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Project Director
MSP
Nov 26, 2017
Presence analytics enables retail stores to recognize their customers at multiple locations

What is most valuable?

In my previous employment, I used to deploy Meraki solutions for retail stores. They really liked the the Presence analytics feature. Basically, they could tell how many clients came into each store and how many clients came out, using the MAC addresses, not some kind of analog solution. So not only could they know how many clients came in and came out, but also how many returning customers came to each location. They could take that data and match it up with the other locations, and get a lot of marketing information from that too.

In addition to Presence analytics, Layer 7 filtering allowed me to filter connectivity by service and not by port. Also Easy VPN connectivity between the Merakis, multiple SSID configurations, plus I could segregate one SSID from another. One more feature I would add is Facebook integration. 

How has it helped my organization?

It improved the marketing solution of the company where I deployed it and it improved the way they gather marketing data tremendously. Instead of sending emails to customers with their old access-point solution, each client that came into the store - by checking into the store, they could connect right away to Wi-Fi - the store could get a lot of the social media data from their clients. That's how they got automatic marketing going, by the clients checking into Facebook. So their friends could see right away their check-ins, and so on.

It's funny, because these are solutions that are more in the marketing area rather than the network, but there's no other solution that provides this.

What needs improvement?

The process of getting licensing can be a little bit painful, especially if you're doing it each year. The customer support could also take a while to get on the line.

For how long have I used the solution?

I'd say around five years.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No issues with stability. It was good. Once I deployed it, I totally forgot about it. It did its job, network-wise.

How are customer service and support?

I would say it's about a seven out of 10.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously we used a different solution that only offered the ability to get emails from customers, and this provided a much better solution for a retail environment.

How was the initial setup?

Simple.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Merkaki was there before I was hired, and I'm the one who took it and presented it to my supervisor. From there, I went and presented it to the company where I deployed it. It was a great story. It was only after about two weeks at my new job back then, I brought the solution to my company, and then I sold the solution, configured the solution, designed the solution, and maintained the solution day-to-day. So it was something that I did my own research on.

What other advice do I have?

Look at all the features it has to offer, not only network-wise. For example, the Meraki MR12 is an excellent solution for retail, and you also have a Meraki that has great switches where you can control everything over the cloud, and so on. There are different features that fit well so I'd recommend looking into everything it has to offer, and all the solutions.

I give it a 10 out of 10 because I don't see any other product in the market that offers the same solutions, at least for retail.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Administrator at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
MSP
Top 5Leaderboard
Mar 16, 2024
Helps to manage network infrastructure but needs to improve integrations
Pros and Cons
  • "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 allows for easy suite configuration. We can handle everything on there when there's a policy or any other requirement."
  • "The tool needs to incorporate more integration platforms. Integrating technical support features directly into the dashboard would be highly beneficial. This would allow technicians to troubleshoot issues more efficiently."

What is our primary use case?

The tool's main use case for our logistics company is to manage our global network infrastructure. Employees can connect from any part of the world.

What is most valuable?

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 allows for easy suite configuration. We can handle everything on there when there's a policy or any other requirement.

The tool's real-time monitoring capabilities are good. My experience with the mobile application management features of the Meraki Dashboard has been positive. Recently, a customer raised concerns about excessive bandwidth consumption in their network due to equipment connected to the Meraki dashboard. We quickly identified a new MAC address consuming bandwidth by enabling monitoring within the Meraki dashboard. Within minutes, we could pinpoint the issue and take necessary actions, such as limiting bandwidth or blocking the IP or MAC address from the network.

What needs improvement?

The tool needs to incorporate more integration platforms. Integrating technical support features directly into the dashboard would be highly beneficial. This would allow technicians to troubleshoot issues more efficiently. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the product for seven years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the tool's stability a ten out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate the solution's scalability a ten out of ten. 

How was the initial setup?

The tool's deployment is not complex. The deployment process involved assessing the requirements, obtaining necessary permissions for network access, and proceeding with the installation and configuration.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Meraki Dashboard's pricing is reasonable. It is sold yearly, typically for one, three, or five years. I rate its pricing a five out of ten. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate the overall product a ten out of ten. I recommend considering Meraki Dashboard as it offers high security, stability, flexibility, and reasonable pricing.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Meraki Dashboard
December 2025
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José Oliveira - PeerSpot reviewer
Strategic Business Consultant at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Nov 12, 2023
Reliable product that provides efficient monitoring features
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a reliable product. It provides a lot of information that is easy to read."
  • "They could offer API functionality for Meraki Dashboard. It will help us develop software immediately using available solutions."

What is our primary use case?

We use the product to manage the services for our customers. Some of the customers operate the product themselves to monitor installations.

What is most valuable?

It is a reliable product. It provides a lot of information that is easy to read.

What needs improvement?

They could offer API functionality for Meraki Dashboard. It will help us develop software immediately using available solutions.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Meraki Dashboard for five or six years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Meraki Dashboard is easy to expand. I rate its scalability a nine out of ten.

How was the initial setup?

The initial process is easy.

What other advice do I have?

It is a cloud-based solution, and we can handle the activity remotely. It is very convenient and easy for customers to monitor their business infrastructure. I rate it an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
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Buyer's Guide
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