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

RezaPradipta

Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk

Streamline network management with a unified dashboard for seamless device integration

The primary use case for Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is mostly for enterprise wireless, including guest Wi-Fi and enterprise Wi-Fi. I use it across various industries with a focus on retail Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN offers a single pane of glass management. It only comes with a controller on the…

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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.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The monitoring device enables you to see the network health."

"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten...The solution's initial setup process was straightforward."

"We're able to automate as well as manually control as necessary."

"The automatic VMware update is very useful because you don't have to worry about outages and planning for VMware updates. It is very advantageous from a management point of view. The ability to restrict and review the clients connected to each of our segments. Additionally, the solution is easy to use."

"The graphic user interface is very nice."

"The user interface is very simple and easy to use — our customers are very satisfied."

"The product's cloud controller is easy to use."

"I like the record that is being kept and multiple SSDs."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pros

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

"The system simplifies network management."

"It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"The connectivity is good."

"The tool supports new technologies."

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

"The setup process is very easy."

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

More D-Link Wireless pros

Cons

"This solution could benefit from a heat mapping ability so that you can tell where the hotspots are, and where the good signals are."

"The solution should be more secure."

"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."

"There needs to be some work done on security because, with time, some viruses may emerge that one may not know about."

"if there is a better feature, they write it as beta so you have to be careful."

"Our only concern at this stage is how it's licensed."

"In some cases, they could include enhanced features in the product, such as a firewall console and traffic analysis."

"The initial setup was simple. However, the full deployment could be easier."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN cons

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

"The stability could be a bit better."

"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."

"D-Link Wireless’s stability needs 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)."

"Password restriction: Sometimes we set a password and it uses that password but, after some days/months, the password gets changed and a few laptops still use old the password while a few use the new password. The password restriction option needs to improve."

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

"The tool's technical support can get difficult sometimes. We got a technician only after complaining for 10-15 days. The tool's technicians need to be made available everywhere."

More D-Link Wireless cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"If you are wondering if Meraki can work for you, contact one of their representatives because they will do onsite trials where you can set up their system. If it does not work, you can send it back to them for no charge."

"It is a relatively expensive solution compared to traditional network alternatives."

"We pay licensing fees."

"The price is on the high side when compared to Aruba."

"The pricing is on the higher side."

"The solution is overpriced and more expensive than Hauwei."

"Cisco products are generally recognized for their performance and quality, which may justify the higher price point compared to other options on the market."

"The platform is expensive."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pricing and cost advice

"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 pricing is very competitive when you consider other OEMs."

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

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

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

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

"There is no licensing fee for the solution."

"The product is affordable."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

Construction Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

11%

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...

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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...

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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 31% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 11% 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 13% 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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