Fortinet FortiWLM vs Juniper WLC Series comparison

Fortinet and Juniper are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Fortinet is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.7, while Juniper is ranked #17 with an average rating of 9.0. Fortinet holds a 2.4% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to Juniper’s 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Juniper users who would recommend it.

Fortinet FortiWLM

Read 30 Fortinet FortiWLM reviews

1,970 Views
1,793 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Juniper WLC Series

Read 14 Juniper WLC Series reviews

877 Views
868 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Fortinet FortiWLM

Juniper WLC Series

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

Juniper WLC Series and Fortinet FortiWLM are competitive wireless management solutions that offer unique advantages. While Juniper WLC Series provides cost benefits and effective support, Fortinet FortiWLM excels with its feature-rich environment justifying a higher investment through superior satisfaction.

Features: Juniper WLC Series delivers high performance and ease of use with detailed templates for network reliability but lacks advanced programmability. Fortinet FortiWLM's Security Fabric, unified management through FortiGate, and ease of deployment enhance security and manageability across diverse environments.

Room for Improvement: Juniper WLC Series needs better traffic monitoring, cloud integration, and cost-efficiency improvements. Fortinet FortiWLM should enhance its reporting capabilities, manageability, and adaptability for smaller organizations, facing challenges with service contract costs.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both solutions offer robust on-premises support. Juniper's effective templates support easy deployment, although ongoing support is impacted by its development status. Fortinet provides comprehensive technical support and documentation, ensuring efficient client service.

Pricing and ROI: Juniper WLC Series, though costly, offers significant savings and ROI, with manageable licensing costs. Fortinet FortiWLM, competitively priced, helps in long-term cost reduction and budget efficiency, despite complexities in service contract management.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiWLM vs. Juniper WLC Series Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiWLM vs. Juniper WLC Series

December 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

Fortinet FortiWLM

Ranking in Wireless LAN

12th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Juniper WLC Series

Ranking in Wireless LAN

17th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiWLM is 2.4%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper WLC Series is 1.4%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiWLM	2.4%
Juniper WLC Series	1.4%
Other	96.2%

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

LuayHlaleh

Information Technology Team Lead at TechnoPeak

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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RobNelson

National Marketing Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

AI-driven optimization enhances network management and reduces hardware needs

In my region, access to the product is very difficult and presents a logistical nightmare. Also, pricing is a big problem and a barrier to entry when selling Juniper against competitors. Furthermore, the knowledge of the product's capabilities is not understood properly by those selling it, leading to overselling and overquoting.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

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

"Although there are a few steps, the initial setup is pretty straightforward."

"Seamless roaming by leveraging Virtual Cell is a major advantage which reduces roam times and issues related to roaming. Code stability has been excellent and the hardware quality is second to none."

"The setup was easy."

"Security is the feature we like most from Fortinet. In general, their security architecture is really great, because it involves everything: firewalls, wireless LANs, the user. Everything is really secure."

"I use Fortinet FortiWLM for wireless communication and the internet."

"At the moment, particularly with the COVID-19 situation, the most valuable feature is probably the IPsec VPN, which is easy to implement with Fortinet."

"Fortinet FortiWLM is good for tracking assets, monitoring, and overall management."

More Fortinet FortiWLM pros

"There weren't any scalability issues, the product did what it had to do."

"It prevents a large number of unauthorized modifications of access point devices."

"Juniper WLC Series is a very high-performance device designed for indoor wireless deployment."

"The Artificial Intelligence on offer is very useful."

"The installation process is nice and easy."

"It's easy to set up, and I feel it's very secure. I also prefer its reporting feature. The devices are quite good."

"The AI integration with Marvis is very valuable."

"The installation process is very easy."

More Juniper WLC Series pros

Cons

"In the next release, they could improve by adding a controller-less server, or architecture that is provided in other solutions, such as Aruba. This would be a great benefit for customers."

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

"There are currently issues with Fortinet's software quality."

"The platform's pricing needs improvement."

"The guest management features need to be improved by adding automation."

"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."

"Improving support and firmware upgrades is necessary."

