We mainly are in retail, and we provide all kinds of wireless solutions. We use Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN for all kinds of use cases, and we are using its latest version.
Commercial Product Manager at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Flexible, stable, scalable, and easy to manage via the portal
Pros and Cons
- "Its flexibility, ease of management via the portal, and the variety of access points are the most valuable features."
- "I would like to see integration with sensors."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Its flexibility, ease of management via the portal, and the variety of access points are the most valuable features.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see integration with sensors.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been selling this solution for five years.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is very scalable. Our customers have around 200,000 users.
How are customer service and support?
Their technical support is really good. I just have to give them a call. They are there almost 24/7.
How was the initial setup?
It is easy to install. I set up my own network within half an hour.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost is not so much for Wireless LAN, but when you have to get the security license, it costs a lot.
What other advice do I have?
I would absolutely recommend this solution. We will keep selling this solution.
I would rate Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
IT Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Easy to install and manage, but the customization needs improvement.
Pros and Cons
- "The big draw is the ease of installation. It's easy to manage, and it's easy to implement."
- "The customization needs to be improved because it's pretty locked down."
What is our primary use case?
We are MSP, resellers. We provide solutions for customers.
Meraki is a good entry-level enterprise Wi-Fi solution.
How has it helped my organization?
Customers that have gone from SMB solutions into the Meraki have noticed an increase in satisfaction in the work.
What is most valuable?
The big draw is the ease of installation. It's easy to manage, and it's easy to implement.
What needs improvement?
It's a little bit customizable, but that's where it probably has one of its downfalls. It is not as feature-rich as some of the others.
The customization needs to be improved because it's pretty locked down. You can't customize it much.
In the next release of this solution, I would like to see the Radio Control feature included, and improved customization on the radios.
Also, it needs more ability to control it. It works well but you can really change it a lot.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been working with Cisco Meraki Wireless Lan for approximately 10 years.
They don't really have versions with Meraki. They have different access points.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a very stable product, very mature.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable, but it definitely suffers during really large implementations.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is good. They are pretty solid.
I think everywhere there's always improvement to be had. That's just kind of the big thing for technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
The usual requirements are less than thirty days to install. It's pretty quick.
We do our pre-installation survey, help design the network, and then implement it, test it, and then make adjustments as required.
What was our ROI?
Wi-Fi is a necessary evil. You have to have Wi-Fi, so I think that it's a situation where you have to put something in.
Some of the companies have had a return on investments and they will generate revenue off of their Wi-Fi, but that's in hospitality for example.
It's a little bit different for those customers, who have to put a Wi-Fi solution in.
This one from a budgetary standpoint is mid-range. It's not super expensive and it's not super cheap.
It's a good solution.
A lot of customers pick it because it's got decent feature sets and it's not the most expensive in the market.
What other advice do I have?
To anyone who is interested in using this solution, make sure that you're happy with their features and that it's the right solution.
Look at all of its features and also look at its downfalls and/or weaknesses, as well.
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is good, but not great.
I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
3rd Level Support Engineer at Valeo IT
Provides fast wireless network connection inside the company
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is that it is fast and does the job."
- "The initial setup of the solution can be improved and made easier."
What is our primary use case?
We use Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN for the wireless network connection inside the company.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is that it is fast and does the job.
What needs improvement?
The initial setup of the solution can be improved and made easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
My company has been using Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN a ten out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN a ten out of ten for scalability. 2000 people are using Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN in our company.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is complex according to me. We require 12 people to deploy and maintain Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN.
What about the implementation team?
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN was implemented through an in-house technical person.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Users have to pay a yearly license fee for the solution. The pricing of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is good.
What other advice do I have?
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is a very good tool that users can use without problems.
Overall, I rate Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
3rd Level Support Engineer at Valeo IT
Excellent performance with an impressive speed
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is fast."
- "The initial setup could be made easier."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for wireless network connection in the organization.
What is most valuable?
The solution is fast. It is a really good tool, and we do not face any problems with it.
What needs improvement?
