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Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs ExtremeWireless comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
1.0
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN provides cost savings, ease of use, and management, though high costs may deter larger businesses.
Sentiment score
8.5
ExtremeWireless provides scalable, cost-effective solutions with 30% ROI savings, easy deployment, and excellent support for long-term use.
The best ROI is achieved over a three-year term.
Engineer at NewLogics
The monitoring access and excellent support provide significant value.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.3
Meraki support is efficient and accessible, yet users note inconsistent assistance and desire enhanced knowledge base resources.
Sentiment score
7.2
ExtremeWireless support is helpful but inconsistent, with slow response times and limited availability affecting user satisfaction. Ratings vary.
I would rate Cisco support a 10, as the response time and process via the dashboard are easy, and response times are always within the SLA.
Independent Information Technology and Services Professional at a non-profit with 1-10 employees
It would be better if the SLA of technical support was less than four hours.
Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk
There are some problems with their technical support when it comes to the whole Meraki system.
Senior Network Architect at Previder
I rate their support as a nine because they are very helpful when we need assistance and they strive to help, even if not the fastest.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
The technical support sometimes closes cases without resolution.
Engineer at NewLogics
I would rate the customer service as a ten.
Network Engineer at a consultancy with 201-500 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
4.2
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is praised for its scalable cloud-based system, despite cost and configuration challenges.
Sentiment score
6.7
ExtremeWireless is scalable and adaptable for medium to large enterprises but may face stability issues at higher user thresholds.
Meraki is not scalable enough since it straightforwardly maps its products to segmented specifications.
Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk
The Extreme access points handle high-density connectivity needs very well, managing lots of traffic efficiently.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
ExtremeWireless is suitable for companies with a user base below three hundred.
IT executive at a agriculture with 1,001-5,000 employees
ExtremeWireless is quite scalable.
Systems Engineer at LinkAxia Networks Sdn Bhd
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
4.4
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is stable with high user satisfaction, though firmware updates and outages may occasionally cause issues.
Sentiment score
7.0
ExtremeWireless is praised for its stability and reliability, though some encounter challenges with firmware updates in high-density environments.
Stability is not an issue for me because it comes with Cisco's proven manufacturer quality.
Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk
We have experienced many instances where we have experienced a lag in our network, and I am not sure if it is due to their devices or our network.
Manager, Information Technology at a performing arts with 11-50 employees
They work well without failures.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
I experienced issues during firmware upgrades, as some devices required a physical restart, which affects system stability.
Network Administrator at THK Co Ltd
The stability of ExtremeWireless is somewhat weaker compared to previous solutions, like Motorola before its acquisition.
IT executive at a agriculture with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN users seek improved error logs, advanced features, better support, competitive pricing, and enhanced third-party integration.
ExtremeWireless must enhance affordability, integration, security, support, and performance to improve competitiveness and meet small business needs.
The most important improvement needed is to eliminate the limitation of uplinks.
Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk
Some of the newer models of the Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN access point have encompassed the new wireless protocols and increased the strength of their antennas.
Manager, Information Technology at a performing arts with 11-50 employees
The solution supports Wi-Fi 6.
Senior Network Architect at Previder
I wish for ExtremeWireless to optimize the roaming capability between access points, especially for IoT devices.
Network Administrator at THK Co Ltd
They should develop more troubleshooting tools for system management.
Network Engineer at a consultancy with 201-500 employees
There is some delay in firmware upgrades for access points.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is stable but expensive; negotiate with resellers for trials and discounts, especially for SMBs.
ExtremeWireless provides good value with both free and paid options, despite medium-high pricing and substantial hardware costs.
The pricing of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is not competitive enough for the SMB market compared to other brands.
Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is on par with other devices in that category, offering competitive pricing.
Manager, Information Technology at a performing arts with 11-50 employees
My experience with the pricing of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is that it is competitive with other providers offering paid subscriptions.
Independent Information Technology and Services Professional at a non-profit with 1-10 employees
Each customer typically buys around 100 APs, which makes it quite expensive.
Systems Engineer at LinkAxia Networks Sdn Bhd
The pricing is favorable due to its flexible licensing model.
Engineer at NewLogics
The pricing is a weak point for Extreme; it is very high.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN simplifies cloud management with robust features enhancing network operations, integration, and analytics for enterprises.
ExtremeWireless offers cloud management, strong security, seamless integration, and stability, making it ideal for security-focused sectors.
It also manages security clients and switches, providing a single dashboard to manage multiple network infrastructures.
Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN has helped optimize network traffic very effectively, as we do prioritization for streaming and web conferencing apps, resulting in a clear, visible improvement in performance.
Independent Information Technology and Services Professional at a non-profit with 1-10 employees
The ability to program all access points from the Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN dashboard, view the status of all of them, and examine the individual devices connected to each access point is very valuable.
Manager, Information Technology at a performing arts with 11-50 employees
A single license can be used for on-premises, hybrid, or cloud, allowing for easy transition between solutions without losing investment.
Engineer at NewLogics
The most valuable features of ExtremeWireless include the management through the one dashboard management with ActionCloud IQ, integrated with Site Engine.
Systems Engineer at LinkAxia Networks Sdn Bhd
The support from Extreme is very good and helpful.
Wireless Network Analyst at a construction company with 51-200 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN
Ranking in Wireless LAN
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
4.4
Number of Reviews
122
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
ExtremeWireless
Ranking in Wireless LAN
14th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is 10.3%, down from 13.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ExtremeWireless is 2.3%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN10.3%
ExtremeWireless2.3%
Other87.4%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

