Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs D-Link Wireless comparison

Cisco and D-Link are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Cisco is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.2, while D-Link is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.2. Cisco holds a 12.6% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to D-Link’s 2.2% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of D-Link users who would recommend it.

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Read 119 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN reviews

13,735 Views
11,204 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

D-Link Wireless

Read 17 D-Link Wireless reviews

2,506 Views
2,063 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

D-Link Wireless

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and D-Link Wireless compete in the wireless network solutions category. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN has the upper hand due to its comprehensive cloud management and detailed analytics.

Features: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN provides advanced cloud management for easy network monitoring, detailed analytics, and robust security measures. It integrates seamlessly with RADIUS and SSO, allows flexible SSID configurations, and offers excellent ease of use. D-Link Wireless focuses on basic wireless connectivity and switching, providing fewer integrations and limited cloud capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN could improve logging granularity, advanced routing features, and reduce licensing costs. Users want better GDPR compliance, improved technical support wait times, and wider Wi-Fi 6 availability. D-Link Wireless could enhance its stability, increase controller visibility, and offer more learning opportunities about features. Its support services need to be more responsive, with improvements in scalability and management.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN supports cloud, hybrid, and on-premises deployments with excellent customer service, though response times can vary. D-Link Wireless predominantly offers straightforward on-premises setups. Its customer service is good but lacks ease of use and quick support response times compared to Cisco Meraki.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is priced higher due to its comprehensive features and licensing model, appealing to companies valuing advanced analytics. D-Link Wireless, with its competitive pricing, is favorable for cost-conscious customers seeking basic wireless solutions. Although Meraki's price is high, customers find value in its features, while D-Link offers reasonable ROI for its simplicity and affordability.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. D-Link Wireless Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. D-Link Wireless

June 2025

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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 Wireless LAN

Ranking in Wireless LAN

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

5.1

Number of Reviews

119

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

D-Link Wireless

Ranking in Wireless LAN

12th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is 12.6%, up from 12.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of D-Link Wireless is 2.2%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

RezaPradipta

Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk

Streamline network management with a unified dashboard for seamless device integration

The primary use case for Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is mostly for enterprise wireless, including guest Wi-Fi and enterprise Wi-Fi. I use it across various industries with a focus on retail Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN offers a single pane of glass management. It only comes with a controller on the…

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NadirShahzad

System Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

Wireless projects run smoothly with more access point support and competitive pricing

D-Link Wireless offers more supported APs to the WLC with the default license compared to other brands like Cisco. With Cisco, only four to five APs are connected with the default license, but D-Link Wireless provides more flexibility. Local support in Pakistan is necessary for those with limited budgets, creating a reach in the market.

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

"The most valuable features are the multiple types of user groupings and access management."

"The stability of the Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is very good."

"The most valuable features include key elements like creating SSIDs, networking configurations, and the ability to manage all devices through a single console."

"The solution is stable and reliable."

"With Cisco products and third-party products, integration of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is good."

"It is very handy to have a support number to call."

"Cisco provides 24/7 support"

"The most valuable feature is the ease of deployment."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pros

"D-Link Wireless is a tool that is used since it is an easy and user-friendly product."

"The most valuable feature of D-Link Wireless is its durability."

"The connectivity is good."

"The product's initial setup phase is easy."

"The initial setup process was easy."

"The system simplifies network management."

"I like the product's signal continuity and range. We can receive the signal up to 20-30 meters from the wireless antenna."

"The setup process is very easy."

More D-Link Wireless pros

Cons

"If you lose connectivity with the controller, your Wi-Fi network is immediately impacted."

"The biggest pain point is that they limit you through firewall throughput. I understand why they do it, but that really grates me. For instance, for 450 Mbps throughput, you're looking at £800 for a router, whereas if you look at the one gig connection, for some of us are lucky enough to have a gig connection, you could almost be spending £3,000 for the option to have one gig connectivity. That's one of the pain points I've got. I don't mind paying for throughput, but I should at least have the option to be able to update that throughput, maybe through extra licensing or something else. It is crazy expensive to jump through to the next one."

"The initial setup could be made easier."

"I would like to see Cisco Meraki improve the accessibility by region level here in Latin America."

"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."

"The user interface needs to be improved."

"I would like to see them improve their support where an assigned engineer can take the case all the way to closure. Usually, you get a different engineer calling regarding the same ticket."

"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."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN cons

"The only issue is with the controller visibility of the devices connecting to the network."

"The solution's performance could be improved."

"The solution doesn't have hotspots. Users can't set it up so that visitors can log in via Facebook or social media as they can at, for example, airports. D-Link should include hotspots that offer integration with social media. That way, visitors don't need to be asking people for passwords. They can just use Facebook."

