Cisco Meraki MR Wireless vs WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi comparison

Cisco and WatchGuard are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Cisco is ranked #21 with an average rating of 9.0, while WatchGuard is ranked #24 with an average rating of 7.0. Additionally, 50% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of WatchGuard users who would recommend it.

Cisco Meraki MR Wireless

Read 3 Cisco Meraki MR Wireless reviews

15 Views
15 Comparison Views

50% willing to recommend

WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi

Read 7 WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi reviews

466 Views
457 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Cisco Meraki MR Wireless

WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 20, 2025

WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi and Cisco Meraki MR Wireless are key players in the secure wireless solutions market. Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is often preferred due to its comprehensive feature set, which some users believe justifies its higher cost.

Features: WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi offers straightforward security features, ease of use, and is ideal for basic security needs. Cisco Meraki MR Wireless provides advanced analytics, seamless integration with other Cisco products, and excellent scalability for more control and insight.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is known for its simplified deployment process with extensive cloud-managed networks and strong customer service. WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi offers a user-friendly deployment but doesn't match Cisco’s cloud capabilities.

Pricing and ROI: WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi has an attractive initial setup cost, giving a solid ROI for small enterprises. Cisco Meraki MR Wireless, despite its higher cost, offers a compelling ROI through enhanced functionality, appealing to businesses needing advanced features.

To learn more, read our detailed Wireless LAN Report (Updated: October 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Wireless LAN

October 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 869,566 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Meraki MR Wireless

Ranking in Wireless LAN

21st

Average Rating

7.0

Reviews Sentiment

3.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi

Ranking in Wireless LAN

24th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Laurie Ellims

Enterprise Architect at Fujitsu

Has lacked advanced features and led to higher costs but has simplified management through cloud access

I don't think there's an advantage with Cisco Meraki MR Wireless; I think it's overpriced for what it does. The pricing is one reason, and there is also a limited feature set without spending more money. If you have a particular device at a site and want to add the advanced feature set, you may have to upgrade the hardware, which increases your costs. In contrast, products such as Palo Alto and Fortinet typically have all those features built in from day one, and they just need to be licensed, if that. There are limitations in terms of scalability. My main concern is that Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is overpriced, has limited functionality, and the hardware is not prepared for any further improvements in terms of features.

Read full review

WarrenWilliams

Senior Account Manager at Bralin Technology Solutions

A solution that offers excellent support and makes it easy to manage networks

To utilize the solution properly, you need some training and guidance on that. Getting it working is easy, but if you're going to use it with feature sets that make WatchGuard worthwhile to use, it's probably not the easiest to set up. I'd rate the initial setup a seven out of ten. The time taken to deploy the solution depends on the project scope you're doing. Do you need ten WiFi access points or one? You could deploy the solution in an hour. We need one person to deploy the solution. But the number of people required for deployment depends on where the access points are deployed. Like, if it's the ceiling or whatever. The way we do it, we usually have an on-site technician who sets up the backend. We usually have two people when deploying the solution, but you can do it with one person. We have a team that manages the solution. But if you have ten people on a site to manage the solution, 15 minutes daily is enough.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Cloud management is something I appreciate; it's an easy product to manage in comparison to many others."

"The Meraki controller, which is a cloud-based controller, allows us to manage multiple Cisco Meraki MR Wireless APs and monitor their performance, user connectivity, signal, and the AP performance itself."

"The most useful feature of Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is its cloud-based management."

"As a user of the product, the biggest advantage for me is that it works seamlessly; users can switch between access points, and it works great."

"The Wi-Fi security features of this solution have been great for our customers who need to strictly control access to their network."

"The configuration part of WatchGuard is very flexible."

"Cloud analytics that provide all its attributes."

"The solution has been stable."

"We like that WatchGuard works and integrates directly with the firewalls we use."

"It makes it easy to obtain all information about the client experience."

"They're very easy to set up and get running."

Cons

"The challenge with Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is that for any Meraki device, you require internet connectivity to get it registered on the cloud."

"Overall, Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is a bit pricey; that's the main and probably only disadvantage."

"My main concern is that Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is overpriced, has limited functionality, and the hardware is not prepared for any further improvements in terms of features."

"The challenge with Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is that for any Meraki device, you require internet connectivity to get it registered on the cloud."

"The solution can be scaled but it has limitations from my experience."

