Free 8 port Meraki switch for IT Professionals to try

Monkeyjoe

Got an invite to this last week. Similar to the free wireless AP they were giving away in 2013 but this time its an 8 port Meraki switch with a 3 year license.


Link to sign up to the webinar is:
https://meraki.cisco.com/webinars/signup/1977/switching-it-up-with-softcat-and-cisco-meraki/

T&C are:
https://meraki.cisco.com/freeswitch

neilthefunkeone

Thanks for that. We got the AP last year its its grand!

doctorg

Does DLNA work with the AP?

I had mine linked with all the devices but wasn't able to use DLNA or even play youtube to the TV

mac_daddy

Probably a very obvious answer to this but I assume when the 3 year licence expires this product will no longer be usable unless further licences are requested?

doctorg

mac_daddy wrote: »

Probably a very obvious answer to this but I assume when the 3 year licence expires this product will no longer be usable unless further licences are requested?

Yes and it's true for the AP aswell but for the AP I think you can install a custom firmware.

Also another thing is that since it's cloud based, it is possible for them to see all the traffic going through

ondafly

I got the AP last year - and ended up buying 6 of them. Fantastic piece of kit and alot better than the cisco APs we were using at the time. I'll take a look at the switch and see if I can find a use for it

Mr Bloat

mac_daddy wrote: »

Probably a very obvious answer to this but I assume when the 3 year licence expires this product will no longer be usable unless further licences are requested?

There are a couple of horror stories online of guys who had these in a production environment but the license reminder emails were caught in the spam filter and when the guys didn't renew the license, the switches went dead and the network crashed. Obviously if it's managed properly the licensing is fine but be careful all the same.

Monkeyjoe

Mr Bloat wrote: »

There are a couple of horror stories online of guys who had these in a production environment but the license reminder emails were caught in the spam filter and when the guys didn't renew the license, the switches went dead and the network crashed. Obviously if it's managed properly the licensing is fine but be careful all the same.

This is from their site:

Q: What happens when my license runs out?
A: 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.

https://docs.meraki.com/display/kb/Meraki+Licensing+FAQ

L1011

Mr Bloat wrote: »

There are a couple of horror stories online of guys who had these in a production environment but the license reminder emails were caught in the spam filter and when the guys didn't renew the license, the switches went dead and the network crashed. Obviously if it's managed properly the licensing is fine but be careful all the same.

Admittedly, using freebie gear in a production environment isn't a hugely smart idea... (says me, who only recently decommissioned a domain controller built entirely from parts off Donedeal!)

arikv

Monkeyjoe wrote: »

Got an invite to this last week. Similar to the free wireless AP they were giving away in 2013 but this time its an 8 port Meraki switch with a 3 year license.


Link to sign up to the webinar is:
https://meraki.cisco.com/webinars/signup/1977/switching-it-up-with-softcat-and-cisco-meraki/

T&C are:
https://meraki.cisco.com/freeswitch

Thanks Monkeyjoe,

Just registered.

I have the old AP and it's great.

Arikv

doctorg

i missed the webinar and the link doesn't seem to be pointing to anymore.

So thats it for the free switches?

keithclancy

Mr Bloat wrote: »

There are a couple of horror stories online of guys who had these in a production environment but the license reminder emails were caught in the spam filter and when the guys didn't renew the license, the switches went dead and the network crashed. Obviously if it's managed properly the licensing is fine but be careful all the same.

Jesus ... I love that explanation to his boss when explaining the outage.

Boss: So you got some free routers off the internet and used that for our business ?

Cyclonius

I missed the switch unfortunately, but it looks like Access Point is back:

https://meraki.cisco.com/webinars
https://meraki.cisco.com/freeap

Hopefully they'll do the switch offer again in the not too distant future.

lotas

I signed up for one of the Webinars, and it told me i can get a free switch... if i get a switch, all is good... if i get an AP, even better... either way, cant complain about free gear!

imitation

keithclancy wrote: »

Jesus ... I love that explanation to his boss when explaining the outage.

Boss: So you got some free routers off the internet and used that for our business ?

