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Dell PowerConnect Switches (discontinued) vs. FortiAP

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Dell PowerConnect Switches (discontinued)

    Score8 out of 10
    N/ADell PowerConnect were a series of managed and unmanaged ethernet switches for data centers, discontinued by Dell. They have been superseded by the PowerSwitch line of switches, from Dell.N/A

    FortiAP

    Score7.3 out of 10
    N/AFortinet’s wireless LAN equipment, including FortiAP access points, leverage Secure Networking to provide secure wireless access for the enterprise LAN edge.

    $220

    one-time fee approx

    Pricing
    Dell PowerConnect Switches (discontinued)FortiAP
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Fortinet FortiAP 221E
    $220.00
    one-time fee approx
    Fortinet FortiAP 223E
    $240.00
    one-time fee approx
    Fortinet FortiAP 231F
    $390.00
    one-time fee approx
    Fortinet FortiAP 23JF
    $410.00
    one-time fee approx
    Fortinet FortiAP 233G
    $490.00
    one-time fee approx
    Fortinet FortiAP 231K
    $490.00
    one-time fee approx
    Fortinet FortiAP U431F
    $630.00
    one-time fee approx
    Fortinet FortiAP 431F
    $660.00
    one-time fee approx
    Fortinet FortiAP 433F
    $730.00
    one-time fee approx
    Fortinet FortiAP 241K
    $800.00
    one-time fee approx
    Fortinet FortiAP 234F
    $980.00
    one-time fee approx
    Fortinet FortiAP 831F
    $1,030.00
    one-time fee approx
    Fortinet FortiAP 431G
    $1,050.00
    one-time fee approx
    Fortinet FortiAP 433G
    $1,180.00
    one-time fee approx
    Fortinet FortiAP 234G
    $1,200.00
    one-time fee approx
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Dell PowerConnect Switches (discontinued)FortiAP
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Dell PowerConnect Switches (discontinued)FortiAP
    Considered Both Products
    Discontinued Products
    No answer on this topic
    Fortinet
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    12 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    12 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    12 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    12 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    12 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Best Alternatives
    Dell PowerConnect Switches (discontinued)FortiAP
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    RUCKUS Ethernet Switches
    Score1 out of 10
    Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Ethernet Switches
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
    Score9.2 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Dell PowerConnect Switches (discontinued)FortiAP
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (14 ratings)
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Dell PowerConnect Switches (discontinued)FortiAP
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Discontinued Products
    We work in the electric industry. These should not be used in a high-heat environment. We like to keep the temperature of the room in the low 60's so they are not suited for our Substation locations due to extreme heat and cold. However, they perform great in a server room.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    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
    Read full review
    Pros
    Discontinued Products
    • Reliable.
    • Excellent hardware support from Dell including 4 hour parts/replacement.
    • Excellent technical support from Dell on software, troubleshooting, and configuration.
    • More affordable than its main enterprise competitors.
    • Easy to use CLI.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    • Provide secure wifi
    • deploys easily
    • facilitates users connectivity when moving between offices
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Discontinued Products
    • Precarious graphical (GUI) mode, needing to be updated for more efficient technologies such as HTML5
    • Short support time, given how much these devices support in terms of use. I have owned the devices for years, but no longer have a warranty
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    • Better to work with a Fortinet partner, their support is inadequate.
    • Maybe a lack of security features when using it without Fortigate
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Fortinet
    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
    Read full review
    Usability
    Discontinued Products
    The Dell PowerConnect switch is a great switch in certain use cases. It really works well when training users to set up their own vlans in a technology class. We have a lot of different scenarios happening at this company, with 8 different buildings and multiple different affiliate entities. For some of the departments, the budget is the most crucial element. That is where the Dell PowerConnect switches are a really great option.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Discontinued Products
    Dell ProSupport is outstanding. Dell ProDeploy is likewise outstanding. I prefer them even over traditional Cisco support. I've had repeated cases where Dell immediately addressed or fixed an issue with US-based support, including firmware hotfixes. Not even Cisco can boast that.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    Fortinet offers excellent support. They will work with you until the solution is doing what it is designed to do, within its capabilities. They also do an excellent to follow-up with the end-user prior to closing the ticket.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Discontinued Products
    I selected Dell mainly due to previous experience using them in a business environment. I've never had a unit fail on me and when my budget for equipment like network switches has been less than a training class on how to use those switches, it's incredible to be able to find quality equipment at the price point Dell offers and even more so when their enterprise support has been as excellent as I have been accustomed to dealing with. In all honesty, even if I had a larger budget, I would have bought these same switches since they were exactly what I needed to suit my needs. We looked into HPE/Aruba network switches, and while they would have performed everything we needed and more, they were almost four times the cost of these Dell network switches. That's a hard sell when it comes to planning a tight budget.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    as a stand-alone product, the Fortinet wireless LAN solution isn't the most powerful, nor compelling out there. Others, like Cisco Meraki, offer great products, with added wifi features at a similar price point, but where Forti shines, is when integrated into a network with firewall enablement such as FortiGate. Overall, it stacks up well with others and is a solution that needs to be evaluated in a purchasing project.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Discontinued Products
    • Reports are easily created and very useful.
    • Quick creation of different network connections.
    • Excellent and secure channels for multiple data management.
    • Great data visualization options offered by Dell PowerConnect Switches.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    • Less management cost
    • Less expensive to buy
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots