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Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Cisco Wireless 9100 Access Points comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 9, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN
Ranking in Wireless LAN
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
4.4
Number of Reviews
122
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Wireless 9100 Access ...
Ranking in Wireless LAN
12th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

DolfKrikke - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Architect at Previder
Centralized management has simplified remote branch control and improved network visibility
Cisco Meraki Wireless is very powerful and very easy to manage. The solution is also integrating Cisco Catalyst Wireless products into their portfolio, and they are managing the Catalyst switches as well. The seamless roaming capabilities function well. I monitor network performance with Meraki's real-time analytics. The most useful metrics to my team are the internet performance metrics, as there is a lot of information in the dashboard that I can access. All auditing and event logs are centralized in the dashboard. When I need to apply to compliance requirements or other regulatory needs, I can have my auditing in one place, which is an advantage. I use Cisco Meraki Wireless's Layer 7 application traffic shaping with the MX and the Meraki MX Firewalls.
Bharath _Kumar - PeerSpot reviewer
Solution Architect at Velocis Systems
Wireless has delivered advanced analytics and remote troubleshooting for diverse use cases
Cisco Wireless 9100 Access Points is valuable because of Cisco's Wi-Fi integration with Cisco Spaces, previously called DNA Spaces. When you bundle Cisco AP with Cisco Spaces, the complete wireless story comes into the picture. The first major advantage is the hardware, the chipset, the processor, and the IOS. There is unified licensing and unified iOS, and once you have DNA advantage, you can get a separate AVIX and the Wi-Fi 6 or 6E dashboard in DNAC. These advantages provide basic throughput support, OFDMA, multi-MIMO architecture, and the latest 4K QAM in Wi-Fi 7, previously 1024 QAM, and MLO in Wi-Fi 7. These functionalities exist for every OEM, but the Cisco advantage is the integration with Wi-Fi Spaces. Cisco Wireless 9100 Access Points includes one AP that can operate in dual mode. You can onboard it in Meraki or Catalyst, meaning on-premises or cloud controller. Single hardware can be dual OS, either Meraki OS or Catalyst OS. For IoT and industrial wireless, Cisco has a different technology called CURV. The APs are different from the Catalyst 9000 series APs. There is a different set of series with different models working on fluid mesh architecture of Cisco CURV. Remote troubleshooting is a basic functionality of any SDN controller these days. Engineers do not need to manually log in to the end device, which could be either a switch or an AP. From DNA Center itself, you can get visibility from the assurance. You can get client 360, network 360, and application 360 where the health scores of each individual client are clearly visible in DNAC Center. The assurance data provides visibility and highlights the issues that a particular user or particular network node is facing. You can access the device without any challenge. Similar to how SD-WAN came into the picture seven to eight years ago where you could remotely log in to the WAN edge devices and troubleshoot it, the same principle is being applied in DNAC Center for the campus, whether it is switching or WAN. If the RTT latency has been met from the branch to the place where DNAC Center is deployed, you can easily access those devices without needing an engineer to visit that particular location for troubleshooting.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Customers that have gone from SMB solutions into the Meraki have noticed an increase in satisfaction in the work."
"It has improved our organization immensely."
"The most valuable feature is the technology of the security that is offered."
"The setup phase was very easy and user-friendly for me, not only for initial setup but also for ongoing management."
"Users have the capability of capturing business insights on the solution, for example, we can see who uses the WiFi or monitor movement."
"There are many valuable features of Cisco Meraki, including the switches, stacking, and layer 3 routing."
"If you have some money, it is a good thing to buy."
"It's simple to manage when there's a problem."
"Wi-Fi 6 technology has improved wireless connectivity to such an extent that LAN cable connectivity is no longer necessary, allowing users to work remotely with Wi-Fi connectivity while achieving both speed and scalability."
"What I appreciate about Cisco Wireless 9100 Access Points is the convenience to operate them and install them across locations remotely or on-premise."
"Cisco Wireless 9100 Access Points is valuable because of Cisco's Wi-Fi integration with Cisco Spaces, previously called DNA Spaces."
"There is not much in terms of potential improvement for Cisco Wireless 9100 Access Points; the product is good on wireless."
"Cisco is technically superior to competitors."
"The biggest benefit from Cisco Wireless 9100 Access Points for me and my clients is that it has many options for tuning the configuration and the radio profile for wireless."
"The features in Catalyst 9100 Access Points that I have found most valuable include that it's a complete solution; we go with Cisco because you have access points, you have a controller, you have Cisco ISE, and you have Cisco DNA Center."
"The reliability of Cisco is the number one aspect I have seen, and the performance is pretty stable."
 

