Cisco offers the Meraki (MR) line of wireless access points supporting basic LAN with inbuilt antivirus (NAC), cloud management with network-wide access control, and location analytics, as well as support for indoor and outdoor spaces of various sizes across different product models.
We have used the traditional Cisco wireless products in the past, and while the hardware has always been great, the user interface has always disappointed us with its complexity and unfriendliness. Also, the move to cloud management seems to work well with this type of …
As an overall preference, Cisco Meraki Wireless was selected because of their customer service and attention to detail to the account. They have carved out a nitch in the market and are growing their own way and style under Cisco but feels so different than Cisco. Comparing …
Meraki's dashboard is what sets it apart. This allows configuration and modification to be done on the fly from any location. The UI is extremely intuitive. It offers extensive tools compared to other mesh network providers such as Ubiquiti or Google Wi-Fi.
Prior to this, we used Cisco Meraki wireless access points, which did not allow for centralized control, therefore several access points shared the same SSID. Because the client's movement from one device to another was not as seamless and reliable as it is with the current …
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.
I love the equipment for small-scale commercial solutions and quality without the price tag. I might not recommend their products for a large organization with multiple locations and servers. However, the GUI interface will allow remote access and setup across the network. I think this is a great solution for small businesses and families or home office solutions, provided there is some IT knowledge for setup and maintenance.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
We have not needed to contact support, except to replace one device that was damaged in shipping. The company immediately issued an RMA without delay, and we had our replacement product within a week
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.
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.
Prior to this, we used Cisco Meraki wireless access points, which did not allow for centralized control, therefore several access points shared the same SSID. Because the client's movement from one device to another was not as seamless and reliable as it is with the current Ubiquiti solution, this shift cost both time and stability during configuration.