"One area that needs improvement is the configuration aspect, which is more challenging compared to other products, despite Fortinet FortiWLM being a popular brand in Sri Lanka."

More Fortinet FortiWLM cons

"The solution could offer more integration with other products."

"We would prefer it if the solution could be less expensive."

"The network coverage of Juniper WLC Series and Cisco is different. We need to add additional access points."

"Juniper WLC Series has certain shortcomings in traffic monitoring."

"There could be a high level of security."

"In my region, access to the product is very difficult and presents a logistical nightmare."

"The support on offer to other vendors switching - like Aruba or Ruckus - could be improved."

"There could be more information from the controller, and it could be easier to work with the controller lights. It's not easy to bring up the upgrades."

More Juniper WLC Series cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

"Fortinet FortiWLM's pricing is regular and competitive."

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

"Licensing costs are reasonable. There are so many different types of licenses with Fortinet, but the licensing and the 24/7/365 support are so reasonable that I automatically include it with every transaction. I never line item it without it. There are no additional costs."

"In the last few years, due in part to the impact of COVID on the market, Fortinet has increased its prices by 35 percent."

"Support contracts typically cost approximately $100.00 per year."

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

More Fortinet FortiWLM pricing and cost advice

"The licensing cost is quite high, but considering it's an enterprise solution, the complexity justifies the price."

"The solution's pricing is reasonable."

"The product is relatively affordable for enterprise companies."

"There is a certain amount that needs to be paid towards the licensing charges associated with the product, but though I am not sure, I feel the licenses that we have in our company are for three years."

"Juniper WLC Series is a bit pricey but worth its cost."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

Healthcare Company

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

Educational Organization

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	5

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	4

Questions from the Community

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...

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What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiWLM?

The price could be reduced by 20%. In Dubai, UniFi costs 700 dirham for the UniFi Pro 7th generation. For Fortinet FortiWLM, a similar model would cost around 1,300 dirham. If this price was reduce...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiWLM?

Our customers' main use cases for Fortinet FortiWLM come from three classes. We have clients that pay attention to the cost, and we have customers that pay attention to security, such as in the DIF...

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What do you like most about Juniper WLC Series?

Juniper WLC Series is a very high-performance device designed for indoor wireless deployment.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Juniper WLC Series?

Juniper lacks a network access control agent similar to solutions like Alubakya Path and Cisco ISE. There should be a network access control engine. Some customers find it challenging as they do no...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Juniper WLC Series?

I work with Juniper service provider solutions. I have a service provider customer and some enterprise customers in retail.

See all answers

Comparisons

Aruba Wireless vs Fortinet FortiWLM

Compared 18% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs Fortinet FortiWLM

Compared 13% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Fortinet FortiWLM

Compared 8% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Fortinet FortiWLM

Compared 8% of the time

Cambium Networks Wireless LAN vs Fortinet FortiWLM

Compared 6% of the time

More Fortinet FortiWLM Competitors

Cisco Wireless vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 27% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 21% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 18% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 8% of the time

Aruba Instant vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 3% of the time

More Juniper WLC Series Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiWLM

January 2026

Download Fortinet FortiWLM product report

Buyer's Guide

Wireless LAN

January 2026

Download Juniper WLC Series product report

Also Known As

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

Juniper WLAN

Overview

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

WLC Series Wireless LAN Controllers deliver and manage wireless local area networks with the highest level of reliability, performance, security, and management in the industry. They integrate secure, wireless LANs with any size wired infrastructures, from small branch offices to the largest enterprise or university campus.

Juniper

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data

Apollo Hotel Papendrecht, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Bajaj Capital, Baloise Insurance, BAS Group, Borealis, Danish Crown, Deloitte Belgium, Jan Yperman Hospital, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, MercaSID, S.A., NHTV Breda University, Parklands College and Christopher Robin Pre-Primary, San Antonio Community Hospital, Sandia National Laboratories, Springfield Public Schools (SPS), St. Catherine University, TalkTalk, The Education Village, University of Copenhagen, University of the Highlands and Islands, University of the West of Scotland (UWS), Valdosta State University, Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec), zulily

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiWLM vs. Juniper WLC Series

December 2025

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