Intelligent, intuitive, scalable and centralised, the dashboard is one of the biggest benefits of a Cisco Meraki solution. There are so many reasons our clients find it game-changing from a network management perspective, setting it miles apart from other vendors within a similar price-point.
So what makes the Cisco Meraki dashboard worth the hype?
1. Meraki is a cloud-first focused vendor – and the dashboard proves it
The Meraki dashboard is fully cloud-based, and was designed to be so from the off. Trust us when we say that this makes a difference. This is a game-changer for organisations with large, multi-site, or diverse networks, bringing the entire IT architecture together in one place, accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. This shift removes the need for on-site hardware, software installations, and on-site IT staff.
2. The most powerful, user-friendly interface on the market
The Meraki dashboard’s extensive tools and comprehensiveness might lead you to think that – as with many network dashboards – it’s complex, clunky and difficult to navigate. It’s rare to find a control centre that delivers both technically impressive controls and an intuitive experience for IT teams. Here’s where Meraki makes a huge difference; its dashboard was designed with simplicity in mind, which saves organisations time, and supports staff with less industry knowledge or experience by simplifying network management.
3. Your entire network in a single pane of glass
Meraki’s cloud-first approach means that your dashboard is designed to house your entire network, including switches, APs, security, IoT, and device management – plus so much more. This is truly transformative for organisations with scaling networks, removing the need to log in to separate platforms and manage devices disparately.
4. Real-time analysis, monitoring and remedial actions
The Meraki dashboard allows administrators to monitor their network in real-time, offering instant visibility into network traffic, device status, and performance metrics. Additionally, it can be configured to send alerts and notifications for specific events, ensuring timely responses to critical network issues. Longer term, the dashboard offers detailed analytics and reporting capabilities, allowing administrators to gain insights into network performance, event logs filterable by device, hardware type, or event type, as well as user behaviour, and application usage. This information can be valuable for making informed decisions about network optimisation and resource allocation.
5. Automated updates and optimisation that cut costs
The dashboard simplifies the process of keeping network devices up to date with the latest firmware and security patches. Automated updates ensure that devices are running optimally and protected against vulnerabilities. Wi-Fi in particular can be set to auto-optimise based on user behaviour to improve performance, reduce energy usage, and allocate bandwidth intelligently. When manual intervention is required, IT teams can identify and resolve network issues without needing to be physically present at the network location thanks to cloud-first technology.
6. Smarter security, sown network-wide
Meraki’s dashboard makes security simpler and stronger simultaneously. Digitisation has made networking the backbone of organisations, and as networks continue to grow in size and scope, the responsibility of managing them also scales. Meraki’s dashboard has powerful tools for creating network segments, applying role-based and/or device-based security policies, as well as multiple access permissions for the dash, ensuring just the right amount of visibility and control for every job function.
The Meraki dashboard really is a game-changer when it comes to network management. Don’t just take our word for it – take a look at our client case studies. From cutting costs in time to supporting staff with an easier management experience, it has the capacity to hugely simplify how you monitor, manage and master your networks.
If you’d like to find out more about Meraki’s portfolio – and dashboard – you can visit our partner page, or get in touch with our team for a full demo.
Wi-Fi 7 hasn’t yet been ratified, but the IEEE (the people who write the Wi-Fi standards) started working on Wi-Fi 7 in March 2019 and thanks to initial drafts, we do have an understanding of what Wi-Fi 7 could look like: faster, more adaptable, excelling in high density.
So what does Wi-Fi 7 look like?
Wi-Fi 7 is going to be faster than its predecessors. A new ultra-wide 320Mhz and 4096 QAM will both be supported as part of the standard, allowing more data to travel over the air. Theoretical figures are as high as 46.1Gbit/s; while real-world results will almost certainly fall short of this, it’s clear that Wi-Fi 7 will give us more bandwidth than ever before.
Latency is another big focus of Wi-Fi 7; VR/AR and other applications can have very demanding latency requirements, and Wi-Fi 7 will address this challenge with Multi-Link Operation, which allows two Wi-Fi channels to be used simultaneously to reduce latency.
Wi-Fi 7 also looks to make more efficient use of the 5GHz and 6GHz frequency bands when wider channel widths are used. Multi Resource Units (RU) and Puncturing allow the Wi-Fi channel to be split into different parts. This enables multiple users to use the channel and allows the access point to side-step interference that only affects part of the channel. All this means a better user experience, especially in environments with a higher user density or environments susceptible to external sources of interference.
