What users are saying about
Top Rated
115 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 9 out of 100
Based on 115 reviews and ratings
11 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 7.4 out of 100
Based on 11 reviews and ratings
Attribute Ratings
- Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers is rated higher in 1 area: Likelihood to Recommend
- FortiAP is rated higher in 2 areas: Likelihood to Renew, Support Rating
Likelihood to Recommend

8.9
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
89%
60 Ratings
7.0
FortiAP
70%
2 Ratings
Likelihood to Renew

7.3
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
73%
1 Rating
10.0
FortiAP
100%
1 Rating
Usability

6.4
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
64%
2 Ratings
FortiAP
N/A
0 Ratings
Availability

8.2
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
82%
1 Rating
FortiAP
N/A
0 Ratings
Performance

8.2
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
82%
1 Rating
FortiAP
N/A
0 Ratings
Support Rating

8.2
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
82%
7 Ratings
10.0
FortiAP
100%
4 Ratings
Implementation Rating

7.3
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
73%
1 Rating
FortiAP
N/A
0 Ratings
Product Scalability

7.3
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
73%
1 Rating
FortiAP
N/A
0 Ratings
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
For a large (several hundred+) corporate environment, you will probably want a [Wireless LAN Controller] to be able to scale your AP footprint. Cisco [Wireless LAN Controllers] stand up to the task and, as mentioned, once you get it set up how you want, it really doesn't need to be messed with except for periodic updates. Just manage your APs from there.
Infrastructure, Network Administrator II
Dynamic AviationAviation & Aerospace, 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 Wireless LAN Controllers
- The WLC are very reliable. In the 10+ years the company has had them installed, we have not had any hardware or component failures.
- No need for reboots. The CISCO WLC is not like a router you may have at home which you may have to reboot every few weeks or months. It can run for months without needing a reboot.
- The Cisco WLC gives you a quick Network Summary when you first log into the system. This is very helpful to get a quick rundown on the status of your wireless network.

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Utilities Company, 201-500 employeesFortiAP
- 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 Wireless LAN Controllers
- Configuring wireless settings is very confusing because various settings are scattered all over the interface in different tabs
- Lots of settings use Cisco's technical verbiage rather than common phrasing, so it's confusing what a lot of settings will do and requires researching the meaning before modifying the setting
- The interface could be easier to use to do simple tasks such as reboot an access point

Verified User
Professional in Information Technology
Consumer Goods Company, 51-200 employeesFortiAP
- 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 Wireless LAN Controllers
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 Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers 7.3
Based on 1 answer
Although it is a very good product, support is easy and can manage by Level 1 support persons and downtime is too much less but still there is a cost factor matters which is consider by each organization. Furthermore, organizations also compare with other competitors so it is hard to pursue and defend the high prices.

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Pharmaceuticals Company, 1001-5000 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
Usability
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers 6.4
Based on 2 answers
As I said before, the only thing we miss in our old model is the fact that the management interface never received an improvement in design. It has the same look and feels since it was launched. It's not that it's hard to use. It's just the case of could be modernized.
IT Infrastructure Specialist
RANDON S.AAutomotive, 5001-10,000 employees
FortiAP
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Reliability and Availability
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers 8.2
Based on 1 answer
Downtime fear is the first fear which IT persons look and want to eliminate as much as they can but eventually you have to face it as nothing is perfect. Cisco Wireless Lan controller are feasible to use and easy to manage and other than this their issue reported are pretty low so you can get the best up time. now it also depends on scenario as well as environment.

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Pharmaceuticals Company, 1001-5000 employeesFortiAP
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Performance
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers 8.2
Based on 1 answer
Cisco Wireless Lan controller are feasible to use and easy to manage and other than this their issue reported are pretty low so you get the better uptime. if your get the uptime then it means its a stable product in your environment. Product performance also depends on the product management and Cisco Wireless Lan controller management is easy so you can get the great output.

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Pharmaceuticals Company, 1001-5000 employeesFortiAP
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers 8.2
Based on 7 answers
As usual, the support from Cisco's TAC (Technical Assistance Center) is lacking. Granted, they always get the job done, but the amount of lead time on a non-emergency is enough to make you just handle it yourself. The good news is that if you ask for Cisco's assistance and forget about it, they'll jump on by the time you've forgotten where you were in troubleshooting it and have it fixed for you.

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Government Administration Company, 1001-5000 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 employeesImplementation Rating
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers 7.3
Based on 1 answer
That was a great experience of having a new project and working on it. Although we got some hurdles and challenges but we overcome all the things and try to work efficiently for this. in this time Cisco support team also helps a lot an give pro tips which help us.

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Pharmaceuticals Company, 1001-5000 employeesFortiAP
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Depending on your client needs you may want to go with a Unify system or Aruba controller less system if they are a small to medium business. The reason why we use Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers, is due to how well they work in congested environments and have a wealth of configuration settings.
Senior Network Engineer
Arctic MSP, IncComputer & Network Security, 51-200 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 employeesScalability
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers 7.3
Based on 1 answer
Cisco is a brand name and people trust on it. if any one thing about the networking then Cisco is among those brand which is count as trusted brand and people rely on it. Also it support is good so people can use it. Cisco Wireless Lan controller are easy to use and manage so it requires less effort.

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Pharmaceuticals Company, 1001-5000 employeesFortiAP
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
- Frustration levels have gone way down after going to the wireless lan controller
- You could argue money has been saved as we can keep a single lineup of AP's and corresponding wireless lan controller
- Costs will have to go up when you start adding one of these into the mix

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Government Administration Company, 501-1000 employeesFortiAP
- 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