Ixia Hawkeye vs Meraki Dashboard comparison

Keysight Technologies and Cisco are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Keysight Technologies is ranked #37 with an average rating of 10.0, while Cisco is ranked #18 with an average rating of 8.4. Keysight Technologies holds a 0.3% mindshare in NMS, compared to Cisco’s 1.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Keysight Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Ixia Hawkeye

Read 4 Ixia Hawkeye reviews

706 Views
466 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Meraki Dashboard

Read 58 Meraki Dashboard reviews

2,277 Views
2,004 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Ixia Hawkeye

Meraki Dashboard

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Ixia Hawkeye and Meraki Dashboard compete in network performance and management. Ixia Hawkeye seems to have the upper hand in cost efficiency and support, while Meraki Dashboard offers a superior feature set that many users find worth the premium.

Features: Ixia Hawkeye offers powerful network monitoring, real-time analytics, and focuses on performance optimization. Meraki Dashboard provides an intuitive control panel, seamless integration with cloud services, and easy network management.

Room for Improvement: Ixia Hawkeye could enhance its feature set, improve its control panel, and integrate better with cloud services. Meraki Dashboard might reduce its learning curve, improve cost efficiency, and increase support responsiveness.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Ixia Hawkeye offers straightforward deployment, helpful documentation, and effective support channels. Meraki Dashboard’s cloud-centric deployment is simple but may require an initial learning curve, reflecting its seamless integration with cloud services but requiring more user effort initially.

Pricing and ROI: Ixia Hawkeye is recognized for low initial setup costs and strong ROI due to its economical pricing, appealing to budget-conscious buyers. Meraki Dashboard, while more expensive initially, offers significant long-term value with its rich features, compensating for higher setup costs through enhanced network performance benefits.

To learn more, read our detailed Ixia Hawkeye vs. Meraki Dashboard Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Ixia Hawkeye vs. Meraki Dashboard

September 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

Ixia Hawkeye

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

37th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Unified Communications Monitoring (3rd), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (36th)

Meraki Dashboard

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

18th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Ixia Hawkeye is 0.3%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Meraki Dashboard is 1.1%, down from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Meraki Dashboard	1.1%
Ixia Hawkeye	0.3%
Other	98.6%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

José Enrique Cano Rodriguez

Assistant Consultant at Tata Consultancy

A valuable tool for optimizing network performance and security with comprehensive network monitoring capabilities, user-friendly interface, and flexibility for scripting

Distinguishing itself from network management systems like SolarWinds Orion and Dataminer, Hawkeye offers a distinctive feature. It empowers network administrators to access specialized and detailed views for specific tests, including video streaming and performance related to specific applications like video games. In contrast, SolarWinds and Dataminer typically offer a more general evaluation of network health. Hawkeye's unique capability enables a detailed analysis of network performance through specific tests, allowing administrators to identify areas in need of improvement and take precise actions to enhance network performance.

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MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Dashboard provides comprehensive network security and management capabilities

I don't have specific handy names. Meraki Dashboard uses multiple functions where we can configure SSIDs, firewall policies, DHCP, multiple VLANs and DHCP configurations, VLAN configurations, access control policies, MAC binding, client access based on MAC authentication and certificate-based authentication. We have configured SSO for Windows Active Directory by configuring the RADIUS services. We have implemented many customer requirements in Meraki Dashboard. With the detailed visibility feature of Meraki Dashboard, I get connected clients information, including how much data each client downloaded and what applications they accessed. I can obtain detailed data including ISP links level monitoring and speed. I can perform speed tests, generate analytics reports, convert to Excel based on each user for each department, create dashboards, monitor and limit bandwidths, and restrict specific URLs. The advanced security configuration in Meraki Dashboard is useful for network security. Substantial security can be achieved within Meraki Dashboard itself, eliminating the need for additional firewalls to protect your network. You can configure WAN monitoring, users' ACLs, URL filtering, web filtering, and department-wise access configuration for specific client applications. It's completely cloud-managed, and in a simplified way, you don't need to visit any physical infrastructure to monitor activities. Apart from access points, everything is in the cloud. We have monitored IoT solutions, CCTV monitoring, and can detect and control intrusions. When people connect IoT devices to your network, Meraki Dashboard can detect what device it is and control those access controls, even with different operating systems.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It empowers network administrators to access specialized and detailed views for specific tests, including video streaming and performance related to specific applications like video games."

"The ease of setup is the most valuable aspect of this solution. It's easy to set up and run tests."

"Our customer was happiest with the price of this product."

"The most valuable feature is the deployment because it's very easy to deploy real flow through the network."

"The most valuable feature of Meraki Dashboard is we can manage our switches and access point in one place."

"You don't have to be a network engineer to use it."

"It has improved my organization in the way that we've got a much better wireless coverage than we had before, and secondly, we have the visibility of all the users."

"The feature I find most valuable is the single pane of glass where you can configure a monitor view, all from one dashboard. For example, on the wireless side, you can configure it under the configuration panel, and then view statistics like location analytics, user analytics, etc."

"The most valuable feature is the single pane of glass that gives you multisite visibility."

"With the detailed visibility feature of Meraki Dashboard, I get connected clients information, including how much data each client downloaded and what applications they accessed."

