Nice dashboard enables easy administration and monitoring
December 12, 2020

Nice dashboard enables easy administration and monitoring

Victor Lau | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point

Utilized in parts of the organization. The Meraki cloud controller eases remote configuration to minimize time-consuming travel to sites. The Meraki solution is full-featured, there are settings to allow for secure staff corporate access while additional settings for guest WiFi access. Any configuration settings can be remotely applied and can be immediately tested. Filtering functionality allows for restriction of applications, URLs, or categories. The Meraki dashboard is quite intuitive and there is a good listing of available documentation or blogs to assist with more complex setups.
  • Easy remote configuration and administration through the Meraki dashboard
  • Firewall settings to restrict or block applications
  • Current WiFi technology and good performance
  • Great technical support and responsiveness
  • Requires a Meraki license to operate
  • Cost of licenses can add up
  • Performance is good but may lag a bit with the competition
  • Plastic housings give the product a cheaper look and feel
  • Lower travel expenses due to access to configuration on the Meraki dashboard.
  • Lower solution costs as it includes features that competitors would charge additional amounts.
  • Increased costs due to the requirement for Meraki licensing.
Meraki is a good choice for a full featured solution for many remote locations and varying type of WiFi users. Not a great solution for single site or few type of WiFi user profiles. Not well suited for large sites as the license costs compound and will be less costly to use an on premise Controller.

Do you think Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point's feature set?

Yes

Did Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point again?

Yes

Any uses where remote administration is a requirement as the solution allows for easy setup over the internet. Any uses where there are many geographic locations that are administered from a central office. Sites that require different WiFi profiles and access to advanced features for restricting, blocking, or limiting applications.

Using Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point

4 - Technical functions such as networking, network design, WAN integration, professional services related to LAN and WAN. Overall network integration service using in house build network solutions over fiber, copper, and cellular wireless. The WiFi Access Point enables mobility and ability to conduct meetings on the fly. This enables the design team to function as a cohesive group.
1 - The Cisco Meraki WiFi Access Point is quite easy to administer and monitor. The tools are all included in the Meraki provided dashboard. There were skills required to physically cable and mount the device but other than that the setup was easy. Having the provided dashboard in the cloud enables easy access to the portal.
  • Current WiFi technology
  • Easy setup and administration
  • Good technical use cases and support
  • Simple to add additional administrators
  • Easy to monitor and restrict usage
  • Easy to modify the configuration on the fly
  • Easy to add more WiFi devices
  • Easy to add Meraki MS LAN gear to the dashboard
  • Easy to add Meraki MX to the dashboard
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.

Evaluating Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point and Competitors

Yes - The Cisco Meraki WiFi Access Point replaced a previous generation Aruba WiFi Access Point. The Meraki dashboard sold us on the features of monitoring and administration. The dashboard is easy to navigate and find all the support requirements to support the WiFi solution. This dashboard is a big plus over any other solutions.
  • Product Features
  • Product Usability
  • Product Reputation
  • Prior Experience with the Product
The dashboard feature set is the most important factor in choosing the Meraki solution. The dashboard is well designed and easy to navigate. Also having the same dashboard accommodate future Meraki products is a key factor, never having to switch to a different platform as everything in the Meraki family is consolidated in the same dashboard.
There was no real change in the process, we did look over the technical feature set of the WiFi hardware and they were basically the same as all of the competition. What set Meraki apart is their feature rich dashboard with easy navigation. Having the Meraki dashboard made it an easy choice when it comes to supporting the overall solution.

Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point Implementation

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.
  • Cabling
  • Physical mounting
  • Obtaining building access

Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point Support

We have not had any issues with the Meraki WiFi Access Point hardware but we did encounter a problem with a Meraki LAN switch that failed to power up. Upon a email into the Meraki Support, they promptly called back and we went over some quick tests to determine a power supply problem. A replacement LAN switch was sent to me the next day.
ProsCons
Quick Resolution
Good followup
Knowledgeable team
Problems get solved
Kept well informed
No escalation required
Immediate help available
Support cares about my success
Quick Initial Response
None
We did have an issue with a Meraki LAN switch that failed to power up, we called into Meraki support and they responded within an hour. Upon quickly diagnosing an issue with the LAN switch power supply, the support resource started to dispatch a replacement LAN switch. I received the replacement the next day. Great support!

Using Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Point

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.
ProsCons
Like to use
Relatively simple
Easy to use
Technical support not required
Well integrated
Consistent
Quick to learn
Convenient
Feel confident using
None
  • Navigation
  • Administration
  • Support
  • Reporting
  • Code access
  • CLI access
  • Integration with lesser known brands