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Fortinet FortiWLM vs Huawei Wireless 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

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
Huawei Wireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
10th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
36
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiWLM is 2.4%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Huawei Wireless is 5.9%, up from 5.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Huawei Wireless5.9%
Fortinet FortiWLM2.4%
Other91.7%
Wireless LAN
 

Q&A Highlights

SS
Sr. Technical Executive at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Feb 08, 2021
 

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.
Fahad Doguwa - PeerSpot reviewer
Deputy Manager at Central Bank of Nigeria
Affordable platform with efficient analytics features
Huawei adapters have facilitated seamless integration with mobile devices, extending the LAN's reach. Additionally, including CampusInsight, a component offering analytics and visibility into wireless connectivity, has proven invaluable. This feature enables us to monitor network health and troubleshoot user-related issues efficiently. The reliability has had a positive impact on our operations. I advise others to go for Cisco if cost is not a factor. Otherwise, they can explore other options based on the availability of that OEM within the country. We have Huawei present in our country and provide all the necessary support, so we went forward with them. I rate it a nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I have not faced any issues with stability or downtime."
"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 product is a stable solution."
"At the moment, particularly with the COVID-19 situation, the most valuable feature is probably the IPsec VPN, which is easy to implement with Fortinet."
"The most valuable features of this solution are its speed, reliability, and integration with the firewall."
"The solution is controlled from one device and one GUI for all devices."
"The firewall integration is very important for the security of the connection."
"The greatest advantage is the security fabric Fortinet offers."
"Huawei Wireless has controllers inside the switches."
"The solution offers very good value for money."
"That would be more of engineering at this point. I'm from more of the business side. It's pretty much doing the standard installations with portal integrations and integrations with the Mac."
"It has all of the features that we need."
"It is a stable solution...It is a scalable solution."
"Huawei Wireless's most valuable feature is smart antenna, a combination of informative capabilities and advanced technology."
"When opening the radio, we manage the frequency to handle overlapping effectively."
"The most valuable thing about Huawei Wireless is that it is one of the cheapest WiFi 6 systems. Its price is very nice. The other WiFi systems cost about 15% more."
 

Cons

"Improving support and firmware upgrades is necessary."
"The interface could certainly do with some improvement. We have other customers with WiFi networks, and they always use Ubiquiti. With Ubiquiti, it's a much better user interface, and it is much easier to configure."
"One area that needs improvement is the configuration aspect, which is more challenging compared to other products, despite Fortinet FortiWLM being a popular brand in Sri Lanka."
"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."
"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."
"In the next release, they could improve by adding a controller-less server, or architecture that is provided in other solutions, such as Aruba. This would be a great benefit for customers."
"The range needs some improvement and also the stability."
"Areas for improvement would be the compatibility with Apple products and cross-platform integration."
"The technical support needs to be improved. They also need to produce some more technical guides."
"The scalability could be better."
"This solution has issues with bugs and instability."
"I have encountered connectivity issues with the tool. I am not sure if it is due to Wi-Fi inference. I would like the solution to include some marketing analytics features like evaluation of user behavior."
"The manageability could be improved."
"As such, there are no problems. It has been good. There were some issues with the network design, but that is not specifically related to the product. We had to make some improvements in the network design. The product as such is fine, and there are no big issues. We are using the latest version having most of the features available in the industry, so the specs are very high. If something new comes up new in the industry, it needs to be incorporated into the product."
"Huawei Wireless has a small technical problem. When you use a power injector, it needs to be specially configured for the switch to which it is connected. It tries to take power not from the power injector but from the switch. The funny thing when you look at it is that you have three switches or maybe four or five that are theoretically capable. However, the port on these switches is disabled. When you connect the access point to a power injector, the access point checks for features from the switch, but on this port, the switch doesn't do power. So, the access point changes these features to energy save mode and cuts off some features, especially WiFi 6. It took me two weeks to find out what's going on and how to mitigate this sort of problem. It is very easy to fix. You need to disable LLDP on the port on which you connect the access point to the power injector. Power injectors aren't quite commonly used, but I have 54 access points, and I have used about 27 power injectors. So, about half of the access points were working at reduced speed, not full speed, for two weeks."
"The manageability of radio frequencies to avoid overlapping needs improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing costs are reasonable. There are so many different types of licenses with Fortinet, but the licensing and the 24/7/365 support are so reasonable that I automatically include it with every transaction. I never line item it without it. There are no additional costs."
"Fortinet FortiWLM's pricing is regular and competitive."
"In the last few years, due in part to the impact of COVID on the market, Fortinet has increased its prices by 35 percent."
"To save yourself from increased setup and maintenance costs, I highly recommend undertaking a proper site survey from the beginning."
"The solution is expensive. I give the solution a one out of ten for the price."
"The price of Fortinet FortiWLM is reasonable compared to the other vendors. We are using a five-year license."
"Licensing has become easier. There is no longer a per-AP license needed on the controller."
"There is a perpetual license required for this solution and the price could be reduced."
"Its price is reasonable."
"Huawei Wireless is one of the cheapest options in the marketplace."
"The platform is less costly than one of its competitors. I rate the pricing a three out of ten."
"The product has a good price."
"It is not monthly. It is a kind of perpetual licensing. We pay once depending on the kind of services we need to deliver. There are no licensing fees."
"The price is good for the solution and there is a license required."
"I would rate them something, like, eight to nine, on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."
"Its price is very good. This wireless system totally costs about 30,000 euros, and some of the other solutions cost about 45,000 euros. It is a difference of 15,000 euros, which is quite a lot of money."
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Answers from the Community

