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4 Ways Local Configuration Settings Save You Time

No Internet connection needed: learn techniques that can speed up common network troubleshooting and administrative tasks.

Cisco Meraki access points, switches, and security appliances are designed to be 100% cloud managed, delivering deep end-to-end visibility and control over networks from any Internet-accessible location. Sometimes, perhaps through misconfiguration or an unrelated Internet outage, it may be necessary to tweak settings locally. At other times, having directly accessible tools and statistics would be beneficial. 

Enter Meraki’s local configuration pages. Each AP, switch, and security appliance has one; these local configuration pages are accessible when directly downstream from, or connected to, a Meraki device — no Internet connection required. Local configuration pages are accessible via special URLs which are accessible from any browser:

  • wired.meraki.com for security appliances

  • switch.meraki.com for switches

  • my.meraki.com for access points

These local configuration pages can save you time as you troubleshoot network problems.

 

1. Quickly identify the scope of connectivity issues

View real time health status of any Meraki device by going to any one of the above URLs. You will see instantly whether the device is registered with the Cisco Meraki cloud, whether your laptop or computer can access the device, and whether the device has connectivity to the Internet, failover links, and more. This is especially useful when it may not be readily apparent whether a loss of connectivity is due to the connection between a client device and Meraki equipment, or to the connection between Meraki equipment and the WAN. If you get a support call from an end user who cannot connect to the Internet, you can direct them to wired.meraki.com and have them identify if any status boxes are red or yellow, indicating an issue.


Here, the connection between my laptop and the MX security appliance is healthy, but the MX’s connection to the Internet is down. Immediately, I know to focus my investigation on WAN link connectivity.

 

2. Easily pinpoint switch ports

Locating where an Ethernet wall jack terminates — which switch port it connects to — can be grueling. Often, this involves either tracing cables by hand or using a cable tracer/tester; and you may even need to peruse MAC address tables. With a Meraki MS switch, however, this process is as easy as connecting to a wall jack with a laptop, opening a web browser, and navigating to switch.merak.com. This URL directs a connected device to a locally-hosted page on the upstream switch advertising the switch’s name, model, MAC, IP, and on which port the wall jack terminates.

This local switch page informs that the tested wall jack terminates on port 11 of switch “Desk MS22.”

 

3. Perform ad hoc wireless site surveys

Many factors can affect wireless throughput for client devices: environmental variables such as walls and interference, hardware variables such as the speed of a local wireless LAN adapter, as well as what wireless protocols are being used. If you’ve got a laptop handy, you can visit my.meraki.com to get real time statistics on your client’s wireless connectivity as you roam; see AP channel utilization, client signal strength, and client throughput to the AP. Also, easily confirm that your client supports 802.11n.

Real time tools for wireless client surveys are built into AP local configuration pages.

 

You can even get real time signal strength information about an AP’s wireless mesh neighbors, assisting with AP placement at multi-AP sites.


Learn how strong mesh neighbor APs signal strength is relative to the AP whose local config page you’re viewing.

 

4. Make uplink and switch port configuration changes

Each local configuration page — whether for an AP, switch, or MX — allows you to configure uplink ports. This entails setting VLAN tagging where appropriate, as well as setting static (or dynamic) IP addresses for uplink interfaces. In the case of the MX security appliance, you can enable a secondary WAN uplink. In the case of MS switches, you can also configure per-port settings to ensure traffic is being forwarded correctly. This functionality is particularly useful if a misconfigured setting has disconnected your Meraki device from the Internet.


Every Meraki device lets you configure uplinks via local configuration settings.


Configure individual switch ports from the MS local configuration page.

 

To summarize: Meraki local configuration settings can make it easier to spot connectivity issues, identify and trace wall jack switch ports, perform wireless site surveys, and back out of any configuration mishaps to re-establish WAN connectivity. To access the full functionality of Meraki local configuration settings, all you need is an upstream (or directly connected) Meraki device, along with its serial number and a web browser.

For more information about specific local configuration settings, check out our product documentation for the device in question.