In short
The Meraki MR Enterprise licence is the standard co-term licence for Meraki access points. It is model-agnostic and covers cloud management, firmware, Meraki support, hardware replacement and the core security and analytics features. MR Advanced adds features such as Adaptive Policy and AI-assisted radio management. Subscription customers buy wireless in Essentials or Advantage tiers instead.
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What the MR Enterprise licence is
Meraki states that all current Meraki products need valid licensing to operate. For access points under co-term (and the older per-device model), that licence is the MR Enterprise licence, and it has two features that make it simpler than switch or firewall licensing:
- It is model-agnostic. One MR licence covers any MR access point, from an entry-level indoor unit to an outdoor model. You do not buy a different licence for each model.
- It covers the access point's whole feature set at that tier. Meraki describes its access points as providing wireless, security, location and analytics services with a single licence.
MR Enterprise is sold in terms of 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 years. In a co-term organisation the term you buy feeds into the organisation's single expiry date rather than running separately for each access point; see co-term licensing for how that date is calculated.
What MR Enterprise includes
Meraki's MR licence guide lists the standard features covered by MR Enterprise, including:
- cloud management in the Meraki dashboard, zero-touch provisioning and zero-touch firmware upgrades
- Meraki enterprise support and hardware replacement (RMA)
- API support
- Bluetooth and IoT integrations on access points with the IoT radio
- Meraki Health and application visibility (NBAR, with minimum firmware and hardware)
- Air Marshal wireless intrusion detection, and layer 3 and layer 7 firewall rules
- Intelligent Capture: manual and live packet capture with a packet viewer
- Cisco Umbrella integration through the API (Umbrella itself needs a separate licence)
- Live Protect and Cisco Spaces Essentials
For many offices, schools and shops, MR Enterprise is all that is needed.
MR Enterprise vs MR Advanced
| Feature (from Meraki's MR licence guide) | MR Enterprise | MR Advanced |
|---|---|---|
| Standard MR features (above) | Yes | Yes |
| Live Protect | Yes | Yes |
| Adaptive Policy (group-based segmentation) | - | Yes |
| AI configuration recommendations | - | Yes |
| AI packet capture analyser | - | Yes |
| AI radio resource management (AI-RRM) | - | Yes |
| Intelligent Capture: proactive packet capture | - | Yes |
| MQTT and access point USB port profiles | - | Yes |
| Cisco Spaces | Essentials | Advantage |
| Two MT sensor licences (co-term only) | - | Yes |
A few notes from the same guide. Meraki withdrew automatic Cisco Umbrella integration on 26 April 2025, so it is no longer part of any MR licence; API-based Umbrella integration remains. MQTT and USB port profiles moved into the Advanced tiers, though networks that had already enabled them keep them. Meraki's guide also marks Intelligent Capture and AI-RRM as early access features, so check current availability with us before buying Advanced for one feature. The two MT sensor licences apply only under co-term, and Cisco has announced end of sale for the MT sensor line (last day to order hardware 10 November 2026); see Meraki MT sensors.
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MR Upgrade: turning Enterprise into Advanced
MR Upgrade is not a standalone licence and cannot license an access point on its own. Meraki sums it up as *MR Enterprise + MR Upgrade = MR Advanced*. It exists so organisations with MR Enterprise licences can move up without throwing away the time they have already bought.
MR Advanced and MR Upgrade are sold in 1, 3 and 5-year terms. There are also one-day versions, which Meraki says are meant for "true-ups" in per-device licensing rather than for co-term organisations.
Meraki offers free trials of MR Advanced and MR Upgrade in most countries. There is no 30-day grace period at the end of a trial, so it pays to decide before the trial ends; we can help you judge whether the Advanced features earned their place during the trial.
The co-term rules for MR editions
In co-term licensing, the whole organisation is on one MR edition: MR Enterprise (the default) or MR Advanced. The rules Meraki sets out are strict, and getting them wrong takes an organisation out of compliance:
- You cannot give MR Advanced to only some access points in a co-term organisation. It is all or nothing.
- To upgrade, buy MR Upgrade licences exactly matching the MR licence limit (the number of MR licences claimed, not the number of access points in use). Fewer or more is refused.
- Claim them with License more devices, not "Renew my dashboard license". Claiming an upgrade as a renewal puts the organisation out of compliance.
- The upgrade term does not have to match your Enterprise term, but a longer term pushes the co-term date further out.
