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Fortinet FortiWLM vs Ruckus Wireless WAN 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
1.0
Fortinet FortiWLM offers ROI in 6-12 months, enhances profitability, simplifies management, and provides valuable retail customer insights.
Sentiment score
6.5
Ruckus Wireless WAN delivers strong ROI with extended lifespan and cost savings, especially valued in educational settings.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.6
Fortinet FortiWLM customer service receives mixed reviews, praised for engineer support but criticized for average response times and escalation needs.
Sentiment score
6.4
Ruckus Wireless WAN support is generally positive, but users desire more experienced staff and improved communication and contact options.
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 TechnoPeak
When we seek support, the service we expect is not promptly delivered, which can be time-consuming.
CEO at Netsys Solutions (Pvt) Ltd
They would thoroughly troubleshoot issues.
IT Manager at Handi Quilter, Inc.
Response time could be better, mainly.
Networks Manager at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.5
Fortinet FortiWLM offers high scalability, efficiently managing numerous access points and integrating seamlessly into diverse environments.
Sentiment score
7.6
Ruckus Wireless WAN is scalable and adaptable, with cloud options improving scalability despite hardware and licensing limitations.
Now, with any simple FortiGate 60F or newer model, you can manage more than 64 access points.
Information Technology Team Lead at TechnoPeak
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
I find the scalability quite good, with a rating of eight out of ten.
CEO at Netsys Solutions (Pvt) Ltd
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
Fortinet FortiWLM is highly stable, with minimal operational issues and high user satisfaction despite minor initial software bugs.
Sentiment score
8.2
Ruckus Wireless WAN is stable and reliable, performing well in high-density areas with mostly positive user feedback.
 

Room For Improvement

Fortinet FortiWLM needs better management features, integration, pricing, support, usability, reporting, and enhanced automation and mobile app capabilities.
Improvements needed in support, documentation, UI, integration, licensing, delivery, analytics, and global coverage for competitive alignment.
Enhanced features for the application would be an improvement.
Information Technology Team Lead at TechnoPeak
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
Ruckus Wireless WAN could add a full stack to their product to make it more competitive, as they do not have security and they do not have their own cloud.
Networks Manager at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
There seems to be no visible improvement in the Gartner positioning, which is crucial even as companies like Huawei are also entering the wireless sector.
CEO at Netsys Solutions (Pvt) Ltd
 

Setup Cost

Fortinet FortiWLM offers competitive, all-inclusive pricing, despite some concerns with enterprise licensing and recent price increases.
Ruckus Wireless offers competitive pricing with flexible licensing, seen as a worthwhile investment for performance and coverage benefits.
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 Limited
The price is competitive.
Cybersecurity SNB Technical Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The price is always on the higher side, which impacts the perception of return on investment.
CEO at Netsys Solutions (Pvt) Ltd
 

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiWLM offers centralized management with features like security and scalability, enhancing wireless network deployment and performance.
Ruckus Wireless WAN offers powerful performance, superior coverage, easy deployment, high user support, seamless roaming, and excellent IoT integration.
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 TechnoPeak
The most valuable features are the advanced technologies like BeamFlex, which make a significant difference.
CEO at Netsys Solutions (Pvt) Ltd
Ruckus Wireless WAN appears to perform better in less than optimal situations.
Networks Manager at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiWLM
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
Wireless LAN (12th)
Ruckus Wireless WAN
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
58
Ranking in other categories
Wireless WAN (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Networking solutions, they serve different purposes. Fortinet FortiWLM is designed for Wireless LAN and holds a mindshare of 2.4%, up 2.0% compared to last year.
Ruckus Wireless WAN, on the other hand, focuses on Wireless WAN, holds 26.4% mindshare, down 37.9% since last year.
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Fortinet FortiWLM2.4%
Aruba Wireless13.9%
Ruckus Wireless12.8%
Other70.9%
Wireless LAN
Wireless WAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Ruckus Wireless WAN26.4%
Ubiquiti Wireless33.8%
Cambium Networks Wireless WAN11.6%
Other28.200000000000003%
Wireless WAN
 

Featured Reviews

LuayHlaleh - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
NN
IT Manager at Handi Quilter, Inc.
Reliable Wi-Fi deployment handles extreme conditions and reduces maintenance
The only bad downside to Ruckus Wireless WAN is that the guest network is poorly conceived. This is a known issue. There are ways to make the guest network work reliably, but not as promised. That's the only downside to Ruckus Wireless WAN access points - they have a weak guest system and guest portal, but everything else is the best of the best. If I did not have access to Ruckus Wireless WAN support, I think I would have failed. One downside they have now is that you no longer have access to the support folks without a contract. That has changed over many years. That would be really unfortunate because I remember struggling. The company was very hungry at that point and they were very willing to help. Now support requires a contract. That comes with all growing companies.
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880,745 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
10%
Healthcare Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
16%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business35
Midsize Enterprise11
Large Enterprise14
 

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...
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...
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...
Is Ubiquiti Wireless better than Ruckus Wireless WAN?
Ubiquiti Wireless is extremely easy to set up and is an excellent option for small businesses, offering enterprise features for a one-time fee and no ongoing licensing fees. Ubiquiti Wireless is ve...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ruckus Wireless WAN?
These are not cheap access points. If you want to go cheap, Ubiquiti is an option. I knew they were worth it because once deployed, they wouldn't require additional attention. They're not at Cisco ...
What needs improvement with Ruckus Wireless WAN?
Ruckus Wireless WAN is overpriced. Compared to others at the moment, Ruckus Wireless WAN does not have many valuable features. Compared to everyone else, everyone else comes self-hosted, either wit...
 

Also Known As

FortiWLM, FortiAP, Fortinet AP/OAP, Meru Wireless LAN
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
American University of Sharjah, Dordt College, Drew University, Lamar University, Raroa School
Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless LAN. Updated: January 2026.
880,745 professionals have used our research since 2012.