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Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued) vs. OpenVPN Access Server

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)

    Score10 out of 10
    N/ACisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker is an enterprise class firewall, VPN gateway and router. Each model offers five gigabit ethernet ports and wireless for connectivity. Cisco now recommends the Meraki Z4 Teleworker.N/A

    OpenVPN Access Server

    Score8.6 out of 10
    N/AOpenVPN headquartered in Pleasanton allows users to create secure access to a private network in the cloud or on-premise with Access Server. Access Server is available to deploy directly on various cloud platforms like Amazon AWS, Google GCP, Microsoft Azure, DigitalOcean, and also available as ready-to-deploy virtual appliances for Microsoft HyperV and VMWare ESXi. Alternately, OpenVPN Access Server Virtual Appliance is a full-featured secure network tunneling VPN virtual appliance solution…

    $27

    per month 3 connections (minimum)

    Pricing
    Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)OpenVPN Access Server
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    3-99 Connections
    $9
    per month per connection
    2,000 Connections
    $3,100.00
    per month per connection
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)OpenVPN Access Server
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—More connections reduces cost per connection, as does going with an annual plan versus a monthly price.
    More Pricing Information
    Features
    Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)OpenVPN Access Server
    Virtual Private Network
    Comparison of Virtual Private Network features of Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued) and OpenVPN Access Server
    Feature
    Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    OpenVPN Access Server
    8.4
    2 Ratings
    6% below category average
    AES 256-bit Encryption00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
    Kill Switch00 Ratings9.52 Ratings
    Multi-Platform Support00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Split Tunneling00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    IP Address Masking00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    No-Logs Policy00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
    Multiple Server Locations00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Automatic Wi-Fi Protection00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Simultaneous Connections00 Ratings9.52 Ratings
    Customer Support Services00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)OpenVPN Access Server
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Cisco Routers
    Score9.1 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Enterprises
    Cisco Routers
    Score9.1 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)OpenVPN Access Server
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.7
    (3 ratings)
    9.5
    (3 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)OpenVPN Access Server
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    The Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker appliance was ideal for scenarios where the remote worker spent the majority of their time remote. It alleviates the need for VPN software and gives the IT staff additional visibility into the connectivity of the user. We often encountered scenarios where the users broadband was having issues vs the Meraki network and the tools Meraki provides help to work through these scenarios. The case for the Meraki devices is not as strong for occasional users who cannot justify the cost of the appliance vs just logging in via VPN.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    OpenVPN
    If you looking for a reliable, light weight and secure VPN server, than OpenVPN Access Server is the one. Easy to install and manage, OpenVPN will provide secure remote connections, with a very good integration with almost all LDAP directories, for user management. With my experience, I don't see any scenario that OpenVPN won't be able to handle.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Cisco
    • Easy setup for remote worker
    • Versatility with WiFi and cable connections
    • Safe to outages with dual wan setup
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    OpenVPN
    • Speed of logging in.
    • Lengthy session times.
    • Ease of troubleshooting.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Cisco
    • When Internet is lost and come back we need to reset the Z3 device from the dashboard in order to register the IP Phone to CUCM
    • It would be nice to manage the Z3 device to a local web portal just for TS
    • Max Speed 100Mbps. It would be nice if it could run up to 1GB
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    OpenVPN
    • some times error logs are not clear
    • Configuring 3rd party apps can sometimes be problematic
    • Limited functionality for iPhone users, but I believe that is due to an apple issue.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    OpenVPN
    Whatever console or firewall you are running OpenVPN Access Server, it's configuration is very easy to do. You can create multiple tunnels, with different pourposes and authetication methods. It also has a quick and easy view of the connections opened, with possible actions, such as a very efficient kill switch and reconnect options.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    At the time of implementation, we were not aware of a comparable product from Cisco or comparative vendor. We had initially deployed the Z1 appliance and had so much success that the transition to the Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker was a quick and easy fit for us. The device is easy to deploy and just works.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    OpenVPN
    OpenVPN had a better UI and usability for our team. It was more straightforward, had better SAML integration, and allowed our team to be on the VPN and on our network in seconds. We had some issues getting Nord to work for our use cases, and have run into pretty much zero issues with OpenVPN.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Cisco
    The product is very scalable due to its implementation to the Meraki cloud and SD-WAN capabilities.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    OpenVPN
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • Good visibility for IT team so we can monitor and validate the teleworker traffic
    • Zero Touch Provisioning so we do not need to send a Engineer to configure it.
    • Consumer-grade network security
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    OpenVPN
    • Only 2 free users, it would be nice if they would expand to 5.
    • Easy way to establish a VPN backbone between two locations
    • Great for work at home or BCP events.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    OpenVPN Access Server Screenshots

    Product screenshotProduct screenshot