Cloud Managed Wireless Solution : Cisco Meraki MR52
Today I am going to talk about the Cisco Meraki solution which is totally a cloud based managed system and the product name is Cisco Meraki MR52. It is based on the next generation wireless systems that can be deployed in various departments like Education systems, Manufacturing units, Offices, Enterprise networks and so on. The way Cisco Meraki works is totally a next generation revolution where all management can be done via cloud and you just need to deploy the hardware in your network to work.
What is the purpose to deploy and how much time it takes to configure Cisco Meraki MR52 ?
Well if you have the requirement to have the wireless network with various SSIDs you should go with the site surveys and on the basis of it you should go with the suitable model of the wireless WLCs. If I talk about the Cisco Meraki cloud managed MR52, It is simple to deploy and self configured via cloud. So you need not to require any resource for the configuration of the Meraki MR52 at the remote sites.
What is the throughput of the Cisco Meraki MR52 ?
Well Cisco Meraki MR52 is a high performance box and will provides a maximum of 2.5 Gbps aggregate frame rate with concurrent 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios. Aside from it, Cisco Meraki claims that a dedicated third radio provides real-time WIDS/WIPS with automated RF optimization, and a fourth integrated radio delivers Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) scanning and Beaconing.
How Meraki MR52 will be managed via cloud and what about the bugs/fixes can be done ?
With the help of the Cloud managed services, Meraki has 24x7 monitoring which delivers real-time alerts if the network encounters problems. Remote diagnostic tools enable immediate troubleshooting over the web so that distributed networks can be managed with a minimum of hassle.
The MR52’s Firmware is designed in such a way that it automatically kept up to date via the cloud. So all the Patch updates, Fixes are done automatically via cloud and there is no manual intervention required for this purpose.
Below is the Wireless topology showing on prim solution with other vendors and can me managed on prim as well. The example showing below is just for the demo purposes and has no relevance with any of the enterprise networks.
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Fig 1.1- Basic Wireless Topology in Enterprise Network
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What are the best features for which enterprises should go with the Cisco Meraki Solution ?
Well, it is very tricky question, I cant say that you should buy this product but yes there are lot of features which makes Cisco Meraki an different solution all together.
Application-aware traffic shaping
Cisco Meraki MR52 includes an integrated layer 7 packet inspection, classification, and control engine, enabling you to set QoS policies based on traffic type. Prioritise your mission critical applications while setting limits on recreational traffic like peer-to-peer and video streaming. Policies can be implemented per network, per SSID, per user group, or per individual user for maximum exibility and control.
Dual–radio aggregate frame rate of up to 2.5 Gbps
A 5 GHz 4x4:4 radio supporting 160 MHz channel widths and a 2.4 GHz 4x4:4 radio supporting 40 MHz channel widths o er a combined dual–radio aggregate frame rate of 2.5 Gbps*, with up to 1,733 Mbps in the 5 GHz band thanks to 802.11ac Wave 2 and 800 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band. Technologies like transmit beam forming and enhanced receive sensitivity allow the MR52 to support a higher client density than typical enterprise-class access points, resulting in fewer APs for a given deployment.
Advanced analytics
Drill down into the details of your network usage with highly granular traffic analytics. Extend your visibility into the physical world with journey tracking through location analytics. View visitor numbers, dwell time, repeat visit rates, and track trends. Fully customise your analysis with raw data available via simple APIs.
Automatic cloud-based RF optimization
The MR52’s sophisticated and automated RF optimization means that there is no need for the dedicated hardware and RF expertise typically required to tune a wireless network. The RF data collected by the dedicated third radio is continuously fed back to the Meraki cloud. This data is then used to automatically tune the channel selection, transmit power, and client connection settings for optimal performance under even the most challenging RF conditions.
