Aggregate Throughput: 9.32 Gbps aggregate radio rate (688 Mbps 2.4 GHz + 2.88 Gbps 5 GHz + 5.76 Gbps 6 GHz); 6 GHz use subject to regional regulatory approval
Radios (bands): Tri-band: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, plus 1 BLE/ZigBee radio (BLE/ZigBee and GPS on board); 24/7 background scanning across all bands
Uplink Port Speed: 1x 5 GbE RJ-45 (100M/1G/2.5G/5G)
Max Clients: Unverified: 24 wireless clients per radio per CDW Canada listing; SHI lists 512 per radio but also lists a 24 SSID limit, so 512 is likely an error. Confirm against Fortinet's FortiAP Series datasheet
Form Factor: Indoor ceiling/T-rail/wall mount; approx. 6.88 x 6.88 x 2.2 in (17.5 x 17.5 x 5.6 cm); approx. 2.22 lb (1.01 kg)
Management: FortiGate, FortiManagement Cloud, or SASE-managed
Curation Review
✔ Pros:Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 with 6 GHz support for lower-congestion, high-capacity coverage; About 9.3 Gbps aggregate radio rate; Single 5 GbE uplink lets it exceed 1 GbE backhaul on standard PoE+ (802.3at) power; Dedicated BLE/ZigBee radio and GPS support beacon and location applications; 24/7 background scanning across all bands for security and RF monitoring while serving clients; Backward compatible with Wi-Fi 6 and older clients; Managed natively from FortiGate, FortiManagement Cloud, or SASE, with limited lifetime warranty and MTBF over 10 years
✘ Cons:Only 2x2 MU-MIMO, which limits per-client throughput compared with 4x4 or 4-stream enterprise Wi-Fi 7 APs; 6 GHz band availability depends on regional regulatory approval; Maximum client capacity is inconsistent across sources (24 vs. 512 per radio), so it is unverified; Internal antennas only, with no external antenna option for custom coverage patterns; Single uplink port, so no secondary wired port for redundancy or bridging; Price varies widely by region and SKU suffix (-A, -N, -S, -E), and the MSRP ranges from about $490 to $654 USD
Est. Price:
$332 - $539
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
