In short
Meraki per-device licensing (PDL) gives each device its own licence and expiry date, with partial renewals, queued licences and one-day licences to align dates. Meraki no longer offers PDL to new customers and no longer accepts conversions to it. Existing PDL organisations can continue or move to subscription licensing through Meraki support.
Get a quote for Meraki per-device licensing
Tell us roughly how many users or sites you have and we will reply by email with options and a quote.
Can I convert to Meraki per-device licensing?
No. The plain answer from Meraki's documentation is that conversions to PDL will no longer be accepted, and per-device licensing is no longer available to new customers. Meraki suggests talking to a Cisco seller or partner about the alternatives, which are co-term and, preferably, subscription licensing.
If you liked PDL because it lets different devices or sites have different dates, the modern answer is Meraki subscription licensing: licences are bound to networks, each subscription has its own end date, and you can run several subscriptions in one organisation. If you need a single shared date, co-term still exists.
How per-device licensing works
For organisations already on PDL, Meraki's documentation describes the model like this:
- Licences per device: each licence is assigned to a specific device (access points, switches, security appliances, cameras and cellular gateways) or, for vMX and Systems Manager, to a network. Each device has its own expiry date.
- 90-day activation window: a licence starts using time when it is assigned or 90 days after purchase, whichever comes first, which gives you time to deploy hardware.
- Partial renewals: you can renew all devices, or only some.
- Queued licences: assigning a new licence to a device that already has one queues it to start when the current one ends. Queue licences before their 90-day window ends, or they start using time unassigned.
- One-day licences: used to "true up" different expiry dates so that devices end together. An organisation can hold up to 50,000 one-day licences, and they are not meant for extending the overall date.
- No splitting: a licence cannot be split across devices. A one-year licence covers one device for a year, not twelve devices for a month.
- Moving licences and devices: administrators of both organisations can move licences and devices between them, up to 250 at a time, through the dashboard or API. Licences cannot be moved into a co-term organisation.
- Claims are final: licences claimed into a PDL organisation cannot be unclaimed, so check you are in the right organisation first.
Some edition rules still apply organisation-wide. Every MX in a PDL organisation must use the same edition, and a pair of MX appliances in warm spare needs only one licence.
PDL licence states in the dashboard
The licence states shown under Organization > Configure > License info explain most PDL behaviour. Meraki defines them like this:
| State | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Inactive and unassociated (unused) | Not assigned to a device and not yet using time; still inside its 90-day pre-activation window | Assign or queue it before the window ends |
| Active and unassociated (unused active) | Not assigned, but the 90-day window has passed so it is using time | Assign it to a device without an active licence, such as a new device |
| Inactive and associated (queued) | Assigned to a device that already has a licence; it starts when the current one ends | Nothing; this is how renewals are lined up |
| Active and associated (active) | Assigned to a device and using time | Can only be moved to an unlicensed device or one whose licence has expired |
Two rules follow from this. Once a licence starts using time it cannot be stopped, even if you unassign it. And an active licence cannot be stacked on top of another active licence to extend a device; only unused licences can be queued. If you have licences sitting in the unused active state, they are losing value, and it is worth reassigning them to new or expired devices.
Not sure which licence fits? Ask us
Tell us what you need and we will recommend the right licence for your organisation, with a quote.
Expiry and grace periods under PDL
Under PDL, licensing problems affect devices individually rather than the whole organisation:
- When a device's licence expires, there is a 30-day grace period, after which that device stops working. Correctly licensed devices carry on.
- If you then apply a new licence, the days spent in the grace period are deducted from it. Ten days into the grace period, a one-year licence gives 355 days; after the full 30 days, you lose 30 days of the new licence.
- Grace period resets are not given for one-day licensing.
- Meraki sends warning emails listing every device due to expire in the next 60 days and any already expired.
Expiry dates are listed on the inventory page and each device's details page. Our page on what happens when a Meraki licence expires compares this with co-term and subscription.
PDL vs co-term vs subscription
| Per-device (PDL) | Co-term | Subscription | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Available to new customers | No | Yes | Yes |
| Expiry dates | One per device | One per organisation | One per subscription |
| Licence assignment | Required for each device | Not required | Networks bound to a subscription |
| Partial renewal | Yes | No | Per subscription |
| One-day licences | Yes | No | - |
| Activation | On assignment or after 90 days | From order processing | From the subscription start date |
| Enforcement after grace period | Affected device shuts down | Organisation shuts down | Management disabled; traffic continues |
| Mixed feature tiers | MR and MS only; one MX edition per organisation | No; one edition per family | Yes, set per network |
The trade-off for PDL's flexibility is that every device has its own end date to track.
Is Meraki per-device licensing the right fit for you?
We will check it against your systems and requirements and recommend the right option.
Moving off per-device licensing
Meraki's licensing FAQ states that an organisation on PDL can move to subscription or to co-term, but that once you leave PDL you cannot switch back to it.
For subscription, Meraki's route is:
- Check expiry dates. Meraki's PDL FAQ recommends moving to subscription before you renew and says current licences must expire before the transition.
- Open a case with Meraki support to convert the organisation from PDL to subscription. Meraki states this conversion is permanent.
- Order Cisco Networking Subscription licences sized to your deployed devices, with a start date that follows your PDL expiry.
- Claim the subscription key, bind your networks to it and set each product type to Essentials or Advantage.
Because PDL devices expire at different times, timing is the tricky part. One option is to use the move as the moment to line everything up, rather than renewing devices one by one. We can help you plan that sequence.
How Forever Systems helps
Forever Systems is a Cisco Partner. If you run a PDL organisation, we can pull together your device expiry dates, cost a renewal against a move to subscription, and plan the conversion so devices are not left in a grace period along the way. If you were hoping to convert to PDL, we can show you how subscription licensing gives you the same per-site flexibility.
Ask us for a quote, or contact us to review your options.
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
Can I convert my Meraki organisation to per-device licensing?
No. Meraki no longer accepts conversions to per-device licensing and no longer offers it to new customers. Subscription licensing, with licences bound to networks and separate end dates per subscription, is the closest current alternative.
Is Meraki per-device licensing end of life?
Meraki has closed PDL to new customers and conversions, but existing PDL organisations can still renew and manage their licences. Meraki recommends moving to subscription licensing before you renew.
What is a Meraki one-day licence?
A one-day licence is a per-device licensing product used to add single days to a device so that its expiry lines up with other devices. It is only available in PDL organisations, which can hold up to 50,000 of them.
How do I move from Meraki PDL to subscription licensing?
Open a case with Meraki support to convert the organisation, then claim a subscription key and bind your networks to it. Meraki states the conversion is permanent, and its PDL FAQ says current licences must expire before the transition.
What happens when a Meraki PDL licence expires?
Only the device with the expired licence is affected. It gets a 30-day grace period and then stops working, while other licensed devices carry on. Any grace period days used are deducted from the next licence applied to that device.
Still have a question about Meraki per-device licensing?
Ask us and a member of our team will reply by email.