Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs D-Link Wireless comparison

Cisco and D-Link are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Cisco is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.2, while D-Link is ranked #15 with an average rating of 7.9. Cisco holds a 11.5% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to D-Link’s 2.1% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of D-Link users who would recommend it.

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Read 120 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN reviews

11,730 Views
10,440 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

D-Link Wireless

Read 17 D-Link Wireless reviews

2,003 Views
2,003 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

D-Link Wireless

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 21, 2025

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and D-Link Wireless compete in the wireless networking category. Cisco Meraki seems to have the upper hand due to its centralized cloud-managed capabilities and robust analytics features, despite its higher price point.

Features: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN offers centralized cloud-managed features, robust security protocols, and the ability to generate detailed analytics reports, suitable for organizations of all sizes. D-Link Wireless provides essential wireless, switching, and wiring solutions at competitive prices, offering good performance for smaller setups.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Meraki faces licensing constraints, customization limitations, and high pricing, alongside support quality and GDPR compliance concerns. D-Link needs enhancements in cloud management capabilities, technical support responsiveness, and integration with social media login features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Meraki offers flexible public and hybrid cloud deployment and excellent 24/7 customer service. D-Link is mostly on-premises, with straightforward deployment for smaller enterprises, and generally praised customer service but lacks seamless cloud support.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Meraki is a premium option with comprehensive features, reflected in its higher price and subscription-based licensing, possibly offering significant ROI. D-Link is more budget-friendly with a one-time payment model, attractive for small to medium-sized businesses despite fewer features.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. D-Link Wireless Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. D-Link Wireless

September 2025

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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

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

4.3

Number of Reviews

120

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

D-Link Wireless

Ranking in Wireless LAN

15th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is 11.5%, down from 12.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of D-Link Wireless is 2.1%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN	11.5%
D-Link Wireless	2.1%
Other	86.4%

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

RezaPradipta

Sr. Officer Network Managed Service Product Management at PT. Indosat Tbk

Streamline network management with a unified dashboard for seamless device integration

The primary use case for Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is mostly for enterprise wireless, including guest Wi-Fi and enterprise Wi-Fi. I use it across various industries with a focus on retail Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN offers a single pane of glass management. It only comes with a controller on the…

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NadirShahzad

System Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

Wireless projects run smoothly with more access point support and competitive pricing

D-Link Wireless offers more supported APs to the WLC with the default license compared to other brands like Cisco. With Cisco, only four to five APs are connected with the default license, but D-Link Wireless provides more flexibility. Local support in Pakistan is necessary for those with limited budgets, creating a reach in the market.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The fact that Cisco Meraki is cloud based and is reasonably priced has been most valuable."

"The solution ensures seamless connectivity as users move within the office. Six installed Meraki APs provide excellent coverage for around three hundred users, offering reliable speeds. Additionally, the system allows guests and users with priority devices to connect using their SAP ID. The traffic is managed through D and G controllers to meet the specified requirements for continuous connection and speed."

"The product offers HA solutions and redundancy features to ensure reliable operations."

"The solution is very stable. It is a very manageable and secure system."

"Its flexibility, ease of management via the portal, and the variety of access points are the most valuable features."

"I have found it to be stable."

"It's simple to manage when there's a problem."

"It improved the installation time."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pros

"The most valuable feature of D-Link Wireless is its durability."

"D-Link is a good product that is quite affordable and I recommend it."

"Overall, I rate D-Link Wireless nine out of ten as a solution."

"The system simplifies network management."

"The connectivity is good."

"The product's initial setup phase is easy."

"The solution is extremely easy to install. You just add them and in a few clicks, they are ready to go."

"The setup process is very easy."

More D-Link Wireless pros

Cons

"We face a bottleneck on the gateway while using the solution for large enterprises."

"It would be nice to have licensing that stays in place while the system is being renovated or changed."

"The cost of the devices and the solution itself could be more competitive."

"Unfortunately, we have to deal with European privacy laws and as far as we can see, the solution is not compliant with these. It's why we're not able to continue with Cisco Meraki. They need to become compliant with GDPR laws."

"The ease of use is average. It could be more user-friendly."

"In the future, I would like to see IP telephony in Saudi Arabia."

