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toshii
toshii
New Member
September 1, 2024
Question

Fortinet vs. Ubiquiti.

  • September 1, 2024
  • 3 replies
  • 12204 views

So I currently have a shop running aged gen 1 ubiquiti with an updated controller os running on Linux.

I'm not having the greatest experience and looking to go Fortinet full stack.

2x Fortigates

3x fortiswitch FPOE full poe. And looking at either 100 or 200 series.

What is everyone's opinion?

The current setup: 2x Gen 1 48 poe 500w 2x gen 1 24 poe 250 w 2x gebt 1 16 poe 150w Soniwall fw.

Here's why I'd like to upgrade.

Full poe for voip expansion

Full poe for switch consolidation. They added too many switches since ubiquiti can't handle full poe usage.

Full poe for cameras and badging

More expensive product cause it's a in house install so more money to gear and no project overhead.

Fortilink. IMO fortilink is what unifi pretends to be. I know it's local but I can get in local. So I don't mind loosing a silly app that isn't very functional on the mobile side.

3 replies

Raghu_Kumar
Staff
Raghu_Kumar
Staff
September 2, 2024

Switching from Ubiquiti to Fortinet for your shop’s network infrastructure sounds like a solid move, especially given your specific needs.

Key Points:

  1. Full PoE Support:

    • Fortinet: FortiSwitches offer full PoE across all ports, which is ideal for your VoIP, cameras, and other PoE devices. This solves the problem you’ve faced with Ubiquiti’s insufficient PoE capacity.

  2. Switch Consolidation:

    • Fortinet: By upgrading to FortiSwitches, you can reduce the number of switches needed, streamlining your network and making management easier.

  3. FortiLink Integration:

    • Fortinet: FortiLink provides seamless integration with FortiGate firewalls, offering centralized management and enhanced security. It’s a significant step up from Ubiquiti’s management capabilities, particularly if you value local control over cloud dependency.

  4. Overall Quality and Reliability:

    • Fortinet: Generally considered more robust and enterprise-grade compared to Ubiquiti, Fortinet products can handle larger, more complex networks with higher demands.

  5. Investment in Infrastructure:

    • Fortinet: While more expensive, Fortinet's higher upfront cost is justified by better performance, security, and long-term reliability, making it a strong choice for in-house installations where quality is prioritized over budget constraints.

Conclusion:

Given your requirements—full PoE support, better switch consolidation, and a more reliable management platform—Fortinet is a worthy upgrade over Ubiquiti. The initial investment may be higher, but the long-term benefits in performance, scalability, and security are likely to pay off.

MichaelS11
MichaelS11
Explorer II
September 3, 2024

Please note that Fortinet DO NOT support the new Snapdragon ARM chips.  You will not be able to connect remotely if you have one of the new Co-Pilot PCs or are running Windows on MAC Apple ARM.

G2GTECH
G2GTECH
Visitor III
February 20, 2025

While this is true, many native vpn clients from Sonicwall, Fortigate, etc, have/had support for the new ARM chips; but you can always setup IPSec vpn to a fortigate as a workaround with very little compromise on security.    I have always used Fortigates with Unifi switches behind them.  The licensing fees for fortinet switches just doesn't justify the need.  I can buy two 48 port POE switches from unifi for the cost of a single 48 port POE fortinet switch; and I dont have to pay a yearly license fees for support either.  I get all the same features I typically use/need. the fortigate can handle the routing just fine. 

CH4
CH4
New Member
September 17, 2024

I'll start by saying that this is a Fortinet forum so the bias is going to be Fortinet and there are several good security reasons to go Fortinet.  I currently use Fortigate firewalls with Unifi switches and APs.    That said I will be challenging some of your assertions on the unifi switches. I have over 50 Unifi POE switches at one of my facilities (more at other facilities) and have never had an issue with them not having full POE coverage.   If you buy the switch with full POE per port you get full POE per port and line speed switching.  I have several 48 port POE switches with 10 Gb Fiber uplinks each port powering POE cameras and phones.  If you're just looking for opinions to back your decision to go full Fortinet stack, then cool, feel free to disregard this post.  If not, don't rule out Unifi switches and AP without a bit more research.  Fortinet brings the security integration and more features for a more complex environment, but at a higher price.  Unifi brings the ease of setup at lower cost for simpler environments and have been a very good solution for our industrial space.  It really depends on your use case.  Just my 2 cents.

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