Meraki MX Reviews

We use Meraki MX for system networking.

Meraki MX’s most valuable feature is cloud and app management. Additionally has a helpful feature for database troubleshooting issues.

We can’t access GUI management and CLI opening features when the Internet is unavailable.

We have been using Meraki MX for two years.

I rate the platform’s stability a seven and a half.

We have two administrators and 600 end users for Meraki MX.

The technical support services are good.

Positive

The initial setup is complicated when the Internet is unavailable. However, it is easy to configure and takes two years to complete.

The product’s price is reasonable.

I rate Meraki MX an eight out of ten.

AutoVPN features allow you extremely simple mesh or site to site IPSEC VPN tunnels with no configuration. It's self managed and saves a bunch of time and effort.

Setup and configuration is cloud controller based so you just setup anything you need and don't actually have to configure the device other than to ship it to where it's going, and it configures itself with the settings you used without needing to hit the local LAN interface.

Setup and configuration could not be quicker. Their support is also unlimited, you call, you get a person who knows what they're doing and they always solve the problem.

There are a few things that are odd that I can do with other firewall products that I can't do with a Meraki. Such as - wanting to setup two firewalls in front of the same protected subnet. Since they 'act' like one when they are added, it won't let you setup the firwall in the traditional way where it's on the same LAN and has a proper public IP. When you attempt to save, because of their oversimplification of firewalls, it complains that you already have a firewall in front of that subnet. The only choice the leave you is to match the exact firewall and use their built in high availability. I don't want to do that in this case because I was intentionally terminating certain VPN tunnels on one, and other tunnels on the other. I could do this with an ASA, CheckPoint, SonicWALL, or Fortinet, but not here.

About 2 or 3 years and across 80 plus sites.

Tech support is California based today. Good in most cases, but they have no power in true design change requests. Some things they don't have in the interface are only viewable by Meraki.

Security appliance/firewall and SD-WAN. With an advanced security license, the content filtering, IDS, and geographical blocking features are surprisingly good compared to using alternative solutions with no noticeable performance hit. 

The geographical blocking is a great security feature but you have to use it with planning. I’ve managed to block a few vendor websites and mail servers without realizing what country those vendors were located in. When you’re not used to having geographical blocking, it can be hard to troubleshoot connectivity issues.  I once sort of over secured myself, and this was not MX's fault. Overall, this feature is great. It requires the advanced security license which I think while more expensive, is the sweet spot for licensing an MX with regard to features.

This solution has improved our organization with: 

• Easy of use
• Remote management

We are an MSP and Meraki provides MSPs with a combined management dashboard to centralize all clients under one single pane of glass. They offer a dynamic DNS, so Client VPNs and point-to-point VPNs can dynamically follow IP changes with no need for static IPs. The SD-WAN VPNs are also the easiest VPNs to set up in either a mesh or hub-and-spoke configuration that you will find. It works with non-Meraki VPN equipment too.

The dashboard brings all management features with you wherever you are. All you need is an Internet connection and a browser and you can manage the solution. The dashboard tracks your uplink connectivity to the dashboard and double checks with you all changes impacting the connectivity, making it much safer to enact changes remotely. Dual WAN connections are greatly simplified and site-to-site VPNs automatically connect regardless of what WAN connection is active. 

Site-to-Site VPNs are easier to set up than any other vendor’s solution. You simply pick two or more devices to tunnel together and then select what network subsets should be allowed to cross the tunnel and you are done. The solution handles all the details. Site-to-site VPNs can dynamically follow IP changes with no need for static IPs.

For MSPs, the dashboard is even more convenient as all your clients are on the same MSP account. Switching between managing different clients can be done with a few clicks once you log in to the dashboard. Two-factor authentication is available for enhanced dashboard security. 