"I don't think they're available at the best price."

"One of the things is if you buy it with a certain subscription, you can't easily change the subscription level."

"The support response can be time-consuming because sometimes issues are very sensitive and require instant attention."

"If a client device had issues with authentication due to out of date browser or similar difficulties, it would be nice to have the ability to migrate the client onto the portal via one click."

"The price of this solution needs to reviewed, as it is currently high enough to deter customers from trying it."

"Inability to import a user with one click."

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"The solution is priced high compared to competitors. However, for the features that are included in the solution, the price becomes more reasonable."

"WatchGuard is on the upper scale for pricing."

"Your licensing and cost, as would be required for many other solutions, being considered for eighty to two hundred and eighty different physical locations, is just about the same amount per access point."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Wireless LAN solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Computer Software Company

12%

Non Profit

12%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	2

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Meraki MR Wireless?

The cost of Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is high; the price of one AP to the end customer is approximately 50,000 INR.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco Meraki MR Wireless?

The challenge with Cisco Meraki MR Wireless is that for any Meraki device, you require internet connectivity to get it registered on the cloud. Most customers do not have internet connectivity due ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco Meraki MR Wireless?

The main use case for my customers is that they are using Cisco Meraki MR Wireless for their Wi-Fi users. Customers use Cisco Meraki MR Wireless across different industries, including plants and en...

See all answers

What needs improvement with WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi?

The support response can be time-consuming because sometimes issues are very sensitive and require instant attention. Also, when an incident occurs, the impact can be significantly huge. A recent p...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi?

We use WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi because we have used different tools as well, like Ubiquiti. The complexity of Ubiquiti is much more compared to WatchGuard, which provides more flexibility and is ea...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi?

We recommend using WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi, but when incidents occur, it can be very difficult to identify why they happen. Normally, the issues are simple to fix, but we recently faced a major inc...

See all answers

Comparisons

No data available

Ubiquiti WLAN vs WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi

Compared 36% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi

Compared 23% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi

Compared 21% of the time

Fortinet FortiWLM vs WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi

Compared 20% of the time

More WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki MR Wireless

October 2025

Download Cisco Meraki MR Wireless product report

Buyer's Guide

WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi

September 2025

Download WatchGuard Secure Wi‑Fi product report

Overview

Cisco Meraki MR Wireless offers a robust wireless connectivity solution designed for scalability and ease of deployment, making it suitable for modern enterprises seeking reliable network performance.

With its cloud-managed structure, Cisco Meraki MR Wireless provides comprehensive visibility and control over wireless environments, catering to diverse locations and user counts. Its seamless integration simplifies network management, crucial for data-driven decisions in enterprises. The system's configuration and maintenance are streamlined via the intuitive dashboard, ensuring users can optimize performance with minimal effort.

What are the important features of Cisco Meraki MR Wireless?

Cloud Management: Access and control your wireless network from anywhere, providing flexibility and ease of administration.
Seamless Scaling: Effortlessly expand the network as the organization grows without disruption.
Advanced Security: Integrated security features protect against threats and ensure data integrity.
Powerful Analytics: Gain insights into network usage to make informed decisions and optimize performance.

What benefits and ROI should users consider when evaluating Cisco Meraki MR Wireless?

Cost Efficiency: Reduced operational costs due to simplified management and deployment tools.
Time Savings: Quick setup and easy maintenance lead to significant time savings for IT teams.
Improved Performance: Enhanced network reliability and speed increase productivity and satisfaction.
Scalability: Adaptable solution that supports business growth without needing significant manual intervention.

Healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and retail environments favor Cisco Meraki MR Wireless for its robust security and ease of management in environments demanding reliable connectivity. Its ability to handle high-density environments with minimal latency makes it an asset in education. Retail chains utilize comprehensive analytics to optimize in-store experiences and operations.

Cisco

WatchGuard is a global leader in network security, secure Wi-Fi, and network intelligence products and services for SMBs and Distributed Enterprises worldwide. Our mission is to make enterprise-grade security accessible to companies of all types and sizes through simplicity, making WatchGuard an ideal solution for distributed enterprises and SMBs. WatchGuard is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.

WatchGuard

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Portsmouth Grammar School, HILOTEC

Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless LAN. Updated: October 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our list of best Wireless LAN vendors.

We monitor all Wireless LAN reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.