Cisco Meraki Go GX20-HW-UK Meraki Go - 5 Port Security Gateway - UK Power

The media could not be loaded. Due to the pandemic, the whole work model changed and we spend more time working at home than in the office. To respond to this, we have reviewed our home network and in need of a network upgrade to enhance network security to better protect us.We are upgrading with 'Cisco Meraki Go - 5 Port Security Gateway'. The box arrived in a speedy manner in a well-protected box specially designed for it. Once opened, you will see a very neat and tidy matt white cisco 5-port router sitting in there. It actually matched my home colour. I really don't like those BT black box or metal box hanging around in my home. Opening up to the second layer , you will see all you need to power it up (network cable and power plug) to get it up and running.Once powered up and connected, you can download the Meraki Go app and starts to configure. The setup is very easy and guided. The little box not only can serve as a gateway but also have build-in network security safeguard by Cisco. To the home office and small business, this is an absolutely best solution as you don't always have a very technical people at home/office to help you safeguard your network security 7x24x365. Let this little box do it for you. All updates are automatic, it leaves you with hassle free environment. Then management can done via the Meraki Go app or via browser. Very convenient indeed. The network so far is very stable and nothing goes wrong after the new setup done for a week. I will let it continue to run and update my review if any additional comments comes up.In product description, it mentioned that DNS based security powered by Cisco Umbrella via optional subscription enables content filtering, anti-malware, anti-phishing, and C2C callbacks (ADDITIONAL PURCHASE REQUIRED), as a little home office, I am happy with the current setup at the moment, therefore I didn't subscribe or purchase those functions but I will keep an eye on it for sure.

Update : This device does support PPPoE It doesn’t work if you have BT VDSL - connection settings that work on my old router do not work on this one due to an authentication mismatchThis seems to be quite a big problem in the UK where we like to use PPPoE if you were on BT or many other VDSL providers, this means even though the documentation on the Meraki Go Website advises you that PPPoE is supported, The only options you can actually set or DHCP or static - Neither of which will help you if you’re on BTPlease do not confuse PoE with PPPoE - I am not talking about power over Ethernet hereWhile you can get this set up working, it means you need your old router in Bridge mode, but then connect to the Meraki security router, which then connects to your access pointYuck - So the solution to work for me I need to use my original VDSL modem, My original Google Wi-Fi router in Bridge mode, That then connects to my security router on the Internet port, Then I need to connect my point to one of the normal port on the Meraki security routerThat is an absolutely horrible set up, When if I stick with my Google router, I can cut up two bits of equipment.I have returned both the security router and the access point because they’re dependent on me having all my legacy equipment, even though the Official website mislead you with the fact that PPPoE is supportedIt’s not, this is exactly exactly the same problem you used to have with Eero - However, I also find Darren implementation is buggy at best.

Installation was a breeze. Getting a subscription for the advanced features has been a nightmare so far. Please avoid the BT Business Shop link for this as it doesn’t work. I paid and have yet to receive a licence code. BT and Cisco have been contacted- I will update this post on resolution or have to return the product.

Cisco hardware that is now more affordable than ever, they have done a good job on this compact gateway. Having used a few budget gateways then this does tick most of the boxes for what a small business would need.The box itself looks simple with an absence of buttons, most of the programming and controls are done via the web / cloud interface.. It is made of plastic which helps keep the costs down. I do like the premium feel of some Netgear equipment I own but the functionality is the same and its not ugly and looks like your standard switch. You get full gigabit ports and speeds were good. You get a UK power brick and all the cables supplied in the box.If you are familiar with Cisco interfaces then you will feel at home with configuring it with a simplistic app. It only takes a few minutes to set it up with default settings. All the security software is all built in and the Meraki go security gateway provides all the protection you need with the option of a subscription for more advanced users. The only issue I had was getting it to work with the filtering software and monitoring software we use but a trawl on reddit helped me figure what I needed to do. I like how it auto updates itself, there is no firmware patches to install so there is no down time.This Cisco provides an easy solution to keep you connections secure, it’s a powerful router and firewall and works out of the box. It gives you the peace of mind needed for your business and allows you to set bandwidth allocations and block website across the whole network. With auto updates, a great app and easy to use set up right out of the box I would make this one to consider if you are in the market for a full featured gateway.