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Meraki Cloud WiFi Gets App Smart
by Andrew Garcia
Meraki MR14 802.11n Access Point
The MR14 comes with two dual-band 802.11n radios with 2 by 2 MIMO configuration, and has a single 802.3af-compliant Gigabit Ethernet port. It costs $799, not including Cloud Controller licensing fees.
Building the Network
Before connecting a single access point, I could configure my networks using Meraki’s Cloud Controller. By entering an AP license key here, I could push setup configuration to it when it first connects to the Internet.
Updates
Because the Meraki controller is in the cloud, AP firmware updates will be made automatically available periodically. The dashboard warns when an update will be auto-applied, or I could force an update at a specified time.
Access Point Status
Meraki uses Google Maps to globally locate deployed APs on a map, and administrators can import building floor maps to enhance. In addition to location, Meraki shows AP usage, Internet latency (from AP to meraki.com) and WiFi channel utilization.
Client Application Usage Trends
Using Meraki’s application insight, I can overview the application and traffic mix of each individual client.
Traffic Mix Details
Likewise, I drill down for a more detailed view of application usage, breaking out miscellaneous traffic into application or Website-specific loads based on Meraki’s application fingerprinting.
Interference Scan
From the AP monitoring page in the Cloud Controller, I could switch the device to manual RF scanning mode to detect non-WiFi interference near the AP. The AP does not accept client connections on either radio during an interference scan, even though the detection results are only shown for the 2.4GHz band.
Traffic Shaping
For each SSID in my network, I could configure traffic shaping rules to limit the amount of network usage at any given time for particular types of traffic or for traffic to a particular domain.
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See All Slideshows
The latest features added to the Meraki Cloud Controller and Meraki's 802.11n access points deliver a hit-and-miss collection of enterprise-class products, delivering to customers improved visibility into applications used on the WiFi network and control over their usage through intelligent traffic shaping. Half-baked spectrum analysis is also included in the new Auto RF feature. eWEEK Labs foisted the Meraki products on its West Coast staff, testing the Meraki Cloud Controller along with a pair of MR14 802.11n access points on a live network with real clients and traffic over the course of one month. While the application visibility proved accessible and easy to use to enforce effective and intelligent traffic shaping rules on part of the network, the spectrum analysis tools failed to impress, failing to provide the depth of information, assistance in identifying interferers or fine-grained controls over automated actions that we were looking for. Read the full review here.