Meraki MS Switches vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches comparison

Meraki MS Switches are first-line cloud-managed access and aggregation switches that combine the benefits of cloud-based centralized management with a reliable access platform. With cloud management, thousands of switch ports can be configured and monitored instantly over the web.

Meraki MS Switches Features

Meraki MS Switches have many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

• True zero-touch configuration
• Integrated troubleshooting tools, logging, and alerting
• Energy-efficient design
• Low acoustics and fanless options
• Flexible stacking
• Cloud management
• Simple integration into existing and mixed infrastructures
• Role-based administration
• Automatic, secure firmware updates
• Stack power
• Multigigabit ports
• Voice VLAN support
• Link aggregation control protocol (LACP)

Meraki MS Switches Benefits

There are many benefits to implementing Meraki MS Switches. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

• Automatic email alerts: If email alerts are enabled, you will receive automatic alerts via email when device or port changes occur. This makes Meraki MS Switches a convenient solution.

• Identify issues ahead of time: With the solution’s proactive and on-demand cable testing tools, you are notified about any cable problems before anyone else.

• Detailed client device views: The solution includes a helpful detailed view per client device, including port, VLAN, device fingerprinting, and connectivity data.

• Lifetime warranty: Meraki MS Switches include a limited lifetime hardware warranty that provides next-day advance hardware replacement.

Reviews from Real Users

Meraki MS Switches is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are its accessibility, application visibility, and flexibility features.

Jóhann T., IT Manager at Sund Upper Secondary School, says, “Accessibility is what I find most valuable in Meraki MS Switches, because I'm able to check things and see if they're working, without being on-site at all times.”

A Senior Network Engineer at a tech services company mentions, "The top feature of Meraki MS switches for me is Layer 7 application visibility. Another positive in general is that you don't need to set up a console to the switch itself; it dials into a single dashboard where you can completely manage all your network devices."

John M., user at Baseline Consulting, LLC, comments, "I like the flexibility of the Meraki firewall. It gives you the ability to lock things down. Having multiple VLANs is helpful for the switching infrastructure and firewall. It's crucial when you have a public-facing VLAN, a private-facing VLAN, and a secure VLAN."

PeerSpot user William M., Consulting Engineer at IV4, expresses, "It is easy to deploy, maintain, and update. It has been trouble-free so far. I am still a Cisco command-line bigot, but the web interface makes it a lot easier for our help desk to interact with a client. When the clients call in and say that they aren't able to connect, it takes the help desk 10 minutes or less to look at everything in the enterprise or location. They can look at the firewall, switches, or access points in the dashboard. That's why I like the dashboard."

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are managed Gigabit switches (Available with 24 or 48 RJ45 Gigabit ports) designed to meet all your network needs while delivering excellent performance. The switches’ excellent network performance is combined with fiber connectivity that includes two SFP ports and the ability to process traffic without putting packet loss at risk.

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Are:

• Easy to deploy
• Simple to use
• Affordable
• Reliable and stable

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Support These Three Output Modes:

• PoE: Uses IEEE 802.3af standard to deliver up to 15.4W.
• PoE+: Uses IEEE 802.3at standard to deliver up to 30W.
• PoE++: Uses IEEE 802.3bt standard to deliver up to 60W.

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Support These Three Input Modes:

• US-8 (PoE, PoE+)
• USW-Flex (PoE, PoE+, PoE++)
• USW-Flex Mini (PoE, PoE+)

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Features:

• Scalability
• Stability
• Reliable hardware
• Alarm alerting system
• Dual-band
• PoE+ flexibility
• Fiber connectivity
• User-friendly GUI
• Mesh networking
• Secure management
• High speed
• Excellent dashboards
• Reporting and detailed analytics
• Multi-site management
• Deep packet inspection

Benefits of Ubiquiti UniFi Switches:

• Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are silent because they are designed without a fan.
• They help simplify your network infrastructure and cabling.
• Ubiquiti UniFi Switches offer 24 to 48 port switch versions to work with.
• Ubiquiti UniFi Switches provide redundant power if the internal power supply fails.
• Ubiquiti UniFi Switches include the forwarding capacity to simultaneously process traffic on all ports at line rate without any packet loss.
• Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are rated as affordable when compared with competitors.
• Available with 24 or 48 RJ45 Gigabit ports
• Configuration with Ubiquiti UniFi is easy; It's simple to configure or reconfigure an AP or gateway quickly.
• By having a mobile app, Unifi makes it easy to check on sites and to configure APs individually if necessary.
• With Ubiquiti UniFi Switches, you can operate your IP cameras and phones through a single network cable.

Reviews from Real Users

A PeerSpot user who is a Director of Technical Operations/CTO at a consultancy says "The ability to deploy quickly and then having one central location for all the settings are its most valuable aspects."

"The integration with the controller is one of the most valuable features of these switches. They are also very stable. For example, we have some equipment that we haven't touched for four years that is still reliable," says Doru I., Senior solutions architect at Aplix Technologies

Murali S., Management Consultant at a consultancy, explains that “For the world where you have to balance traffic and traffic loads and bandwidth, their GUI makes it really easy because the switches, though they are enterprise grade level two or level three switches, the GUI is designed so that it's easy to set up VLANs where you need to control your traffic so that your phones don't break up and get choppy because of other people loading the network down too heavily."