"Well our IT budget is 50 quid plus my wages.."

doctorg

imitation wrote: »

"Well our IT budget is 50 quid plus my wages.."

"Every well then, we need to re-adjust your wage"

bpb101

balls, ****e i missed it

gerdalt

lotas wrote: »

I signed up for one of the Webinars, and it told me i can get a free switch... if i get a switch, all is good... if i get an AP, even better... either way, cant complain about free gear!

Which webinar???

ondafly

my switch just arrived - but the documentation is for the meraki APs

nice piece of kit - POE on the ports also and has 2 sfp slots for uplinks

davemie

I've just signed up for a webinar, but didn't see anywhere in the signup process info about the switch or AP. Are you given a choice when complete if you want the free switch or the AP?

jamesd

davemie wrote: »

I've just signed up for a webinar, but didn't see anywhere in the signup process info about the switch or AP. Are you given a choice when complete if you want the free switch or the AP?

Expired

Cyclonius

Just had a quick look at the website (as I still haven't received my AP), and it seems like the AP offer is back/still on.

gerryk

Anyone got a Meraki switch with expired license? I am looking to start work on porting OpenWRT to this device and am looking for a couple to work on. OpenWRT would allow these devices to be used after the license and I believe would be a great asset if I could get it working.

caff

gerryk wrote: »

Anyone got a Meraki switch with expired license? I am looking to start work on porting OpenWRT to this device and am looking for a couple to work on. OpenWRT would allow these devices to be used after the license and I believe would be a great asset if I could get it working.

Have you read the current guide to installing openwrt on them? https://openwrt.org/toh/meraki/mr33

gerryk

gerryk wrote: »

Anyone got a Meraki switch with expired license? I am looking to start work on porting OpenWRT to this device and am looking for a couple to work on. OpenWRT would allow these devices to be used after the license and I believe would be a great asset if I could get it working.

I signed up for the free trial back in the day and jesus they inundated me with calls and emails for weeks to the point I had to pull out and didnt get one. As they say, no such thing as a free lunch.

I'd be curious to know how many people actually got to the point where they got one(for free)

gerryk

caff wrote: »

Have you read the current guide to installing openwrt on them? https://openwrt.org/toh/meraki/mr33

That's the AP, not the switch. So far, OpenWRT is not running successfully on the switches.

Cyclonius

Hey Gerry. The free switch offer seems to still be going, per here. The on demand, "Introduction to Cloud-Managed Switching" qualifies you to receive one.

Link:
https://merakiresources.cisco.com/m-english-on-demand-webinar-cloud-managedswitching.html

Best of luck with the project.

gerryk

Cyclonius wrote: »

Hey Gerry. The free switch offer seems to still be going, per here. The on demand, "Introduction to Cloud-Managed Switching" qualifies you to receive one.

Link:
https://merakiresources.cisco.com/m-english-on-demand-webinar-cloud-managedswitching.html

Best of luck with the project.

Thanks. I did do the seminar in the past to get a free AP, but when I signed up more recently they required a VAT number.

deckie27

I received one.
I went through all the hoops. As I needed a Poe switch for a security camera system I was planning on building
A lot of emails, Web seminar followed with a phone call
Nothing
I got a few emails after this
About a year later I got an invite to the web seminar to get a free switch
I emailed and asked they remove me from the system as I had met the requirements to get a switch and never received one.
I got a response back enquiring about some detail to when. I had a few emails etc which I forwarded a few days later the switch arrived and I never heard from them again.


Still time left on my licence

gerryk

deckie27 wrote: »

I received one.
I went through all the hoops. As I needed a Poe switch for a security camera system I was planning on building
A lot of emails, Web seminar followed with a phone call
Nothing
I got a few emails after this
About a year later I got an invite to the web seminar to get a free switch
I emailed and asked they remove me from the system as I had met the requirements to get a switch and never received one.
I got a response back enquiring about some detail to when. I had a few emails etc which I forwarded a few days later the switch arrived and I never heard from them again.


Still time left on my licence

Keep me in mind if you ever get sick of it, or when the license expires. I'd gladly take it off your hands.