- After the upgrade, only MR Advanced licences can be added. MR Enterprise and MR Upgrade keys are no longer accepted.
- To go back to Enterprise, Meraki recommends waiting until near the co-term date and renewing with MR Enterprise licences.
If you hold per-device licences, MR Upgrade can be assigned to individual access points instead. Meraki no longer accepts conversions to per-device licensing; see per-device licensing.
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Wireless under subscription: Essentials and Advantage
Organisations on subscription licensing do not buy MR Enterprise or MR Advanced. Wireless is licensed per network in two tiers. Meraki's subscription page for MR shows:
| Feature | Essentials | Advantage |
|---|---|---|
| Centralised management, zero-touch firmware, open APIs | Yes | Yes |
| Meraki enterprise support | Yes | Yes |
| Intelligent Capture | Yes | Yes, with proactive capture and more storage |
| Live Protect | Yes | Yes |
| Adaptive Policy | - | Yes |
| AI-RRM | - | Yes |
| Cisco Spaces | Essentials | Advantage |
Two practical points from Meraki's documentation: networks on the Advantage tier cannot currently be bound to configuration templates, and organisations on Essentials can trial Advantage features for 30 days. Wi-Fi 7 access points are licensed as their own product class with similar tiers; see Meraki Wi-Fi 7. Our Essentials vs Advantage page compares the tiers across every product family.
How to check which MR licence you have
You can see your position in the dashboard without asking anyone:
- Co-term organisations: go to Organization > Configure > License info. The page shows the licence status, the co-termination date, the MR product edition (Enterprise or Advanced), and for each device type the licence limit against the current device count. As long as the MR limit is at least the number of access points in networks, you are compliant.
- Subscription organisations: go to Organization > Configure > Subscriptions & license info. The Networks tab shows the tier for each product type in each network, and lets you change a network's tier if your subscription has the entitlement.
- Per-device organisations: each access point shows its own licence and expiry, and can carry an MR Upgrade with a separate expiry date.
Is MR Advanced worth it? It usually earns its place when you want Adaptive Policy segmentation alongside Advantage or Advanced switching and Cisco Access Manager, when you rely on Cisco Spaces Advantage for location services, or when the AI-assisted troubleshooting will save engineering time across many sites. For a single office with straightforward Wi-Fi, MR Enterprise generally covers what is needed. We can look at your network and recommend the edition that fits.
Expiry, renewal and getting a quote
If MR licensing lapses, a co-term organisation enters a 30-day grace period in which clients see no difference, after which the network shuts down until it is licensed. Our pages on licence expiry and renewal explain how to check your date and renew correctly.
The cost depends on the number of access points, the edition or tier, the term and your licensing model. Forever Systems is a Cisco Partner and can quote MR licences on their own or with hardware, check whether MR Advanced is worth it for your network, and help claim keys the right way. Contact us for a quote.
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 does the Meraki MR Enterprise licence include?
MR Enterprise covers the standard Meraki access point features: cloud management, zero-touch provisioning and firmware upgrades, Meraki support and hardware replacement, API access, Bluetooth and IoT features, Meraki Health, Air Marshal, layer 3 and 7 firewall rules and Intelligent Capture. Each MR access point needs a valid licence to operate.
What is the difference between MR Enterprise and MR Advanced?
MR Advanced includes everything in MR Enterprise and adds features such as Adaptive Policy, AI configuration recommendations, AI radio resource management, proactive packet capture, MQTT, access point USB port profiles and Cisco Spaces Advantage, according to Meraki's MR licence guide.
Is the Meraki MR licence model specific?
No. Meraki's MR licences are model-agnostic, so the same licence covers any MR access point. Switch and security appliance licences are different: those are sold per model under co-term.
What terms are MR licences available in?
MR Enterprise is sold in 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10-year terms. MR Advanced and MR Upgrade are sold in 1, 3 and 5-year terms, plus one-day versions that Meraki says are intended for per-device licensing true-ups. In a co-term organisation, every term you buy feeds into the organisation's single expiry date.
Can I have MR Advanced on some access points and Enterprise on others?
Not in a co-term organisation: the whole organisation is on one MR edition. Under subscription, tiers are set per network, so different networks can use Essentials or Advantage.
How much does a Meraki MR Enterprise licence cost?
It depends on the term, quantity and licensing model. Ask us for a quote and we will price licences on their own or with hardware.
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