DolfKrikke - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Architect at Previder
Centralized management has simplified remote branch control and improved network visibility
Cisco Meraki Wireless is very powerful and very easy to manage. The solution is also integrating Cisco Catalyst Wireless products into their portfolio, and they are managing the Catalyst switches as well. The seamless roaming capabilities function well. I monitor network performance with Meraki's real-time analytics. The most useful metrics to my team are the internet performance metrics, as there is a lot of information in the dashboard that I can access. All auditing and event logs are centralized in the dashboard. When I need to apply to compliance requirements or other regulatory needs, I can have my auditing in one place, which is an advantage. I use Cisco Meraki Wireless's Layer 7 application traffic shaping with the MX and the Meraki MX Firewalls.
KO
Network Administrator at THK Co Ltd
We manage complex networks with seamless guest and user access while ensuring device authorization
I use enterprise connections where users need to be authorized against radius servers. This feature is common across various products, including ExtremeWireless. Generally, the network management is valuable to me. However, I am unsure how the security architecture enhances our network protection as we typically use the latest firmware for access points. Nonetheless, we had some troubles with roaming, requiring me to install specific firmware to avoid issues.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Educational Organization
7%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
9%
University
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business69
Midsize Enterprise27
Large Enterprise31
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise8
 

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...
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...
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...
What needs improvement with ExtremeWireless?
There are concerns regarding the stability of ExtremeWireless. It could be an area of improvement, especially when compared to previous solutions such as Motorola before their acquisition. Another ...
What is your primary use case for ExtremeWireless?
We mainly use ExtremeWireless ( /products/extremewireless-reviews ) for the warehouse, specifically for the Zebra handheld devices and printers.
What advice do you have for others considering ExtremeWireless?
Overall, ExtremeWireless has a lot of room for improvement. The main concern is stability. As a user, I focus on supporting the devices and ensuring they meet my client’s needs. While I do not hand...
 

Also Known As

MR18, MR26, MR32, MR34, MR66, MR72, Meraki Wireless LAN, Meraki WLAN
No data available
 

Overview

 

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
St. Xavier High School, Americatel, Diamond Light Source
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. ExtremeWireless and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,515 professionals have used our research since 2012.