What are the key differences between Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7?
Wi-Fi 7 isn’t a revolutionary shift in the way Wi-Fi 6 was, but it makes several really important steps forward in terms of standards.
- In terms of speed, it’ll surge with a maximum speed of 36 Gbps compared to Wi-Fi 6’s 9.6 Gbps
- It’ll support up to 320MHz channels compared to 160 channels
- It will introduce Multi-Link Operation (MLO), making it possible for devices to send and receive data simultaneously across multiple frequency bands and channels
- Multi resource unit puncturing will make to most efficient use of bandwidth
- It can use 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz
When can we expect Wi-Fi 7 to become available?
Whilst the official launch happened just a few months ago (November 2022), displaying early device designs, routers coming to market isn’t expected until later into 2023, probably towards the end of the year and into 2024. Wi-Fi 7 compatible devices will be longer, meaning the uptake of the new standard will largely follow user demand.
If you’d like to know more about Wi-Fi 7 and how best to plan network upgrades, get in touch with our team.
As connected partners of Cambium Networks, we believe in wireless solutions that can deliver peak performance in the toughest environments, whether indoors, outdoors, in a warehouse, school, office – or at 18,000 feet.
Recent years have shown huge developments in where and how wireless technology can be provided, extending to the farthest and most challenging places on the planet. Few places can be as challenging for first-class connectivity than Mount Everest, characterized by craggy cliffs, ice, swift rivers and extreme weather conditions across the entire northeastern region of Nepal.
With experience in extreme conditions, it was no surprise that Everest Link approached our partner Cambium Networks to provide a wireless solution.
Despite the challenges posed to technology across these thousands of square miles of hostile terrain, reliable, secure and fast connectivity is paramount both for locals and tourists. The area sees around 40,000 visitors annually, including over 1,600 climbers across the various mountains, of which Everest is one. Tsering G. Sherpa, CEO of Everest Link said of the project, “our goal was to give them a perfect connection across the toughest terrain in the world.”
One major obstacle was power sources; at Base Camp the only viable option was renewable energy which meant carrying solar panels and devices to the installation sites by porters or pack animals. Cambium’s lightweight, energy efficient solutions made them a good match. Another issue was weather conditions; Cambium focus heavily on leading outdoor wireless technology that can withstand dust, high wind, and is waterproof, providing another solution to a highly unique challenge.
After deploying over 200 hotspots in addition to PTP 650 access points, the region has a solid connection 24 hours a day. Tsering G. Sherpa commented, “it gives us high throughput and perfect reliability. At the moment, we’re connected to the Everest base camp. There, at 5,320 meters altitude, we have a solar powered cnPilot™ e500 outdoor Wi-Fi hotspot.”
The project didn’t just set its sights on supporting tourism. In addition, Cambium Networks connected over 40 villages and 34,000 locals, with connectivity significantly boosting regional education through distance-learning.
Watch the video below to see Cambium Networks in action with Everest Link at Everest Base Camp.
Internet access has not only become a way of life, it’s become something we feel strongly entitled to in the western world. It’s become such a commodity at home and at work that we’ve even become justified in our frustration when we experience slow speeds, poor connection or a weak cellular service.
When you really consider it, you probably struggle to imagine how your day would look without it; how you’d communicate with colleagues and clients at work, how you’d keep track of your finances, how you’d get from A to B avoiding motorway closures and a myriad of other challenges that the internet helps us circumvent or shortcut.
The simple fact is that today’s world couldn’t operate without wireless connectivity, and neither can tomorrow’s.
But in this instance, today is #NationalDayOfUnplugging, celebrating all things switching off, and given we’re all about tech – specifically wireless networks – we thought we’d ask the team how they’d feel about a life offline.
So, just how does Redway Networks feel about a world with all its access points unplugged?
What would you miss?
- “I would miss the ability to look up things instantly for information, using my phone as a dictionary, directory and map. I would miss emailing – but we all coped without internet once before – it just gives us the speed to obtain the information, so I would certainly miss that element of it i.e. everything being at our fingertips.”
- “I’d certainly miss a tidy, largely paperless office! I’d also miss low cost communication!”
