Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller vs. FortiAP

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
The Cisco 5520 Series Wireless LAN Controller is a highly scalable, service-rich, resilient, and flexible platform that is ideal for medium-sized to large enterprise and campus deployments.N/A
FortiAP
Score 5.9 out of 10
N/A
Fortinet’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
Cisco 5520 Wireless ControllerFortiAP
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
Cisco 5520 Wireless ControllerFortiAP
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cisco 5520 Wireless ControllerFortiAP
Considered Both Products
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
Chose Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
Cisco Identity Services Engine is well integrated on Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller because the WLC supports a lot of authentication methods and security protocols (such as PEAP, EAP-TLS, Captive Portal redirect). They perform very well with ISE. Cisco ISE is able to manage …
Chose Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
It is chosen mainly for the capacity of users, performance and stability of the equipment. It has the possibility of working in mobility group mode and has the option of redundant sources and high availability configuration.this makes it usable in medium and high density …
Chose Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
The Cisco 5520 Wireless controller was the one that we were able to deploy the easiest between our qty of access points and the location these devices are located in.
Chose 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 …
Chose Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller is a high-performance platform, easy to implement, and robust like no other solution.
Chose Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
We used standalone Cisco 3850 switches prior to implementing Cisco 5520s. While 3850s are individually a cheaper solution, the limitations [are that it is] only able to manage the access point directly connected to that particular device was too much of a limitation. We also …
Chose Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
[The] best bet is the integration with ISE. Users use their active directory credentials to access the wireless and very simple guest portal to gain access to the Internet. We plan on integrating Cisco DNA Centre in the future that will give us more visibility and improved …
Chose Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers, Cisco VoIP PBX, Cisco Unified Contact Center, Cisco UCS C-Series, Cisco TelePresence Collaboration Room Endpoints, Cisco Small Business 500 Series Wireless Access Points, Cisco Nexus and Cisco Ethernet Switches
Chose Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller has better high availability features compared to the others. Also Cisco has a worldwide service center and is located in nearly all countries to offer fast and reliable support in case of any hardware issue. Also Cisco offers more features, for …
Chose Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller
These Cisco 5520 Wireless Controllers were our choice at the time over Aruba's offerings. We went with them for ease of use and how they integrated nicely within our existing, mostly Cisco, network environment.
FortiAP
Chose FortiAP
FortiAPs are much easier to configure and just as secure or more secure than the other brands I have used.
Chose FortiAP
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 …
Chose FortiAP
Cisco Meraki also have a great Wifi solution and easily managed as well (even more user friendly). But, at the end, FortiAP just offer quite the same experience for less bucks. In greater deals, Meraki can sometimes be more agressive and compete on pricing structure, in this …
Chose FortiAP
As far as features, Fortinet has them all. When compared to Meraki and WatchGuard, it comes out miles ahead. The biggest difference is price. You pay less for the Fortinet, but you do not lose the features you need to have a great solution.
Chose FortiAP
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.
Best Alternatives
Cisco 5520 Wireless ControllerFortiAP
Small Businesses
WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
Score 9.5 out of 10
WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Score 9.8 out of 10
Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Score 9.8 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Score 8.7 out of 10
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Score 8.7 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cisco 5520 Wireless ControllerFortiAP
Likelihood to Recommend
7.1
(0 ratings)
8.3
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.2
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco 5520 Wireless ControllerFortiAP
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
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Fortinet has a great portfolio of access points for indoor and outdoor needs, low and high density and even access points for ruggedized needs. So you can find the appropriate access point for pretty much all scenarios, from office to storage or outdoor environments. We can find all you need to roll out small to large deployments.
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Pros
  • 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.
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  • Ease of deployment
  • Ease of mounting with zero tools required
  • Ease of management
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Cons
  • [It] can improve on the possibility of using the physical controllers with the virtual one.
  • [It] can improve on the possibility of having site-to-site failover capabilities, [like in the case of] controllers at production go down and controllers at our DR site take over.
  • The possibility of an app on your phone for alerts and minor configuration of the controllers.
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  • requires manual updates
  • Access points cost vs performance
  • support isnt always efficient
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Likelihood to Renew
This equipment from Cisco has been dependable and we are able to easily continue to add access points or make changes easily to the Wi-Fi password settings.
We have been operating this equipment for a number of years and it does not give us any issues.
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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.
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Usability
In the dailies activities it's simple to manage a wireless network and also to perform changes: the GUI is well known and intuitive for engineers that know how to operate on Cisco WLC. It has High Throughput and consolidated features such as CleanAir, Roaming supporting natively Cisco ISE authentication methods and DNA Center. It's recommended for Wi-Fi 5 wireless infrastructures.
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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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Support Rating
Cisco support is always ready to support and engage in any problem or issue. Starting from the implementation support, troubleshooting any software issue or hardware. Their engineers are engaging whenever we ask for support, keep following up with us, and troubleshoot any problem till we find a solution and be satisfied [with] the service.
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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.
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Implementation Rating
Just take your time when setting up the HA pairs as those can be tricky. Also take your time setting up AP groups and make sure they are on all the SSIDs you need to be on.
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller has better high availability features compared to the others. Also Cisco has a worldwide service center and is located in nearly all countries to offer fast and reliable support in case of any hardware issue. Also Cisco offers more features, for example AVC, CleanAir and TrustSec which the compotitiors don't. And we could use some of our als Cisco APs with the Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller and didn't need to buy that much new APs.
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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.
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Return on Investment
  • [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.
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  • The cost of management decreased,
  • End-users connect flawlessly to the solution and are able to be productive when they are mobile.
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