What users are saying about
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48 Ratings
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
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48 Ratings
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Based on 48 reviews and ratings
Meraki MR
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Top Rated
70 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 9 out of 100
Based on 70 reviews and ratings
Attribute Ratings
- Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller is rated higher in 1 area: Support Rating
- Cisco Meraki MR is rated higher in 2 areas: Likelihood to Recommend, Usability
Likelihood to Recommend
8.7
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
87%
27 Ratings
9.1
Meraki MR
91%
34 Ratings
Likelihood to Renew
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
N/A
0 Ratings
9.0
Meraki MR
90%
1 Rating
Usability
8.2
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
82%
1 Rating
8.5
Meraki MR
85%
2 Ratings
Support Rating
9.0
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
90%
2 Ratings
8.8
Meraki MR
88%
25 Ratings
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
[Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller's] software quality has been shed in recent years. The only problem I have with it is its inability to work with older Cisco Access Points. However, that's to be expected for any deployment. While the controller's UI works well, some areas could be improved. API integrations lack flexibility. [I feel] it's time for policy redesign. It can be a little difficult to determine coding quality.
IT Specialist
Lamda I-TECHInformation Technology & Services, 11-50 employees
Meraki MR
The Cisco Meraki line of products is an excellent option for anyone who is looking for an easy to use line of Switches, Routers, Wireless Accesspoints, Cloud security and beyond. Not only will you find the Cisco Meraki console easy to use, but the hardware is top notch quality and comes with all the bells and whistles that you might expect from an enterprise level of service such as Cisco.

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Airlines/Aviation Company, 501-1000 employeesPros
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
- The GUI on the Cisco 8540 WLC is much better designed than other Cisco products. Its easy to navigate between the different settings to find what is needed.
- The AP groups allows touching multiple APs at one time.
- It also allows us to create standard SSIDs that can be used at all sites that connect back to it, this saves a lot of time instead of hitting each site with a local controller.
Senior Network Engineer
EatonMachinery, 10,001+ employees
Meraki MR
- Cloud-managed - as all Meraki products are, very easy to manage.
- Mesh technology allows clients to easily roam from one AP to another.
- Very easy to add AP's, just get it online and add it to a network. Done.
- Great tools to troubleshoot problems clients.

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Mechanical Or Industrial Engineering Company, 201-500 employeesCons
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
- Code quality is a bit hit and miss. This will be great for a while, then things will be bad for a while, then we'll do it again. The UI of the controller works, but could do with a refresh, and I would like to see some improvement on layout and organization.
- The constant code/firmware upgrades and the QA of new code could be better.
- Maybe the compatibility with old Cisco Access Points could be improved, but it's normal in all kinds of deployments.

Verified User
Analyst in Information Technology
Information Technology & Services Company, 51-200 employeesMeraki MR
- There needs to be an easier way to see which devices are being heavier used, so as to determine needed adjustments.
- It would be good to have more in-depth access to what locations connected devices are navigating to.
- Cost. These devices could be a little more competitive if the cost were lower. Meraki prices itself out of some sales.

Verified User
Professional in Information Technology
Law Practice Company, 51-200 employeesPricing Details
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—Meraki MR
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—Likelihood to Renew
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Meraki MR
Meraki MR 9.0
Based on 1 answer
Cause its intuitive, very clear and easy of use (no brainer) interface. It's whole portfolio in one portal aproach. Also cause the new features cycle release and the cisco Meraki comprehension of WiFi market. Also cause the fastest deployment available on the market that also comes with a easy to scale platform adding features and services in the same interface thats unique and awesome.
Senior Information Technology Manager
Grupo VinteConstruction, 1001-5000 employees
Usability
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller 8.2
Based on 1 answer
Very well made product. Very stable. We have had no issues administering the 8540.
Senior Network Engineer
EatonMachinery, 10,001+ employees
Meraki MR
Meraki MR 8.5
Based on 2 answers
The Cisco Meraki MR web interface is best in class when it comes to network management. While some networking knowledge is needed to understand what you are doing, no specialized training in any one specific operating system is required to design a whole network.

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Higher Education Company, 51-200 employeesSupport Rating
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller 9.0
Based on 2 answers
It is a better product. The evolution is positive.
Gerente de Noc and support
EVCON GROUPComputer & Network Security, 51-200 employees
Meraki MR
Meraki MR 8.8
Based on 25 answers
Meraki support is usually top notch. The are quick to respond and stick with an issue until it is resolved. One of the difficulties I've had with Meraki MRs is the limited ability the customer has in troubleshooting. Much of the more technical aspects of resolution can only be accessed by the Meraki support team, meaning dedicated IT teams are reliant on them when more complicated issues arise.
Senior Network Engineer
Clark ConstructionConstruction, 1001-5000 employees
Alternatives Considered
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
We have [done] some work before with the Cisco 3504 product, but the more recent Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller provides a wider range of capabilities for managing the wireless network and each individual device [and] also being able to handle more users. Unfortunately, we didn't test and deploy equivalent products from other concurrent companies.
Researcher
Instituto de TelecomunicaçõesTelecommunications, 501-1000 employees
Meraki MR
Cisco Meraki Stacks give us the ability to implement an entire network and security solution that impacts tremendously in the productivity of our employees, just because we have 1 Dashboard to manage an entire company network and security with ML include an easy-to-use web view. Any other brand in the industries has the ability to merge Switches, Wireless LAN, UTM, MDM, Video Surveillance in one intuitive dashboard HTML or Mobile App.
IT Hospitality Manager
NovalogiqComputer Networking, 11-50 employees
Return on Investment
Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller
- Network engineers find it easier to [manage] high-stress levels since they're more reliable and robust.
- Their initial cost is very high compared to other router providers, such as Juniper.
- Their hardware dependability can be a big drawback if you run on a budget.

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Information Technology & Services Company, 1-10 employeesMeraki MR
- For bigger organizations ROI is really good, because the network is always operational, and no time is spent fixing the network.
- The users do not need to power cycle devices or do anything else, everything can be managed remotely from the Meraki dashboard.
- For small businesses with only 1 AP, the ROI is not that great since a cheaper AP can do the same job, and it may need occasional reboot which the staff can do easily without any hassle.
Network Engineer
Not Just NetworksInformation Technology & Services, 1-10 employees