Meraki today announced two new enterprise 802.11n access points: the Meraki MR12 and MR16. Meraki says these new APs offer improved performance, sleeker design, and even a lower price then their predecessors, the MR11 and MR14:
Meraki says their enterprise-class solutions offers managed network features without the cost or complexity of traditional solutions. They’re designed for offices of any size, educational institutions, retailers and industrial firms.
Meraki says the Single-Radio, Dual-Band MR-12 provides 802.11n MIMO for up to six times a/b/g speeds. The Dual-Radio, Dual-Band MR16 can operate on both the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands simultaneously. They both deliver Ethernet speed without the wires and can be constantly monitored and optimized from the cloud.
Meraki technology is focused on centralized, multi-site management that’s simple to use. AutoRF performs automatic system-wide network optimization. Management is cloud-based.
Each AP on a Meraki network continually monitors its environment for interference and feeds this information back to the Cloud Controller. Spectrum Analysis mitigates interference from non-WiFi devices like microwave ovens and Bluetooth headsets.
Merkaki’s 802.11n acess points feature beam forming. Meraki recommends that dual radio devices use one radio at 2.4 GHz primarily for 802.11b/g clients, while 802.11n clients use 5 GHz spectrum. They can support up to 100 users per AP with a max throughput rate 600 mbit/s.
Meraki’s Cloud Architecture provides centralized management. It records historical statistics and runs other network services such as user authentication and system alerts.
Meraki’s entire product family includes support for mesh networking, enabling networks of wireless repeaters to provide coverage in outdoor and difficult to cable areas. They can be powered with energy-efficient 802.3af Power over Ethernet.
I asked Meraki CEO Sanjit Biswas, how Meraki products differ from dual-band, beam-forming Ruckus WLAN solutions and other enterprise-class products like Meru and Cisco.
It’s in the cloud management, explained Biswas. Meraki combines RF smarts on the device, with management on the cloud. That also simplifies management of multiple sites with a consistent, browser-based interface.
I’m a fan. I bought three outdoor Meraki units last year. I use them from time to time for creating remote hotspots. They’re simple and reliable. I plug my Clear wireless router into one Meraki unit, and the rest sync up automatically. Bingo. No software to download. No wires to plug in. No problems. They just work.
