Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point vs Ruckus ICX Switches

Likelihood to Recommend

If you want easy to setup wireless that works really well and can be managed from anywhere, Meraki is for sure the way to go. Once you get used to using the dashboard, it is extremely easy to use and will show you all kinds of details about the network and the clients on it. The Meraki design works well, especially if you are new to wireless, the settings are pretty basic but easy to follow. If you have an office environment and don't want the hassle of having a controller in a closet, then Meraki is a good fit. They might not always be suited for industrial designs where heat and extreme harsh temperatures are in play but other than that I've found I've been able to put them in manufacturing and office environments. If you want extreme tuning ability like you would see in a traditional Cisco controller, then you might not like the Meraki platform.

Read full review

Verified User

Manager in Information Technology

Mining & Metals Company, 501-1000 employees

View all 31 answers on this topic

I am a fan of the Ruckus ICX switching portfolio and often position them to my customers. They're biggest advantage is that they have centralised management from a web interface which is much easier to use than having to remember complex command line interfaces such as Cisco, HP and Dell.

Read full review

Tom Shepherd

Technical Architect

Computerworld GroupInformation Technology & Services, 11-50 employees

View all 4 answers on this topic

Pros

Cisco Meraki Wireless does a GREAT job marketing their product and building your trust. They offer free and very informative webinars that offer free gear for your home network. They rely on word of mouth marketing and it simply works. They offer great try and buy programs as well. They stand behind their product and trust the technology.
Cisco Meraki Wireless administrators dashboard is top notch. Their wireless UI interface is integrated with all other Cisco Meraki Wireless products. This makes it easy to use. It has single-use credentials and is seamless.
Cisco Meraki Wireless support is also top notch. While they are backed by Cisco, Meraki always feels like you are working with a small business that takes your account seriously. They are specialized and a rare breed in the industry. Getting support from them is a pleasure!

Read full review

Jesse Bickel, MS - PMP

Sr. IT Project Manager

CaptureRxHospital & Health Care, 51-200 employees

View all 31 answers on this topic

They are relatively easy to configure and to maintain.
They have all of the high-end configuration capabilities as Cisco switches.
The switches have excellent performance and reliability.

Read full review

Kenneth Hess

Senior Systems Analyst

CymSTAR, LLCDefense & Space, 201-500 employees

View all 4 answers on this topic

Cons

Depending on your business size and budget, the cloud based subscription model may not acceptable to upper management.
Must maintain subscription to utilize Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Points.
Additional functionality and support for Mobile Device Management (MDM) comes with an additional cost if you want telephone support, otherwise it is limited to a certain number of devices and tech support via email only.

Read full review

Joe Spradlin

Director of IT

Fort Walton Machining, IncAviation & Aerospace, 51-200 employees

View all 31 answers on this topic

Licensing for the 10GB ports is a bit pricey, but that was 5 years ago, so things may have changed
The CLI commands are slightly different than typical Cisco commands
Their rack mounting was not the prettiest in the world

Read full review

Verified User

Manager in Information Technology

Hospital & Health Care Company, 51-200 employees

View all 4 answers on this topic

Likelihood to Renew

Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point 9.1

Based on 1 answer

The Cisco Meraki WiFi Access Point dashboard and support license is mandatory so to continue usage we will need to renew the license. We may opt to purchase a more current WiFi generation device if something newer is available at that time. Currently, happy with the use of the dashboard as it is very feature rich.

Read full review

Victor Lau

Network Architect

Canadian TelecomTelecommunications, 10,001+ employees

View all 1 answers on this topic

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Usability

Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point 8.2

Based on 1 answer

The Meraki dashboard is an excellent tool to administer and manage the Meraki WiFi Access Point. Navigating the dashboard is intuitive and there are lots of use cases on the Meraki site. The dashboard is the key to having a great administrative experience with the product, easy to use, fast to find information.

Read full review

Victor Lau

Network Architect

Canadian TelecomTelecommunications, 10,001+ employees

View all 1 answers on this topic

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Support Rating

Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point 9.4

Based on 13 answers

Cisco Meraki support has been very helpful when it comes to troubleshooting and supporting their products. There is an online knowledge base with tons of documentation and there is also 24x7 phone support available as part of the dashboard license. Every time I've called support, the engineer I spoke with has been very informative and dedicated to resolving my problems.

Read full review

Verified User

Director in Engineering

Information Technology and Services Company, 51-200 employees

View all 13 answers on this topic

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Implementation Rating

Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point 7.3

Based on 1 answer

There were documents that detailed how the WiFi Access Point was to be installed and mounted. The only issue was to cable the device, we use a third party for this type of work and typically has to be performed after normal business hours. Other than that, the installation was easy.

Read full review

Victor Lau

Network Architect

Canadian TelecomTelecommunications, 10,001+ employees

View all 1 answers on this topic

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Alternatives Considered

Meraki Wireless Access Points were superior to Cisco Aironets:Cloud-based dashboard for managing all Meraki devices.Alerts when devices or network is impacted.Easy deployment of Firmware upgrades.Faster network speeds.Wider network coverage.Required less number of Access Points compared to Cisco Aironet.

Read full review

Verified User

Manager in Information Technology

Financial Services Company, 51-200 employees

View all 31 answers on this topic

The switching holds up well against HP, Extreme, Juniper, et. al at the edge. Cost is also a huge factor, and played a part in the purchase. Not just for the switches themselves, but also optics can be purchased at a discount. Service delivery has been fantastic, and in 3 years I've not had to replace any of the brocade switches I've purchased.

Read full review

Verified User

Professional in Information Technology

Logistics and Supply Chain Company, 1001-5000 employees

View all 4 answers on this topic

Return on Investment

KPI generator: Generator of commercial indicators that help us define the client's profile.
Consumption data: See in which the network is occupying the consumption by application and user.
Heat zones: See which is the area of interest most traveled by the end user.

Read full review

Salvador Pineda

Coordinador de Gerentes de Zona IT

Volkswagen de MéxicoAutomotive, 10,001+ employees

View all 31 answers on this topic

As a service offering help customers focus their energy on more productive tasks
Initial outlay is less than competitors
Reliability keeps the business running

Read full review

Tom Shepherd

Technical Architect

Computerworld GroupInformation Technology & Services, 11-50 employees

View all 4 answers on this topic

Pricing Details

General

Free Trial

—

Free/Freemium Version

—

Premium Consulting/Integration Services

—

Entry-level set up fee?

No

Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point Editions & Modules

—

Additional Pricing Details

—

General

Free Trial

—

Free/Freemium Version

—

Premium Consulting/Integration Services

—

Entry-level set up fee?

No

Ruckus ICX Switches Editions & Modules

Edition

Compact Switch	$835.00
Port Switch	$1,000.00

Additional Pricing Details

—