"The initial setup process is quite simple."

"The user-friendly interface facilitated a quick and efficient setup process."

More Meraki Dashboard pros

Cons

"Ixia has one flaw, which is that they do not print the license code on the paper licenses that are shipped to the customers."

"Improvements in network performance are essential."

"The customization of tests and even the results can be improved."

"You can't delete more than one thing at a time. It would be great to be able to highlight three out of five things and delete them, whether it's a test or an actual report."

"An area for improvement in Meraki Dashboard is licensing management because it's a little complex. Product licensing can be made a little bit easier through license concurrency and a more straightforward approach to applying the license to products and services."

"The product is missing a VPN and it is a major issue when it comes to deployment."

"I am concerned about the fact that once your licensing expires the devices stop working and become a brick."

"More integration would be an improvement."

"One area that could use improvement in the Meraki Dashboard is user-friendliness when navigating to port configurations."

"For instance, you should be able to see if something has been blocked by a firewall rule by looking at a live log of traffic moving through the device. It helps you troubleshoot issues and understand if your rules are working. You need to ensure the firewall is blocking the right things. That's unavailable in the Meraki Dashboard. You have to send the logs to a log server. We use SolarWinds locally, but it's not natively built into Meraki. We're also using Cisco ISA and another tool called Smoothwall."

"When users are trying to roam from one location to another location, geographical tracking would be helpful."

"There needs to be more improvement on the device-connected interface."

More Meraki Dashboard cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It cost us approximately 25,000 for two years. This is cheaper than ThousandEyes."

"In larger networks, the costs for licenses tend to be more reasonable, but for smaller networks, it appears relatively costly."

"You don't have to pay for the dashboard."

"Typically, the license model is for one, three, and five years. They can just be a bit more flexible around it and look into providing an option for 24 months."

"Licensing for Meraki Dashboard is paid every year, and it's on a per-device model that costs roughly $300 to $400 per device, but that comes with full support and troubleshooting, etc. Compared to similar products, Meraki Dashboard is quite high-end, but the costs you pay are all-in."

"It is said to be expensive."

"Meraki Dashboard is a utility and portal that's part of the Meraki solution."

"The licensing fees are $180 USD, per AP, for three years."

"I’m not sure of the exact cost, however, it’s my understanding the Meraki WiFi is around $800. That’s for a three-year license. It’s about $150 a year."

"From a pricing perspective, they are still expensive."

More Meraki Dashboard pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

University

Computer Software Company

16%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	22
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	25

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Ixia Hawkeye?

It empowers network administrators to access specialized and detailed views for specific tests, including video streaming and performance related to specific applications like video games.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Ixia Hawkeye?

Improvements in network performance are essential.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Ixia Hawkeye?

Our objective is to evaluate the performance of GPON and DOCSIS networks which involves considering factors such as pricing, sales, and the technical aspects of conducting tests. To achieve this, v...

See all answers

What do you like most about Meraki Dashboard?

We greatly utilize the network because we can plug it into the DNS, VPN, or equipment. It's very good. Meraki Dashboard enhances wireless network management. We appreciate its flexibility, as it al...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Meraki Dashboard?

The cost of the Meraki solution is high, which may not be affordable for smaller companies, especially in developing countries.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Meraki Dashboard?

Improving the AI capabilities would be beneficial as the machine should learn more extensively. The future is AI-driven. Network availability is crucial based on machine understanding, so the machi...

See all answers

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Compared 18% of the time

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Compared 13% of the time

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Compared 8% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs Meraki Dashboard

Compared 7% of the time

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Compared 7% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Network Monitoring Software

October 2025

Download Ixia Hawkeye product report

Buyer's Guide

Meraki Dashboard

September 2025

Download Meraki Dashboard product report

Overview

Hawkeye quickly and effectively validates network performance, isolates problems, and proactively detects issues by running scheduled verification tests. Using a combination of hardware and software agents called Performance Endpoints, Hawkeye simulates application traffic and sends key performance metrics to a central console for fast action.

Keysight Technologies

Meraki Dashboard is a comprehensive cloud-based platform that offers centralized management and control for all Meraki networking and security products. It provides a user-friendly interface, allowing administrators to easily monitor and configure their network infrastructure from anywhere. With real-time visibility, troubleshooting becomes effortless, ensuring optimal performance and minimizing downtime.

The intuitive dashboard offers a holistic view of the network, enabling quick identification of potential issues and proactive measures. It simplifies network deployment and scaling, with zero-touch provisioning and automatic firmware updates. The robust security features include advanced threat protection, content filtering, and VPN connectivity.

Meraki Dashboard also offers powerful analytics and reporting capabilities, providing valuable insights into network usage, application performance, and user behavior. With its seamless integration and scalability,

Meraki Dashboard is the ideal solution for organizations of all sizes, ensuring efficient network management and enhanced productivity.

Cisco

Sample Customers

EMA

Coop eG, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Priefert Manufacturing, Century Care Management, Clifton College, Zürs Ski Resort, Capital FM Arena, MAXI Autohöfe

Buyer's Guide

Ixia Hawkeye vs. Meraki Dashboard

September 2025

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