Review on 🔁 Optimized Meraki MR18 Dual-Band Wireless Network Access Point - 2x2 MIMO 802.11n, 600Mbps, Enterprise Class, 802.3af PoE, Cloud-Managed & License Required by Vincent Lott

I was surprised when Cisco bought Meraki as they have always been competitors in the networking market. Meraki's cloud management seems to defy the usual Cisco design of in-house and expensive network management (like Prime or the old Ciscoworks). Instead, Meraki products rely on integrated management through a secure website. Products can be deployed without configuration and then activated and configured remotely. That's how I put the MR-18 in and it was painless. Even though the access point is now in a remote location, I can easily monitor clients, add/remove SSIDs, and perform spectrum analysis. BTW, the spectral analysis is on par with the multi-thousand dollar SA tools I've used. The device itself comes with a multipurpose mounting kit and the design is very clean. The only thing that confuses me is the lack of a POE injector. For the price, Meraki should add an injector (which costs about $10). If it comes with a ceiling mount then I think it should come with a POE adapter. The rest of the device works great. I see my clients roaming to this device from my other test access points. When I see clients roaming alone, it usually indicates that this AP is better/faster. Given that this device offers 3 MIMO radios and beamforming, I can imagine that other access points would have a hard time competing with it. The bandwidth is good and the signal strength corresponds to the design. I've found that some clients report lower signal levels but maintain high speeds. It looks like this device can use 802.11N multistreaming/beamforming so efficiently that it doesn't require high performance. The signal pattern is good, with a nice "bubble" and no visible dead zones. The device shuts down quickly and restarts much faster than some of the Cisco devices I've tested. The indicator lights are unobtrusive and can be turned off remotely. The device can be mounted on a table, wall or ceiling (although you will need a POE injector for wall or ceiling mounting). I will update the review if I find any significant issues or other benefits with this product.