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ExtremeWireless vs Fortinet FortiAP 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
8.5
ExtremeWireless provides scalable, cost-effective solutions with 30% ROI savings, easy deployment, and excellent support for long-term use.
Sentiment score
5.2
Fortinet FortiAP offers enhanced security, cost-effectiveness, and reliability, yielding an 80% savings and boosting productivity and operational efficiency.
The best ROI is achieved over a three-year term.
Engineer at NewLogics
The monitoring access and excellent support provide significant value.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
I do not have to continuously manage them, and their reliability means they are consistently up and running.
Network Administrator at a educational organization with 501-1,000 employees
Fortinet FortiAP provides value for money, and I can quantify the savings at about 80%.
Senior Network Security Engineer at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.2
ExtremeWireless support is helpful but inconsistent, with slow response times and limited availability affecting user satisfaction. Ratings vary.
Sentiment score
7.4
Fortinet FortiAP's customer service is efficient for some, but regional and service tier disparities affect user satisfaction.
I rate their support as a nine because they are very helpful when we need assistance and they strive to help, even if not the fastest.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
The technical support sometimes closes cases without resolution.
Engineer at NewLogics
I would rate the customer service as a ten.
Network Engineer at a consultancy with 201-500 employees
We keep a support contract open with Fortinet, so we have instantaneous response from them.
Network Engineer III at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The RMA process is very good, with same-day replacement in our case.
Head Of Technical Operations at ITE
I am not satisfied with Fortinet FortiAP's technical support in India.
Senior Network Security Engineer at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.7
ExtremeWireless is scalable and adaptable for medium to large enterprises but may face stability issues at higher user thresholds.
Sentiment score
6.5
Fortinet FortiAP is praised for scalability, handling large volumes well, though it faces challenges, enhanced by ISPs and FortiManager.
The Extreme access points handle high-density connectivity needs very well, managing lots of traffic efficiently.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
ExtremeWireless is suitable for companies with a user base below three hundred.
IT executive at a agriculture with 1,001-5,000 employees
ExtremeWireless is quite scalable.
Systems Engineer at LinkAxia Networks Sdn Bhd
There could be constraints where a product can't be scaled further without purchasing a new model.
Senior IT System Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
We have good scalability with Fortinet FortiAP because we have multiple ISPs connected to it through FortiManager.
Network Engineer III at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.0
ExtremeWireless is praised for its stability and reliability, though some encounter challenges with firmware updates in high-density environments.
Sentiment score
6.8
Fortinet FortiAP's stability receives mixed reviews, with users noting both reliable performance and occasional issues after updates.
They work well without failures.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
I experienced issues during firmware upgrades, as some devices required a physical restart, which affects system stability.
Network Administrator at THK Co Ltd
The stability of ExtremeWireless is somewhat weaker compared to previous solutions, like Motorola before its acquisition.
IT executive at a agriculture with 1,001-5,000 employees
I have not experienced any issues, outages, or problems and have not had to interfere with them at all.
Network Administrator at a educational organization with 501-1,000 employees
The stability of the solution is very high.
Network Engineer III at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Room For Improvement

ExtremeWireless must enhance affordability, integration, security, support, and performance to improve competitiveness and meet small business needs.
Fortinet FortiAP needs improvement in integration, wireless functionality, automation, support, easy deployment, and enhanced configuration for better performance.
I wish for ExtremeWireless to optimize the roaming capability between access points, especially for IoT devices.
Network Administrator at THK Co Ltd
They should develop more troubleshooting tools for system management.
Network Engineer at a consultancy with 201-500 employees
There is some delay in firmware upgrades for access points.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
Security is always a concern for any business, and the network should not be compromised easily.
Senior IT System Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
I know they're going up to six soon, which will enhance reliability.
Network Engineer III at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
We earlier expected that Fortinet FortiAP could be managed through the cloud, which would be very good, but nowadays, FortiNet is providing FortiAPs with cloud management also.
Senior Network Security Engineer at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
 

