Radios (bands): Tri-band 2.4/5/6 GHz plus a dedicated scanning radio (some listings count only 4 radios total)
Uplink Port Speed: 2 x multigigabit RJ-45 (100M/1G/2.5G/5G/10GbE), plus USB 3.0 and RS-232 console
Max Clients: Up to 512 wireless clients per radio (reseller figure)
PoE Requirement: 802.3bt (PoE++), 41.7 W max; falls back to fewer streams on 802.3at
Curation Review
✔ Pros:Wi-Fi 7 tri-band radios with 4x4 MU-MIMO for high-density indoor deployments; Dual 10GbE RJ-45 uplinks allow multi-gigabit wired backhaul; Strong security features including WPA3, 802.1X, captive portal, WIPS/WIDS and rogue AP scanning; Integrated with FortiGate built-in controller or FortiEdge Cloud management; BSS coloring and Target Wake Time support improve efficiency in busy environments
✘ Cons:Full performance requires 802.3bt PoE++ and drops to fewer streams on 802.3at power; Indoor-only form factor with no outdoor or ruggedized option; Hardware cost is high relative to many Wi-Fi 6E alternatives, with list prices up to $1,720; Best value depends on a FortiGate or FortiEdge Cloud subscription, which adds ongoing cost; Spec figures vary between resellers (radio count, throughput) and should be checked against Fortinet's official datasheet
Est. Price:
$1,048 - $1,720
Compare Against
Cisco Catalyst 9178i
★ 4.3 Value Score
Technical Specifications
Wi-Fi Standard: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
Spatial Streams (MIMO): 4x4 MU-MIMO per client-serving radio (4 spatial streams per radio)
Radios (bands): 4 client-serving radios: tri-band 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz / 6 GHz with a 4th radio (quad-radio design)
Uplink Port Speed: 2x 10 Gbps mGig ports (multi-gigabit Ethernet)
Max Clients: 1200 (400 per radio)
PoE Requirement: 802.3bt (PoE++) required for full operation; 802.3at/af supports reduced functionality; draws approx. 30-52 W
Curation Review
✔ Pros:Wi-Fi 7 with tri-band 2.4/5/6 GHz and 4x4 MU-MIMO on every radio; 24 Gbps aggregate throughput for high-density environments; dual 10 Gbps mGig uplinks avoid a 1 Gbps bottleneck; rated for up to 1200 clients; supports 802.3bt PoE on the mGig ports with at/af fallback; manageable from Catalyst 9800 WLC/Catalyst Center or Meraki cloud depending on SKU
✘ Cons:Requires 802.3bt PoE for full functionality, which raises switch and injector cost; needs Catalyst 9800 controller running IOS XE 17.15.2 or later for the Catalyst SKU; Wi-Fi 7 benefits need Wi-Fi 7 clients to be realized; list pricing varies widely by reseller and SKU (CFG vs Global vs RTG), and reseller spec figures differ in places; cloud-managed (Meraki) deployment requires separate licensing; premium cost compared with Wi-Fi 6E alternatives