"When it comes to switching, Meraki lacks categories of features."

"They could also add some more controls for guest access. For example, when you have a captive portal, it would be nice to limit the amount of time users can stay connected per day. Right now, you can only configure the splash frequency. And you can set the connection for one hour, but you have to use the billing feature."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN cons

"The solution's performance could be improved."

"In future releases, it can keep improving on countering the new patterns of security attacks."

"Password restriction: Sometimes we set a password and it uses that password but, after some days/months, the password gets changed and a few laptops still use old the password while a few use the new password. The password restriction option needs to improve."

"The solution doesn't have hotspots. Users can't set it up so that visitors can log in via Facebook or social media as they can at, for example, airports. D-Link should include hotspots that offer integration with social media. That way, visitors don't need to be asking people for passwords. They can just use Facebook."

"The tool's technical support can get difficult sometimes. We got a technician only after complaining for 10-15 days. The tool's technicians need to be made available everywhere."

"D-Link Wireless’s stability needs improvement."

"The cloud managed solution needs improvement, and they should focus on the SD-WAN segment with regard to integration."

"Sometimes we configure the SSID with a password but the same AP shows two WiFi connections with the same SSID name (one is protected by a password and another one give access without a password)."

More D-Link Wireless cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the product could be cheaper."

"The platform is expensive."

"Its price is high and should be reduced."

"The solution's pricing is a little higher."

"It's not super expensive and it's not super cheap."

"You have to renew your contract every year, or for three or for five years. If you do not pay right away they will suspend your subscription."

"It is a relatively expensive solution compared to traditional network alternatives."

"The solution is pretty expensive."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pricing and cost advice

"D-Link pricing is very competitive when you consider other OEMs."

"The cost can range from $100 to $400."

"D-Link Wireless is cheaper than Ruckus or Cisco."

"This solution is more affordable than others on the market."

"The product is affordable."

"D-Link Wireless' price is the same as Aruba's. You need to pay one-time costs for the product."

"There is no licensing fee for the solution."

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is very cheap and ten is very expensive, I rate the pricing an eight out of ten."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

12%

Comms Service Provider

12%

Construction Company

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	68
Midsize Enterprise	26
Large Enterprise	31

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	2

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...

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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...

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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...

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Which wireless solution would you choose - Huawei or D-Link?

Huawei wireless is a strong and solid product that has a lot of features - and for all that it offers, it happens to be very cost effective. As a wireless solution, it is simple and its user interf...

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What do you like most about D-Link Wireless?

The tool supports new technologies.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for D-Link Wireless?

D-Link Wireless is notably more affordable than Cisco and Juniper. It suits SMB needs without the financial burden of purchasing additional licenses for extended APs.

See all answers

Comparisons

Aruba Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 31% of the time

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 12% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 12% of the time

Fortinet FortiAP vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 6% of the time

Ubiquiti Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN Competitors

Huawei Wireless vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 52% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 11% of the time

Ubiquiti WLAN vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 10% of the time

Omada Access Points vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 9% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs D-Link Wireless

Compared 4% of the time

More D-Link Wireless Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

September 2025

Download Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN product report

Buyer's Guide

D-Link Wireless

September 2025

Download D-Link Wireless product report

Also Known As

MR18, MR26, MR32, MR34, MR66, MR72, Meraki Wireless LAN, Meraki WLAN

D-Link WLAN

Overview

Cisco Meraki access points are built from the highest grade components and carefully optimized for a seamless user experience. The outcome: faster connections, greater user capacity, more coverage, and fewer support calls. The Cisco Meraki dashboard gives visibility into the network users, their devices, and their applications. Armed with rich analytics, administrators can quickly create access control and application usage policies, optimizing both the end-user experience and network security.

Cisco

D-Link Wireless offers a wide range of robust wireless Access Points (APs) operating in both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands, supporting the latest wireless standards including 802.11ac and 802.11n. These access points can be managed independently as standalone devices, or collectively by using Central Wi-Fi Manager, a free centralized controller software that can be installed on a Windows server or PC.

D-Link

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

Metropolitan Public Defender, Mission Motorcycles

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. D-Link Wireless

September 2025

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