Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN Reviews

I'm an Associate Engineer and as part of my work is that I look after a number of companies where I recommend and install different network equipment. Anything from the SonicWall networks, Fortinet, you name it, depending on what the client requirements are. I would prefer high-end and that could mean Ubiquiti, Mojo, and Cisco. In terms of the version I would choose, it really depends on the client's requirements. We deal with small, medium and enterprise size companies. 

From an organizational perspective, Meraki has made a difference because it's simple to manage with High level of detail and troubleshooting access, when there's a problem. 

The most valuable feature would have to be the cloud management with high level of detail and ability to be able to use all the information to troubleshoot issues remotely before having someone onsite.

The product is fine as it is. Having been in the IT industry for nearly 20 years, there's nothing that jumps out at me. The product is improving all the time. It could be slightly cheaper but it's fine. It's actually a very good product. 

I've been working with Cisco for 10 years. Meraki is more recent, maybe three or four years.

The product is very stable. 

It's not exactly the cheapest solution in terms of scalability, but it's very good. A lot of my clients have to look at other alternatives because of the cost and it's likely that in the end, they take Mojo even though I don't like that product as much. If I were going to choose an alternative to Cisco it would be Ubiquiti but it all comes down to cost.

Cisco provide good support and there have been times when we've needed it. 

We can deploy on-premises or on the cloud, but it's usually cloud. The amount of time it takes to deploy is really dependent on the client and the size of the company. 

I would suggest that sometimes it might be better to spend more money on better equipment that will perform a lot better, so if you have the funds go for it, but if not, then you have to work within your budget. 

I would rate this product a seven out of 10. 

We are using it in a enterprise network, a financial business. Users are completely using it for accessing the servers, internal networking, so the building is completely wireless and the wireless is the main connection to the network, for the gas separate network and for the lease

I like the status page Cisco added that shows you the health of the wireless connection. 

Cisco could add more security features on the other layers, like if Cisco's IPS antivirus could be downloaded. They could also add some more controls for guest access. For example, when you have a captive portal, it would be nice to limit the amount of time users can stay connected per day. Right now, you can only configure the splash frequency. And you can set the connection for one hour, but you have to use the billing feature.

Meraki WLAN is stable. However, some APs that are around five years old have peer connectivity problems.

Meraki WLAN is easy to scale. If it's a small network of around 50 access points, I think one staffer can handle the installation and maintenance. But if you go over 50 access points — about 400 clients — you would need one more staffer.

Cisco technical support goes deeper into troubleshooting than other vendors that I've worked with. They're more superficial compared to Cisco.

The initial setup is easy. If you have an ACP network with internet access, it's just a plugin.

It's a little expensive to use Meraki WLAN. You have to pay for all the licenses.

I rate Cisco Meraki WLAN eight out of 10.

It's for our head offices, remote offices branches. The solution is primarily used for giving access to our users, including controlling their access and granting access.

The solution is easy to use. With the cloud dashboard, it's easy to control the APs and other items. It has controlling, content filtering, and other options. A lot of things are there. It has a lot of great features.

The solution is stable.

The scalability is good.

I am new to this solution. At the moment, I am not the right person or in a position to suggest something new or point out something that's lacking. I time to use it properly and see the pros and cons of the product and the requirements regarding our business.

The dashboard could be a bit better. I'd like to see more information about the whole controller and APs. It should be as simple and convenient.

I haven't used the solution for very long. It's been about a month. 

The stability is very good. There are no bugs or glitches. It does not crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

The scalability of the solution is great. However, it depends on the business' needs.

I can't speak to technical support. I didn't actually open any ticket, so I am not sure. I can't say how responsive or helpful they are. 

I've been using Aruba Wireless Controller, and Huawei - just the controller. I'm new to this environment and I'm new to the device.

I did not handle the initial setup and I didn't configure anything. I've just started administering the solution actually. I can't speak to the implementation process and how difficult or simple it is.

I can't speak to the pricing or licensing. It's not an aspect of the solution I take care of.

We're just customers and technical users. 

We use different versions, such as the MX64, 800 series, and 100 series.

At the moment, I'd rate the solution at a six out of ten. I have no experience, or at least, not too much experience yet. 

