Meraki Information

This document applies to: Coworking & Workplace

Advanced Meraki Integration will help you manage your wireless network for members and guests with advanced Proximity Platform integrations. Create special policies by Membership, automatically create wireless networks for conference room reservations, and track member usage of your space. Meraki makes network management easy by being completely cloud-based and accessible from anywhere.

Order/Set up Meraki

  1. From the dashboard, navigate to Order.
  2. When you’re redirected, click on Wifi Hardware to purchase:
    1. Meraki Access Points.
    2. Meraki Cloud Controller License (1-year is standard).
  3. Place your order and when you receive it, plug it in!
    1. Your Access Points (APs) will get plugged directly into your router or switches. You will want your APs spread throughout your space for best coverage.
    2. Your Organization License will get attached from your Meraki Dashboard.
      1. Log in: https://account.meraki.com/secure/login/dashboard_login
      2. Navigate to Organization > Configure > License and choose Add License.
      3. Please Note: It can take about a week to get your license. You will be emailed the license from ship-notification@meraki.com.

Configure Meraki Cloud

  1. Navigate to Wireless > SSIDs
    1. Enable the first slot and rename it as something relevant. We recommend something with the word "Coworking" in it.
    2. Click "Save Changes"
    3. Click "Edit Settings" to continue configuring this SSID. (Most of the defaults here are sufficient but certain settings are required, we'll go over those now.)
      1. In the Association requirements section choose "Pre-shared key with WPA2". We recommend a simple password that is easy to remember. Remember, this password can be shared, it only gets your members on the network, it doesn't give them internet access.
      2. In the Splash page section choose "Click-through"
      3. In the Captive portal strength section choose "Block all access until sign-on is complete".
      4. In the Walled garden section choose "Walled garden is enabled"
      5. In the Walled garden ranges section enter the below list. If you are using a custom domain you must also add "*.yourdomain.com" at the bottom of the list.
        1. *.app.proximity.space
*.proximity.space
proximity.space
*.proximity.app
proximity.app
*.imgix.net
*.stripe.com
*.fontawesome.com
*.typekit.net
google.com
*.googleadservices.com
*.g.doubleclick.net
*.google-analytics.com
*.googletagmanager.com
browser-update.org
cdnjs.cloudflare.com
connect.facebook.net
fonts.googleapis.com
fonts.gstatic.com
wzrd.in
      6. In the Addressing and traffic / Client IP assignment section choose "Bridge mode: Make clients part of the LAN"
      7. Be sure to click "Save Changes" at the bottom of the page.
    4. Navigate to Wireless > Splash page
      1. Be sure the correct SSID is selected at the top of the page.
      2. Choose "Custom splash URL" and enter https://{yoursubdomain}.proximity.app/get-online. Alternatively, if you are using a custom domain enter that instead https://members.myspacedomain.com/get-online.
      3. In the Splash behavior / Splash frequency section choose "Every half hour"
      4. Be sure to click "Save Changes" at the bottom of the page.
    5. Navigate to Network-wide > Group policies
      1. Click "Add a group" (Most of the defaults here are sufficient but certain settings are required, we'll go over those now.)
      2. Name the group "Full Access Internet"
      3. In the Splash section choose "Bypass"
      4. Be sure to click "Save Changes" at the bottom of the page.
    6. Navigate to Organization > Settings
      1. In the Dashboard API access section check the box to "Enable access to the Cisco Meraki Dashboard API"
      2. Be sure to click "Save Changes" at the bottom of the page.
    7. Navigate to your profile by clicking on your email in the upper right of the window.
      1. Generate a new API Key in the API access section
      2. Save this API Key somewhere safe, we will use it later.

Configure Proximity Settings

  1. Configure your Meraki integration in the Proximity Platform. Navigate to Settings > Integrations and select the Cisco Meraki tab.
    1. Enter your Meraki API Key.
    2. From the drop-down, choose your default wireless network.
    3. From the drop-down choose your standard group policy (e.g. Full Access Internet).
  2. Give your members Meraki internet access. You can set up network parameters for different Memberships by creating different "Group Policies" in section 4.5 above.
    1. Choose a Membership from Manage Members > Memberships.
    2. Check the box labeled Internet Access.
    3. Choose a Cisco/Meraki Group Policy for the Membership.
  3. Attach your Reservable Resources to your Meraki network. Resources can be set up to create a new wireless network for the duration of the reservation, and automatically remove the network after the reservation. This is a great tool for preventing anyone from overstaying their reservation time.
    1. Navigate to any resource from Manage Reservations > Reservable Resources and select the Resource.
    2. Select any Unconfigured SSID from the dropdown list, at the bottom of the resource settings.
    3. Select Update to save your settings.

Get Members Connected

A new member will need to start by connecting to your member network, and entering the password.

After going through these first steps, they should wait for the captive portal to pop up. They will be prompted to log in or register for a membership at your space, before they are given internet access. If they don’t have a Membership with internet access, they can use your site freely to purchase a membership or upgrade. Once the platform sees that their Membership allows internet access, they will have full access.

  • You can view the last time a member’s device was active on your network under the Last Seen column from Manage Members > Member List.
  • You can manually add member devices to their account, from the Member List 
    • Select a member, and scroll to Device/List Management. 
    • Add their device to their account by typing in the device name. The device will be added to the Membership group policy within the hour.
  • Proximity does not control internet speeds.  
  • Spaces can set bandwidth limits in group policies which will allow different Memberships to have different bandwidth limits.

Give Proximity Admin Access to Meraki Dashboard

Spaces can grant Proximity staff (meraki@beinproximity.com) access to Meraki if help is needed to configure your integration.

  1. Navigate to Meraki dashboard > Organization > Administrators
  2. Click the "Add Admin" button
  3. Enter a name and meraki@beinproximity.com for the email
  4. "Organization Access" needs to be set to "Read-only" or "Full" (we will not be able to make changes if the "Read-only" option is chosen)
  5. Click "Create Admin" and then "Save Changes" when the popup closes
  6. A request will then be sent to us that we can accept