What users are saying about
51 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 9.3 out of 100
Based on 51 reviews and ratings
9 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 8.3 out of 100
Based on 9 reviews and ratings
Attribute Ratings
- Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller is rated higher in 1 area: Likelihood to Recommend
- FortiAP is rated higher in 2 areas: Likelihood to Renew, Support Rating
Likelihood to Recommend
9.7
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
97%
11 Ratings
7.0
FortiAP
70%
2 Ratings
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
91%
1 Rating
10.0
FortiAP
100%
1 Rating
Support Rating
9.2
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
92%
8 Ratings
10.0
FortiAP
100%
4 Ratings
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
I consider that its implementation is recommended for configurations where the amount of access points exceeds 50 devices and the performance exceeds 4 Gbps. In environments where the access point density is less than 10 units, we can use the option of Express Mobility.
Network Engineer
Cardon IVOil & Energy, 501-1000 employees
FortiAP
Any rollout is well suited for a FortiAP - from small office networks, to large warehouse deployments. Adding additional APs to your network is simple and easy. Monitoring is simple with Forticloud monitoring. Configuring the devices can be as complex or as simple as you need. Adding additional Fortinet devices (I have switches and firewalls) makes the network even more secure and easy to manage - all devices working in tandem make monitoring much easier
IT Manager
VistaFood Exchange IncWholesale, 51-200 employees
Pros
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
- It has the ability to manage all Cisco access points that we have, regardless of the model. The limit is 1500 pieces of equipment.
- The WLC enables roaming functionality in the localities, this helps with collections, wireless IP phones, and access with notebooks.
- The WLC manages the quality of the "air" and "signal" of the 2.4ghz frequency, avoiding noise and interference.
- The WLC has an interesting feature of visibility of the traffic of the internal network.
Analista de sistema
NaturaChemicals, 201-500 employees
FortiAP
- Built sturdy for harsh environments.
- They perform and/or surpass performance levels shown on their data sheets.

Verified User
Engineer in Engineering
Information Technology and Services Company, 51-200 employeesCons
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
- We have had some issues with access points losing their configurations and going offline. This is not a common issue and we are not entirely certain if it is a fault of the controller or the individual APs. That said, the controller does not appear to retain the knowledge of the offline AP which can be a management headache.
Network Systems Administrator
Foremost Farms USADairy, 1001-5000 employees
FortiAP
- Deploying your first AP is a little confusing - you need to register it with Fortinet, and then deploy it. I am a master now, but this took me call to support to understand how to roll these out.
- Adding them in to the correct folders on Forticloud took a little bit of figuring out, but again, once I had it it was simple.
IT Manager
VistaFood Exchange IncWholesale, 51-200 employees
Pricing Details
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—FortiAP
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—Likelihood to Renew
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller 9.1
Based on 1 answer
It works great and [we] will definitely renew.

Verified User
Team Lead in Information Technology
Financial Services Company, 501-1000 employeesFortiAP
FortiAP 10.0
Based on 1 answer
This is an excellent product for an SMB - cost isn't outrageous and deploy is simple. I can monitor my network without breaking the bank.
IT Manager
VistaFood Exchange IncWholesale, 51-200 employees
Support Rating
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller 9.2
Based on 8 answers
Cisco is always available if we need support. If they are unable to solve the problem right away, they will reach back to us in a timely manner and advise what we need to do. Their team provides additional guidance as well if we hit any stumbling blocks. Their service has been great.

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Retail Company, 201-500 employeesFortiAP
FortiAP 10.0
Based on 4 answers
Fortinet support is outstanding! They are second to none. They pay attention to details and the needs of the customer.

Verified User
Engineer in Engineering
Information Technology and Services Company, 51-200 employeesAlternatives Considered
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
Cisco is the most stable company in switching parts including wireless, and it has the most powerful support team with a lot of online documents, community, and market share so when you get stuck, you can find support from anywhere. And usually, you won't need it as its product is very stable and reliable.
IT Network Manager
WadiDeglaSports, 1001-5000 employees
FortiAP
FortiAP does not fall short compared to other vendors. They have all the features other vendors offer at a much more competitive price-point, which makes purchasing FortiAP a lot more attractive.

Verified User
Engineer in Engineering
Information Technology and Services Company, 51-200 employeesReturn on Investment
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
- [It provides] centralized management.
- Implementing the [Cisco] 5520 [Wireless] Controllers offered us a huge improvement in administrative time over our previous Cisco 3850 deployment. Being able to see all of our APs on a single controller as well as centrally manage them is a great benefit. This also removed the need to deploy specific equipment in different IDFs throughout our Industrial locations and instead only requiring switches with Power Over Ethernet (POE) capability.
- Wireless performance has improved with the deployment of our 5520s, which allows our plant operators to do their jobs more efficiently while on the move.
- Having three Cisco 5520 Wireless Controllers provides tertiary redundancy for our wireless networks. The solution is elegantly simple. Preventing downtime is, obviously, a profound part of our supply chain capabilities.
Network Systems Administrator
Foremost Farms USADairy, 1001-5000 employees
FortiAP
- Increased overall coverage of wireless for my users - no more calls about dropped wireless (our cell service is very spotty).
- Easy to roll out - no issues here.
- Expensive - you are paying for a business, not a home use devices - sticker shock might happen initially.
IT Manager
VistaFood Exchange IncWholesale, 51-200 employees