Sanjeewa Dannangoda - PeerSpot reviewer
Vice President - Infrastructure and Operations at National Institute of Business Management (Sri Lanka)
Real User
Provides good features like bandwidth shaping, URL filtering, and group policy configuration
Pros and Cons
  • "We use the solution's bandwidth shaping, URL filtering, and group policy configuration features."
  • "The solution’s pricing could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN for wireless networks.

What is most valuable?

We use the solution's bandwidth shaping, URL filtering, and group policy configuration features.

What needs improvement?

The solution’s pricing could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN for six months.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the solution ten out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution's scalability is limitless and can meet our organization's growth. Around 200 users are using the solution in our organization.

I rate the solution ten out of ten for scalability.

How was the initial setup?

The solution’s initial setup is easy.

What about the implementation team?

Two people deployed Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN in our organization within a few hours.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

We use the solution to support the IT workforce in the wireless network. The solution has simplified management and seamless connectivity. The solution provides security from viruses and reduces my bandwidth overhead.

We have two types of monitoring. We use a third-party tool to monitor my entire network. In the Meraki dashboard, we use Meraki monitoring for the wireless client. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is deployed on the cloud in our organization. I would recommend Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN to other users.

Overall, I rate the solution ten out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Wesley Johnson - PeerSpot reviewer
System Administrator at Oklahoma Steel and Wire
Real User
Top 10
Reliable convenient access point management through dashboard connection
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable aspect of this solution is the single pane of glass management and reliability."
  • "Licensing is, in my opinion, the least appealing component. It can be difficult to keep licenses up to date in order for the system to function properly."

What is our primary use case?

It is primarily used for wireless access, both indoors throughout the plant and outdoors.

How has it helped my organization?

One of the most convenient aspects of having access to the dashboard is the ability to work on access points from any location. This eliminates the need for a wireless controller, as all connections are made through the dashboard. This is the best feature of using this system.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable aspect of this solution is the single pane of glass management and reliability.

It has been very reliable.

What needs improvement?

The licensing could be improved.

Licensing is, in my opinion, the least appealing component. It can be difficult to keep licenses up to date in order for the system to function properly.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN for more than five years.

We use MR74.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN a nine out of ten.

We rarely have any issues with them.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We only have two and didn't have any issues. 

I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten.

There are no plans to expand our usage, and instead, we will opt for a single-vendor approach by replacing them with Fortinet.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is fine, but I would rate them a six out of ten.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward.

What was our ROI?

When we initially purchased them, having these access points was particularly useful since I was the only one managing everything. It made my job much easier.

For small businesses, these access points are fantastic, as their stability and easy installation make them ideal. However, for larger businesses, the return on investment may not be as significant.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost of both the hardware and licensing is high, and it is more than what I would prefer to spend currently.

What other advice do I have?

I would definitely try a proof of concept, unless you do a proof of concept, If they work, then, you use them. They are definitely reliable. 

They usually upgrade the firmware on their own.

I would rate Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
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PAUL OMANGA - PeerSpot reviewer
ICT officer at FAO
Real User
Top 5
Robust with good connectivity and decent pricing
Pros and Cons
  • "The graphic user interface is very nice."
  • "We'd like to have better mapping to showcase low-coverage areas."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for wireless connectivity for our wireless network.

What is most valuable?

The connectivity is very good. 

It's a robust, stable solution. We haven't had any issues at all.

The graphic user interface is very nice. It makes using it very easy.

The product is simple to manage. 

It is not too expensive. 

The setup is easy.

It is stable.

The solution can scale. 

What needs improvement?

I don't really need any changes to be made. 

It may be expensive for smaller setups.

We'd like to have better mapping to showcase low-coverage areas. 

For how long have I used the solution?

This is a recent installation. We did this installation towards the end of last year. We've used it for less than one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze. I'd rate the stability ten out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution can scale. That said, I've never reached the limit of our deployment. We haven't tested the scalability too much. 

We have about 100 users in our office.

We do not have plans to increase usage. We may decrease the number. 

How are customer service and support?

We've never contacted technical support. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously upgraded from Cisco's 2500 series. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. However, it is a global configuration and handled by another unit. I did not set it up myself. We got it out of the box and just needed to put it up. My understanding is that it would be relatively easy to set up. 

While it is on-premises, it does have some cloud reporting features. 

We received the solution partially configured. Therefore, I cannot speak of the setup process from end to end. 

We have four members in IT in our office and are supported by a bigger team at our company's headquarters. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost isn't too high for an enterprise setup. 

