Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN Reviews

Our project's primary use case for Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is within the education sector, encompassing approximately 5,000 schools. The deployment involves the installation of 20 to 30 access points per school, establishing a robust LAN infrastructure. This network is the backbone for various communication tools, particularly integrated with Google Workspace, facilitating collaborative activities. With a deployment of around 55,000 Cisco Meraki access points, it supports diverse educational activities across multiple sites.

The product's pricing needs improvement. 

We have been using Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN for five years.

I rate the platform's stability an eight out of ten.

The product is easy to scale. However, the extension might be expensive compared to other vendors. I rate the scalability an eight out of ten.

Cisco has good support services.

Positive

The initial setup is straightforward. It may take a week to complete the deployment. We have 40 engineers working on the implementation process. We have a dedicated maintenance team as well.

The platform is more expensive than other solutions.

The product's cloud availability feature is the most valuable for network management. It provides simple mobility and configuration options to create a new wireless network for new site access.

The reliable speed with Cisco Meraki has been impressive, particularly in our data center, where we leverage high-speed technologies. It is crucial for facilitating collaborative work involving tablets and computers on the Wi-Fi network, especially for tasks like design, computing, and image rendering.

The use of a portal for gate access adds an extra layer of security for corporate IT and access management. Authentication through dot1x PAP (Password Authentication Protocol) and 3P (3rd Party) for enhanced security access.

I rate it a nine out of ten.

The solution was deployed in five locations in The Netherlands. We are in K-12 education. Around 2000 students and 500 staff have used Meraki WiFi for the past seven years. 

Younger students have Apple iPads and older students use Microsoft Surface. Staff have a mixture of Dell laptops and Microsoft Surfaces, and can move between sites using the same SSID on all sites. 

Infrastructure is mostly Cisco Catalyst switches L2 and L3, with Sophos firewalls. The use of mobile devices is mainly internet browsing, with some local access to internal database applications.

Cisco Meraki is easy to set up and maintain, yet has issues with firmware updates breaking functions, and not being fixed for months - in one case more than one year. 

Roaming seems to be a function they break regularly with their updates, and then cannot find a solution for. They ask us to wait 18 months for a fix, whilst telling us to upgrade to fix other issues, and not fixing the roaming issue. 

If you don’t discover the problem within two weeks, they refuse to downgrade you to a working firmware version, leaving you with a non-working one. 

And putting the emphasis on you to prove you have a problem. We are a Microsoft school and don’t have Apple, and yet they asked us to find a personal Apple device to install packet capture software on, so they can troubleshoot their issues. It took more than a month to get them to admit there was a problem with their firmware and roll it back to a working version. All the time, students were having problems with roaming.

Licensing is obviously an issue with these devices. You need to buy a license to keep it working. If the license runs out you have no WiFi anymore.

For the last issue I reported, the response from the helpdesk was ‘use a less complex password’. Our password was ‘password’.

On the positive side, they will replace any broken hardware without question.

After five years we decided to replace our old Meraki APs, and Cisco gave a quote for 80 thousand euros, plus they wanted us to relocate every access point to a different position in the building. Another company gave us a quote for a quarter to this price, with no licenses needed and access points in every classroom. Needless to say, we ditched Meraki.

It is very handy to have a support number to call. They will replace the hardware the next day if you prove it is broken.

The dashboard has a lot of functions and is fast, and you can configure everything you need from the dashboard.

The app is handy - when it works and you can log in.

Firewall and traffic shaping are very useful. Also, application blocking is handy.

You can see exactly which clients are connected to which device and trace traffic going to that device.

Maps and floor plans are very useful to see where a client is connected.

The licensing model is a terrible idea. Don’t buy a license for seven years, you will be stuck with old hardware that doesn’t work properly anymore, and can’t be replaced and you are expected to pay yourself to replace in order to fix their issues. If they can't fix the issues anymore in 7-year-old hardware they should replace the hardware at their expense, however, all they say is you have to buy new hardware. A maximum of a five-year license is my recommendation. WiFi technology moves fast and seven-year-old hardware is no longer workable.

The limit of two weeks on rolling back a firmware update is ridiculous. If you report a problem that affects a whole location they should let you roll back the firmware after any amount of time, not limited to two weeks. Then you have to spend a month every day on the phone trying to persuade them that you have a serious issue with their firmware.

I've used the solution for seven years.

The stability is fine until you upgrade firmware and then discover something doesn't work. 

The solution is good and easy to scale if you keep the same settings everywhere.

The helpdesk is always available to help you, but their help is very limited sometimes. For example, if you have gone over the 2 weeks deadline with downgrades, they can refuse to downgrade you until you prove to them that your new firmware isn't working properly. So don't expect to have working WiFi for a few weeks, whilst you try and prove to the helpdesk you have a problem. Then after a month they finally admit there is an issue, and agree to downgrade you, and all the problems magically go away. Until the next time, you upgrade.