Options for teleworkers include Meraki Z3. This device is great for extending your workforce into homes. It has a POE port built-in and can power a VoIP phone for your office communications as well as the AutoVPN capability. We deployed a lot of these during the pandemic making VoIP phones easy to set up and use for end users at their homes. This is a very easy way to support remote workers and keep them happy.

Some advanced enterprise features are missing, so Meraki MX is not for
demanding enterprise networks as it lacks high-level features (including SSL inspection).

As for SSL inspection, I think this is better performed on the Client PC where the inspection can be performed before or after the SSL encryption is done. Look at a solution like SentinalOne for this. This type of solution is going to be less prone to problems with SSL inspection.

Additionally, the native client VPN uses native OS VPN connectivity in Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. While this is nice from the perspective of no license fees to have a client VPN, there are sometimes issues when drivers or OS updates are released that impact client VPN connectivity. DrayTek makes VPN client software that works with the MX but it is not officially supported by Meraki.

I'm not a fan of any security appliance's VPN as they typically allow access to everything on the corporate network. Specific VPN solutions like Absolute allow you to create granular access control to resources inside your firewall. I think having that level of control is a huge security plus.

More recently, Meraki implemented the Cisco AnyConnect VPN client with the MX and that is a more reliable solution than using the VPN built into Windows. I highly recommend using that or a 3rd party ZTNA solution.

There are so many options available when you are looking to create your security stack. In my experience, I've found that putting all your requirements on one solution will usually result in some level of disappointment.

On the Meraki dashboard is a “Make a Wish” button to request new features. I have made multiple wishes and they were all granted.

I have been using this solution for nine years.

Meraki hardware seems to be very stable. Their update process can be automated and I have not had any issues with stability. Also redundant Internet connectivity automatically fails over reliably. AutoVPN rebuilds the site to site VPN tunnels after an Internet connectivity failover without any admin action.

During the Intel CPU clock signal component issue in early 2017, Meraki’s MX84 product line was impacted. Once Meraki started getting replacement CPUs they shipped a replacement MX84 to swap my production unit. I was very impressed to learn how easy a hardware swap works with the Meraki dashboard. It was very simple to add the replacement unit. It began to function as a warm spare so I could then remove the old serial numbered device. A few minutes later the replacement unit downloaded the production configuration and we were up and running on the replacement hardware. I also on a separate project upgraded to a larger MX and it was just as simple.

Tech support is available from the dashboard. Meraki tech support staff have a lot more visibility into your network than you do, which is frustrating at times. I understand the approach is to keep the dashboard easier to understand. But this will frustrate more advanced users at times. The ability to run packet captures from the dashboard makes troubleshooting a lot easier.

Positive

Previously, I managed Cisco ASA equipment and enjoyed these firewalls. The need to train other admins and deploy MSP clients was at the top of my list for switching to Meraki MX. The learning curve is much less steep for new security admins and the central dashboard allows collaborative efforts when admins are in different locations. Built-in change management makes it easy to see who made specific changes as changes are logged on the dashboard.

Setup is rather easy but with templates or using an existing MX as a template to create a new MX configuration setup becomes even easier.

We perform all Meraki implementations in-house.

ROI is huge on Meraki products for admins. The learning curve reduces the amount of training required and the dashboard makes administration of MX appliances simple and that impacts ROI in a big way.

Other content filtering solutions that I have used had more bells and whistles, but given the cost, complexity, and management overhead, I am very pleased with Meraki’s solution.

I previously evaluated Cisco ASA, Fortinet FortiGate, Ubiquiti, SonicWall.

I was very worried when Cisco purchased Meraki, but surprisingly, they have not changed the organization or product lines for the worse. Cisco has mixed AnyConnect VPN and they now use Talos data for content filtering, which works very well. The hardware is still following the Meraki model which is a good thing.

We are a solution provider and Meraki is one of the firewall products that we implement for our customers.

Meraki is very easy to set up. It has a cloud-based setup where you log into a portal and it communicates with your device.