- “Google Maps! Although re-learning to use actual maps wouldn’t be all bad…”
- “I’d miss the ease of being organised and connected on the go. We take for granted how useful it is to be able to check birthdays on Facebook and send well-wishes, transfer money in seconds, set reminders without carrying scraps of paper around. Okay, I admit it, I’d be lost without Google Sheets!”
- “I’d really miss being able to speak to friends, family and my girlfriend anywhere in the world at any time.”
- “And perhaps most poignantly… “our jobs!””
What would you count on or enjoy more?
- “I’d absolutely be relying on long, boozy working lunches à la 90s!”
- “I’d certainly enjoy not seeing what everyone ate for dinner plastered all over social media… !”
- “HAM radio.”
- “I’d be forced to rely more on my rubbish short term memory. I’d enjoy life possibly slowing down a little and having a screen or two less.”
- “I’d have to go back to sending letters, cards, or travelling more… not all bad!”
- Your WiFi should offer reliability, even when you’re asking big things in terms of capacity, coverage and complexity
- Loving your wireless means trusting that it can deliver your business requirements and support growth
- Don’t get us wrong, speed is still important (and becoming more so), but a high-performing wireless network means less of the lottery aspect
- A reliable network won’t have you considering a return to the dating world, since it offers fast speeds wherever you are and you won’t experience peaks and troughs that inconvenience operations
- With the addition of WiFi6 in late 2019, we’re expecting huge improvements in speed in the years ahead as the market takes advantage of the increased efficiency compared to WiFi 5
- Security is often something that comes with time in a relationship, but these days feeling safe is an absolute must as data breach protocols become more and more stringent
- Network security involves both hardware and software, and if your organisation handles sensitive or confidential data, we always advocate a full audit to be sure that you’re not at risk
- Networks need to be scalable and adaptable to allow your business to grow and change alongside technology
- Capacity is set to be a huge part of your WiFi relationship in the coming years as IoT grows and the number of devices per person rise. Your wireless needs to be able to accommodate these additional devices and functions if your business wants to be efficient
- If you have a new network, the changes are you don’t need to do anything at all to use your growing room. If you’re in a longer term relationship with your wireless, you may need to consider finding that extra space with new hardware, load balancing, or other configuration changes
- WiFi6 presents the perfect opportunity to move to a solution that can offer incredible amounts of capacity for years to come
- Even in the darkest corners of the workplace, you’re never at a loss
- Your connection should offer maximum coverage without loveless blackspots
- Whether your organisation is a school, warehouse or office, spaces or rooms experiencing dropouts or low speeds are terrible for efficiency with teaching, picking, collaborating or exchanging data
- Some things just don’t last, and that’s a fact. What works well now won’t work in a decade’s time, and we typically start to hear about cracks in foundations around the 5-year mark
- Frustrations might not necessitate throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but its’s worth seeking advice from an expert engineer with a proven track record in your industry to determine whether its you or your network causing tensions
- A site survey is an excellent way of giving your wireless a full audit to determine where the problems lie
- Getting the best out of your wireless means investing time in it, and managing a network to ensure high performance can be a challenging and time-consuming task
- As technology continues to advance, it’s important to keep up to date with how your network can deliver the experience users expect and rely on
- If you’re struggling, don’t suffer in silence. Seeking out network support services is an excellent way of having help on tap from WiFi experts who know your solution inside out.
Let us know what you’d miss most/least by commenting on our Twitter post for #NationalDayOfUnplugging!
How it feels to be in love with your WiFi
One of the most important working relationships these days is with our wireless whether we’re at home, at work, or somewhere in between. In an ideal world, it’s a happy relationship which gives each party what it needs, but – as in reality – we see so many relationships that aren’t supportive, reciprocal, or stable.
If you’re one of the unlucky ones feeling spurned by your network, here’s what it’s like to be head-over-heels in love with your WiFi.
You can count on it during the tough times
Weariness of speed dating is well and truly in the past
You feel safe
You can grow together
You never feel alone
Being in a loving relationship with your WiFI might sound like a breeze, but a few words of warning…
Beware the 7-year itch
Love takes work
If you’re not in love with your WiFi, we hope this article has convinced you to give love another go by contacting our engineers for advice – there are plenty more wireless solutions in the sea!