Seamless Meraki Integration with Cisco Spaces

Last updated
Save as PDF

click 日本語 for Japanese

What Is New?

You can now seamlessly integrate with Cisco Spaces natively on Meraki dashboard. Go to Organizations > Configure > Integrations. On the Integrations page, click on the Connect button on the Cisco Spaces tile. Refer to the set-up guide below to begin integration, and refer to the FAQs section for additional questions.

Setup Guide

To get step-by-step instructions on how to connect your Meraki account to Cisco Spaces via the Meraki dashboard, go to the Cisco Spaces Setup Guide. The guide also provides information on licensing requirements for this integration.

Integration FAQs

What is Cisco Spaces, and where can I find more information on the capabilities that Cisco Spaces offers?

Cisco Spaces is a cloud platform that connects people, things and spaces. It harnesses the power of your Cisco hardware and sensors making your buildings safe, smart, and sustainable.

Turn Your Buildings Into Smart Spaces

Enterprises have limited to no visibility into the behavior of people and things within their physical spaces. Cisco Spaces solves this physical blind spot by calculating location and ingesting telemetry from the underlying network and sensors, translating those signals into business-ready insights. It also offers a variety of digitization toolkits, SDKs, APIs, native apps and partner apps with end-to-end monitoring and support to turn these insights into action. In summary, Cisco Spaces leverages your existing Cisco infrastructure as well as third-party sensors to drive vertical-specific outcomes & turn your buildings into Smart Spaces.

A diagram of a stack

Description automatically generated

Additional Resources:

More information on Cisco Spaces can be found at: https://spaces.cisco.com/

Cisco Spaces interactive product tour: https://spaces.cisco.com/spaces-product-tour/

Cisco Spaces experience center: https://spaces.cisco.com/experience/

What Is New With the Recent Meraki and Cisco Spaces Announcement?

To facilitate ease of onboarding to Cisco Spaces via the Meraki dashboard and enhance the user experience for Meraki customers, the following feature updates are being introduced:

Native Integration: New simple, seamless flow to enable Cisco Spaces integration via the Meraki dashboard
Bundled Licensing: Spaces Licenses are now bundled with Meraki Enterprise and Advanced licenses

What Does the New Seamless Integration Look Like and How Is it Configured?

The new seamless integration flow eliminates multiple manual steps involved in establishing a mapping between the Meraki dashboard and Cisco Spaces, including the need to manually copy and paste the API key and post URLs from one platform to the other. The new integration allows customers to initiate the integration from the Meraki dashboard in just a few clicks. Refer to the Spaces setup guide for the new integration steps details.

What Data Is Exchanged Between Meraki and Spaces Via the Integration?

The following data is exchanged between Meraki and Spaces upon integration:

Organization and all networks info, Org admins, floor plans/maps, network devices (i.e. APs, MVs etc.), SSID details, Scanning API subscriptions, MQTT brokers, Wi-Fi/BLE client/device location information and client/device details.

Can Specific Networks Be Removed From the Integration?

Yes. Administrators can remove specific networks from syncing to Spaces by using Network Tags in the Meraki dashboard. By default all Meraki networks will sync to Spaces. However, the administrator can apply CiscoSpaces as the tag name added to a Meraki network and only networks with CiscoSpaces as the tag name will sync to Spaces. See how to manage tags in the Creating Network Tags article.

Once Integrated, Which Meraki Configuration Settings Can Be Enabled by Cisco Spaces?

Cisco Spaces can configure the following settings as needed:

Scanning API for MR location scanning

MQTT brokers for Cameras, Sensors etc.

SSID settings for Captive Portals and/or OpenRoaming

Where Can I Find Information on Spaces Data Privacy and Compliance?

Refer to the Cisco Spaces data privacy sheet: Cisco Spaces Privacy Data Sheet

Do Meraki Networks Need to Have Maps With APs Placed on Them for Cisco Spaces to Work?

Maps with APs on them are not required – However, for optimal performance and to be able to use all Spaces capabilities, it is preferred to have your Meraki setup have maps with your APs placed on them. However, if you do not have maps with APs placed on them, Spaces core analytics features and seamless onboarding features will work.

Here are a few helpful references on Meraki location and maps:

When Using the Integration Option to Create a New Spaces Account, How Do Meraki Regions Map to Cisco Spaces Regions?

Cisco Spaces uses logic within Meraki to discover the Meraki region and map to the equivalent Cisco Spaces region as seen below:

Europe > dnaspaces.eu
India, Asia-Pacific > dnaspaces.sg
All others > dnaspaces.io

Is Cross Region Integration Supported If My Meraki Org Is Hosted in One Region and My Existing Spaces Account Is Hosted in a Different Region?