I think the IoT integration is the most valuable. I started applying IoT solutions 12 years ago on location-based services. Aruba had implemented this at the time. So I think the integration, particularly into the applications and stuff, is pretty interesting in Meraki. It's a substantial network from my point of view. It's good.

You're starting to see CO2-type sensors come into the classrooms and stuff like that. So it would be nice to build some "if-then" functions into IoT-type sensors. For instance, if a classroom has high CO2 levels, you could automatically open the Windows and use heat exchange to bring in fresh air into the room. At the same time, you could have the temperature control adjust automatically so it doesn't get too hot or too.  So you would need to plug in some configurable where you collect the output from the sensors and have it carry out some small actions based on that. I think it's well within Meraki's capabilities. 

I've been working in IT for 40 years. I was working on Nortel products even before Cisco, so I have more than 20 years of experience in WiFi alone.

Everything works. I can't knock the product. I know a lot of the senior management within Meraki and used to work with them at Nortel. I know many people who work on the product side, and I've never had a problem. I've deployed Meraki for one customer with 2,500 sites in the UK, and I don't think I've ever had a wireless AP go faulty on me. We've just never had a failure, to be quite honest. That's unusual.

The only thing that always causes problems with Meraki is the license. It's a bit of a bugbear with Meraki, and it remains today. So it's an unusual concept compared to the other products in the marketplace, but then it does cause a bit of a nuisance from time to time. The license they sell is difficult.

I've worked on Meraki and other Cisco products as well as Hewlett Packard, Aruba, Siemens, and Aerohive. Aruba's first-class product is easy to work with, and I've done a lot of the complicated location with services on the Aruba kit. Most of the WiFi solutions are pretty good. The main difference between products is the application integration for location-based or IoT services, and Meraki has a good lead. You can buy IoT centers that work. So I know they're pretty basic sensors, and they are a bit expensive. However, I don't think you can beat Meraki when you're talking about multiple deployments, particularly in retail and stuff like that. It's very good for that. With loads of different sites and small amounts of kit, it works perfectly. I haven't had many problems, and in the many times I've worked with the kit, it's never failed me. That's unusual.

I rate Cisco Meraki WLAN mine of 10. However, it would be a 10 out of 10 if it could apply some conditional logic where the result from a sensor triggers an action on another IoT device, such as a motorized heat exchanger, to bring fresh air into the building. If you were able to do something like that, it would improve things even more. It's a good LAN, but there's always room for improvement. There are some things that I'd like to see, such as more applications, integrations, and stuff like that, but apart from that, it's pretty good.

When you look at the benefits, some wireless solutions are more flexible than others. Meraki is easy to configure and monitor. The best thing Meraki can do is give them a test AP on their network because there is some problem with APN allowing other kits on the network and letting people test, but handover between the APs is satisfactory. I've got four APs in my home that go between the office, workshop, and high space, and the handover is still seamless. The coverage is brilliant from my point of view. I deployed it in a large warehouse, and handover was seamless. It was covered. To me, the easiest way is to get a customer to test their network with two, so they can do a handover and allow them to test and configure. That's plug-and-play.

Its management is most valuable. It is the major feature of Meraki.

Integration with the corporate LAN where Catalyst products are installed is a major challenge.

I have been using this solution for the last seven or eight years. 

We cater to medium and enterprise companies. We have good experience in managing large networks. 

Because it is a part of Cisco, we are getting good support.

It is easy. Its ease is the main thing.

Its price is higher than other products. It is above the expectation of customers. So, every time we need to fight for a good price. 

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

There are a variety of use cases. It is being used in a community center, a school, a gymnasium, and a youth center.

It's a combination of constituents. We have teachers, employees/staff, students, parents, and visitors. We have many different users.

The most valuable features are the multiple types of user groupings and access management. For example: what, when, how long for, what is the performance, and what device are they using are all groupings.

Some of the built-in capabilities need to be improved. The radius capabilities for filtering by MAC address, some of the group-based policy management, even though they have more flexibility.

They need a better reading of device TACs, which are terminal equipment codes.

When you read a MAC address or a serial number, you can detect if it's an iOS or an Android device. Specifically, within the Android world, it can detect if it's a Samsung, an Acer, or if it's a Dell. In the Apple world, you can detect if it's iOS, iPhone, or an iPad.