Neutral

We used Cisco's traditional WiFi with hardware controllers on all sites - AIR-CAP and AIR-LAP

We switched due to the fact that the cloud dashboard to manage all sites seemed like a great idea, no more controllers on-site to maintain, and support was built in to the licensing.

The setup was done by a reseller, who said 'this is a standard install, nothing special' until we had 1,000 students all come into the school after the holiday and discovered it didn't work properly. 

Then when talking with Meraki, we discovered the reseller had set it up with default settings, hadn't accounted for high density, and didn't do the channel planning properly. After several re-visits, they did a channel plan and set it up manually, which did help.

Through a reseller. Level of expertise = nil. Meraki had to tell them how to setup the correct channels.

High capital expenditure and licensing costs make it an expensive option compared to other vendors in the market.

The cost of the hardware and licensing is extreme compared to other vendors. The Meraki model would be great for small/medium businesses with many locations to manage in one dashboard. However, it's not good for education, the roaming often doesn't work and the rollback is difficult, especially if Meraki decide they are not going to help you, and not fix their issues for 18 months.

We might have looked at Ruckus and Aruba, however, Meraki seemed like the best option for us. It was also recommended by Oxford University at an education event.

Make sure it's the right solution for your business. Don't buy a seven-year license as seven years is too long in the WiFi space. 

Get a good reseller who will give you good support, not just say "contact Meraki" every time you have a problem.

We are transitioning away from Meraki to another vendor, with four sites down and one to go. There are no regrets so far.

EDIT: 7 years later, our new wifi vendor so much better. Cheaper, stable and much easier to manage.

I've been working with schools for about 20 years. I previously worked in a school with four campuses and about one thousand students, where I managed all four campuses' wireless networks with Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN.

The solution's most valuable features at that time were the ease of managing on the cloud without having a server and the authentication using RADIUS integrated with the server on the cloud. It will be authenticated by MAC address, and access will be provided through that.

Updating the equipment and the scheme they use to bill for the license could be improved. We once had to move some access points from one campus to another. Since each campus has its own specifications, we had to delete the access points from one and reschedule them on the other, but we spent money on a new license. That was a management problem we faced.

We tried to implement the single sign-on with Google, which was a bit complex.

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is a very stable solution. We had issues with models, and at that time, it was very sensible to glitches on the internet network. Since we completely depend on the internet network, any problem with the network will cause issues.

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN has huge scalability because everything will be compatible with it.

The solution's technical support depends on the local supplier. You can contract a simple support system with the local supplier. You can also buy support with Cisco, but it's really costly.

Positive

Each product is deployed with a specific target. Aruba is more specific for security, and Ruckus is more network and wireless-focused. Aruba is the best option if you want ten access points. If you make a network of 20 to 40 access points, Ruckus will give you the best management because it has some software that makes it easier to implement and manage.

If you want to integrate everything with voice-over IP and video, Cisco is the best option because it gives you more granularity on how you can configure it.

I could do most of the deployment by myself. It was a one-man job instead of a team. Otherwise, you will need an expert in each campus. I deployed the solution on one campus during one summer vacation, and the next summer, I deployed it on another campus. The next summer, we deployed it on the third campus, and so on. Everything was deployed after a couple of years, and we could use it.

You could say we deployed the solution in a couple of months because the actual deployment happened during the summer vacations.

The solution's pricing is a little higher. Earlier, you didn't have many options. Currently, Cisco's pricing is still high, but there are other options available. All the other brands, like Aruba and Ruckus, are catching up. Pricing is becoming more of an issue with Cisco because it's still very high compared with other products. The other products are implementing the technology that Cisco has.

Meraki has a lot of levels of security implementation. The first one is very limited because you can only block ten web pages with it, and it's not very granular. If you want to do something else, you have to buy another product specifically for security and put it on the network.

Meraki now implements access points and switches and has a security brand element. It depends on what level of security you want to put in, but each one of those, on a price basis, is still a little higher than any other brand.

I would recommend the solution to other users based on their needs. If you need some specific issues addressed or if your implementation is small, you should probably go with Aruba. If your computation is middle-sized or if you're planning to grow a lot, you should probably start looking at Ruckus or Cisco.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

It is primarily used for wireless access, both indoors throughout the plant and outdoors.

One of the most convenient aspects of having access to the dashboard is the ability to work on access points from any location. This eliminates the need for a wireless controller, as all connections are made through the dashboard. This is the best feature of using this system.

The most valuable aspect of this solution is the single pane of glass management and reliability.

It has been very reliable.

The licensing could be improved.

Licensing is, in my opinion, the least appealing component. It can be difficult to keep licenses up to date in order for the system to function properly.

I have been working with Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN for more than five years.

We use MR74.

I would rate the stability of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN a nine out of ten.

We rarely have any issues with them.

We only have two and didn't have any issues. 

I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten.

There are no plans to expand our usage, and instead, we will opt for a single-vendor approach by replacing them with Fortinet.

Technical support is fine, but I would rate them a six out of ten.

The initial setup was straightforward.

When we initially purchased them, having these access points was particularly useful since I was the only one managing everything. It made my job much easier.

