Meraki MS Switches Reviews

When it comes to troubleshooting, in the past we had to take the console and do configuration changes, and we had to be on location or have a VPN connection to access it. But with Meraki, there is the advantage that you have dashboard access via the internet and you can work on it from anywhere. With Meraki switches, there is virtual stacking. Let's say you have two branches where two different switches are located. I can take a few ports from switch 1 and few ports from switch 2 and I can do a virtual stack between these ports. And there is a port schedule, as well. For example, some customers want to do make budget choices to save power or something. There is a port schedule option to give power for access points through these PoE ports on a schedule you choose, like during office hours. Morning 9:00 to evening 6:30, and it will work only Monday to Friday. I can schedule so these ports will be running those times only. In an annual scenario, this can mean more savings for the customer.

You can select multiple ports at a time in a checkbox, and you can do a port configuration. If uplinks are required, you can configure that, too. There are a couple of tools available in the Tools section where you can do ARP, Ping, LED status, etc. If any network goes down or is getting any warnings, you'll get an immediate amber symbol. We'll get alerts and an immediate email even if one link goes down or anything is wrong. We require some additional integrated tools for when a switch is down, like WhatsUp Gold, or SolarWinds. So on the back-end, we need to integrate our email servers into the process. We need more tools for that. But in the dashboard, it all comes together and gives greater visibility, including the UX pack if you want - everything will be there.

The features part is good. Everything in terms of access and everything else.

In terms of what could be improved, there's API. For example, we recently implemented Microsoft Azure. We have it integrated now into the dashboard for authentication. Dashboard authentication includes local users which we are creating in the dashboard itself. We integrated Azure with our local active directory. As the administrator in IT, I can log into the dashboard with my AD credentials only, so we used Xero and SAML with the Microsoft Azure. It's working fine. Similarly in the camera. Generally, the camera is in the cloud. In the camera, every field requires you to enter some information. If you have a cloud archive, it will be directed towards your Meraki cloud based on whatever storage license you have, 90 days or 30 days. But we worked on a different approach. We developed some more internal applications with other partners. We are pitching data from the Meraki camera, and we are putting into our internal storage with the Python script in the back-end.

Another thing is CMX. There is a location tracking for the employees who are inside, and with Meraki there is a Bluetooth option with a separate radio. They have a separate Bluetooth radio, Air Marshal radio, 2.4 and 5 GHz, for all the different radios, but it's all ELM mode in the old access points. It serves the clients as well as monitors the rogue access points. But in Meraki, we have a separate radio for it to monitor all the Bluetooth clients who are coming and who are identified from the dashboard. We will send it through the API to the location-scanning API to a third-party application and it gives you greater visibility. We can customize our own application of the dashboard. For example if you have a retail shop, you can put your store map on there and you can track the clients, like how many clients have visited. We can customize it. We worked on that customization pack.

In terms of troubleshooting, if we get more tools there is an issue. Our pack has some internal access, right? In traditional solutions we can go to the CLI and we can see whatever you want to change and you can play around with it. But in Meraki, if they got additional tools maybe it would help. In terms of MS I see some complications. There are some voice-related services that some customers are expecting, so they want to put an MS firewall in Azure or AWS, and they want to ship the traffic from that firewall. For example, I am at different branches, so the initial firewall will make the decision. They are looking at that kind of scenario. I hear from some of the customers with MS, that there are some voice-related, SIP services. So it's a limitation. If you have a voice service with AmEx, I saw something that SIP ALG will not support AmEx. So that's one limitation here.

I have been working with Meraki Switches for the past year. I have actually worked with all Meraki products, not only a particular one, as it is a complete stack. I've worked with them for a couple of POC's that we did for the customers. They were implemented mostly in firewalls and access points. A feature we recently implemented for one location was Mindtree.

In terms of stability, it is stable.

