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Fortinet FortiAP vs Ruckus Wireless comparison

 

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
9th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Ruckus Wireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
104
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiAP is 5.6%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ruckus Wireless is 14.1%, up from 13.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

Brian M. - PeerSpot reviewer
Enterprise-level control simplifies wireless management and increases reliability
FortiAPs are an enterprise-level device capable of handling a large number of users and connections, ensuring quality. A benefit is their controllability by local firewalls, which simplifies management and eliminates the need to buy separate hardware or virtual appliances. The integration is efficient, allowing for management through the firewall. Firmware updates are also pushed to Fortinet access points. The lack of maintenance needs and their reliability means I almost never experience wireless problems in the campuses where they are deployed.
Xander Janse Van Rensburg - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable and high-performance wireless networking with exceptional stability, scalability, and robust feature set
One of the most valuable features I appreciate is auto channelization, facilitated by a proprietary product called ChannelFly. This feature enables APs in a specific zone to automatically adjust their channels, optimizing performance. Additionally, Ruckus Wireless stands out for its ability to reuse certain beams, resulting in smaller data spots. In my experience with various products, Ruckus Wireless consistently delivers unparalleled throughput, coverage, and reliability in wireless networking across different environments. As a noteworthy point, the newly launched WiFi 7 standard is measured against Ruckus's WiFi 7 AP, establishing it as the global benchmark. When it comes to WiFi, Ruckus sets the standard, outperforming competitors with its superior performance and capabilities.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The setup was straightforward."
"Fortinet FortiAPs are useful for small to medium-scale companies where there are budget concerns."
"I like FortiAP's performance and stability. The reporting is also quite good."
"We really don't need to call technical support. Any time we have had to call, they've been great."
"The product's deployment phase is very easy since its documentation part is available in the public domain."
"The stability of the solution is very high."
"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."
"Valuable features include Bonjour Gateway and the hardware antenna array."
"The initial setup is very simple."
"The smart antenna is very good."
"The most valuable feature is that this solution is reliable."
"Ruckus features a centralized architecture solution with ultrasound technology, which helps us with communication and roaming."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The initial setup is pretty straightforward."
"I really like Ruckus Unleashed, which is the feature that provides a quick solution for me to control the APs."
 

Cons

"There is nothing that particularly comes to mind for improvement."
"I am not satisfied with Fortinet FortiAP's technical support in India. Whenever we call them, they only provide KB articles first."
"I would like to have automation capabilities that would help us reduce the configuration steps."
"There is room for improvement in the product by expanding the number of SSIDs that can be broadcast."
"The product fails to offer default access points to deal with the areas revolving around configurations."
"The support offered by the solution has certain shortcomings, making it in areas where improvements are required."
"The wireless functionality is not the best."
"Technical support is a pain. Fortinet has to get its act together. If you don't pay for premium service, you will have issues."
"I wish that Ruckus Wireless were more affordable for customers."
"Its interface could be a little bit more user friendly."
"Ruckus seems to have removed the built-in help from the appliance, urging the user to log on to the support web site to obtain it. This is simply a nuisance if one wishes to look up what a particular field on the configuration page does, for example."
"In my company, we still has to do some manual calculations on where we should set the access points, which is a time-consuming process as there were no automatic setup functions provided by the tool."
"There is some strain with Ruckus because of various buyouts involving the company used for data centers and the cluster."
"I think it would be nice if Ruckus offered the option of a cloud interface for easy configuration of Ruckus Wireless."
"The solution needs to have some sort of security offering, like a firewall, for example."
"Sometimes doing mass changes on their products can be challenging."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We purchased perpetual licensing, and additional costs may vary depending on the services acquired from Fortinet."
"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."
"FortiAP is more expensive than some other options."
"If I compare it with the other enterprise products, the price is good."
"The setup that I have at the moment does not require licensing, although I am not sure whether a bigger project will mean that I have to spend more."
"Ruckus Wireless is not an expensive solution."
"It's definitely a good value. It's more expensive than some of the other offerings out there, but when you compare it to other enterprise-class gear, it's very well priced. And the beauty of it is, because it has better range because of their patented BeamFlex - which is the way they can send and receive and listen to signals - you can actually use fewer access points. That means that it's a cheaper overall project."
"This is a very expensive solution."
"With Ubiquiti, there's no annual cost to keep the software upgraded, whereas with Ruckus, you have to pay an annual fee or three-year fee. That makes it a little more pricey."
"​Pricing is very competitive for an enterprise solution. Regarding licensing, always carry the support contract on the controller (not needed on APs)​."
"We also looked at Cisco and Aruba but Ruckus pricing was better."
"Ubiquiti and Aruba Instant On are good for small businesses in terms of cost than Ruckus Wireless."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about FortiAP?
If we have FortiClient installed on multiple devices, it is seamless to connect with FortiAP. It supports passwordless authentication as well. That is a great thing about it.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FortiAP?
Fortinet solutions are more cost-effective compared to Cisco. The license costs for Fortinet are more affordable when considering licensing costs with other leaders like Cisco.
What needs improvement with FortiAP?
I cannot pinpoint the exact improvements needed at the moment. However, security is always a concern for any business, and the network should not be compromised easily. There should be alerts to in...
Aruba Wireless or Ruckus Wireless?
At my organization, we researched Ruckus Wireless among other solutions but ultimately chose Aruba wireless. What did we like about Ruckus? First, it was very easy to use, and anybody with minimal...
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 friendly. This user-friendly quality also renders it easy to learn how to use and ma...
How does Ruckus Wireless compare to Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?
Cisco’s Meraki Virtual MX is a virtual instance of the Meraki SD-WAN appliance. We liked the Meraki. The Wifi APs are a great feature. The dashboard is a simple interface and easy to learn. It feat...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
American University of Sharjah, Baruch College, Centro Escolar Liceo Santo Tomšs, Chevalier College, Chico Unified School District, Colegio de Fomento El Prado, Columbia Public Schools, Delta School District, Dordt College, Douglas County School District, Drew University, Armonea, Central Utah Clinic, Grove Hill Medical Center, Inner South Community Health Service, Midwest Surgical, Satilla Regional Medical Center, Lyndoch Living, Polonus, Roaring Fork School District, Sonora State, Vivid, Sydney, Players Club, Sandals, Scandic Hotels, Sheraton LAX, Sunbird
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiAP vs. Ruckus Wireless and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.