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Fortinet FortiAP vs Fortinet FortiWLC comparison

Why PeerSpot?
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

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

Fortinet FortiAP
Ranking in Wireless LAN
6th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiWLC
Ranking in Wireless LAN
27th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.4
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiAP is 3.6%, down from 6.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiWLC is 1.1%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiAP3.6%
Fortinet FortiWLC1.1%
Other95.3%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

StaffordSlater - PeerSpot reviewer
Co Founder And Consultant at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Unified branch management has simplified deployment and improved wireless security and visibility
Fortinet FortiAP's zero-touch deployment feature with FortiManager is utilized in the current deployment. Zero-touch provisioning with FortiManager enables deployment and configuration that is very useful, leading to huge cost savings. As long as everything is deployed and plugged in, you can push an image to the firewall, and it pushes it out to the switches and all the APs. The deployment time is a lot quicker as a result. Currently, there is not a lack of function in Fortinet FortiAP. The organization is satisfied with it. Everything is managed via FortiManager in a multi-tenanted, cloud deployment model, as the organization is an MSP, so it works well. Pricing for Fortinet FortiAP is rated as an eight, as it is a lot cheaper than Meraki. I would recommend Fortinet FortiAP to other users. I would give this review an overall rating of nine out of ten.
Md.Mehedi Hassan - PeerSpot reviewer
Team Lead Manager at Blue Pill Ltd
Offers a seamless and secure WiFi experience with outstanding customer support
FortiWLC is valuable due to its security features and the seamless WiFi experience it provides. Our customers benefit greatly from the security aspect, especially since they are already using Fortinet for Firewall services. The security features are crucial for their requirements. The stability and ease of use of FortiWLC also add to its effectiveness.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Fortinet FortiAPs are useful for small to medium-scale companies where there are budget concerns."
"The solution supports recent security components like encryption or hashing algorithms. We can control the APs from FortiGate Firewalls and integrate those APs into FortiGate. You don't have to purchase a separate controller for it."
"The integration is efficient, allowing for management through the firewall."
"FortiAP's integration using SSID configuration for the input/output makes deploying permission rules easier."
"We really don't need to call technical support. Any time we have had to call, they've been great."
"The product's initial setup phase was easy, especially with FortiGate or your FortiManager in place."
"The most valuable aspect of Fortinet FortiAP is the support."
"The setup was straightforward."
"It's easy to set everything up during implementation."
"The security within the access point and the controller is the solution's most valuable aspect."
"The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiWLC is the overall high quality."
"I rate the overall solution a ten out of ten."
"FortiWLC is valuable due to its security features and the seamless WiFi experience it provides."
 

Cons

"The product fails to offer default access points to deal with the areas revolving around configurations."
"A point for improvement for Fortinet FortiAP would be improvements in the GUI, which is adequate but could be improved."
"There is room for improvement in the product by expanding the number of SSIDs that can be broadcast."
"FortiAP could be a little cheaper."
"The improvement factor could be in APs. Also, it could have a control, like MAC address."
"Technical support is a pain. Fortinet has to get its act together. If you don't pay for premium service, you will have issues."
"The radio band support could be improved, especially for legacy devices."
"The support offered by the solution has certain shortcomings, making it in areas where improvements are required."
"However, for massive implementations, Fortinet should consider reducing the price to make it more affordable."
"Fortinet FortiWLC is not simple to configure when compared to other solutions. The design could be better."
"The price of Fortinet FortiWLC is high. The solution will be out of the market for us because the price is too high for the features it provides."
"One thing that is lacking is, compared with some other brands, the signal is a bit weaker. Ruckus has much wider signal coverage."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Fortinet FortiAP offers a more cost-effective solution compared to Palo Alto and Check Point."
"The devices under Fortinet are not expensive. The solution's licensing part is expensive."
"On a scale of one to ten with ten being the most expensive, I would rate FortiAP a six."
"The product is available at a very comfortable price for my company compared to the other products available in the market. The prices of products from Meraki and Aruba are high compared to those of Fortinet."
"If I compare it with the other enterprise products, the price is good."
"We purchased perpetual licensing, and additional costs may vary depending on the services acquired from Fortinet."
"FortiAP is more expensive than some other options."
"The price of Fortinet FortiWLC is high. The solution will be out of the market for us because the price is too high for the features it provides."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
Government
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise3
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with FortiAP?
A point for improvement for Fortinet FortiAP would be improvements in the GUI, which is adequate but could be improved. Additionally, wireless coverage and the mapping area are fairly static and co...
What is your primary use case for FortiAP?
Fortinet FortiAP is currently used mainly on branch deployments because of the single pane of management across the whole branch using the FortiGate, FortiAP, and FortiSwitch. I have utilized Forti...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiWLC?
I cannot disclose the license price, however, I recommend Fortinet reduce its pricing for massive implementations.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiWLC?
Until now, I have not observed any issues. However, for massive implementations, Fortinet should consider reducing the price to make it more affordable.
What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiWLC?
We are resellers of FortiWLC, and our customers mainly use it in enterprise settings, particularly for chemical companies.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiAP vs. Fortinet FortiWLC and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
914,262 professionals have used our research since 2012.