You can scale it up. You can take any traditional scenario that you have a license for and scale up. I'm working with 200 or so people, so I just bought a few access points and a few switches. If you compare Meraki with the traditional, every switch or every firewall and every access point, every WLCL switch in the traditional way requires some licenses. If that device has a MAC throughput capability, I need to go for another device. If there is a WLCL pack, it requires another device I need to purchase. But with Meraki, there is nothing like that, the license will cover the hardware, RMA, and the licensing plan.

Recently, it converted from the quote elimination to party-wise licenses. If you have a device license, you simply add the licenses and you can play around with it. There are more restrictions, like if you see access points with MR, ENT it will come with an MV, so it's not about the model. For example, today I have an MR42, tomorrow I'll buy some MR53 or MR87. It is independent of the model and you can add whenever you have the API licenses. Similarly, if you have a camera license, you can add. If you have MDM or MV, you can add. It's unlimited. It is scalable, and it gives you flexibility and security. Every device will establish a tunnel with official encryption towards the Meraki cloud and all the devices will be securely connected and it will take less than 1 kbps in terms of configuring data. 

We have worked on the homes of CEO's and directors and up to to hospitals, retail and manufacturing establishments. Everything is supported and scalable.

They give 24/7 support, so whenever you have an issue, you can write or call directly if you feel that it is higher-priority. You can simply call the toll-free number and they'll immediately come to the call and help. In terms of any troubleshooting, they will do it from their end. Because we have some limited access in terms of troubleshooting, if you want to do some changes like firmware-related bugs or something, they will fix it from their end on the back-end.

The initial setup is very simple. I ordered the devices and immediately the software is loaded and you'll receive a dashboard key so you can start the configuration. Once the device is running you can simply play around with it.

It only takes minutes to set up for basic configuration. If you're looking for integrations you may need to do some registration or back-end coding or something. Apart from that, if it's a dashboard it is a configuration template. If you have multiple branches, you can create one template for other branches.

I recommend Meraki MS Switches. If the user wants more flexibility in terms of configuration and manageability, I would definitely recommend implementing it.

On a scale of one to ten I would rate Meraki MS Switches a nine.

These switches are best used in mid-size businesses for access and collapsed distribution/core switching. They offer both layer 2 and layer 3 models and have a well-rounded switch feature set for a switch line. Overall, we have found them to meet just about every need we want in a switch. We have them as 10-GB solutions for high-speed SAN connectivity all the way down to 8-port solutions in some high-end homes. They offer ACLs, LACP, port security, access policies, and DHCP security, to name a few options. The methods that Meraki has chosen to implement some of these features via the cloud is amazingly simple to manage compared to locally managed solutions.

For MSPs, a cloud-managed solution is so much more efficient than a locally managed solution, and having a single pane of glass with Meraki's dashboard is an easy-to-use solution. It is simple to switch between managing wireless, security appliances, and switches on the dashboard if all three Meraki solutions are implemented. This simplifies the management process and allows the granular control of the devices or in some cases global control of all ports. Change management is built-in (who did what) and sorely missing in locally managed solutions. Additionally, you can manage switch ports across multiple devices all at the same time. Adding a new VLAN to all trunk ports in the organization is simple with tags selecting all trunk ports and adding the new VLAN by number.

Setting up a switch can be performed prior to having your hands on the device. Once you purchase a Meraki switch you will get an email from Meraki with a code to add to your dashboard and then you can start setting up your switch so when it arrives it will download its configuration and be all set up. It is practically a zero-touch deployment. Firmware upgrades on devices are pushed from the cloud and typically only bring the device down for a minute or two while applied. The built-in packet capture on them allows easier troubleshooting even when you are not onsite. They even allow you to create staged upgrade plans so you can schedule which switches upgrade in order to minimize downtime.

Meraki MS switches are great for pretty much all SMB networks and most enterprise networks. However, there are some higher-end functions that larger enterprise networks with full access, distribution, and core switch stack may find limiting.

