Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs D-Link Wireless comparison

Cisco and D-Link are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Cisco is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.8, while D-Link is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.0. Cisco holds a 10.5% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to D-Link’s 2.1% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of D-Link users who would recommend it.

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Read 121 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN reviews

10,528 Views
9,370 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

D-Link Wireless

Read 17 D-Link Wireless reviews

1,946 Views
1,946 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

D-Link Wireless

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 28, 2025

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and D-Link Wireless compete in enterprise and SMB wireless networking. Cisco Meraki holds an edge due to its comprehensive feature set and cloud management capabilities.

Features: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN stands out with its cloud management, IoT integration, and advanced network visibility. The centralized dashboard facilitates easy configuration and monitoring. On the other hand, D-Link Wireless offers essential features like centralized management, good coverage, and reliable performance, making it ideal for cost-effective SMB solutions.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN could improve by lowering hardware costs, enhancing sensor integrations, and making the security dashboard more versatile. D-Link Wireless should focus on introducing cloud-managed solutions, better stability, and support services, as well as integrating advanced features like social media access for guests.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN supports both hybrid and cloud environments, offering flexibility and a reportedly comprehensive support model, although occasionally inconsistent. D-Link Wireless provides a straightforward on-premises setup, but customer feedback on support services varies.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN incurs high initial and recurring costs but offers potentially better ROI for large deployments through feature richness and reduced on-site management needs. D-Link Wireless is notable for its one-time purchase model, delivering an affordable option for SMBs despite a less extensive feature set.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. D-Link Wireless Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. D-Link Wireless

December 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

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Ranking in Wireless LAN

3rd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

4.5

Number of Reviews

121

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

D-Link Wireless

Ranking in Wireless LAN

13th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is 10.5%, down from 13.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of D-Link Wireless is 2.1%, down from 2.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN	10.5%
D-Link Wireless	2.1%
Other	87.4%

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

MiguelDe Bique

Independent Information Technology and Services Professional at a non-profit with 1-10 employees

Provides robust remote configuration and reliable support for managing wireless networks

The best features of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN include the excellent reporting; the dashboard reporting aids us a lot in troubleshooting issues, and the platform is very robust. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is very stable, and the performance is there, as we normally do throughput tests that align with the manufacturer's specs. We use Meraki's Layer 7 application traffic shaping. 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. The capability to configure network policies remotely is the most important aspect for our organization, as we are an MSP providing remote support for all our clients. We monitor network performance with Meraki's real-time analytics. We find client performance metrics most useful to know how the wireless clients are receiving service and the quality of service.

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NadirShahzad

System Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

Wireless projects run smoothly with more access point support and competitive pricing

D-Link Wireless offers more supported APs to the WLC with the default license compared to other brands like Cisco. With Cisco, only four to five APs are connected with the default license, but D-Link Wireless provides more flexibility. Local support in Pakistan is necessary for those with limited budgets, creating a reach in the market.

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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

"Cisco Meraki is HIPAA compliant."

"If you're trying to identify one of the switches or pinpoint a computer or pinpoint something, you could find it just like that and change the IP address. It's easiest to do it that way."

"The management console is valuable."

"The management and upgrades are very simple and straightforward."

"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."

"The functionalities are quite professional and complete. It offers good integration with other Meraki products, like switches and the firewall. You can get an overview of all networks and the host. It's really great; nobody else can do that."

"It only comes with a controller on the cloud, and this differentiator simplifies network management."

"Provided reliability and a good price."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pros

"The setup process is very easy."

"This product is user-friendly and we can manage it as per the requirements of the user."

"It's scalable, user friendly, and easy to manage."

"The most valuable feature of D-Link Wireless is its durability."

"D-Link Wireless is a tool that is used since it is an easy and user-friendly product."

"This is an affordable product that offers good performance. This is why it is popular with our customers. It offers good speed and bandwidth."

"The tool supports new technologies."

"D-Link is a good product that is quite affordable and I recommend it."

More D-Link Wireless pros

Cons

"Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN's management tools need enhancement."

"Currently, with Meraki, a controller is required to direct guest and user traffic to the internet. Improvement is needed in the portal for enhanced visibility into activities. Additionally, addressing multiple bugs, especially those arising with new releases, is crucial to ensure system stability."

"We face a bottleneck on the gateway while using the solution for large enterprises."

"The price could be slightly lowered to make it more competitive in the market."

"An area for improvement would be that Meraki doesn't work well in a warehouse environment. The device is too sensitive to other wireless devices, which provokes noise and can require a reboot to erase this."