"The tool's technical support can get difficult sometimes. We got a technician only after complaining for 10-15 days. The tool's technicians need to be made available everywhere."

"D-Link Wireless’s stability needs improvement."

"Sometimes, the solution needs to be restarted."

"Its interface and support system need much improvement. Sometimes, when we use the interface to reset the password and configure SSIDs, or some other changes, the "Save" option does not show and we have to go to some internal setting and then we can "save" the setting. The “Save” option should be in front of or below of the settings."

"Password restriction: Sometimes we set a password and it uses that password but, after some days/months, the password gets changed and a few laptops still use old the password while a few use the new password. The password restriction option needs to improve."

More D-Link Wireless cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Meraki is a very good solution, but the price is quite high for small markets."

"The platform is expensive."

"The price is on the high side when compared to Aruba."

"The price/benefit ratio is great."

"The solution's pricing is a little higher."

"It is expensive."

"You have to renew your contract every year, or for three or for five years. If you do not pay right away they will suspend your subscription."

"The pricing is based on a subscription and is a bit high at the moment."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pricing and cost advice

"The product is affordable."

"D-Link pricing is very competitive when you consider other OEMs."

"D-Link Wireless is cheaper than Ruckus or Cisco."

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is very cheap and ten is very expensive, I rate the pricing an eight out of ten."

"This solution is more affordable than others on the market."

"D-Link Wireless' price is the same as Aruba's. You need to pay one-time costs for the product."

"There is no licensing fee for the solution."

"The cost can range from $100 to $400."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Educational Organization

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What are pros and cons of Aruba 515 Series AP vs. Cisco Meraki or Extreme Networks?

Depends. I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them. Extreme I am not, so unless they have some feature that I need or want, I wouldn't consider them. Do you have expe...

See all answers

Which is better - Cisco Wireless or Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?

Cisco Wireless is very robust, very rugged, and can handle indoor and outdoor coverage extremely well. We found it to be very reliable and to consistently run very efficiently. Cisco Wireless helpe...

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How does Ruckus Wireless compare to Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?

Cisco’s Meraki Virtual MX is a virtual instance of the Meraki SD-WAN appliance. We liked the Meraki. The Wifi APs are a great feature. The dashboard is a simple interface and easy to learn. It feat...

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Which wireless solution would you choose - Huawei or D-Link?

Huawei wireless is a strong and solid product that has a lot of features - and for all that it offers, it happens to be very cost effective. As a wireless solution, it is simple and its user interf...

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What do you like most about D-Link Wireless?

The tool supports new technologies.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for D-Link Wireless?

D-Link Wireless is notably more affordable than Cisco and Juniper. It suits SMB needs without the financial burden of purchasing additional licenses for extended APs.

See all answers

Comparisons

Aruba Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 32% of the time

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 14% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 11% of the time

Ubiquiti Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN Competitors

Huawei Wireless vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 58% of the time

Ubiquiti WLAN vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 11% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 10% of the time

Omada Access Points vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 9% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 8% of the time

More D-Link Wireless Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

June 2025

Download Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN product report

Buyer's Guide

D-Link Wireless

June 2025

Download D-Link Wireless product report

Also Known As

MR18, MR26, MR32, MR34, MR66, MR72, Meraki Wireless LAN, Meraki WLAN

D-Link WLAN

Overview

Cisco Meraki access points are built from the highest grade components and carefully optimized for a seamless user experience. The outcome: faster connections, greater user capacity, more coverage, and fewer support calls. The Cisco Meraki dashboard gives visibility into the network users, their devices, and their applications. Armed with rich analytics, administrators can quickly create access control and application usage policies, optimizing both the end-user experience and network security.

Cisco

D-Link Wireless offers a wide range of robust wireless Access Points (APs) operating in both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands, supporting the latest wireless standards including 802.11ac and 802.11n. These access points can be managed independently as standalone devices, or collectively by using Central Wi-Fi Manager, a free centralized controller software that can be installed on a Windows server or PC.

D-Link

Sample Customers

Advanced Medical Transport, Banco de Guayaquil, Baylor Scott & White Health, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, Calligaris, Children's Hospital Colorado, City of Biel, Del Papa Distributing, Department of Justice, Dimension Data, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Hertz, K&L Gates , LightEdge, Lone Star College System, Management Science Associates, Mindtree, NBC Olympics, Quest, Sony Corporation, The Department of Education in Western Australia, Valley Proteins

Metropolitan Public Defender, Mission Motorcycles

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. D-Link Wireless

June 2025

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