One of the most challenging things to get used to is the delay in the time it takes for changes to be implemented. With a locally managed switch, you make a change and it is pretty much immediate. With the nature of cloud management, you make a change and it may take one to three minutes before that change makes its way to the device and takes effect. It's not a problem once you get used to it but when we first started working with Meraki, I found myself making a change and immediately assuming it didn't work so I would change it again. A little patience is your friend when making changes. They have a field on the dashboard that lets you know when the config is up to date so that makes it easy to know when you can start testing your change(s). I'm not sure if this delay could be reduced or not by prioritizing communication but it is by no means a show-stopper. They warn you when you are about to make changes to the uplink path of a device so you can double-check to make certain your change will not break the Internet access for the device.

I have been using Meraki MS Switches for seven years.

MS switches have proven very reliable.

The solution is not as scalable as Cisco Nexus but not as expensive either. I think Meraki has hit the sweet spot on scaling.

Technical support is about an eight on a scale of ten. Meraki techs have additional capabilities beyond what the dashboard admin has so they can make some adjustments that you can't. Which is probably a good thing overall but can be frustrating. They use packet tracing rather effectively to troubleshoot which is available to the end user also.

Cisco switches were used previously. The main reason I switched was the cloud management. Ironically, after I switched, Cisco purchased Meraki. I was concerned Cisco would mismanage Meraki when that happened but they seem to have stayed out of the Meraki business model for the most part. Cisco and Meraki are starting to share some backend functions (Umbrella for example). Cisco is starting to offer Cisco switches that can be managed using the Meraki dashboard or local management. 

The dashboard is easy to setup and manage.

We implemented the solution in-house.

We have seen a two to three year ROI.

The licensing model is hard for some to wrap their heads around and I understand their concerns. Meraki, like numerous other vendors, is too expensive for a lot of small businesses. However, if uptime is critical to your organization, the cloud management, great stability, and performance of the MS line is a powerful combination. 

There are other cheaper solutions out there and some of them are quite good. I really like Meraki overall. Their license requirement means you always have support and next day replacement on all your Meraki equipment. Be careful if purchasing Meraki hardware secondhand. The warranty only applies to the original owner. So you should have a warranty from the secondhand provider if that is important to you.

They co-terminate the licenses so each license you purchase has a prorated impact on the co-termination date. You can choose to not use the co-termination date if you wish. The nice feature about the co-termination date is you don't have to micromanage each device's license. This is across all Meraki devices (security appliances, switches, APs, etc.). 

Purchase your switch with a one, three, five, seven, or ten-year license depending on your planned use and you might never need to think about a license again as you will be likely replacing the device with something newer at the end of that period. Purchasing the longer license protects from future price increases and also saves money versus adding on to the term later. Meraki is an ecosystem that works best if you are "all in" across your device lineup.

I find that Meraki licensing is a polarizing solution as you are either happy with it or have an allergic reaction to it.

NETGEAR, Ubiquiti, Aruba, Cisco Catalyst were all previously evaluated.

Meraki offers some free equipment if you participate in their webinars. You can get a free security appliance, switch, and AP after watching three webinars and trying them out for yourself. The free equipment comes with a three-year license. Obviously, it will be their lowest-end equipment, but it still gives you the Meraki dashboard experience.

The solution is a cloud-based switch that we use for our networks.

Easy access to the solution is the most valuable feature.

The price of the solution has room for improvement.

I have been using the solution for three months.

I give the stability a ten out of ten.

The solution is highly scalable.

We have around 1,000 people accessing the solution per day.

The technical support is good.

The initial setup is straightforward. We only had to prepare the template early to deploy.

The implementation is completed in-house.

We have an annual subscription for licensing and it is expensive.

I give the solution a nine out of ten.

Meraki MS Switches makes work easier and I recommend the solution.

The main thing that we try to take advantage of is the web console. The administration console that is on the cloud is great. That allows the customer to take full advantage of metrics, configuration, and control of the device.

Overall, the switches are really good.

