Meraki Dashboard is a powerful network management system used by businesses and organizations around the world. It provides an easy-to-use interface that helps users manage their networks quickly and efficiently. However, it can quickly become overwhelming as there are a lot of features to learn and options to customize. This article will provide useful Meraki dashboard tips for getting the most out of Meraki so that you can better manage your network. Let’s start.
Dashboard Meraki Login
To get the most out of these Meraki dashboard tips, you’ve got to first access the platform. After you access the interface, you will be able to manage all the devices and your organization’s network.
The login to Meraki’s dashboard is pretty straightforward. If you have already enrolled in the system, you only need to input your credentials into Meraki’s access page.
Otherwise, from the same page, you can select “Create an account” and get started with it.
The procedure to create an account is like any other online service; you need to provide your company name and email and select a strong password. However, it is essential to select the region and country where your organization resides, as all data will be stored on servers in the selected area.
Now, let’s get started with the Meraki dashboard tips.
7 Meraki Dashboard Tips
Meraki Dashboard is a cloud-based network management platform developed by Cisco. It provides users with an easy-to-use interface to manage and monitor their wireless networks, security appliances, switches, and other networking devices. The dashboard also features powerful analytics that helps identify performance issues before they become critical problems for the network. Additionally, it lets administrators monitor user activities in near real-time so they can quickly respond to any potential threat or issue before it escalates into a larger problem.
These Meraki dashboard tips have multiple purposes. From speeding up procedures to securing the network. Therefore, you might find some of them more useful than others. Let’s start.
Meraki Dashboard Tip #1 - Set Limits to Guest WiFi Networks
The first Meraki dashboard tip is about setting up a Guest WiFi network. This feature is particularly useful for businesses that constantly deal with guests in physical venues.
In fact, setting up a Guest WiFi network is crucial to ensure the security of data transmission and provide a smooth WiFi experience to your customers.
From your Meraki Dashboard, you can create as many Guest networks as you like, however, it is very important to set up bandwidth limits and temporary permissions. The main benefit of these types of imposed limits is that they make the WiFi connection smooth for all users. Moreover, they prevent users to clog the network.
The downside is that it can be tricky to manage these settings from Meraki as it is not the simplest guest WiFi management system out there. However, with some trial and error, you can make it.
Meraki Dashboard Tip #2 - Set Alerts
The second Meraki dashboard tip is about productivity. In order to get you focused on the most important part of your business, you can set up alerts so you don’t need to stay in front of the screen shall a problem occur.
You can set email, SMS, and webhook-based alerts on third-party platforms like Microsoft Teams or Slack. If your team is small you will find alerts very useful as anyone can engage in other activities instead of constantly monitoring the performance of the network. Moreover, you can configure the alerts as you like because the Meraki system provides infinite customizability.
Therefore, set alerts and move on with other stuff.
Meraki Dashboard Tip #3 - Manage Multiple Devices Simultaneously
The third Meraki dashboard tip of this article is particularly useful if your business makes large use of IT devices. Meraki system allows you to manage all of your organization’s iOS devices from the dashboard and save time configuring all of them.
In order to do so, you got to download Apple Configurator, freely available in the Mac App Store. After downloading the app, you’ll be able to connect and manage all the devices from one single place (Meraki Systems Manager).
While this feature can boost your productivity and save you time, it only applies to Apple devices. However, Meraki is planning rollouts that make this feature available for all types of Operating Systems.
Meraki Dashboard Tip #4 - Troubleshooting Client VPN
The fourth Meraki dashboard tip is about troubleshooting Client VPN, in fact, “Client VPN connection” is the most searched term in the Cisco Meraki Knowledge Base.
A VPN is an important feature to reduce the risk posed by public WiFi, therefore, it has to be taken seriously.
With Meraki, setting up a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is typically straightforward. However, the larger the network the more troubles you might encounter. Moreover, sometimes there might be issues with the client’s VPN connection,
If you are experiencing problems setting up the connection, these are the most simple and common solutions:
- Check that the MX is online
- Check that you are using a correct MX IP address
- Disable the firewall and restart the procedure
- Try different authentication methods
If you can’t sort out the issue, have a read at their documentation for troubleshooting VPN issues.
Meraki Dashboard Tip #5 - Take Advantage of Mesh Capabilities
An interesting feature of Meraki Access Point is that all the devices get mesh network capabilities. In other words, all devices can amplify the reach of your network. This Meraki dashboard tip is useful if your venue experience signal issues, as the WiFi cannot reach a specific part of the venue.
Thanks to the Mesh Capabilities, you can create a mesh network that can amplify the reach of your WiFi! You can turn this feature on from your dashboard and follow this tutorial to get your mesh network ready.
Meraki Dashboard Tip #6 - Communicate With Your Customers
The sixth Meraki dashboard tip is about communicating with your customers. When your customers log onto your WiFi, they will land on a page that is commonly used to inform about terms and conditions.
However, you can get more creative and communicate to your customers’ other important aspects of your business or some special offer. Although this might sound like a little detail, this is the moment your customers are the most receptive. Therefore, you can take advantage of this page to reach your business goals.
Although Meraki is a great system with tons of functionalities, you can find it simpler to manage these front-end details with a social WiFi hotspot solution.
Meraki Dashboard Tip #7 - Use Templates
The last Meraki dashboard tip is about increasing your productivity. Specifically, using templates.
Within Meraki Dashboard, templates are predesigned settings that allow you to save time any time you have to recreate a process or a system that has already been defined. Therefore, if your business grows and you want to export the settings of your network to other venues or devices, you can use templates and export your network settings of choice in no time.
For example, you can create a network template that will include specific settings (alerts, tags, settings, bandwidth limits, etc.) and export it to any new device or network. By creating and using templates, you will save yourself and your team hours of work on tasks that have already been done in the past.
Where To Get Meraki Dashboard Training
Although these Meraki dashboard tips are useful, they can’t replace proper training and make you a professional.
The best way to get Meraki dashboard training is through specializing courses held by Cisco itself. According to your needs, you will find courses that suit your goals. However, if you are on a budget and cannot enroll in a professional course that might last even months, you might find tons of information online. You can also find high-quality courses on Udemy that are typically cheap and provide high-quality information. However, you might need to find the right course for you, and in that case, the only way to assess it is by reading reviews.
However, if your needs are specific, you might have trouble finding free information, therefore you might need to hire a personal consultant or a trainer to help you out specifically.
If you are looking for more Meraki dashboard tips and information, Meraki has a specific page (Meraki Documentation) that provides you with any information you might need to get started and master their system. However, navigating within their platform might be complicated, especially if you need an easy and actionable answer. Instead, by heading to Youtube, you can find tons of Meraki dashboard tutorials that can help you troubleshoot the most common issues and get started with the dashboard. Moreover, if you have a specific issue, you might post your question on their online forum.
All in all, Meraki is a fantastic network management system that offers thousands of functionalities. However, it might be complicated to manage Meraki if you are not an IT guy or do not have any tech-savvy employees. Instead, if your business is small and you want to provide a great guest WiFi experience, you might find a more efficient and user-friendly WiFi marketing system like Beambox.
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