The initial setup could be made easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
Our organization has been using the solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is fine. I rate the stability a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
About 2000 employees in the organization are using the solution. I rate the scalability a ten out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was complex for me.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation can be done in-house. We need twelve employees for the implementation and maintenance of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay a yearly license fee for the solution.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Network Engineer at Saudi Customs
Good device connection functionality, stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "It's a stable product."
- "The ease of use is average. It could be more user-friendly."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for device address connection.
What needs improvement?
The ease of use is average. It could be more user-friendly.
The initial setup could be simplified.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN for a few months.
We are using the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable product. We don't have any issues with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was not easy, it was a bit complex.
We need a team of three technicians to deploy and maintain this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay licensing fees.
What other advice do I have?
We plan to continue using this solution and I would recommend it to others.
I would rate Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Principal at WATERTOWN SCHOOL DISTRICT 14-4
A scalable and trouble-free solution with multiple SSDs and good record-keeping
Pros and Cons
- "I like the record that is being kept and multiple SSDs."
- "Its price could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We are using it in our school. We are using an old version. It is five years when my contract expires.
How has it helped my organization?
It has improved the way our school functions.
What is most valuable?
I like the record that is being kept and multiple SSDs.
What needs improvement?
Its price could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable. I didn't have any issues with its stability.
We have probably 30 to 40 users.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. I need to add a couple more and upgrade to four.
How are customer service and technical support?
I did not use their technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I didn't use any other solution.
How was the initial setup?
It was pretty straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is expensive, but it is a good product.
What other advice do I have?
If you have some money, it is a good thing to buy. It is a trouble-free product.
I would rate Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Product Manager at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
A flexible solution that provides great in-depth visibility for network analytics
Pros and Cons
- "The most amazing part is that their Access Points have the ability to connect to multiple conference devices at different times, and it shows you the very in-depth Wi-Fi analytics through their dashboard."
- "We would like to see Wi-Fi 6 support for devices sold in the Middle East."
What is our primary use case?
We are a solution integrator and this is one of the products that we provide to our customers.
I develop, market, and strategize products.
We have customers in all sorts of market segments including large businesses, government, SMEs, retail, hospitals, hotels, and others. We have a lot of clients who use this product.
How has it helped my organization?
Well since we are reselling the Meraki as Partner product, the aim was to choose the vendor for the organization as revenue-generating and enhance customer experience product, Meraki happened to be the best fit in this regard. We marketed this product according to regional market trends, and it generated potential sales leads for the company.
What is most valuable?
One of the best features of this solution is that it has enough in-depth visibility for the people who connect to their wireless technology.
This solution is quite flexible and compatible with other devices.
The most amazing part is that their access points have the ability to connect to multiple conference devices at different times, and it shows you the very in-depth Wi-Fi analytics through their dashboard.
This solution is simple and easy to use.
What needs improvement?
These products are more suitable for SMB rather than an enterprise for one of the listed Access Points like MR-20, Whereas MR-33 and above models covers and target the Enterprise customers.
