MR46 and Meraki Cloud Management

Management of the MR46 is performed through the Meraki cloud, with an intuitive browser-based interface that enables rapid deployment without time-consuming training or costly certifications. Because the MR46 is self-configuring and managed over the web, it can be deployed at a remote location in a matter of minutes, even without on-site IT staff.

24×7 monitoring via the Meraki cloud delivers real-time alerts if a network encounters problems. Remote diagnostic tools enable immediate troubleshooting over the web so that distributed networks can be managed with a minimum of hassle.

The MR46’s firmware is automatically kept up-to-date via the cloud. New features, bug fixes, and enhancements are delivered seamlessly over the web. This means no manual software updates to download or missing security patches to worry about.

Product Highlights

Features

Dual–radio aggregate frame rate of up to 2.98 Gbps*
The 5 GHz 4×4:4 radio and the 2.4 GHz 4×4:4 radio offer a combined dual-radio aggregate frame rate of 2.98 Gbps*, with up to 2,402 Mbps in the 5 GHz band and 574 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band. Technologies like transmit beamforming and enhanced receive sensitivity allow the MR46 to support a higher client density than typical enterprise-class access points, resulting in better performance for more clients from each AP.

Multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO)
With support for features of 802.11ax, the MR46 offers MU-MIMO and OFDMA for more efficient transmission to multiple clients. Especially suited to environments with numerous mobile devices, MU-MIMO enables multiple clients to receive data simultaneously. This increases the total network performance and improves the end user experience.

Dedicated third radio delivers 24×7 wireless security and RF analytics
The MR46’s dedicated dual-band scanning and security radio continually assesses the environment, characterizing RF interference and containing wireless threats like rogue access points. There’s no need to choose between wireless security, advanced RF analysis, and serving client data. A dedicated third radio means that all functions occur in real time without any impact to client traffic or AP throughput.

Bluetooth Low Energy beacon and scanning radio
An integrated fourth Bluetooth® radio provides seamless deployment of Bluetooth Low Energy beacon functionality and effortless visibility of Bluetooth® devices. The MR46 enables the next generation of location-aware applications while future-proofing deployments, ensuring it’s ready for new customer engagement strategies.

Automatic cloud-based RF optimization
The MR46’s sophisticated and automated RF optimization means there is no need for the dedicated hardware and RF expertise typically required to tune a wireless network. The RF data collected by the dedicated third radio is continuously fed back to the Meraki cloud. This data is then used to automatically tune the channel selection, transmit power, and client connection settings for optimal performance under even the most challenging RF conditions.

Integrated enterprise security and guest access
The MR46 features integrated, easy-to-use security technologies to provide secure connectivity for employees and guests. Advanced security features, such as AES hardware-based encryption and Enterprise authentication with 802.1X and Active Directory integration, provide wired-like security while still being easy to configure. One-click guest isolation provides secure, internet-only access for visitors. PCI compliance reports check network settings against PCI requirements to simplify secure retail deployments.

Enterprise mobility management (EMM) and mobile device management (MDM) integration
Meraki Systems Manager natively integrates with the MR46 to offer automatic, context-aware security. Systems Manager’s self-service enrollment helps to rapidly deploy MDM without installing additional equipment, and then dynamically tie firewall and traffic-shaping policies to client posture.

Application-aware traffic shaping
The MR46 includes an integrated layer 7 packet inspection, classification, and control engine, enabling the configuration of QoS policies based on traffic type, helping to prioritize mission-critical applications while setting limits on recreational traffic like peer-to-peer and video streaming. Policies can be implemented per network, per SSID, per user group, or per individual user for maximum flexibility and control.

Voice and video optimizations
Industry-standard QoS features are built-in and easy to configure. Wireless multimedia (WMM) access categories, 802.1p, and DSCP standards support and ensure important applications get prioritized correctly, not only on the MR46, but on other devices in the network. Unscheduled automatic power save delivery (U-APSD) and new target wait time features in 802.11ax clients ensure minimal battery drain on wireless VoIP phones.

Self-configuring, self-maintaining, always up-to-date
When plugged in, the MR46 automatically connects to the Meraki cloud, downloads its configuration, and joins the appropriate network. If new firmware is required, this is retrieved by the AP and updated automatically. This ensures the network is kept up-to-date with bug fixes, security updates, and new features.

Advanced analytics
Drilling down into the details of network usage provides highly granular traffic analytics. Visibility into the physical world can be enhanced with journey tracking through location analytics. Visitor numbers, dwell time, repeat visit rates, and track trends can all be easily monitored in the dashboard and deeper analysis is enabled with raw data available via simple APIs.