Meraki Go alternative: moving to Meraki proper

Meraki Go end of sale: the dates

Meraki Go was Cisco's small-business networking range: access points, switches and security gateways that business owners could install and manage themselves from the Meraki Go mobile app or online. Cisco's Meraki end-of-life list sets out its retirement in stages:

Under Cisco's Meraki lifecycle policy, end of support is the last date a product is affirmatively supported. Our Meraki end of life guide explains what end-of-sale and end-of-support mean in general. In practice, after the end-of-support date you should not expect further fixes or help for that equipment, so plan a replacement well before 29 April 2027.

Why full Meraki is the natural next step

For most Meraki Go users, the closest alternative is full Cisco Meraki: the same cloud-managed idea, but built for businesses that want more control, more features and room to grow.

• One dashboard for everything: Wi-Fi, switching, firewall and SD-WAN, plus cameras and cellular backup if you want them, in the browser-based Meraki dashboard and mobile app
• Business-grade Wi-Fi: the Meraki MR series and Cisco's Wi-Fi 7 access points, with guest Wi-Fi, splash pages, identity PSK and RF optimisation
• Proper security at the edge: MX security and SD-WAN appliances, with intrusion prevention and content filtering in the Advanced Security edition
• Switches that grow with you: Meraki MS switches with PoE, VLANs and port profiles managed in the same place
• Multi-site ready: add a second office, shop or home workers and manage them all together
• Supported by a Cisco Partner: we can design, supply and support the network with you

Full Meraki is designed to be run with IT support, in-house or through a provider like us, which is usually the point at which businesses outgrow Go.

Meraki Go vs Meraki: what changes

Cisco's Meraki Go pages state that Meraki Go and Cisco's other networking devices "currently cannot be combined" and "cannot be managed through the same dashboard or mobile app". So moving to full Meraki means new Meraki hardware and licences, not re-registering your Go devices in a new console.

Licensing on full Meraki

Every Meraki device needs a valid licence. Instead of Go's simpler model, your organisation uses one of Meraki's licensing models:

• Co-term licensing: all licences share one expiry date across the organisation. Simple for small, stable networks. See Meraki co-term licensing.
• Subscription licensing: Cisco Networking Subscription, with terms you choose, licences bound to networks, and Essentials or Advantage tiers. See Meraki subscription licensing.

For a small office, the main decisions are the term length and, for the MX, which security edition you need. We help you choose and include it in one quote. Ask us for a quote.

What a small-office migration involves

Cisco's Meraki Go pages note that there is no way to export Go network configurations, so the migration starts by writing down what you have. A typical move looks like this:

1. Record your current set-up: Wi-Fi network names and passwords, guest network settings, any VLANs or port settings, firewall rules, content filtering and port forwards, and who has admin access.
2. Check coverage: walk the office, note dead spots and any new areas, and decide whether a wireless site survey is worthwhile.
3. Design the Meraki network: choose MR or Wi-Fi 7 access points, MS switches with the right PoE, and an MX appliance sized for your internet connection. Add cellular backup or teleworker gateways if needed.
4. Set up the organisation: create the Meraki organisation and network, claim the order and licences, set admin roles with two-factor authentication, and configure alerts.
5. Build the configuration: recreate SSIDs, VLANs, firewall rules and filtering in the dashboard, ideally improving on the old set-up (for example, separating guest and staff traffic).
6. Cut over: swap the equipment out of hours, test Wi-Fi, wired devices, printers, card machines and remote access, then remove the Go devices.
7. Document and hand over: record the design, licences and expiry dates, and agree who looks after changes.

Our office network setup page covers the wider planning, and Meraki setup walks through a Meraki deployment step by step.

Finding the right fit

Full Meraki scales from a single small office upwards. If you are weighing it against a licence-free product, our Meraki vs Ubiquiti comparison sets out the trade-off, and our page on cloud-managed Wi-Fi explains how Meraki Wi-Fi is run from the dashboard.

If you are unsure, we can look at your office, how many people and devices you have, and whether you plan to grow, and recommend a sensible design. Contact us to start.

How Forever Systems helps

Forever Systems is a Cisco Partner. We design, supply and support Cisco Meraki networks for offices of all sizes, including Meraki access points and Meraki MX security appliances.

We can document your Meraki Go set-up, design the replacement, plan licensing, and swap the equipment over with you. Ask us for a quote and we will set out the hardware, licences and work involved.