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Fortinet FortiWLM vs Juniper WLC Series 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
10th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Juniper WLC Series
Ranking in Wireless LAN
19th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiWLM is 3.3%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper WLC Series is 1.6%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiWLM3.3%
Juniper WLC Series1.6%
Other95.1%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

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.
RN
National Marketing Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
AI-driven optimization enhances network management and reduces hardware needs
In my region, access to the product is very difficult and presents a logistical nightmare. Also, pricing is a big problem and a barrier to entry when selling Juniper against competitors. Furthermore, the knowledge of the product's capabilities is not understood properly by those selling it, leading to overselling and overquoting.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product is a stable solution."
"Security is the feature we like most from Fortinet. In general, their security architecture is really great, because it involves everything: firewalls, wireless LANs, the user. Everything is really secure."
"The most valuable feature is the ability to connect and broadcast to different networks without using a VLAN or a layer two switch, which allows you to easily create guest networks."
"When you see it working, you immediately become a fan."
"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."
"We are highly impressed with the ease of use of Fortinet."
"The most useful aspect of Fortinet FortiWLM is that you can manage all the Fortinet products from one portal, from one device."
"We're using SD-WAN at all of our locations now, which helps increase and aggregate and lower response time and improve application performance."
"Allows end users to roam the office and be productive wireless without being plugged into an Ethernet cable."
"The installation process is nice and easy."
"It provides reliable and effective Wi-Fi to our clients and it is very scalable for high density installations."
"Customer service is very good, and they have very experienced engineers on the site I worked on."
"It is a very, very scalable solution and also has very, very good and very powerful programmability and open API interfaces."
"The Artificial Intelligence on offer is very useful."
"The solution is stable, we have not witnessed any bugs or glitches and it doesn't seem to crash or freeze, it's a reliable product and the performance is good in general."
"The AI integration with Marvis is very valuable."
 

Cons

"Cost is something that could be improved, but you have to pay for what you get."
"In terms of improvements, the price is higher than I would like. A reduction in pricing would be beneficial."
"The guest management features need to be improved by adding automation."
"The pricing model can be improved to encourage use by small business and individuals and the hardware could stand to be redesigned."
"Improving support and firmware upgrades is necessary. Firmware upgrades and bug improvements need to be tested well."
"There are currently issues with Fortinet's software quality. We have concerns regarding the frequent updates needed because of short software cycles."
"The pricing for the solution is expensive and can 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."
"There could be a high level of security."
"Juniper WLC Series has certain shortcomings in traffic monitoring."
"The solution should create configuration documentation."
"Juniper lacks a network access control agent similar to solutions like Alubakya Path and Cisco ISE."
"WLCv was a product at the being of its evolution, so there was room for improvement there."
"The support on offer to other vendors switching - like Aruba or Ruckus - could be improved."
"We would prefer it if the solution could be less expensive."
"In my region, access to the product is very difficult and presents a logistical nightmare."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is fairly priced."
"Fortinet would do something with their pricing model to attract smaller business users and eliminate the mandatory service contracts."
"In the last few years, due in part to the impact of COVID on the market, Fortinet has increased its prices by 35 percent."
"For indoor access points, there is a one-time cost, upfront, whereas outdoor access points have an annual fee."
"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."
"Licensing has become easier. There is no longer a per-AP license needed on the controller."
"Support contracts typically cost approximately $100.00 per year."
"The solution is expensive. I give the solution a one out of ten for the price."
"There is a certain amount that needs to be paid towards the licensing charges associated with the product, but though I am not sure, I feel the licenses that we have in our company are for three years."
"The licensing cost is quite high, but considering it's an enterprise solution, the complexity justifies the price."
"Juniper WLC Series is a bit pricey but worth its cost."
"The solution's pricing is reasonable."
"The product is relatively affordable for enterprise companies."
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Top Industries

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

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise4
 

Questions from the Community

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.
What needs improvement with Juniper WLC Series?
Juniper lacks a network access control agent similar to solutions like Alubakya Path and Cisco ISE. There should be a network access control engine. Some customers find it challenging as they do no...
What is your primary use case for Juniper WLC Series?
I work with Juniper service provider solutions. I have a service provider customer and some enterprise customers in retail.
 

Also Known As

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

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Apollo Hotel Papendrecht, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Bajaj Capital, Baloise Insurance, BAS Group, Borealis, Danish Crown, Deloitte Belgium, Jan Yperman Hospital, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, MercaSID, S.A., NHTV Breda University, Parklands College and Christopher Robin Pre-Primary, San Antonio Community Hospital, Sandia National Laboratories, Springfield Public Schools (SPS), St. Catherine University, TalkTalk, The Education Village, University of Copenhagen, University of the Highlands and Islands, University of the West of Scotland (UWS), Valdosta State University, Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec), zulily
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiWLM vs. Juniper WLC Series and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.