Their TAC reading and interpretation capability are not as effective. For example, they may be reading a MAC address and reporting it as an iPhone, but it may be a Samsung. It's not just iPhone and iPad confusion, but iPhone and Android cross confusion.

There is a processing limitation when you have multiple SSIDs, above three or four.

I have been working with this solution for three years.

We are working with the original version of Meraki, not the latest version.

In terms of stability, it's relatively straightforward.

It's a scalable solution. It's pretty good.

We have never had to contact technical support.

We work with Meraki, Eero, and Ubiquiti.

The initial setup is relatively straightforward. It's literally a plug-and-play, once you set up on the portal. I would be stretching to find an issue.

Anything that is common to all of the access points is the same, You have to run the cables. Once you have done the Delta it's probably a couple of days to deploy.

It depends on what you want to configure or the level of configuration complexity. We have, for example, access points in a specific location that are broadcasting on certain SSIDs and providing access to only certain users or certain devices, and for specific services which have to be configured.  

If you generate an existing configuration, you can just plug it in and it will boot. If however, it requires a specific configuration, it will take time to configure the specific set of requirements.

We had a deal and we went for it. If I had to go for it today, I would reconsider, unless I get more competitive pricing. The gap in terms of performance, quality, features, and functionality has decreased significantly compared to what it was five years ago. 

Now they have much more. They used to be a startup and they did pretty well. They got into growth mode, VCs pushed them to grow and they started developing features and functionality. 

Amazon bought them. Now that Amazon has its backing, they should be able to grow and improve features, which is going to put them on a similar pedestal as a Cisco Meraki, and the same for Ubiquity. But those are just nuances. 

Today, it would be harder for me to push for Cisco Meraki.

Their biggest challenge is cost. Since it's been acquired by Cisco, it's an even higher cost.

If they are going for the long run it's good, but if you go too long, there is a cost component to consider and figure out, because the cost is something that is coming down with a lot of new solutions.

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

We have previously used PBXs, wireless solutions and LAN solutions. Our strategy is now to move everything to the cloud which is why we moved to using this solution. 

The fact that Cisco Meraki is cloud based and is reasonably priced has been most valuable.

It would be useful to have a service management platform integrated within this solution where we can measure the customer experience. It would also be useful to have assistance with the go-to-market strategy when using this solution.

We are a partner of Cisco and we have been working with them since 2006.

This is a stable solution. 

This is a scalable solution solution. We are based in Mauritius and since it is a small island, the scale we need fits into the range that Meraki can offer. 

This solution has a good support team and when we raise a support case, it is resolved quickly. We have a local representative for Cisco and they facilitate any support we need. 

Positive

The initial setup was straightforward and deployment was easy. 

We have our own team who are certified in using this solution and who implemented it.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten. 

The solution is very easy to use. The user interface is very nice.

There are really great dashboards available. Users can see everything they need to on one pane of glass.

Users have the capability of capturing business insights on the solution. For example, we can see who uses the WiFi or monitor movement.

The solution should be open to introducing more IoT sensors and to have a more complete solution to medium-sized customers.

The solution could saturate more of the market, as likely 80% of the market would like to see more simple solutions such as Meraki.

It would be ideal if you didn't necessarily have to go to professionals to get a product like this. It should be sold more in the retail space. 

It would be great if the solution could integrate with Amazon Alexa. We'd be able to leverage Meraki and build more intelligent homes and businesses. It would help us build new items we could deliver to our clients, and to build better B2C relations.

It would be nice to have licensing that stays in place while the system is being renovated or changed. If there was a way to have remote WiFi to support local connections during issues, so that technical support doesn't have to shut down the entire network, that would be great. If there was something like a robot that could continue running the network while there are licensing or technical issues, so that WiFi never goes down, that would be an ideal situation.

We used to sell other Cisco solutions, however, now we only really focus on Meraki.

The solution from Meraki is more public cloud, however, if we need to we have an internal team that manages alarms, and coordinates action zone disputes to changes devices when it is needed, and have support to our customers.

We have partners that can sell the solution to us, and we in turn offer them to our clients. We're similar to a reseller.

In general, I would rate the solution at an eight out of ten.