No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess Stellar vs Fortinet FortiWLM 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

Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess S...
Ranking in Wireless LAN
23rd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiWLM
Ranking in Wireless LAN
9th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess Stellar is 1.7%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiWLM is 3.3%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiWLM3.3%
Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess Stellar1.7%
Other95.0%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

Attila Gyalus - PeerSpot reviewer
Owner at TeloNet
An Easily Deployable and User-Friendly Solution with Rapid Installation
The support of this solution is great. The timeliness of their responses is crucial for me. When I raise an issue, I can count on receiving a prompt reply, eliminating the need for extensive online searches or phone calls. This efficiency is paramount in saving time. In the rare instances where problems arise, they are usually swiftly addressed.
LuayHlaleh - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Team Lead at IT Solutions AE
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We are very satisfied with the performance."
"We can manage all of the access points and policies from a single pane of glass."
"We needed a solution to provide internet access for the majority of 317,68 KM square site and assure authentication, authorization and accountability compliance of users, and OmniAccess has enabled us to do so."
"We deployed them in two hospitals, they benefit from the access of users via Guest Portal and the use of VoWLAN Phones for mobile internal communication."
"With the Captive portal to manage the Guest access is very easy, and with the Spectrum Analysis some very difficult radio issues can be solved with very little effort from my side."
"The features aren't much different than those in Aruba, but deployment is easier to configure and the pricing is better."
"I have worked with different solutions in the past and switched to Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess Stellar because of its quick installation time. It requires no additional preparation. The product is highly stable. I rate it a nine out of ten. The support of this solution is great. The timeliness of their responses is crucial for me. When I raise an issue, I can count on receiving a prompt reply, eliminating the need for extensive online searches or phone calls."
"With these three types, Alcatel-Lucent can give the client a range of solutions within budget of each, and still guarantee the quality of the solution."
"The price performance is unmatched."
"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 most valuable features are central management and the many other features available."
"When you see it working, you immediately become a fan."
"The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiWLM is the single management pane and integrated controller inside the firewall."
"I was extremely surprised by the single-pane-of-glass management; you don't really realize, until you're actually working with it, how powerful it is and how much time it saves you, and how much, in the long run, by going with the Security Fabric, you get increased security cost savings, and a better view of what's going on."
"We're using SD-WAN at all of our locations now, which helps increase and aggregate and lower response time and improve application performance."
"I find it easy to use, Fortinet FortiWLM is recognized easily, and it is easy to recognize for any device to add to the network."
 

Cons

"Yes, some issues are related to firmware bugs or firmware instability."
"The current implementation of our Guest Access network in isolation for Express mode is very complicated in comparison with leading market solutions."
"It is not possible to integrate Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess Stellar with third-party software like Opera, a property management system (PMS)."
"I’d rate this product as an eight out of 10 because it is not accessible to everyone to take 100% advantage of the product."
"The GUI is a little bit slow."
"If the customers plan to go on the cloud side, they need encryption and daily communications from a security perspective."
"Sometimes, we're not able to meet the complex requirement with Stellar."
"Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess Stellar's radio management side could be improved."
"There is one thing that I find extremely strange, and this something that is unique to Fortinet, and it isn't a positive at all."
"The initial setup is complex and has room for improvement."
"Because of this, our experience with FortiWLM hasn't been very good, and we have not implemented any further FortiWLM solutions for other customers to date."
"Improving support and firmware upgrades is necessary. Firmware upgrades and bug improvements need to be tested well."
"The pricing for the solution is expensive and can be improved."
"Sometimes we feel that we are buying the top-of-the-line technology and, six months or eight months later, we feel it is already obsolete."
"There is very little publicly available information about Virtual Cell and Single Channel Architecture. Promotion of the overall technology is limited as well. Being more vocal about a product that has many advantages would go a long way to eliminating a lot of the confusion and negative perception about Virtual Cell and Single Channel Architecture."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's pricey, but better than similar solutions."
"The price of this product is average and it is a one-time, perpetual license."
"The tool is cost-effective, according to our sales team's feedback."
"Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess Stellar is a mid-range solution with respect to pricing."
"The price is in the range of other brands like Cisco, maybe a little cheaper but you get the same features, facilities, and security. Licensing is something Alcatel is making changes to. A few years ago you would buy a WLAN solution from Alcatel for half the price of Cisco, but you would spend the same amount on licensing. Today this is different and the licensing is cheaper."
"We find the price comparable to other products on the market."
"At times, it appears that the solution's pricing is slightly higher. This makes it challenging to persuade customers who primarily focus on 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."
"If a customer already is a FortiGate customer, the cost to go to the FortiAP is incredibly affordable, because you already have the controller."
"Licensing has become easier. There is no longer a per-AP license needed on the controller."
"The solution is fairly priced."
"In the last few years, due in part to the impact of COVID on the market, Fortinet has increased its prices by 35 percent."
"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."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Wireless LAN solutions are best for your needs.
913,806 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
14%
Educational Organization
12%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Construction Company
13%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise1
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise5
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiWLM?
I do not have knowledge about the pricing or the cost of Fortinet FortiWLM because the license is for the package of the firewall, FortiGate.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiWLM?
Overall, I find it useful, though I have concerns because after every update, some functionality is deleted or closed. For the moment, I don't have anything else in Fortinet FortiWLM that I would l...
What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiWLM?
I use this solution for the enterprise to segment the department.
 

Also Known As

Alcatel Lucent OmniAccess Stellar, OmniAccess Stellar
FortiWLM, FortiAP, Fortinet AP/OAP, Meru Wireless LAN
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Mineola School District
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess Stellar vs. Fortinet FortiWLM and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,806 professionals have used our research since 2012.