How does Meraki licensing work?
Meraki devices use the Meraki cloud for centralized management and control. The Meraki cloud is licensed on a per device, per year basis. Each device is licensed for a set duration with an expiration date.
What is the difference between co-termination and per-device licensing models?
Meraki supports two main types of licensing models, per-device licensing (PDL) and co-termination licensing (co-term). Details regarding the similarities and differences between the two models can be found in the Meraki Licensing document.
Can I combine co-termination and per-device licensing models in the same organization?
No. Licensing is handled on a per-organization level and each organization can only have one licensing model. Organizations will use the co-termination model by default, but administrators can opt into the per-device model if they choose.
How much does an Enterprise Cloud license cost?
License prices vary for each product line. For example, a one-year wireless license list price is $150 and a three-year switch license list price is $400. Licenses are available for different time durations (1 day, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 years).
How do I buy an Enterprise Cloud license?
You can buy a license through an authorized Meraki partner or reseller.
Do I have to buy more licenses every time I buy new hardware?
Not necessarily; licenses are sold separately from the hardware. For example, you could upgrade from the MR18 to the MR33 without buying new licenses, as the wireless APs do not have model-specific licenses
NOTE: Some Meraki MX security appliances are eligible for license conversion. Please call Meraki support for additional information and assistance.
Do I need to have a license for every piece of Meraki hardware?
Yes, every Meraki hardware component requires a cloud license to be managed. Meraki hardware that isn’t licensed won’t pass traffic.
Are there different license tiers or editions?
The cellular gateway, camera, and systems manager product lines have one tier: Enterprise.
The switch product line has two tiers: Enterprise and Advanced licensing
The wireless product line has two tiers: Enterprise and Advanced/Upgrade, which are described in detail in the MR Advanced/Upgrade License document.
The security/SD-WAN appliance product line has three tiers: Enterprise, Advanced Security, and Secure SD-WAN Plus, which are described in the Meraki MX Security and SD-WAN Licensing document.
Meraki Insight has five tiers: X-Small, Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large. Details can be found in the Meraki Insight Introduction document.
How does licensing vary between different Meraki product lines, e.g., wireless, switches, and security appliances?
In general, all Meraki products follow the same licensing model. The primary difference between them is that for all wireless access points (MR series), and camera lines (MV), the license is the same for all hardware models. In contrast, for the switches (MS series) and security appliance line (MX series), each hardware model has a different license.
Example: the LIC-ENT-1YR (1-year Enterprise MR license) applies to any of the MR access points. The LIC-MS220-24-1YR (1-year Enterprise MS220-24 license) applies to the MS220-24 model. The LIC-ENT-MX64-1YR (1-year Enterprise MX64 license) applies to the MX64. MI has a sizing model depending on how much throughput is needed to be monitored and also dependent on the MX; the details can be found in the MI Web App Health document. SM is licensed on the number of devices that are enrolled in your SM networks.
Is Advanced Security or Secure SD-WAN Plus licensing available for Z-Series devices?
Advanced Security and Secure SD-WAN Plus licensing and features are currently only available on MX devices and not on Z-Series, or any other Meraki series of devices.
Can I have an MX with Advanced Security and an MX with Enterprise in a single organization?
No. An organization has to either consist of all Secure SD-WAN Plus or Advanced Security or Enterprise licenses (MX) edition.
How does support relate to licensing?
A Meraki license includes enterprise-class support.
How does the hardware warranty relate to licensing?
The hardware warranty is tied to the hardware unit, not the license. Hardware that has a lifetime warranty (e.g., the MR24) is warranted for the life of the hardware. Hardware with a fixed-term warranty, (e.g., 1 year), has a 1-year warranty, regardless of the license.
Can I upgrade my organization from Enterprise to Advanced Security or Secure SD-WAN Plus (MX only)?
- You can purchase an Advanced Security or Secure SD-WAN Plus key, which includes all of the devices operating in your dashboard organization, and apply it as a renewal onto your account.
- You can also contact the Cisco Meraki Support team via phone or email, requesting that they assess if your organization can be upgraded to Advanced Security or Secure SD-WAN Plus without purchasing additional licensing.
- Any MX keys will be adjusted to account for cost weight between Enterprise and Advanced Security or Secure SD-WAN Plus
- Please note that if going through Cisco Meraki Support, the process is irreversible
Note: If the incorrect license key edition was purchased within the past 30 days, the Cisco Meraki team will not upgrade/downgrade the key. The key must be returned and the correct key reordered.
Can my organization be downgraded from Secure SD-WAN Plus or Advanced Security to Enterprise?
Yes, you can purchase and apply an Enterprise renewal key that covers all devices in your organization, which will revert your organization to an Enterprise state. You can also contact Meraki Support via phone or email and have your organization downgraded. Please note that if the organization is downgraded, you will not receive any additional time from the downgraded license keys. This process is irreversible.
Can I purchase a new license for a used piece of hardware purchased on the secondary market?
Before purchasing any piece of Cisco Meraki hardware on a secondary market such as eBay, you are advised to contact Cisco Meraki Support to confirm that the hardware has not been reported stolen from a Cisco Meraki trial program or a bonafide purchaser. Please have the serial number of each piece of hardware available when you contact Cisco Meraki Support. Cisco Meraki will not support or sell licenses for hardware units that have been reported stolen.
Do I need duplicate licenses to cover my security appliance in a warm spare configuration?
No, if two security appliances are in a warm spare/HA configuration, licensing is only required for one of the two devices. The only additional cost of a warm spare configuration is the redundant hardware. Switches in warm spare/HA will require two individual licenses.
Co-Termination Licensing FAQs
Can I move licenses between organizations?