You can't set up complicated firewall rules, such as the ones that can be handled by Sophos. Sometimes you need to contact Meraki Cisco support for extra setup because as a normal user or administrator, you can't do it.

If you use the VPN to link Meraki with your onsite domain with Active Directory then it doesn't work properly. It will work for one or two weeks, then it will stop. They need to improve the link between Meraki and Active Directory.

When the internet connection is lost, you are not able to change any of the firewall rules because you cannot connect to the portal. This is unlike Sophos, where you can log on to it physically and change the rules.

It would be good if they allowed you to implement the certificate. At the moment, you can link Meraki with the self-signed certificate in your domain, but you cannot set up the active service VPN with Meraki on a certificate.

I have been working with Meraki MX for five years.

Stability is not a problem, although we did one time have a Meraki device that was dead on arrival.

The technical support people from Meraki are brilliant. When you call, you reach them quickly and it's like you are talking with second-line support. By comparison, with Sophos, it's not always like that. The people from Meraki really try.

We sell the Sophos UTM solution to protect some of our customers. I am a certified Sophos architect and it is easier to set up than Meraki.

We are also resellers of FortiGate.

When it comes to reading the logs of other devices, it is much easier with Meraki, FortiGate, or even the Sophos XG firewall.

At the moment, all of the firewalls on the market are doing the same thing. Once you buy the license, it will cover everything.

I have never had a problem setting up a Meraki device, other than one time when the unit was dead on arrival. Once they are set up, they work fine.

The suitability of this product depends on the customer's needs. If they don't need really complicated firewall rules, yet want to protect the network and want really good web filtering, then I recommend using Meraki. If on the other hand, they have a really complicated setup and want better filtering, then Sophos is the better option.

Also, if you have your own web server or mail server on-site, then I recommend Sophos. If instead, you have a normal office network with mail stored in the cloud, then I recommend Meraki.

Overall, this is a good product but it does have some limitations. Sophos UTM gives you more options, for example.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

We made a big change recently in the company. The company didn't have a firewall. We suggested putting Meraki products in the company.

One improvement from Meraki is security. It improves security in our network. We don't have any problems with receiving intrusion alerts now.

When you try to create an IP or when you have an alert about when a website is banned, these features are helpful. 

What I would like to see in the next version is to have more interfaces for WAN links. 

For example, if we have three providers, we can't connect to Meraki because it has only two WAN ports.

I would like to have on Meraki more WAN ports, i.e. one data internet port for two lines.

The stability of this solution is very good. You can handle everything. The Meraki MX Firewall is very easy for us to use.

The scalability of Meraki is fine. It's for me for IT, and then another person also uses it. We are two people. If something happens that we don't know how to handle, we ask for the help of the company's tech support team.

Dataways is the integrator that we bought it from to increase scalability. The limit is 48 users with shares of the Meraki for 48 ports.

In the future, we are going to increase security and put in another Meraki.

Technical support is good. It's a firewall company for medium-to-small companies. It's a little bit expensive. In order to work with Meraki support, you have to buy permission.

Buying a contract for support is three years plus some money. Usually, one or two people is enough to monitor it.

We didn't have a firewall at all previously.

The initial setup of the Meraki firewall was straightforward. Deployment took a few days. 

We bought Meraki from a Greek company called Dataways. They made an initial configuration of the Meraki device.

We were evaluating between FortiGate firewalls and Meraki. Finally, we chose Meraki. But FortiGate is a very good option.

I recommend anyone look towards the possibilities of firewalls of this caliber with Meraki. 

Research the top firewalls to compare, depending on how many users and the purpose of the need. It is great to have a firewall like Meraki or FortiGate.

On a scale from one to ten, I would rate Meraki an eight or nine.

We are using it for retail and on building sites in combination with the 4G system. We are using the latest version of this solution.

It is easy to manage, which is one of the most important things for us. It is also flexible, stable, and scalable.