Setup Cost

ExtremeWireless provides good value with both free and paid options, despite medium-high pricing and substantial hardware costs.
Fortinet FortiAP is competitively priced, with varied opinions on affordability compared to Cisco, Palo Alto, Meraki, and Aruba.
Each customer typically buys around 100 APs, which makes it quite expensive.
Systems Engineer at LinkAxia Networks Sdn Bhd
The pricing is favorable due to its flexible licensing model.
Engineer at NewLogics
The pricing is a weak point for Extreme; it is very high.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
The license costs for Fortinet are more affordable when considering licensing costs with other leaders like Cisco.
Senior IT System Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
The pricing is a little bit high, and I would rate it a ten on the scale where ten is the highest price.
Network Administrator at a educational organization with 501-1,000 employees
The pricing is much better than Cisco pricing.
Network Engineer III at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Valuable Features

ExtremeWireless offers cloud management, strong security, seamless integration, and stability, making it ideal for security-focused sectors.
Fortinet FortiAP offers seamless integration, strong security, and simplified management with Zero-Touch Deployment and passwordless authentication for enterprises.
A single license can be used for on-premises, hybrid, or cloud, allowing for easy transition between solutions without losing investment.
Engineer at NewLogics
The most valuable features of ExtremeWireless include the management through the one dashboard management with ActionCloud IQ, integrated with Site Engine.
Systems Engineer at LinkAxia Networks Sdn Bhd
The support from Extreme is very good and helpful.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
Compatibility with Fortinet firewalls allows clients to set up new businesses with integrated firewalls and access points, offering a cost-effective solution while providing excellent wireless coverage.
Senior IT System Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Fortinet FortiAP is effective in protecting against wireless threats.
Senior Network Security Engineer at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
Unlike other wireless controllers, the firewall is controlling the AP, so you have a much higher level of security.
Co Founder And Consultant at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

ExtremeWireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
15th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiAP
Ranking in Wireless LAN
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of ExtremeWireless is 2.1%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiAP is 5.7%, up from 3.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Fortinet FortiAP5.7%
ExtremeWireless2.1%
Other92.2%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

KO
Network Administrator at THK Co Ltd
We manage complex networks with seamless guest and user access while ensuring device authorization
I use enterprise connections where users need to be authorized against radius servers. This feature is common across various products, including ExtremeWireless. Generally, the network management is valuable to me. However, I am unsure how the security architecture enhances our network protection as we typically use the latest firmware for access points. Nonetheless, we had some troubles with roaming, requiring me to install specific firmware to avoid issues.
Shahnawaz Nusrat - PeerSpot reviewer
Head Of Technical Operations at ITE
Has simplified wireless integration while needing better throughput and captive portal features
The product can be improved depending on the model selected as per requirements. Support is good and throughput is good. What we need to do is select a better product as per our requirement and environment. If proper working is done in terms of wireless heat map or radio connectivity in our environment, I believe it's good. There is always a chance to improve. Throughput can be better in terms of other vendors, but currently, it's working fine. One feature that I still need to explore is the captive portal. When we deploy a unit in a public environment, users need to sign in with a pop-up box to connect.
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881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise8
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with ExtremeWireless?
There are concerns regarding the stability of ExtremeWireless. It could be an area of improvement, especially when compared to previous solutions such as Motorola before their acquisition. Another ...
What is your primary use case for ExtremeWireless?
We mainly use ExtremeWireless ( /products/extremewireless-reviews ) for the warehouse, specifically for the Zebra handheld devices and printers.
What advice do you have for others considering ExtremeWireless?
Overall, ExtremeWireless has a lot of room for improvement. The main concern is stability. As a user, I focus on supporting the devices and ensuring they meet my client’s needs. While I do not hand...
What do you like most about FortiAP?
If we have FortiClient installed on multiple devices, it is seamless to connect with FortiAP. It supports passwordless authentication as well. That is a great thing about it.
What needs improvement with FortiAP?
The product can be improved depending on the model selected as per requirements. Support is good and throughput is good. What we need to do is select a better product as per our requirement and env...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

St. Xavier High School, Americatel, Diamond Light Source
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about ExtremeWireless vs. Fortinet FortiAP and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.