"The logging sometimes doesn't give us the granularity needed. Some of the rules are a bit more complicated. The switch ports on the routers are not individually addressable, in the sense that with a switch you can tell what MAC address is on what port but with the security appliances, you can't, which would be beneficial for troubleshooting."

"The issue primarily revolves around failure to renew the license on time, leading to service termination."

"Some of their first level support staff does not seem to be well-versed in the solution, so support for Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN needs improvement."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN cons

"The solution doesn't have hotspots. Users can't set it up so that visitors can log in via Facebook or social media as they can at, for example, airports. D-Link should include hotspots that offer integration with social media. That way, visitors don't need to be asking people for passwords. They can just use Facebook."

"The only issue is with the controller visibility of the devices connecting to the network."

"D-Link Wireless should include the 'cleaner' feature similar to Cisco's APs. This feature reduces signal interference with access points."

"The stability could be a bit better."

"The performance offered by D-Link Wireless can be a bit problematic at times, owing to which it is an area that can be considered for improvement."

"Sometimes we configure the SSID with a password but the same AP shows two WiFi connections with the same SSID name (one is protected by a password and another one give access without a password)."

"In future releases, it can keep improving on countering the new patterns of security attacks."

"Its interface and support system need much improvement. Sometimes, when we use the interface to reset the password and configure SSIDs, or some other changes, the "Save" option does not show and we have to go to some internal setting and then we can "save" the setting. The “Save” option should be in front of or below of the settings."

More D-Link Wireless cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is not a reasonably priced product for home use. Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is a reasonably priced product for enterprise-sized businesses."

"It is super expensive for what you get. You also have to buy a license every year. Otherwise, it stops working."

"It's a pretty good value, but not great. Pricing is on a yearly basis for the Meraki solution."

"Cost could be better."

"At this price point, I would not mind seeing a four-way channel, instead of a 3x3 or a 4x4, like they do in the Cisco Aironet system with their other brand. For the same price point in this other Cisco brand, it is a lot cheaper, and you can get a slightly better throughput than you can with these."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."

"The solution is pretty expensive."

"I haven't conducted a price comparison yet, but based on information, it appears to be more affordable than the current environment. Therefore, I consider the price to be reasonable."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pricing and cost advice

"The cost can range from $100 to $400."

"D-Link pricing is very competitive when you consider other OEMs."

"There is no licensing fee for the solution."

"The product is affordable."

"D-Link Wireless' price is the same as Aruba's. You need to pay one-time costs for the product."

"This solution is more affordable than others on the market."

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is very cheap and ten is very expensive, I rate the pricing an eight out of ten."

"D-Link Wireless is cheaper than Ruckus or Cisco."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

Construction Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

12%

Educational Organization

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	69
Midsize Enterprise	26
Large Enterprise	31

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	2

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...

See all answers

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...

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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...

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Which wireless solution would you choose - Huawei or D-Link?

Huawei wireless is a strong and solid product that has a lot of features - and for all that it offers, it happens to be very cost effective. As a wireless solution, it is simple and its user interf...

See all answers

What do you like most about D-Link Wireless?

The tool supports new technologies.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for D-Link Wireless?

D-Link Wireless is notably more affordable than Cisco and Juniper. It suits SMB needs without the financial burden of purchasing additional licenses for extended APs.

See all answers

Comparisons

Aruba Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 32% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 12% of the time

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 10% of the time

Fortinet FortiAP vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN Competitors

Huawei Wireless vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 39% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 12% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 10% of the time

Ubiquiti WLAN vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 9% of the time

NETGEAR Insight Access Points vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 6% of the time

More D-Link Wireless Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

January 2026

Download Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN product report

Buyer's Guide

D-Link Wireless

January 2026

Download D-Link Wireless product report

Also Known As

MR18, MR26, MR32, MR34, MR66, MR72, Meraki Wireless LAN, Meraki WLAN

D-Link WLAN

Overview

Cisco Meraki access points are built from the highest grade components and carefully optimized for a seamless user experience. The outcome: faster connections, greater user capacity, more coverage, and fewer support calls. The Cisco Meraki dashboard gives visibility into the network users, their devices, and their applications. Armed with rich analytics, administrators can quickly create access control and application usage policies, optimizing both the end-user experience and network security.

Cisco

D-Link Wireless offers a wide range of robust wireless Access Points (APs) operating in both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands, supporting the latest wireless standards including 802.11ac and 802.11n. These access points can be managed independently as standalone devices, or collectively by using Central Wi-Fi Manager, a free centralized controller software that can be installed on a Windows server or PC.

D-Link

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

Metropolitan Public Defender, Mission Motorcycles

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. D-Link Wireless

December 2025

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