No, cross region integration is not supported. For example if your Meraki Org is hosted in Asia Pacific region and you want to connect it to an existing Spaces account in the .io Americas region, this is not supported at this time.

Licensing FAQs

Does Meraki MR Enterprise and MR Advanced Licensing Now Include Cisco Spaces?

Yes, the following licenses are now bundled:

MR Enterprise includes Spaces Extend

MR Advanced includes Spaces Smart Venues

It is supported for both Meraki Co-Term and Meraki Subscription, but is not supported in the Meraki PDL (Per-Device Licensing) model.

What Features Are Included in Spaces Extend With MR Enterprise License?

The Cisco Spaces Extend features below would be available with MR Enterprise License.

What Features Are Included in Spaces Smart Venues With MR Advanced License?

The Cisco Spaces Smart Venues features below would be available with MR Advanced License, in addition to the Cisco Spaces Extend features mentioned above.

What Are Some Common Examples of Co-term Licensing Scenarios With Meraki and Spaces Bundled Licensing?

See the Meraki MR License Guide

Scenario 1 – MR Enterprise Claimed/Active – 100 MR ENT = 100 Spaces Extend

Scenario 2 – MR Advanced Claimed/Active – 100 MR ADV = 100 Spaces Smart Venues

Scenario 3 – No MR Licenses Claimed/Active = Spaces Trial for 10 APs for 30 days

Scenario 4 – MR (Enterprise) Claimed/Active and existing Spaces Extend –100 MR ENT = 100 Spaces Extend and Existing 100 Spaces Extend – Total 200 Spaces Extend

There shall be no refunds for previously purchased Cisco Spaces Licenses.

Will Spaces Licenses Be Included With Meraki MR Licenses Retroactively?

Yes. Cisco Spaces Extend licenses will be provided for all active Meraki MR Enterprise Licenses, and Cisco Spaces Smart Venues licenses will be provided for all active Meraki MR Advanced customers. This applies to both co-term and subscription Meraki MR licenses.

Is the Meraki MR Licensing Bundling With Cisco Spaces Licensing Supported in Meraki PDL (Per-Device Licensing) model?

No, this is not supported in the PDL (Per-Device Licensing) model, but you will still be able to get Spaces trial licenses for 10 APs via the integration.

Is Meraki MR Licensing Bundling With Cisco Spaces Licensing Supported for Enterprise Agreement?

If MR Enterprise and MR Advanced licenses are included in the Enterprise Agreement, you would be entitled to corresponding Cisco Spaces licenses.

Is Cisco Spaces Available in All Regions Where Meraki Is Sold?

Cisco Spaces is available globally with the exception of the following regions: Mainland China, Russia and Belarus, as well as any region where Cisco products are not available. Cisco Spaces also does not currently have FedRAMP certification.

How Would Meraki Customers View the Newly Acquired Cisco Spaces Licenses?

Meraki customers would be able to view the license type and count of licenses when they complete the integration flow. Once the integration is complete, go to Organizations > Configure > Integrations > My Integrations to view the newly entitled Cisco Spaces Licenses. For an overall view of Spaces licenses, go to your Cisco Spaces account. See the Cisco Spaces Configuration Guide: Viewing Cisco Spaces Account for more details.

Under Which Scenarios Do You Create a New Cisco Spaces Account or Use an Existing Cisco Spaces Account?

If you already have a Cisco Spaces account with Smart Licensing, it is recommended to create a new Spaces account when integrating Meraki Org with Cisco Spaces. Otherwise, the bundled Meraki licenses will not show in Smart Licensing (CSSM), and it will show as out of compliance in Smart Licensing dashboard.
If you already have a Cisco Spaces account with Spaces Legacy Licensing and your existing licensing tier is same as Meraki Org being integrated, it is recommended to use the existing account when integrating Meraki Org with Cisco Spaces. For example, if your existing Cisco Spaces account has Spaces Extend licensing and your Meraki licensing is MR Enterprise, that would be the same Spaces licensing tier.
If you already have a Cisco Spaces account with Spaces Legacy Licensing and your existing licensing tier is higher than the Meraki Org being integrated, it is recommended to create a new Spaces account when integrating Meraki Org with Cisco Spaces. For example, if your existing Cisco Spaces account has Spaces Act licensing and your Meraki licensing is MR Enterprise, that would be the higher Spaces licensing tier.
Split licensing is not supported on Cisco Spaces when Smart Licensing is not enabled.