5 Ways Cisco Meraki Can Improve Your Wi-Fi Performance
5 Ways Cisco Meraki Can Improve Your Wi-Fi Performance
Cisco Meraki is a managed cloud platform that can be used for a variety of IT management purposes. It was acquired by Cisco in 2012 and has proven to be one of its flagship products. However, in this article, we will be focusing on the use of Cisco Meraki software in the management of a Wi-Fi network. It is mostly businesses that utilize these services, as most individuals simply don’t need extensive resources or managed services for personal use. With that in mind, let’s look at five ways in which any business or organization can use Cisco Meraki support to improve Wi-Fi performance.
Bandwidth Compatibility
Wi-Fi access devices have certain bandwidths on which they operate. Bandwidths represent the maximum rate of data transfer across a particular path. As a consequence, bandwidth determines how much data can be transferred at one time. So, when we are talking about Wi-Fi access points, most of them will be compatible with one of two bandwidths: 2.4GHz or 5GHz. However, Cisco Meraki access points are compatible with both. Thus, a network that is experiencing compatibility issues can benefit from the use of such access points. If nothing else, this feature will provide compatibility with a greater number of devices. All too often, people fail to realize the importance of this factor.
Speed And Efficiency
So, let’s say your company or organization has a really good IT team. This may, in fact, be the case. As such, you may feel that you don’t need something like this. However, even the best professionals can be more effective with better tools. In particular, Cisco Meraki network management software can greatly increase speed and efficiency in multiple ways. Their convenient network management system puts all the most important information right in front of you at all times. This saves time because you would otherwise have to go digging in the system logs for some of that information.
What it comes down to is this: Wi-Fi problems can cause serious monetary losses, especially if they cripple or crash the entire network. For a large company, this might represent a huge amount of lost revenue. You can’t really do much business without the Internet these days, after all. As such, you want your IT people to have the tools that are necessary for a quick and effective response. The sooner they figure out and fix the problem, the sooner things can go back to normal.
Extreme Visibility
One of the key problems with Wi-Fi management is the existence of subtle problems. Small issues can affect your network speed, latency, and all sorts of other things. Sometimes, these issues can go unnoticed for a long time if they aren’t causing large problems. However, for those who want to optimize their network for maximum effectiveness, Cisco Meraki’s software can provide a much higher level of visibility.
The software gives you a comprehensive dashboard where you can check all sorts of network data and metrics. This saves a lot of time, as it removes many steps from the investigation process. But when we talk about network visibility, we are really talking about the ability to see everything that is happening on your network. And, of course, we are talking about seeing that data in real time so that quick action can be taken if needed.
Thus, if something is causing your network to run slowly, you should be able to quickly find and eliminate the problem. This is also an excellent security measure, as it can help you to detect a cyber attack in the early stages. It is extremely difficult for a cyber-criminal to carry out an attack without doing something abnormal, and anything abnormal will probably be noticed.
High-Performance Access Points
When you get a Cisco Meraki access point, you can be assured that it’s a high-quality device. Their routers and network equipment are equipped with the latest tech to ensure maximum speed, range, and compatibility. They make use of OFDMA and MU-MIMO technologies. OFDMA is basically a way of dividing the network load using multiple frequencies. Thus, each individual stream of data is faster. MU-MIMO is a technology that allows a router to handle multiple inputs and outputs more effectively. In a multi-user environment like a business, that is highly essential. If you are currently using low-quality or mediocre routers/access points, you can definitely benefit from the use of Cisco’s devices.
Multiple Networks On A Single Access Point
If you find it practical to have multiple smaller networks instead of one large one, Cisco Meraki can help with that as well. You can use their devices to access multiple SSID’s from a common point. However, you should never enable more than 3 Wi-Fi networks on any given router. While you’re at it, you can get into the SSID settings and do a few other interesting things as well. In case you don’t know, an SSID is a unique name that identifies a particular Wi-Fi network. This kind of thing can be very handy when you need to create a variety of different work environments for different types of employees. You can simply create three virtual networks, each of which will then be configured to suit the work that will be done within them.
Exploring Cisco Meraki: Brochures, Licensing, and More
Take a look at the following brochures to learn more about Cisco Meraki’s products and services:
- Cisco Meraki Licensing
- Cisco Meraki Licensing Guidelines and Limitations
- Cisco Meraki Licensing FAQ
- Meraki Whitepaper
- Systems Manager
- Meraki Insight
- Meraki MR18 Datasheet
- Cloud Management
- Meraki Z1 Datasheet
- Meraki MX Family Datasheet
- Meraki Family MS Datasheet
- MX Sizing Principles
- Meraki MR11 Setup/ Installation
- Meraki Datasheet MR42
- Meraki Datasheet MR33