Cisco Aironet 4800 Access Points are well suited for a larger office or organization that has multiple buildings that require a larger-scale wireless network. The controller makes it easy to discover and deploy radios in a timely manner. The Cisco Aironet 4800 Access Points are probably not well suited for smaller offices where one radio will suffice.
If you are looking for enterprise-grade wireless networking solution, then Cisco Meraki MR is definitely a solution that you should consider. There are a wide variety of AP's which cover every eventuality from entry-level, to hotel rooms and then to high-density stadiums and external environments. The design is very easy on the eye and deployment is very straightforward, ensuring that you aren't installing something that stands out too much and is a problem from the outset to fit. Cisco Meraki MR lends itself to lean IT Teams that don't have the manpower or technical capability to manage large estates and with it being Cloud Controlled, it requires no on-site hardware (controller) and simply needs power and internet access. Where Cisco Meraki MR's deployment could be called into question, is when the admin team needs very granular control of users and traffic and also need enhanced reporting. Under these circumstances, Cisco Catalyst products should be considered.
Provides real-time and historic data right in the dashboard, allowing my team to troubleshoot user issues and identify larger problems much easier.
Meraki APs are known as "loud talkers", and have really improved coverage on the edges of our spaces. Our users live and die by Zoom, and stability has been greatly enhanced. We did have an issue with significant packet drops, and their support team was able to quickly help us figure out the cause.
For me, part of it comes down to the value proposition of Meraki MR is that it's easy to use, but as someone who's worked in IT a lot, sometimes I want to be able to dig under the hood to find those bells and whistles of things that I might want to configure on my own.
And I understand that sometimes that can create challenges. So maybe as someone a little bit more seasoned in the IT space, and my thought process is to hide that, but still let me get into it if I have to because there are occasions when there's a little setting I need to mess up with.
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.
To get basic functionality doesn't take long. Set up a new Meraki Dashboard activate the licenses and get internet connection for the APs and you are more or less done. The Dashboard will find your items and you're good to go.
I give this rating because right out of the box we were able to configure multiple radios in the console and deploy them to our environment in a very short amount of time. The only issues we had was there was a bad radio, which was replaced quickly and easily.
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.
The Cisco Meraki MR line of products stacks well against legacy Cisco Aironet equipment and comes with the added benefit of being cloud managed. I also like the fact that traditional legacy Wireless servers are no longer needed since all Meraki equipment runs through the Meraki Cloud.
I gave the rating I did because, in my opinion, this product scales very well. We are able to add as many radios as we need to to expand our network to more sites, as we need them. So far, I have not had any issues when installing new radios.
Being able to add additional Cisco Meraki MR devices as required is very simple. After the initial deployment guided by both WiFi Surveys and 'eyeballing it', we did still find some areas with buildings where adjustments were required, both physical relocation and conflicts with other WiFi from other organizations. Using the tools available the team was able to rapidly solve these problems.
