April 18, 2023
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3:21 PM
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The Cisco Meraki MS120-24P-HW switch is a powerful and versatile network hardware that offers cloud-based networking, making it perfect for small to medium-sized businesses. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about this switch, from its key features to installation and management, so you can make an informed decision for your network infrastructure.
The Cisco Meraki MS120-24P-HW is a 24-port Gigabit Ethernet switch with Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching capabilities, Power over Ethernet (PoE) support, and a cloud-based management system. It’s designed to offer easy-to-use network optimization, monitoring, and security features, making it ideal for businesses looking to upgrade their network infrastructure.
The purpose of this guide is to provide an in-depth look at the Cisco Meraki MS120-24P-HW switch, allowing potential users to make an informed decision about whether this switch is the right choice for their business.
In this guide, we’ll cover the key features of the Cisco Meraki MS120-24P-HW, its installation and setup process, management and monitoring tools, integrations and APIs, use cases, and comparison to similar products. We’ll also answer some frequently asked questions about the switch.
The MS120-24P-HW switch comes with 24 Gigabit Ethernet ports and 4 SFP uplink interfaces for fiber connectivity. It also provides a total PoE budget of 370W, making it suitable for powering devices such as IP cameras and access points.
This switch offers both Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching capabilities, allowing it to route traffic between different VLANs and subnets. This makes it a versatile choice for businesses with complex network requirements.
The MS120-24P-HW switch is managed through the Meraki dashboard, a user-friendly, cloud-based platform that offers centralized network management and monitoring. This enables you to access your switch’s configuration and performance data from anywhere with an internet connection.
The switch supports QoS settings, allowing you to prioritize specific types of network traffic for improved performance. This is especially useful for businesses that rely on real-time applications such as VoIP or video conferencing.
The MS120-24P-HW offers PoE support, enabling it to power devices like IP cameras, access points, and VoIP phones directly through its Ethernet ports. This eliminates the need for separate power supplies and simplifies network deployments.
Before installing the switch, ensure you have the necessary equipment, including the power cord, mounting hardware, and a compatible SFP module if required.
2. Assign appropriate QoS settings to prioritize latency-sensitive traffic like VoIP and video conferencing.
The Meraki dashboard is a user-friendly, cloud-based platform that offers centralized management and monitoring of your switch. Key features include:
The Meraki API allows you to programmatically access and manage your switch, enabling automation and integration with other tools and platforms.
The MS120-24P-HW switch is an excellent choice for SMBs that require a reliable and easy-to-manage network infrastructure with advanced features like PoE and cloud-based management.
The switch’s PoE capabilities make it ideal for powering devices like IP cameras, access points, and digital signage in hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues.
With its powerful management features and Layer 3 capabilities, the MS120-24P-HW switch is well-suited for educational networks that need to support a variety of devices and applications.
Healthcare networks can benefit from the switch’s advanced security features, PoE support, and centralized management, making it easier to maintain a secure and reliable network infrastructure.
While the MS120-24P-HW offers a strong feature set for SMBs, larger organizations or those with more demanding network requirements may prefer the MS250 or MS350 series switches, which offer higher performance and additional features.
Non-Meraki switches, like those from Netgear or Ubiquiti, may offer a lower upfront cost, but often lack the ease of use, cloud-based management, and advanced features found in the Meraki MS120-24P-HW switch.
The Cisco Meraki MS120-24P-HW switch is a powerful, versatile, and user-friendly network hardware option for SMBs and other organizations. With features like PoE support, Layer 3 switching, cloud-based management, and advanced network optimization tools, this switch is an excellent choice for businesses looking to improve their network infrastructure.
If you’re in the market for a new switch, the Cisco Meraki MS120-24P-HW should be on your shortlist. Its combination of performance, ease of use, and advanced features make it an excellent investment for any organization looking to upgrade their network hardware.
The Cisco Meraki MS120-24P-HW is a 24-port Gigabit Ethernet switch with Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching capabilities, PoE support, and cloud-based management.
The switch offers numerous benefits, including easy installation and setup, cloud-based management, network optimization and monitoring tools, PoE support, and advanced security features.
Setting up the switch involves mounting it, connecting the power, and configuring the switch through the Meraki dashboard. For more detailed instructions, refer to the Installation and Setup section of this guide.
Key features include 24 Gigabit Ethernet ports, 4 SFP uplink interfaces, Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching, PoE support, cloud-based management, QoS settings, and advanced security features.
Troubleshooting the switch involves checking its power and connectivity status, verifying device connections and settings, and reviewing network performance data. For more information, refer to the Troubleshooting section of this guide.
You can manage the switch using the Meraki dashboard, a cloud-based platform that offers centralized management and monitoring of your network hardware.
Best practices include setting up separate VLANs for different types of traffic, prioritizing latency-sensitive traffic with QoS settings, and regularly reviewing and adjusting your network configurations to optimize performance.
The switch is ideal for SMBs, hospitality and entertainment venues, educational institutions, and healthcare organizations.
The MS120-24P-HW is an excellent choice for SMBs, but larger organizations or those with more demanding network requirements may prefer higher-performance switches like the MS250 or MS350 series.
The switch can be easily managed alongside other Meraki devices, like access points and security appliances, through the Meraki dashboard.
The MS250-48LP-HW is a 48-port switch designed for larger organizations or more complex network environments, offering higher performance and additional features compared to the MS120-24P-HW.
The switch requires a Meraki Enterprise License, which is available in 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10-year terms. The license includes access to the Meraki dashboard, firmware updates, and 24/7 technical support.
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