Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs NETGEAR Insight Access Points comparison

Cisco and Netgear are both solutions in the Wireless LAN category. Cisco is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.8, while Netgear is ranked #22 with an average rating of 8.0. Cisco holds a 10.3% mindshare in Wireless LAN, compared to Netgear’s 1.6% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of Netgear users who would recommend it.

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Read 122 Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN reviews

10,406 Views
9,261 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

NETGEAR Insight Access Points

Read 13 NETGEAR Insight Access Points reviews

1,268 Views
1,268 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

NETGEAR Insight Access Points

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN and NETGEAR Insight Access Points are both key players in the wireless networking market. Cisco Meraki stands out with advantages in support and built-in security features, whereas NETGEAR Insight is recognized for its cost-effectiveness and adequate features for smaller setups.

Features: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN offers a cloud-based management platform, enhanced security with Layer 7 protections, and robust performance options that include seamless WiFi connectivity and strong network security. On the other hand, NETGEAR Insight provides ease of management via a mobile app, flexibility in scaling for small to medium-sized networks, and strong throughput speeds that are reliable even with multiple users.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Meraki could enhance its offering by improving customizability, as the current guardrails may limit experienced engineers. The initial setup cost is often higher compared to competitors. Meanwhile, the NETGEAR Insight could benefit from expanding its security features offering, enhancing customer service options beyond mobile app support, and providing more comprehensive guidance for setup and management for users without IT expertise.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is known for its straightforward deployment process, complemented by extensive online resources and strong customer support networks ideal for complex environments. In contrast, NETGEAR Insight offers simple setup procedures and real-time management through its app, making it particularly appealing for novice administrators.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Meraki typically involves higher initial setup costs due to its premium services and infrastructure, though its ROI is often validated by high security and management capabilities. In contrast, NETGEAR Insight Access Points are more affordable upfront, catering to budget-conscious buyers and delivering quick ROI for smaller networks due to lower capital expenditure.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. NETGEAR Insight Access Points Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. NETGEAR Insight Access Points

February 2026

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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

3rd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

4.4

Number of Reviews

122

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NETGEAR Insight Access Points

Ranking in Wireless LAN

22nd

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is 10.3%, down from 13.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NETGEAR Insight Access Points is 1.6%, up from 1.3% 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	10.3%
NETGEAR Insight Access Points	1.6%
Other	88.1%

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

DolfKrikke

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.

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Denis Gillet

Owner at ERIM S.A.

Centralized management has simplified our home Wi‑Fi setup and supports multiple users reliably

Given my experience with NETGEAR Insight Access Points, my piece of advice for other organizations considering it is that they have to look at the rest of their system because NETGEAR Insight Access Points is quite useless with anything but the Wi-Fi system. I rate this product an 8 out of 10.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The settings of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN can be very granular. You can lock down and block devices with the controls. For example, we have four different wireless settings, such as guest, employee, security, and backup. For example, the settings for the employees, if they use laptops, they're required to have certain settings, such as an antivirus installed. If they do not then Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN will not let them connect. This is very good protection because the network works on the bringing your own device(BYOD) principle. It's a BYOD environment now, and you also don't want them to bring infection into the environment because these people are connecting to the LAN via wireless connections. We have to be careful because we're managing it, we have to be very strict with regards to the rules and policies."

"Configuring network policies remotely for Cisco Meraki Wireless is very useful for an organization that has many branches, as I can manage it centrally from the Meraki dashboard without having to drive to a location, even if it is 100 or more kilometers away."

"The most valuable features are the management tools, including monitoring and reporting."

"From a security perspective, this product has several advantages."

"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten...The solution's initial setup process was straightforward."

"With Cisco products and third-party products, integration of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN is good."

"It enables quick deployment within all branches for the users."

"I have found the scalability to be very good."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pros

"From the WiFi aspect, it's very intuitive and easy to use. The solution enables me to manage my entire WiFi from anywhere in the world..."

"I find the centralized management of NETGEAR Insight Access Points very beneficial because we are using five access points, and it is quite useful to be able to manage them centrally."

"The metrics demonstrate that NETGEAR really does a good job of balancing the load between the various access points on the networks and this results in an elimination of downtime."

"I'm able to do a lot of things, because the GUI is designed very well. I'm able to remotely make certain changes via my phone and apply them right away. It makes life easier when it comes to managing the equipment. The Insight management solution phone app is very good. It enables me to do what I want to do."

"I now have the ability to remote access my network. That works extremely well. I can access it from any place. I don't need to be physically at the device. This saves me on time and travel."

"The internet connectivity is good."

"The meshing capabilities are the most valuable feature. When I am going in-between buildings, my phone doesn't have to pick up different WiFi. They are all the same. Even in-between the buildings, I stay connected."

"We use NETGEAR's Insight management solution to do off-property controls. It is user-friendly and provides network management, monitoring, and service deployment across multiple remote and local sites. That means I don't have to be physically at a location to do things if I want to make any changes to the network. It saves time and money."