Yes. With the co-termination licensing model, licenses that have been applied to an organization within the last seven (7) days can be reapplied to another organization. Please read Removing and Undoing License Claims article for more details.
What happens if I add devices in the middle of my license term?
Meraki sells 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10-year licenses, but does not sell prorated licenses. When you add a license to an existing account, we calculate the amount of extra time in your account and extend the co-terminating renewal date for all your devices accordingly.
Let’s say you originally purchased a 10 AP, 1-year license. 4 months into the license term you decide to add a 6 AP, 1-year license. You have extra credit of 4*6=24 AP-months. We automatically apply those 24 AP-months for your new 16 AP network. This gives you an additional 24/16 = 1.5 months.
In this way, an account only has a single co-terminating renewal date, avoiding the confusion associated with multiple renewal dates. To anticipate how new licenses will affect your co-termination date, please reference our License Calculator.
Show me an example of a co-termination organization’s license state.
A: The screenshot below shows a customer with different Meraki products. They have applied three different licenses on different dates for three different products. There is one expiration date.
What happens when I reach my co-termination date?
You can purchase a renewal through an authorized Meraki partner. If you chose not to renew, you will no longer be able to manage your devices via the Meraki cloud and your Meraki network devices will cease to function. This means that you will no longer be able to configure or make changes to your Meraki network equipment, and your Meraki network products will no longer allow traffic to pass to the Internet. With Systems Manager networks, you will no longer be able to enroll devices or change settings for currently enrolled devices.
How do I know which licenses to renew?
Cisco Meraki Licensing is co-terminating. This means the end dates for all licensing are averaged together based on device type and licensing limits. In other words, your individual licenses don't expire because they are averaged into one expiration date.
How do I renew my licensing?
The recommended practice for applying a renewal is to purchase a single license key that covers every device currently in the organization for some number of years. Applying that license key as a renewal will then extend the organization’s licensing by that many years.
When a license key is applied as a renewal, the organization’s licensing state updates to match the device count of that license key. For example, if an organization with licensing for five APs were to have a 2 AP license applied as a renewal, that organization would only be licensed for two APs. In this instance, three APs are over their license limit and therefore out of compliance.
Will I be notified before my license expires?
Yes, administrators listed on the account will be sent notifications outlining the steps for license extension 30 days prior to expiration. Another email will be sent three days prior to account expiration. In addition, an account expiration banner will be displayed in the Meraki dashboard during this time.
Will I be notified before my account is shut off if I am in excess of my device limits?
Yes, administrators listed on accounts that have more devices than cloud licenses will be sent notifications 30 days prior to account expiration outlining the steps for license purchase.
What does it mean to be "out of license"?
"Out of license" is a term that refers to an organization that is in one of the following two states: (1) Cloud license has expired, or (2) The number of hardware devices exceeds the number of cloud licenses. If an organization is out of license it means it has been deactivated, and either license renewals or additional licenses are required for the Meraki products to function and for these products to be manageable using the Meraki cloud.
How long do I have to reactivate my account after it expires?
A: You can reactivate your account at any point in the future after it expires by adding the necessary number of valid licenses. Please note that once your account expires, your products will stop functioning.
Per-Device Licensing FAQs
For more information on the new licensing model, refer to the Meraki Per-Device Licensing Overview document.
Can I move licenses between organizations?
Yes. When devices are moved between organizations, the licenses attached to those devices move with them.
Are there any limitations to who can convert to per-device licensing?
Organizations that have SM Free or SM Legacy are unable to convert to per-device licensing. If an organization has an active free trial, it can be converted, but the free trial will no longer be active after conversion.
What happens when my license runs out?
You can purchase a renewal through an authorized Meraki partner. If you choose not to renew, you will no longer be able to manage your device via the Meraki cloud, and your Meraki network device will cease to function. This means that you will no longer be able to configure or make changes to your Meraki network device, and your Meraki network product will no longer pass traffic.
With the Per-Device Licensing model, this only applies to the individual device that has expired. With Systems Manager networks, you will no longer be able to enroll devices or change settings for currently enrolled devices.
How do I know which licenses to renew?
With the Per-Device Licensing model, each device will expire individually instead of the entire organization having a single co-termination date. The expiration dates for all devices are listed on the Inventory/Device list page, as well as the device details page. You can also view a list of upcoming expiration dates and the associated devices. Using the dashboard, you can calculate which licenses you’ll need for a renewal and generate a Bill of Materials to provide to your authorized Meraki partner or reseller.
How do I renew my licensing?
To renew your licensing, you can purchase licenses and assign them to the device you want to renew. License renewals come in 1-day as well as 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10-year increments, depending on the product line.
Will I be notified before my license expires?
License warning emails will be sent at regular intervals. These emails will list all devices that are set to expire within the next 60 days, as well as any devices that are expired right now and in a dashboard network.
Do I need duplicate licenses to cover my security appliance in a warm spare configuration?
No, if two security appliances are in a warm spare/HA configuration, licensing is only required for one of the two devices. The only additional cost of a warm spare configuration is the redundant hardware. Switches in warm spare/HA require two individual licenses.
When does a license start to burn (start ticking)?
A license will start to burn in one of two cases:
- The customer associates the license to a device.
- It has been 90 days since the license was purchased and the license is unclaimed.
Will a device in inventory require a license?
No. Only active devices in networks require a license.
Can a faulty device still be RMAd after the license has been moved to a spare device?
Yes. Hardware warranty is separate from licensing.
Can you assign the license from one device to another?
Yes, if they are the same model and the device does not have any other license tied to it. You cannot stack a previously burning license on top of another burning license.