SS
Sr. Technical Executive at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Feb 8, 2021
Feb 8, 2021
All are good selections, and this question is difficult to answer without knowing your throughput requirements, as each vendor has multiple models within there series. Personally I recommend looking at Arista Networks’ cognitive Wifi, where controllers are a thing of the past.
2 out of 7 answers
AT
Director of Technical Services at CTM
Feb 17, 2020
Hi, It is all dependent on the size of the controllers in question. Though I would suggest getting a cloud base technology so you are limited by any controller and have much better redundancy. Take a look at Arista Cognitive Wireless
IA
Group IT Manager at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Feb 17, 2020
Hi, Every one of the mentioned solutions is good but you need to check the needs which are security since the firms you are working with need protection and tracking of data. For this reason, I recommend: - if you have FortiGate installed then go for Fortinet Wireless since they can be integrated with the Fortigate without buying a controller and they work perfectly together and you will get the advantage of applying rules to the client himself whether mobile or computer, easily managed & monitored, more visibility over your network and incident notifications. If the above doesn't apply then you can go with the best one that fits your budget and security needs which for me doesn't fall on the mentioned solution but to go with ARUBA Instant Access Wireless Solution and the reasons are as such: - Cisco is too much expensive and you got to pay smart support with some complexity in configuration and you need to buy a controller - Ruckus is good but when you want to have the security you need to buy a controller with licenses and it won't give you the security needed since it is just a wireless solution - Huawei is not a stable company since it had many ups and downs and they can reach with you to have all the solutions nearly free so that you install their brand. Whereas Aruba you don't need a controller in the Instant access points and you will get the minimum security with radius integration and what is important a lifetime warranty on the access points. In addition, if the number of access points increased and you want more detailed management and more advanced configurations, you can buy a controller either on-premises or on-cloud with Aruba. The above information is based on my experience with all the solutions and their POC. If you need any more details and consultancy, kindly feel free to contact me. Regards.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
10%
Healthcare Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
 

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 Business17
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise12
 

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...
Which wireless solution would you choose - Huawei or D-Link?
Huawei wireless is a strong and solid product that has a lot of features - and for all that it offers, it happens to be very cost effective. As a wireless solution, it is simple and its user interf...
What do you like most about Huawei Wireless?
The reliability has had a positive impact on our operations.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Huawei Wireless?
For SMB customers with limited wireless users, Huawei Wireless may not be suitable due to the lack of multiple access points and the need for a centralized SSID. However, for large-capacity custome...
 

Also Known As

FortiWLM, FortiAP, Fortinet AP/OAP, Meru Wireless LAN
Huawei WLAN
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Anhui Agricultural University (AAU), China Everbright Bank
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiWLM vs. Huawei Wireless and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.