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Aruba Networks Wireless WAN vs Fortinet FortiWLM 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
5.2
Users report mixed ROI from Aruba Networks Wireless WAN, with varied cost savings and satisfaction in network features and integration.
Sentiment score
1.0
Fortinet FortiWLM offers ROI in 6-12 months, enhances profitability, simplifies management, and provides valuable retail customer insights.
It delivers everything we need for our wireless network, including security, authentication, and integration with other platforms.
Network Administrator at a government with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.0
Aruba Networks Wireless WAN support is generally good, with variations in response speed and channel effectiveness noted by users.
Sentiment score
6.6
Fortinet FortiWLM customer service receives mixed reviews, praised for engineer support but criticized for average response times and escalation needs.
I would rate their support as a nine out of ten.
Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology
I would rate the direct support an eight out of ten.
Network Administrator at a government with 5,001-10,000 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
7.5
Aruba Networks Wireless WAN offers scalable, flexible, and adaptable solutions for diverse organizations, despite occasional hardware constraints.
Sentiment score
6.5
Fortinet FortiWLM offers high scalability, efficiently managing numerous access points and integrating seamlessly into diverse environments.
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 Networks Wireless WAN is highly stable and reliable, praised for consistent performance and low failure rates.
Sentiment score
8.3
Fortinet FortiWLM is highly stable, with minimal operational issues and high user satisfaction despite minor initial software bugs.
 

Room For Improvement

Aruba Networks needs improved management software, setup ease, hardware variety, pricing, and enhanced security and support features.
Fortinet FortiWLM needs better management features, integration, pricing, support, usability, reporting, and enhanced automation and mobile app capabilities.
If Aruba could combine all of their products together, it would be great to have a single pane of glass.
Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology
The licensing scheme and price could be improved.
Network Administrator at a government with 5,001-10,000 employees
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 Limited
 

Setup Cost

Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is expensive but justifiable, offering flexible pricing, competitive rates, and reliable performance compared to competitors.
Fortinet FortiWLM offers competitive, all-inclusive pricing, despite some concerns with enterprise licensing and recent price increases.
Compared to Cisco, it is a bit cheaper, but still not enough to switch over to Aruba.
Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology
The price is a little bit expensive.
Network Administrator at a government with 5,001-10,000 employees
While the pricing of Fortinet FortiWLM is a bit high, it remains effective.
Assistant Manager - IT at PDS Limited
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 Networks Wireless WAN offers easy installation, robust security, seamless connectivity, scalability, Wi-Fi 6 compatibility, and centralized management.
Fortinet FortiWLM offers centralized management with features like security and scalability, enhancing wireless network deployment and performance.
We are very satisfied with the solution as it delivers everything we need for our wireless network, including security, authentication, and integration with other platforms.
Network Administrator at a government with 5,001-10,000 employees
When assessing the performance of Aruba's built-in threat protection and encryption features, I ask what kind of protection are you referring to—the Wi-Fi?
Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology
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 Networks Wireless WAN
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
51
Ranking in other categories
Wireless WAN (5th)
Fortinet FortiWLM
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
Wireless LAN (12th)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Networking solutions, they serve different purposes. Aruba Networks Wireless WAN is designed for Wireless WAN and holds a mindshare of 8.7%, up 2.5% compared to last year.
Fortinet FortiWLM, on the other hand, focuses on Wireless LAN, holds 2.5% mindshare, up 2.0% since last year.
Wireless WAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Aruba Networks Wireless WAN8.7%
Ubiquiti Wireless31.7%
Ruckus Wireless WAN25.0%
Other34.599999999999994%
Wireless WAN
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Fortinet FortiWLM2.5%
Aruba Wireless13.4%
Ruckus Wireless12.4%
Other71.7%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

Edward Zeng - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology
Faced deployment successfully but configuration complexity needs to be reduced
I think the layout is a bit complicated. There are so many different layers to set up, and it is very easy to miss out or make configuration mistakes because they are hierarchical. You need to be very careful about which one has been in use. Aruba ClearPass is also complicated as well. If Aruba could combine all of their products together, it would be great to have a single pane of glass. Currently, the Aruba sensor does not work together with other products. There is no single pane of glass for location configuration, so you need to log into different websites to check the user experience.
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
Marketing Services Firm
19%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
6%
Healthcare Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business27
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise19
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise4
 

Questions from the Community

Do you recommend Aruba Network Wireless WAN?
I recommend Aruba Networks Wireless WAN. I have been using Aruba for approximately a decade. It has a great centralized management system, which means we don’t need wireless LAN controllers at ever...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Networks Wireless WAN?
The pricing is not cheap. Compared to Cisco, it is a bit cheaper, but still not enough to switch over to Aruba. The benefits are not sufficient.
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

The Pittsburgh Golf Club, Rio Rancho Public Schools, Amwaj Rotana - Jumeirah Beach Residence - Dubai, Trevecca Nazarene University
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Ubiquiti, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless WAN. Updated: January 2026.
881,757 professionals have used our research since 2012.