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The Differences between Cisco Meraki’s MX Series, MR Series, and MS Series
The Differences between Cisco Meraki’s MX Series, MR Series, and MS Series
Cisco Meraki offers a comprehensive portfolio of cloud-managed IT solutions across wireless, switching, and security domains. Meraki’s platform provides features like wireless health metrics and built-in location analytics to enhance business intelligence and network visibility.
Through the intuitive Meraki cloud dashboard, administrators can leverage powerful tools and analytics to keep networks secure and optimized for the best end-user experience.
Network deployment and troubleshooting are streamlined with Meraki’s zero-touch provisioning and centralized management. Devices can be pre-configured and come online with minimal onsite effort, while the cloud provides integrated monitoring and alerting for quick issue resolution.
Cisco Meraki’s MX, MR, and MS series each serve distinct roles in this ecosystem: MX security appliances for secure SD-WAN, MR access points for high-performance Wi-Fi, and MS switches for reliable wired networking.
Below, we explore the key differences and latest features of each series to help you choose the right fit for your business.
The Cisco Meraki MX Series
The Cisco Meraki MX series is most suitable for small branch networks with a Unified Threat Management (UTM) solution.
The Cisco Meraki MX series comprises cloud-managed security and SD-WAN appliances built for unified threat management and to protect and securely connect what matters most, regardless of location.
The MX family is entirely cloud-managed, enabling remote configuration, monitoring, and zero-touch deployment. These appliances consolidate multiple functions – firewall, routing, traffic shaping, content filtering, VPN, and more – into a single platform, eliminating the need for many separate devices.
Every Cisco Meraki MX model provides enterprise-grade security with layer 7 application controls and identity-based policies. The MX series also offers intelligent SD-WAN capabilities such as multiple active WAN uplinks, automatic failover (including 4G/LTE cellular backup), and Auto VPN for seamless site-to-site connectivity. Advanced threat prevention features (intrusion detection/prevention, content filtering, malware protection, etc.) are integrated and updated via the cloud, all managed through Meraki’s web-based dashboard.
This cloud-first approach means network administrators can easily enforce security across distributed sites and get real-time visibility into application performance and threats.
MX appliances are available in models suitable for small branches up to large campus environments. For example, the MX85 supports up to 250 users with 1 Gbps firewall throughput, while high-end models scale to many Gbps of throughput and thousands of users.
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The best part is that Cisco allows prospective customers to use Cisco Meraki MX units on their networks during a free trial. Our experts have extensive experience with Cisco Meraki San Francisco. We are ready to guide you with integration and installation.
Cisco Meraki MX Features
Meraki’s cloud-based centralized management suite allows network admins a detailed view of Meraki switches, wireless access points, and appliances.
The main features include:
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Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) with optional Threat Grid integration
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Simple management through the Cisco Meraki Dashboard
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Geo-based firewall rules
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Automatic Firmware upgrades
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Meraki MX firmware release notes
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Client VPN endpoint
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Content Filtering
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Web Search Filtering
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WAN Link Balancing
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Static Routing
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Configurable DHCP/ VLANs support
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Automatic WAN Failover
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IDS/IPS protection
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Custom Traffic Shaping
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Active Directory integration
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L3/L7 Stateful Firewall
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Meraki advanced security license
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Meraki enterprise license option
Cisco Meraki MR Features
Meraki MR wireless access points have cutting-edge features such as:
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Advanced security to prevent ransomware, malware, and C2 callbacks
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Self-configuring plug-and-play deployment
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Integrated intrusion detection and prevention system (WIDS/WIPS)
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Wi-Fi personal network (WPN) for shared networks
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Intelligent firmware upgrades
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Self-healing, zero-configuration mesh
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Advanced application visibility
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AI/ML-powered analytics for Wi-Fi troubleshooting and root cause analysis
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Text message and email alerts
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IPv6 compatible, FIPS-140-2 compliant, WFA-certified Aps
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Role-based administration
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Flexible group policy
The Cisco Meraki MR Series
The Cisco Meraki MR series includes cloud-managed WLAN access points that thrive on the Cisco Meraki cloud. They ensure intuitive centralized management while cutting costs and simplifying on-site wireless controllers.