We would like to see Wi-Fi 6 support for devices sold in the Middle East, however, Meraki has introduced WiFi-6 where we would strategize our GTM plans for WiFi 6, where we would offer WiFi 6 to specific customers with extensive needs of high WiFi availability in KSA.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working this solution for almost one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a very stable solution, the stability of wireless networks depends upon a lot of factor like how much and complex the requirement is for the customer, its not always necessary to have bulk Access Point installed on customer site, in case of Meraki as of different model option and feature like high-density broadcasting, few access points would be enough to cover WiFi coverage, The solution itself is stable. As its cloud-based Access Points, The stability in Meraki networks is autonomous.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
The service with them has been amazing. I would rate their technical support a nine out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did competitive and comparative analysis while we were in the ideation phase for the company, having said that, after reaching conclusion to our ideation study, we found Meraki as a market leader in WiFi technology from a commercial perspective as well as features and benefits to end customers. Thus we choose to go with Meraki as our Strategic Partner for our standard WiFi product.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of this solution is plug and play and very straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We never used vendor teams to install or configure rather we have our own certified people working to install the configure the Meraki network at customer premises. In fact, we have our own business processes which the organization follows.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The setup cost varies from Service Provider to others, how they want to build the cost model. The licensing part for Meraki is extensible, it depends on which model you would choose to offer to the market as SP. Mostly pricing models are yearly contractual fees, but normally you would pay as one time cost as SP. In our case, we followed the international pricing trend for WiFi where you Bundle connectivity Per Access Point on a flat-rate monthly fee, and the customer doesn't want to pay extra charges and want easy to install plug and play solutions. In that specific case, you transfer the ownership of the hardware to the customer, while you charge only for Monitoring and Management which are minimal fees.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did look into other options, there are pros and cons, but since the company strategy was to focus on SME's, we found Meraki was the most suitable option. The option that we were looking for the Field Operations for Site Survey, Meraki Access Point had features like Site Survey Mode where Access Point would detect the signal strength and adjust its broadcasting range to premises where it was installed. In other vendors, we did not find that feature. This was important for us to make an easier job for our Field Operations teams who would visit the customer site to install the WiFi Solution, it saved time and efforts and especially the Site Survey cost which was Plus in reducing the Operations Opex for WiFi.
What other advice do I have?
The implementation and suitability of this product depend on the client and the want they want to achieve.
When it comes to Wi-Fi wireless technology, you also have to consider 5G. The 5G is already here and it's the fastest, ever, wireless network. There is going to be a conflict between Wi-Fi and 5G when it comes to what enterprises are using. Wi-Fi 6 will help to keep the technology in the market.
I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
Technical Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
A fully-managed Wi-Fi solution to provide internet access for our guests
Pros and Cons
- "We can deploy it and check in on our customers without having an on-site connection or an on-site infrastructure for elderly customers."
- "The technical support for Meraki needs improvements made to the waiting times."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of this solution is to allow access to our guests and to grant our employees Wi-Fi access while at work. Mainly we use Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN as a Wi-Fi solution, occasionally as switches, but primarily as a wireless solution.
The deployment model was on a public cloud.
What is most valuable?
What I like most about this solution is that it is a fully managed solution. We can deploy it and check in on our customers without having an on-site connection or an on-site infrastructure for elderly customers.
What needs improvement?
The technical support for Meraki needs improvements made to the waiting times. The explanation when you have problems, and the tools in place to follow the case, are not very good.
They should reconsider the rules under licensing. If you do not pay your subscription within the month of it being due, the use of the product will stop.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution, it's perfect! We have not had any issues with glitches or crashes. Once it's installed, it's running all of the time without problems.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable.
We have more than one thousand users, and we have plans to increase usage in the future.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have contacted the technical support once or twice but to be honest, the technical support is not very good for Meraki.
I had contacted the technical assistance center for Cisco to order parts, and they have a really good support center.
On the Meraki end, it is not the best part of this solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously we used other solutions from Cisco, other vendors, and small vendors with local Wi-Fi controllers.
The configuration for our customers was very complex so we switched to Cisco Meraki Wireless.
How was the initial setup?
A person who doesn't have the experience or background will need some assistance in the beginning. They will not be able to open the box without one or two words of explanation, after that, it is very easy.
This solution is very easy to deploy, install, and to manage.
We have an experienced internal team in place that knows the features in the deployment of Meraki products very well. They know how to manage it and we propose this to our customers as well.
What about the implementation team?
We are resellers and we did the implementation ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
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.
You only have the option to pay yearly, not monthly.
This solution is expensive, but it's a Cisco product and the solution is really stable. You pay for the quality of the product.
What other advice do I have?
I like this solution, it's really good.
It's a good solution for small to medium-sized businesses or companies. We sell this solution to small businesses here in Belgium.
Meraki is easier to configure than other solutions, which is most likely the reason why Cisco purchased Meraki.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller.
Buyer's Guide
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Updated: November 2024
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