The initial setup is straightforward.

I would like to know if Meraki is going to offer IP phones again. 

The lead times can be long in terms of actually getting the hardware. 

I do work with the Cisco distributor, the main distributor here in Bolivia. I am in charge of developing projects for the customers. I've been dealing with Meraki for five years now.

Most customer networks are small networks. In Bolivia, we don't have very big companies or corporate networks. Most clients have between 100 and 300 users or endpoints and no more than that.

I haven't needed technical support so far. All I've used so far is device replacement when something fails. In terms of Meraki support, so far, I'm not very well involved with that. Most of the time, we have been dealing with any configurations by ourselves.

I do work with various Cisco devices. 

I do work with the whole set of switches, sometimes related to the corporate or enterprise networks. Sometimes I do work for the service provider, however, most of the time, I handle the Catalyst Series switches with enterprises.

It's really straightforward to set up and very easy to get the device up and on the network. It's a really easy process.

Most of the time, we deal with annual licenses. Typically, there's just the standard fee, although some organizations use the enterprise option. 

We are a Cisco partner. 

I'd rate the solution at nine out of ten.

My advice to new users is related to all hardware provisioning and that is to be patient. There's often a delay from the factory when releasing the devices for the customer. Sometimes the lead times are extensive, and sometimes people here don't want to keep moving with the project when it takes too long to get the device. I know that that's not a factory problem; it's a general problem with all electronic devices.

We are using Meraki MS Switches for a company responsible for elections, in our country. We've set up the network for all the servers to work in the same network and they have different sites. We have set up some VPNs between those sites.

The most valuable features of Meraki MS Switches are simple deployment and administration. You can have all your switches in one place and manage them.

Meraki MS Switches could improve if it was an SDN. It will be more flexible and WWE can use one link for specific traffic and another one for other traffic.

I have been using Meraki MS Switches for three years.

Meraki MS Switches is stable.

The scalability of Meraki MS Switches is good.

I have used HP and Ubiquiti switches. I prefer Cisco solutions.

The initial setup of Meraki MS Switches is straightforward. The full deployment took about three months. We have different sites all over the country and this is why it took a while to do the deployment.

The maintenance of the not difficult. However, when we order some cards, it's difficult to have them when we want because the hardware supply time is long.

My advice to others is for them to get prepared before starting the adventure with Meraki MS Switches because they are different and the logic behind them I different than what someone would typically use.

I rate Meraki MS Switches a nine out of ten.

I am a reseller of Meraki MS Switches.

The solution Is easy to use.

The subscription model could be improved.

Deployment is very easy.

The price isn't high, and they offer discounts. The delivery time is much better than other traditional products.

I would rate this solution as eight out of ten.

We deploy the solution on-premises.

The solution is very stable.

The pricing of the solution can be improved.

We have been using this solution for approximately two years and are currently using version MX64.

The solution is scalable. There are currently seven people using it in our organization.

We have had a good experience with customer service and support.

I rate the solution seven out of ten. The solution is good, but the pricing can be improved.

The most valuable features of Meraki MS Switches are ease of use, and we can find technical knowledge easily.

Meraki MS Switches could improve the process of installing firmware.

I am using Meraki MS Switches for less than one year.

Meraki MS Switches are highly stable.

I rate the stability of Meraki MS Switches a ten out of ten.

The scalability of Meraki MS Switches is very good.

I rate the scalability of Meraki MS Switches a ten out of ten.

The support from Meraki MS Switches is very good.

I rate the support from Meraki MS Switches a four out of five.

Positive

Meraki MS Switches could improve by having a more user-friendly setup.

We have four people that are managing Meraki MS Switches.

The price of Meraki MS Switches is high.

I rate the price of Meraki MS Switches a three out of five.

Meraki MS Switches are better for stability, scalability, and ease of use, but if you compare the cost-performance ratio, Huawei switches are much better.

I rate Meraki MS Switches a nine out of ten.