High Performance 802.11ax Wireless

The Cisco Meraki MR56 is a cloud-managed 8x8:8 802.11ax access point that raises the bar for wireless performance and efficiency. Designed for next-generation deployments in offices, schools, hospitals, shops, and hotels, the MR56 offers high throughput, enterprise-grade security, and simple management.

The MR56 provides a maximum of 5.38 Gbps* aggregate frame rate with concurrent 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios. A dedicated third radio provides real-time WIDS/WIPS with automated RF optimization, and a fourth integrated radio delivers Bluetooth scanning and beaconing.

With the combination of cloud management, high performance hardware, multiple radios, and advanced software features, the MR56 makes an outstanding platform for the most demanding of uses—including high-density deployments and bandwidth or performance-intensive applications like voice and high-definition video.
 

MR56 and Meraki Cloud Management

Management of the MR56 is performed through the Meraki cloud, with an intuitive browser-based interface that enables rapid deployment without time-consuming training or costly certifications. Because the MR56 is self-configuring and managed over the web, it can be deployed at a remote location in a matter of minutes, even without on-site IT staff.
                        
24x7 monitoring via the Meraki cloud delivers real-time alerts if a network encounters problems. Remote diagnostic tools enable immediate troubleshooting over the web so that distributed networks can be managed with a minimum of hassle.
                        
The MR56’s firmware is automatically kept up to date via the cloud. New features, bug fixes, and enhancements are delivered seamlessly over the web. This means no manual software updates to download or missing security patches to worry about.

Product Highlights

Features

Dual–radio aggregate frame rate of up to 5.38 Gbps*
2.4 GHz 4x4:4 radio and 5 GHz 8x8:8 radio offer a combined dual–radio aggregate frame rate of 5.38 Gbps*, with up to 4,804 Mbps in the 5 GHz band and 574 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band. Technologies like transmit beamforming and enhanced receive sensitivity allow the MR56 to support a higher client density than typical enterprise-class access points, resulting in better performance for more clients, from each AP.

Multi User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO)
With support for features of 802.11ax, the MR56 offers MU-MIMO and OFDMA for more efficient transmission to multiple clients. Especially suited to environments with numerous mobile devices, MU-MIMO enables multiple clients to receive data simultaneously. This increases the total network performance and improves the end user experience.

Dedicated third radio delivers 24x7 wireless security and RF analytics
The MR56’s dedicated dual-band scanning and security radio continually assesses the environment, characterizing RF interference and containing wireless threats like rogue access points. There’s no need to choose between wireless security, advanced RF analysis, and serving client data - a dedicated third radio means that all functions occur in real-time, without any impact to client traffic or AP throughput.

                  
Bluetooth Low Energy Beacon and scanning radio
An integrated fourth Bluetooth radio provides seamless deployment of BLE Beacon functionality and effortless visibility of Bluetooth devices. The MR56 enables the next generation of location-aware applications while future proofing deployments, ensuring it’s ready for any new customer engagement strategies.

                 
Automatic cloud-based RF optimization
The MR56’s sophisticated and automated RF optimization means that there is no need for the dedicated hardware and RF expertise typically required to tune a wireless network. The RF data collected by the dedicated third radio is continuously fed back to the Meraki cloud. This data is then used to automatically tune the channel selection, transmit power, and client connection settings for optimal performance under even the most challenging RF conditions.

Integrated enterprise security and guest access
The MR56 features integrated, easy-to-use security technologies to provide secure connectivity for employees and guests alike. Advanced security features such as AES hardware-based encryption and Enterprise authentication with 802.1X and Active Directory integration provide wired-like security while still being easy to configure. One-click guest isolation provides secure, Internet-only access for visitors. PCI compliance reports check network settings against PCI requirements to simplify secure retail deployments.                    

                       
Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) & Mobile Device Management (MDM) integration
Meraki Systems Manager natively integrates with the MR56 to offer automatic, context-aware security. Systems Manager’s self-service enrollment helps to rapidly deploy MDM without installing additional equipment, and then dynamically tie firewall and traffic shaping policies to client posture.

                       
Application-aware traffic shaping                       
The MR56 includes an integrated layer 7 packet inspection, classification, and control engine, enabling the configuration of QoS policies based on traffic type, helping to prioritize mission-critical applications while setting limits on recreational traffic like peer-to-peer and video streaming. Policies can be implemented per network, per SSID, per user group, or per individual user for maximum flexibility and control.

                        
Voice and video optimizations
Industry standard QoS features are built-in and easy to configure. Wireless MultiMedia (WMM) access categories, 802.1p, and DSCP standards support all ensure important applications get prioritized correctly, not only on the MR56, but on other devices in the network. Unscheduled Automatic Power Save Delivery (U-APSD) and new Target Wait Time features in 802.11ax clients ensure minimal battery drain on wireless VoIP phones.

                        
Self-configuring, self-maintaining, always up-to-date
When plugged in, the MR56 automatically connects to the Meraki cloud, downloads its configuration, and joins the appropriate network. If new firmware is required, this is retrieved by the AP and updated automatically. This ensures the network is kept up-to-date with bug fixes, security updates, and new features.

                       
Advanced analytics
Drilling down into the details of network usage provides highly granular traffic analytics. Visibility into the physical world can be enhanced with journey tracking through location analytics. Visitor numbers, dwell time, repeat visit rates, and track trends can all be easily monitored in the dashboard and deeper analysis is enabled with raw data available via simple APIs.

Specifications

Compliance and Standards 

Context and Comparisons

RF Performance Table