More NETGEAR Insight Access Points pros

Cons

"I would like to see more cybersecurity. I would like the ability to go in and enhance security. Because WPA2 is becoming obsolete, many devices are now WPA3, but the challenge is that a lot of devices are not yet there. I would like to be able to go in and do monitoring, similar to ASPM. ASPM has the ability to monitor who's joining and who's active. It supports two-step monitoring. The stability of Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN can also be improved."

"The issue primarily revolves around failure to renew the license on time, leading to service termination."

"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."

"Currently, with Meraki, a controller is required to direct guest and user traffic to the internet. Improvement is needed in the portal for enhanced visibility into activities. Additionally, addressing multiple bugs, especially those arising with new releases, is crucial to ensure system stability."

"The annual maintenance is something that needs to be changed."

"Meraki should share their viability roadmap. It is really hard to know which functionality will appear or when they will be available. It is also hard to know which features are available now but are not visible on the dashboard."

"The product doesn't effectively do its job anymore since some issues crop up in it once you run out of your subscription licensing...Improvements are needed in the licensing part of the tool."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN cons

"There is always room for improvement."

"The product's UI needs to be simplified and made more straightforward."

"I have some frustrations with the ease of use. It tends to be sluggish. The graphical interface is pretty, but not useful. They have this tree that shows connected devices, which makes no sense whatsoever because the labeling field of the tree truncates all the items to the point that it's almost useless. You can't even tell what it is. I would prefer a spreadsheet list of the gear as opposed to a graphical representation."

"A con is the backend system which is very, very slow."

"Ubiquiti is a very good company. NETGEAR should look at that model and expand on its remote capabilities. Ubiquiti seems to have a better product."

"My major problem is right now, the area which I need to cover is around 7,000 to 10,000 square feet...I would like NETGEAR Insight Access Points to extend the area coverage they provide."

"While the data throughput does provide us with full insight into data being used, we find that it's not very accurate."

"Due to certain shortcomings in the solution's stability, I feel that the solution's stability requires improvement."

More NETGEAR Insight Access Points cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is on the higher side."

"This solution is quite costly and there are costs in addition to the licensing fees."

"Cisco Meraki requires either a one year or three year license for a standard enterprise license."

"The price/benefit ratio is great."

"It's a pretty good value, but not great. Pricing is on a yearly basis for the Meraki solution."

"The platform is expensive."

"It is an expensive solution."

"It is expensive."

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN pricing and cost advice

"For what you get, the price of Insight access points is very reasonable."

"Their pricing is perfect for smaller businesses who are money and budget conscious. There are a lot of other solutions out there that are two to three times more expensive."

"My company does not need to pay anything related to the solution's licensing costs."

"I can source the stuff pretty quickly wherever I go through the distributor. There is pricing available at NETGEAR if you can spend between $2,000 and $5,000 on a solution. So, there is special pricing that they can help with. The vendor's reps are very responsive. They have a good channel system."

"I think that the price of the product is reasonable."

"The pricing seems to be reasonable."

"Price-wise, it is a little too high, about $20 higher than what it should be, but it's worth it. It's cheaper than Cisco's access point, but the products are not apples to apples."

"We have some basic models they give without a license."

More NETGEAR Insight Access Points pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

Comms Service Provider

Retailer

Outsourcing Company

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	69
Midsize Enterprise	27
Large Enterprise	31

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	1
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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about NETGEAR Insight Access Points?

The product's deployment is straightforward.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NETGEAR Insight Access Points?

We have some basic models they give without a license.

See all answers

What needs improvement with NETGEAR Insight Access Points?

The pricing and standard connectivity can be further improved.

See all answers

Comparisons

Aruba Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 34% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 11% of the time

Juniper Mist Wireless Access Points vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 9% of the time

Fortinet FortiAP vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 5% of the time

Cisco Wireless vs Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

Compared 4% of the time

More Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN Competitors

Ubiquiti WLAN vs NETGEAR Insight Access Points

Compared 18% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs NETGEAR Insight Access Points

Compared 11% of the time

Omada Access Points vs NETGEAR Insight Access Points

Compared 11% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs NETGEAR Insight Access Points

Compared 10% of the time

Aruba Instant On Access Points vs NETGEAR Insight Access Points

Compared 5% of the time

More NETGEAR Insight Access Points Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN

February 2026

Download Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN product report

Buyer's Guide

NETGEAR Insight Access Points

January 2026

Download NETGEAR Insight Access Points product report

Also Known As

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

No data available

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

At NETGEAR, we turn ideas into innovative networking products that connect people, power businesses, and advance the way we live. Easy to use. Powerful. Smart. And designed just for you.

Netgear

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

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. NETGEAR Insight Access Points

February 2026

Free Report: Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs. NETGEAR Insight Access Points

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