We pay a license for three years for support and maintenance. 

What other advice do I have?

While I would recommend ht eh solution to others, it does depend on the environment and usage. If it is a small setup, there are other options that are less expensive. Meraki works well in an enterprise environment. 

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Director at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Reseller
A flexible product complete with integrated security and content filtering
Pros and Cons
  • "The captive portal feature is my favorite. It allows us to keep track of how many people are entering our client's businesses."
  • "The signal coverage radius could be extended."

What is our primary use case?

We use Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN for offices, small retail stores, and restaurants. Most of our clients are medium-sized businesses.

Most of our clients have around 200 employees. There are around 50 access point users.

Only one person is required for maintenance.

What is most valuable?

The captive portal feature is my favorite. It allows us to keep track of how many people are entering our client's businesses. 

Also, the security and content filtering that's included on the cloud is great.

What needs improvement?

The signal coverage radius could be extended. I would also like to have a planner for designs. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN for roughly eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, it's very good. The problem is the coverage.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability-wise, it's excellent. You can integrate with other products like MX, the firewall and router of Meraki, and you can also integrate with Umbrella which is cloud security from Cisco. You can also add more access points very easily.

How are customer service and technical support?

Cisco's technical support is excellent. Still, sometimes it takes a while for them to respond. There is also a lot of information on their web page for support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used to use Aruba and Cisco Access Point. Cloud management was the main difference between these solutions. We have more flexibility with Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy but it's important to have training.

Configuration takes around one hour. It's the same for any access point but the installation depends on the physical installation — overall, it takes around three hours.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Meraki is a very good solution, but the price is quite high for small markets. We are based in Mexico and within Latin America, most of our customers think that this is an expensive solution compared to other brands. Overall, we think that the price is too high.

For example, the cheapest license subscription is around $600. It's around $1,200 for one access point. This is really expensive for one customer. Other brands charge the same amount for around five access points.

What other advice do I have?

I'd recommend this solution because it's easy to use and secure — the security is integrated. Apps can also be integrated very easily and it's very scalable. 

Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN a rating of eight. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Information Technology Manager at jpsnetwork
Reseller
A scalable solution that can be managed remotely and has good support
Pros and Cons
  • "The ability to manage it remotely is the most valuable. If it has an internet connection, you can get to it. It is a great product for remote clinics. We kind of thought about doing this kind of standalone technology. Meraki is easy to manage. From a management perspective, it is the easiest to use, especially in the cloud. I like Meraki. I even have it in my home."
  • "I would like to see more cybersecurity. I would like the ability to go in and enhance security. Because WPA2 is becoming obsolete, many devices are now WPA3, but the challenge is that a lot of devices are not yet there. I would like to be able to go in and do monitoring, similar to ASPM. ASPM has the ability to monitor who's joining and who's active. It supports two-step monitoring. The stability of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN can also be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Our use case is remote clinics. We have over 40 remote clinics, and we even use it in our mobile vans or buses for providing free medical to the homeless and those in need. 

We have a hybrid type infrastructure. We have Cisco as well as Aruba, but from the wireless perspective, it is all Aruba due to security and costs. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is deployed in a data center. We have our own infrastructure because of HIPAA compliance and other regulations. When going into the cloud, you don't know who is managing and whether they properly bedded in terms of sensitive, classified, and not classified information or data.

I also use it in my home. I have a cloud in my garage. I have converged network storage and everything else in my garage. My garage is a data center, and I consider it a cloud. I am using the latest version of this solution.

What is most valuable?

The ability to manage it remotely is the most valuable. If it has an internet connection, you can get to it. It is a great product for remote clinics. We kind of thought about doing this kind of standalone technology. 

Meraki is easy to manage. From a management perspective, it is the easiest to use, especially in the cloud. I like Meraki. I even have it in my home.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see more cybersecurity. I would like the ability to go in and enhance security. Because WPA2 is becoming obsolete, many devices are now WPA3, but the challenge is that a lot of devices are not yet there. 

I would like to be able to go in and do monitoring, similar to ASPM. ASPM has the ability to monitor who's joining and who's active. It supports two-step monitoring. The stability of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN can also be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution since it came out. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Its stability could be improved.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It has scalability. It can be scaled depending on your business needs.

How are customer service and technical support?

Cisco support is amazing. You get what you pay for. I did a network for the border patrol, and we used Cisco and another product called Antera. From the Cisco perspective, we were able to resolve any issues relating to ring networks, but for Antera, we had to rely on somebody from Taiwan, which was a challenge.

