers a lot of visibility of performance, and it's great for troubleshooting. You don't have to go to 55 different places. You can get the information you need with just a few clicks."

More ExtremeCloud IQ pros

"The greatest advantage is the security fabric Fortinet offers."

"If you do have a FortiGate Firewall somewhere in the network, you can connect the wireless controller to that... You get 100 percent visibility from a single point... You can see everything that's connected to the FortiGate, whether it's a switch or a wireless AP or a wireless controller or any other Fortinet product."

"We're using SD-WAN at all of our locations now, which helps increase and aggregate and lower response time and improve application performance."

"We can deploy a tunnel-based VLAN and SSID, for something that happens at the last minute, in a matter of minutes, because of the interaction between the FortiGate, the FortiSwitches, and the FortiAPs."

"The product is a stable solution."

"The most valuable features are central management and the many other features available."

"I found that It's really good when comparing it to any other product or it is much better in terms of features that the customer requires."

"The security is a valuable feature."

More Fortinet FortiWLM pros

Cons

"The licensing model could be improved."

"Browser load time for the cloud is long and needs improvement."

"Pricing could be improved. It could be lower."

"We'd like to have a cloud dashboard from which we can see all devices."

"I struggled with the documentation. I expected comprehensive documentation and videos but found them to be too simple."

"A mobile app would be awesome."

"Integrating the network access control solution can be complex, as it essentially combines two separate products."

"The dashboard and stability need to be improved."

More ExtremeCloud IQ cons

"Improving support and firmware upgrades is necessary. Firmware upgrades and bug improvements need to be tested well."

"The range needs some improvement and also the stability."

"Licensing is the only area that I think they are below average. They need enterprise licensing, an all-encompassing license to cover all products for a company."

"In terms of improvements, the price is higher than I would like. A reduction in pricing would be beneficial."

"The roaming of Fortinet FortiWLM could improve when comparing it to other solutions. We are missing some of the functionality in the controller. Additionally, they should offer more logs instead of using FortiAnalyzer because all the users will not be using the same thing."

"They need to do more with their marketing. That's what's wrong with them. Nobody knows they do all this other stuff. I love the product. For an enterprise-level system, you never have to explain why you're recommending Fortinet, whereas you might have to do that if you want to use the Ubiquiti Professional or the new Netgear line, but you don't have to explain Fortinet. It has been remarkable to work with."

"The solution should improve user capacity."

"The pricing model can be improved to encourage use by small business and individuals and the hardware could stand to be redesigned."

More Fortinet FortiWLM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Bring the cost down."

"Extreme is twice as cheap compared to Cisco due to the currency exchange. Normally, I think Cisco would be a little bit more expensive, but there wouldn't be that much of a difference."

"It is easy for customers to use this product because they are able to interchange the license depending on their usage rather than having to buy individual licenses for each asset."

"Buy near the end of Q4 in order to get a deal."

"Start small and grow big. You can choose the basic Aerohive Connect free subscription solution and, later, if needed (in terms of functionality) you can upgrade to Aerohive Select."

"For example, if you compare Aruba vs Aerohive, you need to check which licences from Aruba you need to match the functionality of Aerohive (usually you need at least three types of licences and a controller with redundancy). The same goes with Cisco, where you need buy additional licences for central management, firewall, spectral analysis, WIPS, PPSK, etc. Aerohive has a very simple model - one licence for all the functionalities - and you can believe that there are many. One licence makes it easy to maintain, scale, renew and you can plan your costs 10 years in advance."

"I did a multi-year license. It was a three-year license. It compares well with others in terms of the price. It is about a hundred dollars per year on a three-year scale."

"Although the pricing is a bit high, I consider Aerohive to be well worth the money."

More ExtremeCloud IQ pricing and cost advice

"The price of Fortinet FortiWLM is reasonable compared to the other vendors. We are using a five-year license."

"For indoor access points, there is a one-time cost, upfront, whereas outdoor access points have an annual fee."

"There is a perpetual license required for this solution and the price could be reduced."

"The solution is fairly priced."

"The solution is expensive. I give the solution a one out of ten for the price."

"Licensing has become easier. There is no longer a per-AP license needed on the controller."

"To save yourself from increased setup and maintenance costs, I highly recommend undertaking a proper site survey from the beginning."

"The product is highly expensive. I rate the pricing a ten."

More Fortinet FortiWLM pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Educational Organization

10%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about ExtremeCloud IQ?

The Client 360 feature provides a comprehensive view of your clients and their activities, including the devices they use. Additionally, a feature called Network 360 offers a 360-degree view of the...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about Fortinet FortiWLM?

The security is a valuable feature.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiWLM?

While the pricing of Fortinet FortiWLM is a bit high, it remains effective. However, the cost could be better if reduced.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiWLM?

In terms of improvements, the price is higher than I would like. A reduction in pricing would be beneficial.

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs ExtremeCloud IQ

Compared 15% of the time

Ubiquiti Wireless vs ExtremeCloud IQ

Compared 11% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs ExtremeCloud IQ

Compared 11% of the time

Cisco DNA Center vs ExtremeCloud IQ

Compared 10% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs ExtremeCloud IQ

Compared 7% of the time

More ExtremeCloud IQ Competitors

Aruba Wireless vs Fortinet FortiWLM

Compared 26% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs Fortinet FortiWLM

Compared 17% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Fortinet FortiWLM

Compared 13% of the time

Cambium Networks Wireless LAN vs Fortinet FortiWLM

Compared 10% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Fortinet FortiWLM

Compared 10% of the time

More Fortinet FortiWLM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

ExtremeCloud IQ

May 2025

Download ExtremeCloud IQ product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiWLM

May 2025

Download Fortinet FortiWLM product report

Also Known As

Aerohive Networks, Aerohive HiveManager, HiveManager, ExtremeCloud , ExtremeSecurity

FortiWLM, FortiAP, Fortinet AP/OAP, Meru Wireless LAN

Overview

ExtremeCloud is a resilient and scalable cloud-based network management solution offered by Extreme Networks as a subscription service.

The network is your platform of engagement for clients and staff. We have designed ExtremeCloud to provide superior user experience by empowering you and the applications that drive your business. The combination of Extreme Networks’ smart wired and wireless edges and the elasticity, resilience and scalability provided via state-of-the-art datacenters distributed strategically for worldwide availability allows you to respond to the changing needs of your business, at the speed of cloud, through a simple, multi-site aware user interface.

Extreme

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.

Fortinet

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

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

April 2025

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