The whole Cisco Meraki range requires easier access for cameras. For a security center, it would be helpful to have easier access to cameras through the portal. Its licensing cost could also be better.

I have been selling this solution for five years.

It is stable.

It is scalable. We have a lot of customers for this solution. In terms of the number of users, there are about 200,000 users.

Their technical support is very good.

It is easy to install. It took us one hour to deploy it.

You need a consultant or integrator only when you have a complex installation. We are an integrator and one of the larger resellers of Meraki. We have about 50 people, and we also have a 24/7 service desk.

Its licensing cost could be better.

I would absolutely recommend this solution. We will keep on selling this solution. 

I would rate Meraki MX a nine out of ten.

Meraki lets us control all the traffic data and analyze it. The Traffic Shaping lets us install voice servers and give quality of service. It prevents us from being hacked and delivers information about who and where the attack came from.

• Managed centrally over the web: You can manages all your Meraki devices in a single account.
• Site to Site VPN: The device can establish a VPN connection to multiple sites in a mesh environment in seconds, and without complex VPN knowledge.
• Traffic Shaping: The device lets you decide how you want to use your internet services. Due to the fact that Meraki can accept dual WAN, you can decide the way you balance the data traffic. 
• Content Filtering:  Excellent, and very easy to use. You can establish rules over specific content, what is allowed to be used, and assign them to a single device or a group.
• Intrusion detection and prevention (IDS/IPS): The best feature. It can detect malware, even a virus, and warn you by email about the device that has it. When the Meraki detects that something is wrong, it automatically blocks the connection or the intrusion, delivering a graphic report with all the necessary content.

It would be great if the Meraki devices let us see, in real time, the internet demand on a single device.

The only stability issue is in Content Filtering. Sometimes we need to report these types of issues to Cisco support.

You need to change the device based on information that Cisco provides. If you overload the Meraki throughput, it is time to change the device.

Excellent.

Fortinet. We switched to Meraki because it lets you see what's happening in your LAN and WAN in a graphic and web environment. Our customers are very grateful because we let them log in to the Meraki and let them see their network activity.

You only need to know about firewalls, content filtering, and networking.

It is more expensive than other solutions, but it is a cloud-managed network solution and support is given at the moment you call. That give a very big plus.

The Meraki UTM is excellent when you buy the Advanced Security license. If you buy a different license you lost all the valuable functions.

Fortinet, Barracuda, and other open source solutions.

The primary reason we implemented this product is as a gateway router. That is the first functionality that we sought out for. It also has all of these built-in intrusion detection and malware protection firewall features. So, we are also using it for the firewall capability that is built into it.

The whole selling point for this product is that it's cloud-managed.

They have very good technical support and I have relied heavily on them.

The ports can be VLAN separated, so we use that feature, or we used it in the past.

It would be nice if the different services, including the SIEM SOC and endpoint detection and response (EDR) were integrated into one, so that I don't have to go to different vendors for different services. Ideally, I would like to have one place to shop.

This is a stable product.

They have very good technical support.

We also have a Barracuda.

I worked with the previous, older router than was in the company and it was command-line driven. That was terrible, so I find that the Cisco Merki is a great improvement. Overall, I'm really happy with it, although I cannot compare it to any others.

My understanding is that all of the products have evolved from a command-line interface to being web-based and cloud-managed.

The initial setup is pretty straightforward.

I deployed this product, although I relied a lot on Cisco support when I set it up.

This is a nice device, although I find that when you speak with professionals about it, they put down these combined devices that have many different functionalities. They say that it is not like a bonafide firewall, the same way that they say the Barracuda IPS is not as good as a dedicated one. I wouldn't be able to tell you whether it's good or it's better unless something really bad happens. I don't know, for example, whether it works great or it's that we haven't been attacked yet.

We have a SIEM SOC managed service and as part of it, they rely on the logs that the Meraki generates, so it can't be that bad of a product.

Overall, this is a very nice product.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.