In short
Cloud managed Wi-Fi is business wireless where the access points sit in your building but are configured, monitored and updated from a vendor-hosted web dashboard, with no on-site wireless controller. With Cisco Meraki, only management data goes to the cloud. You get staff and guest SSIDs, splash pages, WPA3, identity PSK and full client visibility from one place.
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Tell us roughly how many users or sites you have and we will reply by email with options and a quote.
What cloud managed Wi-Fi is
Every business Wi-Fi network needs something to tell the access points what to do: which networks (SSIDs) to broadcast, how to secure them, which channels and power levels to use, and which firmware to run. In a traditional design that job falls to a wireless LAN controller, a box or virtual machine on your premises that you install, license, patch and back up.
In a cloud managed Wi-Fi network that controller role moves to a dashboard hosted by the vendor. The access points are still on your ceilings and walls, cabled to your switches, but you configure and monitor them through a web browser. With Cisco Meraki, that console is the Meraki dashboard.
Meraki separates management traffic from user traffic. Configuration, statistics and monitoring data travel to the Meraki cloud over an encrypted connection, while your users' traffic goes straight onto your network and out of your own internet connection. If the cloud link drops, Meraki says devices keep running on their last known configuration; you just cannot make changes until it returns. Our guide to what cloud networking is explains that split in more detail.
Cloud managed Wi-Fi vs controller-based Wi-Fi
| Cloud managed (Meraki dashboard) | Controller-based (on premises) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where management runs | Vendor-hosted web dashboard | Controller appliance or virtual machine you host |
| What you maintain | Access points, cabling and switches | Access points plus the controller, its licences, patches and backups |
| Multi-site | Every site in one dashboard; templates for shared settings | A controller per site or tunnels back to a central controller |
| Firmware | Scheduled from the browser per network or across the organisation | Upgraded on the controller, then pushed to access points |
| Licensing | A Meraki licence per access point, on subscription or co-term | Controller and access point licences, often with separate support contracts |
| If the management link fails | Wi-Fi keeps running on the last configuration | Depends on the design; local controllers keep running |
You do not have to bet on one model. Cisco now sells Wi-Fi 7 access points that can run either way: in Meraki cloud mode or on a Catalyst wireless controller, so large campuses with existing controller skills can keep that design and still buy current hardware. Our pages on Meraki Wi-Fi 7 and cloud vs on-premise networking cover that choice. For most organisations with one or many smaller sites, cloud management removes a box to run and puts every site in one view.
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Tell us what you need and we will recommend the right licence for your organisation, with a quote.
Guest Wi-Fi done properly
Guest Wi-Fi is often the reason a business first looks at cloud management, because it is easy to get wrong on consumer-grade kit. On Meraki access points a guest network is simply another SSID with its own rules:
- A separate SSID for visitors, kept apart from staff and payment systems.
- Splash pages: a click-through page where guests accept your terms, a sponsored guest login where the visitor names a member of staff with a company email address who approves access for a set time, or a sign-on page checked against your own RADIUS server or Active Directory. The page can carry your branding.
- Isolation: Meraki's NAT mode hands guests addresses from the access point and stops them reaching each other, and SSID firewall rules can block access to your local LAN. On bridged guest SSIDs, layer 2 isolation does the same job between wireless clients.
- Group policies and traffic shaping: limit what guests can reach and how much bandwidth they use, and apply different policies by device type.
- Walled garden: allow access to a few chosen sites before a guest has signed in.
Hotels, schools, shops and offices each use guest Wi-Fi differently. Our sector pages on hotel Wi-Fi, school Wi-Fi and retail Wi-Fi go into the detail.
Security on the wireless network
- WPA3: Meraki supports WPA3-Personal, WPA3-Enterprise and Enhanced Open (encryption for open networks) on access points and firmware that support them. Older access points may be limited to WPA2.
- 802.1X (WPA2/WPA3-Enterprise): each user or device signs in with its own credentials or certificate, checked by a RADIUS server or by Meraki's own user database.
- Identity PSK: different passwords on the same SSID, each tied to its own policy, with or without a RADIUS server. Useful for IoT devices that cannot do 802.1X.
- Cloud network access control: Cisco Access Manager adds certificate-based and Microsoft Entra ID authentication, MAC-based access for IoT and per-device identity PSK, all inside the dashboard.
- Air Marshal: Meraki's wireless intrusion detection, which looks for rogue access points and attacks on your SSIDs, is included in the standard access point licence.
