Frequently asked questions
This section includes the following frequently asked questions (FAQ) about FortiLAN Cloud:
What happens if my paid FortiLAN Cloud subscription expires?
When your license expires, your subscription falls under the Freemium account category. For more information on the service offering, see Licensing. If you are currently subscribed to the paid FortiLAN Cloud subscription and allow your license to expire, your network will continue to operate. However, your access to service capabilities will be limited to the free service.
What subscription do I need to buy to enable FortiLAN Cloud?
There is no subscription required to use FortiLAN Cloud. If you want to unlock enterprise configuration capabilities and other advanced features, then you can purchase a FortiLAN Cloud license which also includes technical support. For more information, see Licensing.
What FortiAP models does FortiLAN Cloud support?
FortiLAN Cloud supports all FortiAP, Compact FortiAP (FortiAP-C), Smart FortiAP (FortiAP-S), and Universal FortiAP (FortiAP-U) models.
How many FortiAP devices can my FortiLAN Cloud account manage?
There is no limit for the number of FortiAP devices that a FortiLAN Cloud account can manage.
How do I add my FortiAP device to my FortiLAN Cloud account?
For details about adding a FortiAP device to a FortiLAN Cloud account, see one of the following procedures, as applicable.
- Adding a FortiAP device to FortiLAN Cloud with a key
- Adding a FortiAP device to FortiLAN Cloud without a key
What happens if my FortiAP device loses connection with FortiLAN Cloud?
If your FortiAP device loses connection with FortiLAN Cloud, or in the unlikely event that the FortiLAN Cloud service is unavailable, then all functions which are not hosted in FortiLAN Cloud continue to work without interruption. FortiAP locally stores the configuration which continues to function.
Open, WPA2 Personal, and WPA2 Enterprise (with 802.1X RADIUS authentication) SSIDs that are not using FortiLAN Cloud-hosted authentication (such as the ones using a local RADIUS server or local captive portal) continue to work uninterrupted.
Functions of the following SSIDs with authentication in FortiLAN Cloud are disrupted:
- FortiLAN Cloud-hosted captive portals
- FortiLAN Cloud external captive portals
- FortiLAN Cloud user groups
- MAC Filtering
Does my internal networking and wireless traffic get sent to FortiLAN Cloud?
No. Fortinet uses an out-of-band management architecture, meaning that only management data flows through the FortiLAN Cloud infrastructure. No user traffic passes through Fortinet data centers. Your data stays on your network.
Do I need to use FortiGate with FortiLAN Cloud?
No. Fortinet recommends you register your FortiAP devices to be directly managed by FortiLAN Cloud. You do not need to use a FortiGate device as a proxy to manage FortiAP devices from FortiLAN Cloud.
If you want to cloud-manage FortiAP devices in an environment that includes FortiGate, then use FortiGate Cloud instead of FortiLAN Cloud.
Can FortiAP devices be managed by FortiLAN Cloud and work with FortiPresence?
Yes. FortiAP devices can be managed by FortiLAN Cloud and work with FortiPresence. For configuration details, see Enabling FortiPresence and FortiPresence documentation.
How to move a FortiAP device from account A to B?
Login into the FortiLAN Cloud account A and navigate to the network where the device is deployed. Un-deploy the FortiAP and delete it in the Inventory page. Now, deploy the FortiAP in account B of the FortiLAN Cloud using the same key.
Note: The associated data i snot carried over to account B and will be stored under account A as per license agreement. Contact the Customer Support team for any account login/device un-deploy issues.
How can I move a FortiAP from region A to region B?
Login into the FortiLAN Cloud in region A and un-deploy the device. Ensure that the FortiAP has returned to the
Inventory page.
Now, switch the FortiLAN Cloud portal to region B and deploy the FortiAP device from the Inventory page.
Why are my FortiSwitches are not visible in FortiLAN Cloud?
Ensure that the user is registered on FortiCare. If not, register the user to view the FortiSwitches and related data.
Why is my license not visible in Inventory page?
The license details are synchronized at regular intervals and a registered license may take some time (next sync interval) to appear in the FortiLAN Cloud inventory page. Alternatively, you can use the refresh option to synchronize license details.
How should I apply/remove license for my devices in the Inventory page?
Select one/multiple devices and use the Apply FortiCloud Premium/Remove FortiCloud Premium options; you
can also right-click to selected device(s) for these options.
What is difference between UTP and advance management license?
The UTP license is applicable only for FAP-U (F-series) or later models FortiAP-U family of access points.
Why is the user account I am trying to add in FortiLAN is in pending state?
The account is in a pending state when it is not registered in FortiCare; register your account.
How long is my data stored in FortiLAN Cloud?
Data is stored for 1 year for licensed devices and 7 days for unlicensed devices. All scheduled backup configurations are stored for 7 days irrespective of licensed or unlicensed device.
Can I transfer the license purchased to a different account?
For details and assistance on license transfer, contact the Customer Support team.
How do I change the primary email of my FortiLAN Cloud account ?
In the FortiLAN Cloud home page, select Manage Account Access and click the edit icon in the Actions column, enable Set as Primary.
Can I view wireless logs for 1 year in FortiLAN GUI?
You can scroll down in the wireless log section to view logs that are fetched incrementally, 10000 at a time.
What to do if the paid tier enforcement occurs without any license on the devices?
After the FortiAPs are deactivated, it is recommended that you immediately purchase licenses and register them under the asset portal.
What happens if I have more than 30 FortiAPs and 3 FortiSwitches, when the paid tier enforcement date arrives?
On the commencement of the paid tier enforcement date, if the total number of unlicensed FortiAPs in the account exceeds 30, the additional FortiAPs are automatically deactivated. The FortiAPs to deactivate are chosen at random. The system allows managing a maximum of 30 unlicensed FortiAPs after the paid tier enforcement date. The same is applied for FortiSwitches in excess of 3. No further devices are allowed to be imported into the account, unless they have a valid license associated. For more information, see Licensing.
Does the device stop servicing clients post deactivation?
The device continues to service clients in a limited manner, where connectivity to cloud is not required. However, all ability to monitor the device and manage it from FortiLAN Cloud is revoked. If the device reboots or faces any other disruption, it stops servicing clients
Is configuration data lost for devices that are deactivated?
Network level configuration (SSIDs, Platform profiles, and so on) are retained even if the devices are deactivated. However, device specific configurations such as host names, radio override, platform profile overrides, and so on are not necessarily retained.