Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points (discontinued) vs. FortiAP

Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points is very well suited for large enterprises and high-density environments. It is not well suited for high ceiling buildings like warehouses and storage places because of low antenna gain. In our main office, it is working very well. For around thirty or so wireless devices this access point works very well and after forty or so wireless devices it starts to suffer.

Incentivized

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

Incentivized

• They are rock solid in terms of reliability (we rarely have to replace them).
• They are easily managed from the controller. It's easy to push new settings out, like RF profiles, etc...
• They are fairly easy to install using the included mounting brackets.
• They seem to be compatible with pretty much everything, although occasionally we will have roaming issues with Apple devices.

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• Built sturdy for harsh environments.
• They perform and/or surpass performance levels shown on their data sheets.

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• CleanAir - Put this technology into all the APs.
• GPS Tracker - I can't understand why only the Cisco 1570 has this option as well as larger Cisco 3800 APs. Why can't this be in all APs so they can be easily mapped in Google for positioning and later plotted for the coverage zone.

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• I would like to add an option to show which options you change will reboot the access point.

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Because until now I haven't had any issues or cases where I needed to create a ticket with Tac from Cisco related to their performance or availability. They have a small size that permits or allows you to install it in each place that you need to mount it, their design is small and appropriate for every kind of office.

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.

Incentivized

Lately we had less issues. Most probably because we reduced the number of Wireless LAN controllers. So less trouble for upgrades as well. We don't have any access point in stand alone mode. It's something I don't suggest, unless it's just for a small office and not for a larger company with different sites.

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I love FortiAP and how easy they are to use. It's very quick to train people to use them at a basic to intermediate level.

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This access point does not usually randomly shut off. It can't happen but it's generally due to a power over ethernet failures which would could be considered a user error.

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Performance wise [Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points] are among of the best pieces of technology we have on premise. I don't say that lightly, we have a lot of cool tech. But if you consider how many users are connecting to these day in and day out without a single blip when they're downloading large files, roaming to new AP's or needing a boosted signal at a far end of the range then these are unmatched.

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I believe that there is always room for improvement.

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Fortinet support is outstanding! They are second to none. They pay attention to details and the needs of the customer.

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Make sure to get a professional wireless assessment before purchasing AP's. That way you will only purchase what you need and know where the wiring infrastructure will need to be to streamline the installation and tuning process.

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D-Link Wireless network solution was being used previously in [a] few areas of our plant and it was working well with [a] low number of users but as the company grew, and user base started to grow we started seeing hanging, disconnection, and very low-performance issues in our wireless network. We replaced the entire network with Cisco Aironet Access Points and since then the issues have been resolved and [the] wireless network is working with great performance.

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I think all Fortinet clients are definitely business level products. Easy to use. Hardens your network against attack. Gives you more visibility into your network at all times. Helps you get a handle on your users and environment. Definitely worth the cost.

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When it comes to deploying the Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points in locations around the school district it has become easier as you get used to putting 4 screws in the mounting plate to the bracket and then slide the access point onto the bracket.

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• There are cost savings in buying a separate WLAN network controller because the 1850 Access Point already has this integrated feature.
• It allows for remote management and saves time on administration.
• The return on investment is achieved in a short period of time.

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• The cost of management decreases almost immediately once the solution is installed.
• The cost of the APs is far less than other manufacturers with the same feature sets.

Incentivized