- Firewall rules on the access point: layer 3 and layer 7 rules per SSID, so you can block traffic types at the edge of the wireless network.
Is cloud managed Wi-Fi the right fit for you?
We will check it against your systems and requirements and recommend the right option.
Visibility and troubleshooting
The practical win of cloud managed Wi-Fi is seeing what is going on without walking the building. In the dashboard you can see every client, the access point it is on, its signal and its usage; check network health; and run packet captures remotely when something misbehaves. Meraki's radio resource management adjusts channels and power to work around interference, and its newer AI-assisted features sit in the higher licence tiers.
Alerts can go to email or, through webhooks, into other systems, so an access point dropping offline at a remote site is noticed. Firmware upgrades are scheduled from the dashboard per network, so updates can be planned for quiet hours.
None of that replaces good design. Wi-Fi performance is decided mostly by where access points go, how many there are and how the building absorbs signal, which is why we recommend a wireless site survey before ordering.
The access points behind it
Cisco's cloud-managed access points come in two families that share the same dashboard:
- Meraki MR series: Meraki's own access points, in Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E generations, for indoor and outdoor use. Cisco also lists some Cisco Wireless Wi-Fi 6E access points that run in the Meraki dashboard alongside them.
- Cisco Wireless Wi-Fi 7: Cisco's newest access points, which can run in Meraki cloud mode or on a Catalyst controller.
Each access point needs a Meraki licence to operate, on either subscription or co-term licensing. Our page on the MR Enterprise licence explains the tiers, and Meraki licensing models covers the bigger picture. For supply and installation of the hardware itself, see our Meraki access points and Meraki WiFi service pages.
How Forever Systems helps
Forever Systems is a Cisco Partner. For cloud managed Wi-Fi we can:
- Survey the building, or review the plans, to work out coverage and capacity.
- Design SSIDs, VLANs, guest access and authentication around how your organisation works.
- Quote access points, licences and any switching needed for power over Ethernet.
- Build the dashboard configuration, stage the access points and plan the changeover from your current Wi-Fi.
Contact us to talk about your Wi-Fi, whether it is one office or many sites.
Working with us on Cisco Meraki
Forever Systems helps organisations plan, buy and run cloud-managed networks built on Cisco Meraki wireless, switching, security and SD-WAN.
- Plan the network: we look at your sites, users and existing kit, and can arrange a wireless site survey before anything is ordered
- Choose the right products: access points, switches, security appliances, cellular gateways, sensors and cameras sized to what each site needs, rather than a one-size bundle
- Licensing made clear: we explain co-termination, per-device and subscription licensing, check renewal dates and quote the licences you need
- Deployment help: we can set up the Meraki dashboard, organisations, networks, templates and policies, and help move you from older or on-premise kit
- Ongoing help: changes, licence renewals and reviews as your sites grow, with the scope agreed at quote
Ask us for a quote and we will confirm what is included for your organisation.
Frequently asked questions
What is cloud managed Wi-Fi?
Cloud managed Wi-Fi is business wireless where the access points are on your premises but are configured, monitored and updated from a web dashboard hosted by the vendor, instead of an on-site wireless controller. With Cisco Meraki, only management data goes to the cloud; users' traffic stays on your network.
Does cloud managed Wi-Fi stop working if the internet goes down?
No. Meraki says its access points keep running on their last known configuration if they lose contact with the Meraki cloud, so local Wi-Fi carries on. You cannot change settings from the dashboard until the connection returns, and some features that rely on the cloud, such as certain sign-on splash pages, depend on how they are configured.
Can I run guest Wi-Fi with a splash page?
Yes. Meraki access points support click-through splash pages, sponsored guest login approved by a member of staff, and sign-on pages checked against your own RADIUS server or Active Directory, on a guest SSID kept separate from your staff network.
Do I need a licence for each access point?
Yes. Every Meraki access point needs a valid licence to operate, on subscription or co-term licensing. Prices depend on the number of access points, the tier and the term, so ask us for a quote.
Is cloud managed Wi-Fi secure?
It supports the same security as enterprise Wi-Fi generally: WPA3 and 802.1X on supported hardware, identity PSK, separate guest networks, firewall rules on the access point and wireless intrusion detection. Management traffic to the Meraki cloud is encrypted, and user traffic does not pass through the cloud.
Still have a question about cloud managed Wi-Fi?
Ask us and a member of our team will reply by email.