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Aruba Access Points vs Fortinet FortiWLM 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.1
Users reported operational efficiency, manageable licensing costs, and improved communication with Aruba Access Points, achieving ROI within five years.
Sentiment score
1.0
Fortinet FortiWLM offers ROI in 6-12 months, enhances profitability, simplifies management, and provides valuable retail customer insights.
This is why we do not require technical support, as the solution remains simple without AI implementation.
Manager Technical at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
It is acceptable; it was not very cheap, but it was acceptable, and we can tell our customers, 'This is a good solution and you should pay this once and you have this solution forever.'
Telecommunication Engineer at Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.0
Users appreciate Aruba Access Points support for efficiency and quick responses, but seek better handling of complex issues.
Sentiment score
6.6
Fortinet FortiWLM customer service receives mixed reviews, praised for engineer support but criticized for average response times and escalation needs.
A company called ACT is very good at support.
Senior Manager, Hospitality Program at ACT international
For technical support alone, I would give them a score of nine out of ten.
Owner at Shree Atharva Sales Corporation
Because we work with different HP products, such as servers, storage, and high-end switches, technical assistance is only needed when there are issues on the compute side.
Manager Technical at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
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 IT Solutions AE
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
Aruba Access Points offer excellent scalability, easily integrating and expanding to support high-density users across various environments.
Sentiment score
6.5
Fortinet FortiWLM offers high scalability, efficiently managing numerous access points and integrating seamlessly into diverse environments.
Aruba access points integrate well with existing networks via PoE switches.
Owner at Shree Atharva Sales Corporation
Scalability and expandability are adjusted from day one based on expansion and growth projections.
Manager Technical at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Every decision the central management makes takes extra latency to send over to the local area network.
Telecommunication Engineer at Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia
Now, with any simple FortiGate 60F or newer model, you can manage more than 64 access points.
Information Technology Team Lead at IT Solutions AE
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
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Aruba Access Points are highly reliable with minor issues, showing excellent short-term stability and robust long-term performance.
Sentiment score
8.3
Fortinet FortiWLM is highly stable, with minimal operational issues and high user satisfaction despite minor initial software bugs.
The failure rate is very rare.
Manager Technical at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The only thing the customers need is that wireless communications work stably.
Telecommunication Engineer at Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia
This is a stable solution.
Information Technology Team Lead at IT Solutions AE
 

Room For Improvement

Aruba Access Points require enhanced security, seamless integration, scalability, improved performance in dense areas, and clearer licensing and support.
Fortinet FortiWLM needs better management features, integration, pricing, support, usability, reporting, and enhanced automation and mobile app capabilities.
Everyone discusses AI, but for providing wireless access to users, AI only plays its part when analytics are needed.
Manager Technical at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
There are some problems in assessing the performance of Aruba Access Points in environments with high user density.
Telecommunication Engineer at Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia
Some customers comment that the shape and size of the access point is a little big, especially the one installed in the guest room.
Senior Manager, Hospitality Program at ACT international
Firmware upgrades and bug improvements need to be tested well.
Cybersecurity SNB Technical Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
A mobile application to manage the Wi-Fi or the whole network would be beneficial.
Information Technology Team Lead at IT Solutions AE
The price is higher than I would like.
Assistant Manager IT at PDS Multinational
 

Setup Cost

Aruba Access Points are moderately priced, cheaper than Cisco but pricier than some, with negotiable discounts available.
Fortinet FortiWLM offers competitive, all-inclusive pricing, despite some concerns with enterprise licensing and recent price increases.
The pricing is reasonable and lower than competitors.
Senior Manager, Hospitality Program at ACT international
They are priced at half the rate of Juniper access points for basic models.
Owner at Shree Atharva Sales Corporation
When comparing pricing between Aruba Access Points and Forti, I find Aruba to be on the higher side.
Head Of Technical Operations at ITE
While the pricing of Fortinet FortiWLM is a bit high, it remains effective.
Assistant Manager IT at PDS Multinational
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
The price is competitive.
Cybersecurity SNB Technical Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
 

Valuable Features

Aruba Access Points offer excellent coverage, reliability, and affordability, with advanced features for seamless connectivity and robust security.
Fortinet FortiWLM offers centralized management with features like security and scalability, enhancing wireless network deployment and performance.
We receive support from Aruba, with assistance from the country manager in providing better quotations and support for projects.
Senior Manager, Hospitality Program at ACT international
Additionally, they do not require any kind of license for implementation.
Owner at Shree Atharva Sales Corporation
Price-wise, they are cheaper than Cisco and other options.
Manager Technical at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
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
It also has integration capabilities with FortiFirewall which is beneficial for customers.
Network Specialist at Metropolitan Communications Pvt Ltd
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 IT Solutions AE
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Access Points
Ranking in Wireless LAN
6th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiWLM
Ranking in Wireless LAN
12th
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 March 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Access Points is 3.2%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiWLM is 2.9%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Aruba Access Points3.2%
Fortinet FortiWLM2.9%
Other93.9%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

HJ
Telecommunication Engineer at Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia
Wireless connectivity has remained reliable and supports flexible, cloud‑independent management
As I already mentioned, the ability to stay with self-hosting solutions for central management is what I think could be improved about Aruba Access Points. If this becomes available in the future, I think it should change the game. However, I don't currently see this because I see nothing about AirWave anymore on your roadmap. I don't understand what happens next. There are some problems in assessing the performance of Aruba Access Points in environments with high user density. If there is a dense environment, a mobility controller would be the one you should go with because this needs more telemetry to calculate. I suspect this will be easier to do with local administration or local management because if everything goes over the internet through Aruba Central, it takes time. Every decision the central management makes takes extra latency to send over to the local area network. I think this is not a good approach to move to central management that is hosted somewhere far away. It should still retain the functionality to use Instant AP functionality that is available until 500 and maybe 600 as well. If you go to software version 10 and future versions, then you lose this functionality and you can't go back anymore. It would be good to assist with local location management and BLE-based functionalities as additional features I expect from future Aruba Access Points. There were some attempts to support third-party integrations through cooperation between Aruba and Meridian. However, I don't understand what happened there, and nothing is clear in this area. IoT will also be very important for people. You should add functionality to the platform that will support third-party IoT devices.
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.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Healthcare Company
7%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business21
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise11
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise5
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Access Points?
After we installed the Aruba switches, the work became faster because the network speed improved.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Access Points?
When comparing pricing between Aruba Access Points and Forti, I find Aruba to be on the higher side.
What needs improvement with Aruba Access Points?
As I already mentioned, the ability to stay with self-hosting solutions for central management is what I think could be improved about Aruba Access Points. If this becomes available in the future, ...
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

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

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 Aruba Access Points vs. Fortinet FortiWLM and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,797 professionals have used our research since 2012.