7MS #470: First Impressions of Meraki Networking Gear

Brian Johnson -

Today we're doing something new - a first impressions episode of Meraki networking gear. Note: this is not a sponsored episode, but rather a follow up to episode #460 where I talked about throwing all my UniFi gear into the ocean and replacing it with Meraki gear. At the end of that episode I asked if anybody was interested in a "first impressions" of the gear, and it turns out (at least 6) people are interested, so here we are! TLDL:

Pros

  • Super easy plug-and-play setup
  • The mobile app can control just about everything - ports, SSIDs, Internet on/off timers and more!
  • Verbose logging
  • Top-notch support from experienced technicians

Cons

  • Cost! Big $$$
  • "Cloud only" - can't install this gear in a LAN-only configuration
  • Client VPN is a bit clunky to setup