Cons

"Currently, only a limited number of clients can connect to these devices."
"The annual maintenance is something that needs to be changed."
"The technical support for Meraki needs improvements made to the waiting times."
"The price could be slightly better, but then again, we negotiate deals every time so the market price isn't really relevant."
"The commercial version of the solution could be cheaper."
"The solution's pricing could be improved."
"The price of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN could be improved, it is too expensive."
"One of the virtues of the product could possibly be viewed as an achilles heel."
"Theoretically, you can connect up to 100 clients simultaneously, but practically, this is not feasible. There will be bandwidth deterioration, and 100 clients using the same bandwidth will impact the quality of service."
"Cisco is always expensive. In terms of pricing, it is very tough because I have lost many RFPs because of the pricing where Ruckus is much less expensive."
"The deployment process itself is complex because we need to ensure that software requirements are running."
"Apart from that, the security measures of Cisco have not provided us with great help in reducing network vulnerabilities."
"Technical support from Cisco has been a bit degraded lately because the first support we get is challenging."
"Frankly, ease of use is one of the things that needs improvement, as the management interfaces have always been complex and not very intuitive."
"Cisco Wireless 9100 Access Points are expensive. They are definitely expensive."
"I do not see support for advanced wireless technologies like Wi-Fi 6 and IoT applications."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost of both the hardware and licensing is high, and it is more than what I would prefer to spend currently."
"The platform is expensive."
"Its price is higher than other products. It is above the expectation of customers. So, every time we need to fight for a good price."
"I don't deal with pricing directly, however, it's my understanding that it is around $40 per unit."
"This solution is reasonably priced."
"As is always the case, the price could be better, although I do not recall exactly how much this comes out to."
"The price is negotiable."
"It's not super expensive and it's not super cheap."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Marketing Services Firm
20%
Manufacturing Company
15%
Outsourcing Company
13%
University
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business69
Midsize Enterprise27
Large Enterprise31
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise7
 

Questions from the Community

What are pros and cons of Aruba 515 Series AP vs. Cisco Meraki or Extreme Networks?
Depends. I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them. Extreme I am not, so unless they have some feature that I need or want, I wouldn't consider them. Do you have expe...
Which is better - Cisco Wireless or Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?
Cisco Wireless is very robust, very rugged, and can handle indoor and outdoor coverage extremely well. We found it to be very reliable and to consistently run very efficiently. Cisco Wireless helpe...
How does Ruckus Wireless compare to Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN?
Cisco’s Meraki Virtual MX is a virtual instance of the Meraki SD-WAN appliance. We liked the Meraki. The Wifi APs are a great feature. The dashboard is a simple interface and easy to learn. It feat...
What needs improvement with Catalyst 9100 Access Points?
I do not see support for advanced wireless technologies like Wi-Fi 6 and IoT applications. There is nothing to add on this technology.
What is your primary use case for Catalyst 9100 Access Points?
The major use case is to couple that with the WLC wireless controller and push the different SSIDs on these access points to permit different devices and endpoints to connect to it.
What advice do you have for others considering Catalyst 9100 Access Points?
In these last ten years, the projects I made were for customers, but right now, I am a client and a customer. Cisco Wireless support for IoT is good and effective. We do not use AI analytics in Cis...
 

Also Known As

MR18, MR26, MR32, MR34, MR66, MR72, Meraki Wireless LAN, Meraki WLAN
Catalyst 9100 Access Points
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Advanced Medical Transport, Banco de Guayaquil, Baylor Scott & White Health, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, Calligaris, Children's Hospital Colorado, City of Biel, Del Papa Distributing, Department of Justice, Dimension Data, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Hertz, K&L Gates , LightEdge, Lone Star College System, Management Science Associates, Mindtree, NBC Olympics, Quest, Sony Corporation, The Department of Education in Western Australia, Valley Proteins
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. Cisco Wireless 9100 Access Points and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
892,943 professionals have used our research since 2012.