Meraki Go Router Firewall | Cloud Managed | 5 Ports | Cisco [GX20-HW-UK]

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.

Bought three items: gateway, 8 port switch and wireless access point. - Gateway bandwidth is capped at 250mbps, so if you have 500mbps or 1gbps line (which most households do these days), then you are only getting half of a quarter of what you are paying for bandwidth wise. - The app user experience is beyond bad. They made an announcement of web portal being available on the desktop, but it's just the same app, but in a beta version. This is just poor. - The app talks about subscription for further security. You click on buy subscription and it takes you to Cisco website with no instructions on how to buy it. It actually looks like they no longer offer it. - Gateway has a port called internet. I hoped this would offer PPPoE, so I can dump by modem and just use the gateway. There is a support article on their website titled "Meraki Go - How to configure PPPoE on a Security Gateway". NONE of the instructions actually work and it doesn't look like this can be done. - Wireless access point worked intermittently, often not providing internet connection to some of the devices. The irony is that I thought I bought an improvement from deco x20 but feels like I stepped back into the stone age. Returning and not touching their products ever again.

Looks like a good router for most people. Unfortunately for me there's very limited PPPoE support for it, so it won't work using an OpenReach modem, even using recommended settings from the ISP and Meraki. Shame really as Ubiquiti works fine with it. Update: Have tested PPPoE on a FTTP connection and it's fine. Doesn't work for FTTC. I will say that there are cheaper routers with more features. This one is ok, but limited throughout (200Mb/s) and limited features and security mean I wouldn’t recommend this.

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.