Introduction to Cisco Meraki Family

Cisco Meraki Appliances

Cisco Meraki has a network of appliances. In this blog, we will discuss Cisco Meraki appliances and key features.

MX – Security & SD-WAN

The document offers an overview of Meraki MX64 and MX65 security appliances, highlighting their specifications, features, and performance metrics like firewall throughput, VPN capabilities, and port configurations, crucial for assessing their suitability for network setups. The Meraki MX is an enterprise security & SD-WAN appliance designed for distributed deployments that require remote administration and security and routing features. It is ideal for network administrators who demand both ease of deployment and advanced feature set.

Features:

• Template-Based Settings: Easily scale from small network to large multisite. Deployment with massive numbers of devices.
• Integrated Wireless: Deliver 802.11ac Wi-Fi without adding access points (APs).
• Two dedicated POE+ ports: Provides power for two devices up to 20W each, without requiring a separate power injector.
• Auto VPN connection to public cloud service: Extend Auto VPN and SD-WAN functionality directly into the Amazon Web Service public cloud.
• Integrated L7 security features: Enhance security with CISCO AMP, CISCO NGIPS, URL filtering, GEO-IP firewalling.
• SD-WAN capability: Deliver cloud-based Meraki Auto VPN with load balancing, policy-based routing and dynamic path selection. 
• MX Warm Spare: It provides a feature of HA. Using VRRP for router redundancy between two MX security appliances. High availability can be used to maintain 99.99% availability in the event of a hardware failure/Link failure.

MR – Wireless LAN

The Meraki MR series is the top enterprise-grade line of cloud-managed WLAN access points (AP). MR access points use advanced 802.11ac and 802.11n technologies, including MIMO, and channel bonding to deliver the throughput and reliable coverage required by demanding business applications.

Features:

• Automatic Monitoring: Enhance Wi-Fi performance and improve end-user experience.
• 802.11ac multi-user-multiple input multiple output (MUMIMO): Efficiently service a large number of devices with up to four spatial streams.
• Enhanced transmit power and receive sensitivity: Increase communication distance and reliability.
• Integrated Enterprise Security and guest access: Protect your extended network and users.
• Location Analytics: Improve customer engagement and loyalty. 
• Models: MR30H, MR33, MR42, MR52, MR53, MR62, MR66, MR74, MR84.
• Firewall and Traffic Shaping: Adult Content Filtering Overview, HTTP Force Proxy on MR Access Points, MR Firewall Rules, Network Access Control (NAC), Traffic and Bandwidth Shaping, Wireless Client Isolation
• Group Policies and Block List: Using RADIUS Attributes to Apply Group Policies
• Monitoring and Reporting: Access Point Status Page, Air Marshal, Using the MR Live Tools, Monitoring the Wireless Network,
• MR Splash Page: A splash page (also known as a ‘captive portal’) can provide a customized experience to wireless users in addition to prompting for username/password credentials.

MS – Switches

The Cisco Meraki MS is the industry’s first line cloud managed access and aggregation switch series, combining the benefits of cloud-based centralized management with a powerful, manageable, reliable platform. With cloud management, many switch’s switch ports can be configured and monitored from GUI. Installation of remote sites without on-site IT support, deploy network-wide configuration changes, and easily manage campus and distributed networks without training or dedicated staff.

Features:

• Email Alerts: Provide notification of power loss, downtime or configuration changes.
• Stacking: Manage up to tens of thousands of ports from a single view. Meraki switches allow for physical stacking on select switch models so easily manage all of your switches and get physical redundancy in the deployments. In addition to that, the dashboard allows you to configure virtual stacking using which you can modify anything from a single switch port to thousands of switch ports through a single pane of glass, regardless if their corresponding switches are physically stacked or not.
• Powerful tools: Isolate physical layer issues or run packet captures.
• Highly redundant switch architecture: Support cost-effective stacking and top-of-rack fibre aggregation.
• Aggregator: Two links can be bundled in logical one like port channel feature.
• Access Control: Authorization with RADIUS (CoA) on MS Switches,  Meraki MS Group Policy Access Control Lists, MS Switch Access Policies (802.1X), Port Schedules, Secure Port (formerly known as Secure Connect)
• L3 Switching: MS Warm Spare (VRRP) Overview, MS OSPF Overview, MS Multicast Routing Overview, MS Layer 3 Switching and Routing, 
• Monitoring & Reporting: Loop and MAC Flap Detection on MS, MS NetFlow and Encrypted Traffic Analytics, Switch Overview and Statistics, Switch Traffic Analytics, Using the MS Live Tools:  Using Tags to Manage Switches, Network Topology
• Port and VLAN Configuration: Configuring Spanning Tree on Meraki Switches (MS), Named VLANs in MS Configurations, Switch Ports profiles
• Models: MS220-8, MS220-8P, MS225-24P, MS250-24P, MS250-24P, MS410-16.

MG – Wireless WAN

The Wireless WAN (MG) provides LTE/Cellular connectivity feature. It provides reliable connectivity over an LTE cellular connection for any of your network edge devices, as well as connectivity insights to understand the quality of your connection.

MV – Smart Cameras

The Cisco Meraki MV product family is a line of indoor and outdoor networked cameras, smart and intelligent based on AI feature that are exceptionally simple to deploy and configure and integrated into the Meraki Dashboard. The MV Cameras eliminates solutions like complex and costly hardware and removes the limitations on video surveillance deployments.

Features:

• Centralized Cloud Management: Deliver Secure monitoring and management of all cameras anywhere in the world through the dashboard.
• Cloud-augmented edge storage: Eliminate the need for a network video recorder (NVR) due to 128GB of high write endurance solid state storage on every camera.
• Video Wall: Set up video files quickly and group video streams in different video wall for easy organization.
• Night time Vision: Provide day and night security with video recording in dark settings up to 30m with infrared illumination motion search.
• Granular access control: Manage which user can see video, view historical streams and export videos from the dashboard.
• Optimized retention: Customized retention time by discarding video footage more than three days old that contains no motion, and by creating recording schedules.
• Models: MV21.

MT – Sensors

The Cisco Meraki MT sensor product family is a cloud managed sensor that is very simple to configure and deploy. MT Sensors integrate with the Meraki dashboard use BLE technology. The complex and expensive setup required by traditional solutions is eliminated, by enabling flexible placement of the MT sensor.

SM – Endpoint Management

Systems Manager offers Enterprise Mobility Management with scalability for expanding organizations while securely integrating mobile devices into data-sensitive networks. With the Cisco Meraki Cloud, you can customize policies for each user group in your organization, require a passcode on devices before pushing Exchange settings, limit devices to the guest network, provision software, automatically revoke privileges and software if devices violate security policies. 

Features:

• Built-in asset management: Simple software license management and event in multi-platform environment.
• Rapid provisioning: Use device enrolment to facilitate 1:1 and BYOD initiatives.
• Remote live tools: Manage requests for devices such as remotely clearing a passcode, initiative remote start-up, and erasing data in the event of a compromise.

Continue Reading:

Cisco Meraki Interview Questions & Answers

16 Benefits of Cisco Meraki as a Cloud-Managed Networking Solution

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rashmi Bhardwaj

I am here to share my knowledge and experience in the field of networking with the goal being – “The more you share, the more you learn.”

I am a biotechnologist by qualification and a Network Enthusiast by interest. I developed interest in networking being in the company of a passionate Network Professional, my husband.

I am a strong believer of the fact that “learning is a constant process of discovering yourself.”
– Rashmi Bhardwaj (Author/Editor)