Do Meraki units mesh with other vendors?

Meraki APs have advanced technology that automatically create a mesh network with other Meraki APs, and they do not mesh with other vendors' APs.

Can Meraki act as a repeater from my existing (non-Meraki) router?

No, Meraki APs do not act as repeaters for other vendor APs. However, multiple Meraki APs can be deployed using mesh, and in this case one or more Meraki APs will act as repeaters for other Meraki APs.

What is a gateway?

A gateway is an AP that is connected to the Internet via an Ethernet cable connection plugged into the AP. The AP only converts to a repeater when the AP cannot reach the default route on your network (which is usually a local firewall or router) or if the AP does not have a valid IP address.

What is a repeater?

A repeater is an AP that is not connected to the wired network. Repeaters rely on other repeaters and gateways in the mesh to route client traffic toward the Internet. Repeaters make use of mesh routing metrics to determine the best quality route to use when forwarding client traffic. Any Meraki AP can function as a repeater. A gateway must be installed on the network before you add a repeater.

Do I plug the Meraki outdoor unit into my router?

The Meraki OD2 has two Ethernet connections. One of these should be connected to a wired network, for example a cable/DSL modem, unless the OD2 is deployed in a mesh network. In this case, the OD2 needs to be in range of another Meraki AP that has access to wired network connectivity.

How many repeaters can access one Gateway?

A recommended maximum number of wireless APs to associate with a single wired gateway AP is about 10. The maximum number of users will be primarily constrained by available bandwidth.

What are hops?

A hop is a type of wireless connection between APs. Typically, hops are used to extend coverage to an AP that is placed in an area without wired network connectivity. The AP in that area sends its traffic back to an AP that is connected to the wired network. The wireless connection between these two APs is a single hop.

How many hops per Gateway?

Throughput decreases with each wireless hop in the network. For every wireless hop made, the bandwidth is reduced by half. End users on your network more than three hops from a gateway will experience a noticeable decrease in throughput.

How many APs do you recommend for my apartment building / housing complex / hotel / dormitory / camp site / RV park / trailer park?

Your answer will depend on a variety of factors including the construction materials used in the building. Generally, one AP per four apartments is a good starting point. Each apartment building deployment is unique. We recommend you review how others have deployed their networks: Meraki Customers.

How does billing work?

Meraki Billing allows you to charge users for network access. It is designed to be easy to use and can be set up in just a few minutes. You can find more information about billing here.

What is the typical range of the MR58 and the OD2?

Wireless performance depends on a number of factors, making a definitive range hard to predict. For example, in an indoor setting the type and thickness of walls can impact the range of your network. Fewer walls are better, and uninsulated drywall is better than concrete. The same principles also hold true for outdoor installations: the signal will be attenuated by trees, buildings, and certain atmospheric conditions or weather such as heavy rainfall or fog. Both indoor and outdoor deployments will also be affected by radio frequency interference. Cordless phones, microwave ovens, and neighboring wireless access points are common sources of interference.

Barring physical obstruction and radio interference, Meraki access points equipped with omnidirectional antennas typically reach 100 meters. Directional antennas (sometimes called "panel antennas") greatly extend range by concentrating power in a single direction. With line-of-sight and limited interference these links are known to reach 20 kilometers or more.

Here are some other helpful KB's and a whitepaper on Meraki products that can help determine wireless coverage and range:

• Proper pairing of radios on MR58s for long distance communication
• Meraki WiFi Stumbler for Android
• Using the Meraki WiFi Mapper With a Custom Map
• Meraki Whitepaper: Extending a LAN wirelessly between sites using the Meraki MR58

Will the Meraki Outdoor work indoors?

Yes, the Meraki OD2 is designed to work indoors and outdoors. The Meraki ID2 has reached is end of life status, and we recommend using the OD2 instead. You can find more information about Meraki’s end of life policy on our support website.

Where can I buy a Meraki Mini / Solar / Indoor unit?

The Meraki Mini, Solar, and Indoor products have reached their end of life status. We recommend considering a Meraki OD2 or other Meraki access point instead. You can find more information about Meraki’s end of life policy on our support website.

What is the part number for the Meraki OD2?

• OD2-PRO-US: Meraki Outdoor Cloud Managed AP (US Plug)
• OD2-PRO-EU: Meraki Outdoor Cloud Managed AP (EU Plug)
• OD2-PRO-UK: Meraki Outdoor Cloud Managed AP (UK Plug)
• OD2-PRO-AU: Meraki Outdoor Cloud Managed AP (AU Plug)
• LIC-PRO-1YR: Meraki Pro Cloud Controller License, 1 Year
• LIC-PRO-3YR: Meraki Pro Cloud Controller License, 3 Years

Which antennas do you recommend for the MR58? What is the difference between omni and directional antennas?

The choice of antennas depends highly on the deployment environment and the expected coverage area. An omnidirectional antenna provides coverage to a roughly circular region around the AP. A directional antenna is used to provide focused coverage to a narrower region, or to establish a long-distance link between two APs. For more information on deployment considerations, please refer to the Meraki Network Design Guide.

Can I send you a map of my potential deployment of my project?

Meraki works with partners in your area to help with deployment and installation of a Meraki network. Your local partner can help you assess the environment and provide a recommended deployment configuration for your network. To help you get started, Meraki has a free planning tool, the WiFi Mapper. See this document for more information: Using the Meraki WiFi Mapper Beta With a Custom Map.

What is the warranty on the Meraki access points?

The Meraki OD2 and MR58 come with a 1 year hardware warranty included.

How do I configure the AP?

Configuration of the AP is done via the web-based dashboard. You can access the dashboard using your Meraki account credentials at: dashboard.meraki.com. Once in the dashboard, you can configure settings such as SSID name, encryption, access control, billing, and more.

Can I link up my printer to my Pro network?

In Pro edition networks, Meraki uses NAT to help manage all wireless and wired users. In Enterprise Edition networks, enabling Meraki NAT is optional. When using Meraki NAT, clients are given a private IP address in the range 10.0.0.0/8 via a DHCP lease provided by Meraki. These private IPs are then mapped to public IPs (provided by your ISP) using NAT. One of the benefits of using Meraki NAT is that it provides a layer of security between the Internet and the clients on your network. Meraki NAT also prevents client-to-client communication and LAN to client communication by default, with the option to prevent client-to-LAN communication if preferred. For this same reason, however, you cannot run Internet servers (such as a personal web server) from a Meraki mesh, and you cannot connect your wireless printer to the Meraki Pro network.

What's the difference between Pro and Enterprise?

Compare Pro and Enterprise Editions

Features	Pro	Enterprise
Number of SSIDs	2	15
Splash Page Customization
Content Filtering
Billing
Bandwidth Limiting
WEP/WPA/WPA2-PSK
Mesh Networking
Telephone Support
Location Services
Traffic Analysis
WMM/QoS
Traffic shaping
Layer 7 Firewall
SSID Scheduling
Administrator Privilege Levels
Real-time Statistics
Customer-hosted Splash Pages
Automatic Channel Management
Channel Spreading
WPA2-Enterprise with 802.1X Authentication
Bridge Mode
VLAN Tagging
Floor Plans
Rogue AP Detection
Network Analytics
Identity Policy Manager
Guest Management Portal
CALEA Compliance