Jim Geier On Meraki Versus Metropolitan Wi-Fi Networks

In a thoughtful commentary piece on MuniWireless.com titled "Are low-cost Meraki networks conflicting with muni alternatives?" Jim Geier muses that user-constructed Meraki mesh networks "conflict" with larger, well-funded, professionally-designed-built-and-operated Metropolitan Wi-Fi Networks.

Geier writes: I’m somewhat concerned that the ad hoc installation of this Meraki network in San Francisco and other cities will result in limited capabilities and interfere with municipality initiatives for deploying city-wide Wi-Fi networks. The cities generally employ leaders in the industry to help them make the right business and technical decisions to ensure that resulting solutions satisfy all requirements for performance, capacity, security and ability to migrate to future technologies. It takes considerable planning and design, for example, to ensure that the network will support wireless IP telephony.

Municipalities could consider Meraki mesh nodes as part of the network infrastructure; however, the Meraki specifications, at least what’s posted on their website, indicate limited features to support demanding municipal wireless network requirements. For example, there is no support for multiple SSIDs and VLANs. This is often needed to keep various application traffic separate when requirements call for differing security and performance for applications.

From his perspective, Geier is right to be concerned. Geier is a long-time consultant on (what's now known as) Wi-Fi and now works for Civitium as Principal Consultant. Civitium and the Metroplitan Wi-Fi networks think of themselves as "serious" networks, designed to be reliable, scalable, and offering essential services.

But Geier forgets that the license-exempt spectrum in which all of these systems operate is, inherently, open to all users and all uses. Geier's point is specious if he doesn't also fret about the plethora of Wi-Fi HotSpots, access points in homes and businesses, which all "pollute" the license-exempt spectrum... let alone cordless phones, microwave ovens, etc.

Geier also doesn't seem to understand that Metroplolitan Wi-Fi systems are not the be-all-to-end-all and that systems such as Meraki that can be financed, built, and managed by end users fill a very real need such as the small San Francisco network that he mentions.

Lastly, I don't think Geier gives proper credit to Meraki. It's easy to design and build a product that "throws in all the bells and whistles" and will sell for a steep price (though it's another thing entirely to be able to sell a premium-priced product). Meraki took a different, harder path, deciding to build a device with low cost as a primary design goal because they kept in mind what they were trying to accomplish and who would be using their products. It's a real discipline to forgo "creeping featureitis".

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2007 by Steve Stroh

Comments

[Grant]

Steve, I couldn't agree with you more.