For small businesses, these access points are fantastic, as their stability and easy installation make them ideal. However, for larger businesses, the return on investment may not be as significant.

The cost of both the hardware and licensing is high, and it is more than what I would prefer to spend currently.

I would definitely try a proof of concept, unless you do a proof of concept, If they work, then, you use them. They are definitely reliable. 

They usually upgrade the firmware on their own.

I would rate Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN an eight out of ten.

We primarily use the solution for wireless connectivity for our wireless network.

The connectivity is very good. 

It's a robust, stable solution. We haven't had any issues at all.

The graphic user interface is very nice. It makes using it very easy.

The product is simple to manage. 

It is not too expensive. 

The setup is easy.

It is stable.

The solution can scale. 

I don't really need any changes to be made. 

It may be expensive for smaller setups.

We'd like to have better mapping to showcase low-coverage areas. 

This is a recent installation. We did this installation towards the end of last year. We've used it for less than one year.

The solution is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze. I'd rate the stability ten out of ten. 

The solution can scale. That said, I've never reached the limit of our deployment. We haven't tested the scalability too much. 

We have about 100 users in our office.

We do not have plans to increase usage. We may decrease the number. 

We've never contacted technical support. 

We previously upgraded from Cisco's 2500 series. 

The initial setup is straightforward. However, it is a global configuration and handled by another unit. I did not set it up myself. We got it out of the box and just needed to put it up. My understanding is that it would be relatively easy to set up. 

While it is on-premises, it does have some cloud reporting features. 

We received the solution partially configured. Therefore, I cannot speak of the setup process from end to end. 

We have four members in IT in our office and are supported by a bigger team at our company's headquarters. 

The cost isn't too high for an enterprise setup. 

We pay a license for three years for support and maintenance. 

While I would recommend ht eh solution to others, it does depend on the environment and usage. If it is a small setup, there are other options that are less expensive. Meraki works well in an enterprise environment. 

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

We use Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN for offices, small retail stores, and restaurants. Most of our clients are medium-sized businesses.

Most of our clients have around 200 employees. There are around 50 access point users.

Only one person is required for maintenance.

The captive portal feature is my favorite. It allows us to keep track of how many people are entering our client's businesses. 

Also, the security and content filtering that's included on the cloud is great.

The signal coverage radius could be extended. I would also like to have a planner for designs. 

I have been using Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN for roughly eight years.

Stability-wise, it's very good. The problem is the coverage.

Scalability-wise, it's excellent. You can integrate with other products like MX, the firewall and router of Meraki, and you can also integrate with Umbrella which is cloud security from Cisco. You can also add more access points very easily.

Cisco's technical support is excellent. Still, sometimes it takes a while for them to respond. There is also a lot of information on their web page for support.

We used to use Aruba and Cisco Access Point. Cloud management was the main difference between these solutions. We have more flexibility with Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN.

The initial setup is easy but it's important to have training.

Configuration takes around one hour. It's the same for any access point but the installation depends on the physical installation — overall, it takes around three hours.

Meraki is a very good solution, but the price is quite high for small markets. We are based in Mexico and within Latin America, most of our customers think that this is an expensive solution compared to other brands. Overall, we think that the price is too high.

For example, the cheapest license subscription is around $600. It's around $1,200 for one access point. This is really expensive for one customer. Other brands charge the same amount for around five access points.

I'd recommend this solution because it's easy to use and secure — the security is integrated. Apps can also be integrated very easily and it's very scalable. 

Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN a rating of eight. 

The cloud management feature is a great feature of the solution.

Since we have no complaints in our company using the product so far, it looks like we are using a great product.

The solution cannot be looked upon for one year or short term because you will pay back all the discounts they offer the next time you pay for renewal. So, the aforementioned details can be considered under the solution's room for improvement.

We have been using Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN for a couple of years in our company. Information related to the version is something that we can obtain from the portal because it's available there. My company has a partnership with Cisco Meraki.

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a seven out of ten. Less than 50 people in my company use the solution.

We didn't need to contact technical support.

The solution's initial setup process was straightforward. In a couple of days, the deployment process was done.

Our in-house team did the implementation.

The box itself is very cheap. The question here is about the subscription because this is what you will pay every year. In the initial year, for purchasing, Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN gives you an attractive price. While during renewal, we are not given much discount.

I would recommend others to use it and urge them to pay the subscription upfront so that they can have the best value and discount.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

We use the solution for our 100-plus access points.

Cloud management, wireless infrastructure, and implementation are all valuable features.

The wireless infrastructure scalability has room for improvement.

We have been using the solution for seven years.

I give the stability an eight out of ten.

Our ability to scale is determined by our licensing and can be easily managed through cloud consoles. However, the wireless component of our end users poses some scalability challenges.

The initial setup is straightforward. The deployment was completed by the system integrators and engineers which took less than one week.

The implementation was completed in-house.

There are multiple licensing options including three months, six months, and one year.

I give the solution an eight out of ten.

We have around 120 access points which support around 70 users at a time for a total of around 7,000 users.