Cisco Meraki Pros and Cons

Everything is incredibly easy to use, all settings are configure from a Web UI. The interface takes out all the complexity you see with other vendors, while allowing you to accomplish those same use cases. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Cost was initially a factor, however when bidding and comparing to other solutions - this was hands down the best choice. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There is a ton of documentation and I can access the management interface from anywhere. The menu has great explanation bubbles and links to more documentation. The Google Maps and building map integration for AP placement is also very nice when managing multiple sites under one console. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There is a delay from when you send a command to when it actually applies, but this is the nature of a web based controller. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Wireless APs are solid and stable. The Default settings are pretty sane and tweaking is easy. Features are being added on a regular basis. I was very excited to hear MST support was being added to all AC wave2 and newer APs. You get all the features you need without having to invest in a ridiculous amount of controllers if you have lots of small sites, or lose features by running Cisco APs in FlexConnect mode.

The switches are great for access switches, though I would recommend handling routing on another device. The dashboard and API makes it both possible and almost easy for site techs with little to no networking knowledge to update port configurations (when allowed by tagging, nice!), find devices by mac address, and do other basic but essential tasks that would otherwise be bogging down the network team.

The MS product line is also very well done for specific use cases, although they lack advanced features and settings. For the price they are excellent.

The MV cameras are a wonderful addition to the product line. They are easily managed in the same dashboard as everything else. The best feature of the MVs is that basic processing and video storage is on the camera itself so installing cameras via a wireless bridge, or using wifi for uplink is not a strain on the network or the RF environment.

All of the products can be managed by dashboard or API. The API is great as it makes it easy to, for example, write a script to import 1000 devices in to the dashboard, and assign them to the correct network. It can also be used to have a script that allows non-privileged dashboard users do single tasks that may otherwise require admin rights--assigning devices to groups for example. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Occasionally new products require beta or unreleased firmware to be feature complete.

FIrmware updates to the switches have not been as smooth as updates to APs. When using the switch as a L3 device for a site and there is a problem with the uplink connection (and connection to the dashboard) syslogs do not show up in the dashboard. You can export a dump to send to Meraki support, but then it's a support call for something that could be simply solved by viewing syslogs (or better yet having console access) to the device.

The MS appliances are limited for my needs. There is basic URL filtering, but reporting requires an add-on product of some sort that completely replaces the functionality like Cisco Umbrella. Complicated routing or policy-based routing just isn't possible at this time. For a basic branch office they are great though. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The interface is the key to the Meraki solutions, single pane of glass that allows administrators easy access from anywhere to configure, test, and manage Meraki's network solutions. There are plenty of technical articles on deploying these solutions and integrating them to other products. Support is very responsive and available 7X24. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The licensing model can become costly over time. Mixed messaging on AC power cord ordering for locations outside of the US. The solutions are a subset of the main items "most" users would utilize, there are certain features such as BGP which are not available and limits to integrating to other vendor solutions. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The administration of a Meraki device is second to none. The interface is straightforward (perhaps even a bit bare bones) but totally usable and is a treat to use and administer. Much like a Google search experience - bare bones and gets you right into it - the Meraki administration tools really excel Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The feature set (at least for the products that I've used) is good but certainly not great. If you are looking for a full feature set, Meraki is probably not the place to go. On the other hand, if the feature set meets your needs, you are in a great position to be successful Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One of the things I liked the most is its simplicity. It is not necessary to have a dedicated engineer on staff to manage a large and complicated network. Meraki is easy to use and truly embraces the mentality of plug and play without being limited by capabilities. Site-to-site VPN, operational spares, and a large number of networks and other devices have made Meraki a worthy solution to install. We have had and implemented them for a couple of years, and we have never had issues with installation, equipment, and/or configurations, a more robust setup, and I have felt more comfortable making updates remotely and as needed. Finally, manage the entire network from a single dashboard, control users, applications, and devices. There is no controller hardware or management software to install or maintain. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

They have some limitations nowadays when it comes to installations in large companies, although the solution is aimed at small businesses. Products are relatively more expensive than ZyXell, SonicWall, Ubiquiti networks, etc. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Meraki is great for WAN deployments. The template feature makes deploying many similar WAN sites a breeze. We started with 35 small office / home office deployments and we only had to build one template from scratch then copy that one and modify a few settings to match the variety of deployments we needed. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Some of the settings are buried in places that don't entirely make sense but I'm not sure how to make it better so I can't complain too much. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I love how all the data I need is at my finger tips. Regardless of if I need to add a DHCP reservation, watch traffic flow, client connectivity, appliance health it's all right there at the tip of my fingers. It is an amazing and powerful product. One of my most favorite Cisco products to date only behind their switches and network gear! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There isn't much I dislike. The product overall is extremely informative and helpful. I no longer have to run multiple command line or powershell bangs to get the information that I need. Cisco Meraki has put all that information a network or system admin would need right in the dashboard. The only thing is managing networks can be a little clunky sometimes. It took me a minute to get used to the maps interface. Once you get that down the rest is a breeze. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Networking has gotten a lot easier with Meraki, I've forgotten a lot of my CCNA skills because Meraki makes it so easy. Manage or troubleshoot your network from anywhere. User interface is friendly and makes it easy to get things done. Migration of devices is seamless. VPN setup takes seconds. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

MX appliances are missing some features, they provide DHCP but then don't provide DNS. DNS is fairly standard on perimeter devices and can't think of any competitor that doesn't have it. Support is sub-par and often does not provide you with solutions. The client VPN should have a software client. Have to rely on native OS vpn which for Windows has been buggy and causes problems.

Sales team is unresponsive when you need something. Promised hardware for learning about and promoting the product but then you do not get hardware. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.