The Cisco Meraki MR series consists of cloud-managed wireless LAN access points, one of the industry’s most trusted enterprise Wi-Fi solutions, now supporting the latest Wi-Fi 6E and even Wi-Fi 7 technology for future-proof performance.
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The MR access points offer reliable coverage that demanding business applications require through:
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Advanced Wi-Fi 6 and WiFi 7 technologies
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Beamforming
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Channel bonding
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OFDMA
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MU-MIMO
These APs deliver intuitive centralized management via the Meraki cloud while eliminating the cost and complexity of traditional on-site wireless controllers. The MR access points provide the reliable, high-density coverage that modern business applications demand.
Many Meraki AP models offer tri-band operation and include multigigabit Ethernet uplinks to handle the increased backhaul of Wi-Fi 6/6E. The Meraki MR series combines high-performance hardware with advanced software features, making it ideal for high-demand environments while remaining easy to scale and manage.
The Cisco Meraki MS Series
The Cisco Meraki MS series switches are easily deployable to help accommodate rising network demands. They are robust, efficient, reliable, and designed for dynamic business environments.
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The Cisco Meraki MS series provides cloud-managed access and aggregation switches with uncompromising performance and reliability at the heart of your network.
These switches combine powerful on-premises hardware with Meraki’s cloud management for simpler operation and greater visibility into the wired network.
Meraki MS switches come in models for edge access, distribution, and aggregation, all managed through the same web-based dashboard. Cloud management allows instant monitoring and configuration from anywhere, making it easy to oversee distributed networks and push out organization-wide changes.
You can pre-provision switch settings even before hardware arrives on-site, and Meraki’s virtual stacking lets you manage thousands of ports across many switches as if they were one.
Cisco Meraki MS series switches are designed to be resilient, with options for redundant power and physical stacking to ensure high availability in mission-critical environments.​
Cisco Meraki MS Features
The Meraki MS Series has in-built monitoring, alerting, and multi-site management alerting tools. Network admins receive notifications in case of configuration changes and downtime.
The outstanding features include:
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Energy efficient design with fanless and low acoustics options
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GbE, 10 GbE, and 40 GbE uplink ports to ensure high-speed connectivity
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Shallow rack depth options
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Optional Multigigabit ports with up to 10Gbps enhanced Wi-Fi performance
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Six dedicated QoS queues for high-performance
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Hot-swappable and field-replaceable fans and power supplies
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RPS option for mission-critical applications
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Lifetime hardware warranty
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Advanced replacement at no extra cost
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Integrated troubleshooting, logging, and alerts tools
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Role-based administration
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Flexible stacking
Cisco Meraki Licensing and Support
Generally, all Meraki products share a simplified licensing model.
All wireless access points (MR series) use the same type of cloud license (interchangeable across all MR models). The switching (MS) and security appliance (MX) lines require licenses tied to the specific hardware model.
Cisco Meraki’s MX series also offers multiple license editions to unlock different feature sets, including an Enterprise license, an Advanced Security license, and the Secure SD-WAN Plus license for advanced analytics and SD-WAN capabilities. Each MX hardware unit must be licensed in one of these tiers. Licenses are available in 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10-year terms, and organizations can choose between a co-termination licensing model or per-device licensing for flexibility.
All Meraki license options include:
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24/7 Cisco Meraki technical support
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Regular security and firmware updates delivered seamlessly via the cloud
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Advanced hardware replacement at no extra cost
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We understand it can be challenging to differentiate the licenses and products. Our experienced team will answer your questions and assist you in acquiring the best Cisco Meraki San Francisco product for your particular needs.
Conclusion
Cisco Meraki delivers simple, network-as-a-service solutions that greatly streamline modern IT management.
With Meraki’s cloud-first approach, administrators gain deep visibility and control over their entire network through a single pane of glass – the Meraki dashboard – which provides insight into every security appliance, switch, and access point in real time.
Meraki products are cost-effective and scalable, making them suitable for any growing business. If you’re unsure of the most suitable product for your business, our experts will guide you along the entire process.
Get started with us today and enjoy enhanced security and more efficient business processes.