How was the initial setup?

Its initial setup is straightforward. We do wireless on all the access points.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We do a three-year or five-year license and support. Its price could be better, but overall, we get competitive prices.

A lot of times, Cisco puts itself out of range, especially with Meraki. I've dealt with a lot of business development from Cisco, and they have always been accommodating, especially in dealing with hospitals or government. There is also a right time to buy it. July is when they are eager to sell a lot of things because that is the end of their calendar year.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution if it is right for your environment. I would rate Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN a nine out of ten. It is great, but it has room for improvement.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
PeerSpot user
Sairam Prem Vangala - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Support Operations Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 5
An user-end connectivity solution that provides an overview of user analytics in its dashboard
Pros and Cons
  • "The tool's most valuable feature is report generation. Its dashboard helps me a lot with user analytics."
  • "Despite being enabled, I've encountered an issue where the alert main dashboard fails to detect when any of the devices go down. Hence, the tool's notification feature should improve. We have also faced issues with integration."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for user-end connectivity. 

What is most valuable?

The tool's most valuable feature is report generation. Its dashboard helps me a lot with user analytics.

What needs improvement?

Despite being enabled, I've encountered an issue where the alert main dashboard fails to detect when any of the devices go down. Hence, the tool's notification feature should improve. We have also faced issues with integration. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the product for five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the product's stability a ten out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN's scalability a nine out of ten. My company has three users. 

How are customer service and support?

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN's tech support is problematic and takes time to respond. We don't even have contact numbers. 

How was the initial setup?

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN's deployment is simple. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN's pricing is high. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate the product a nine out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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JUANARIAS - PeerSpot reviewer
Administrative Assistant at a consumer goods company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 10
Easy-to-scale product with a valuable cloud management feature
Pros and Cons
  • "It enables quick deployment within all branches for the users."
  • "In some cases, they could include enhanced features in the product, such as a firewall console and traffic analysis."

What is our primary use case?

We use the product to manage three SSIDs catering to different network traffic.

What is most valuable?

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN has a valuable cloud management feature. It is easy to manage and monitor cloud activities. It enables quick deployment within all branches for the users. It provides great performance even in 0℃ temperatures in some places.

What needs improvement?

In some cases, they could include enhanced features in the product, such as a firewall console and traffic analysis.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We encounter some issues related to DNS resolution once or twice a year. However, the stability works fine for almost 99% of the time.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The platform is easy and quick to scale. We can add up devices on SSIDs for every configuration or node.

How are customer service and support?

We never contacted Cisco's technical support team directly. We receive services from an authorized partner.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used Fortinet APs integrated with their UTM solution for security. It provides an efficient integration.

How was the initial setup?

It is easy to set up, and we take assistance from a third-party engineer to execute the process. It takes a few hours to complete.

What about the implementation team?

We take help from contractors. They assist us with any queries during implementation.

What was our ROI?

Cisco Meraki Wireless provides 20 ports and other components like switches at half the price of Aruba HP for the same features.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The platform is expensive. Its licenses for 20 ports cost around $1000, including one year of support services.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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PRASHANTNAGARAJ - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at Amagi
Real User
Top 10
Has an easy-to-use controller feature, but its network analysis feature needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "The product's cloud controller is easy to use."
  • "It lags a bit in providing reports for Wi-Fi performance."

What is most valuable?

The product's cloud controller is easy to use. 

What needs improvement?

The product's features for network analysis need improvement. It lags a bit in providing reports for Wi-Fi performance. Additionally, they should offer a higher-end firewall.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN for more than seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN's stability a seven out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have 800 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN users in our organization. I rate its scalability an eight out of ten.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have used Cisco Aironet and Ruckus products before. Later, we switched to Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN as we wanted more control of remote office administration. We are a small company that administers switches, configuration, and backup remotely. In comparison, the traditional Cisco switches need upgrading firmware.

How was the initial setup?

I rate the initial setup process an eight out of ten. It takes 30 minutes to configure it and around two hours to complete the installation. We connect the switch to the LAN, which is already connected to the Internet. Once the device is seen on the Meraki portal, we configure it from there.

What was our ROI?

The product generates a return on investment for us.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is expensive. I rate its pricing an eight out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN a seven out of ten. I advise others to configure the product and then utilize the plug-and-play functionality.

It has limitations for pricing and supply of material. It takes around four months to be delivered. It is very time-consuming.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Updated: March 2024
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.