Both ap.meraki.com and my.meraki.com are locally-hosted sites useful for configuring an AP when it cannot reach the Meraki Cloud. This is often seen on a static, non-DHCP network or when there are strict firewall rules. After a Cisco Meraki access point (AP) has lost its connection to the Internet but is still receiving power, it will broadcast a default service set identifier (SSID) that can be connected to for administrative tasks.
Connect to the default SSID by completing the following steps:
If a Meraki Access Point does not have a configuration from the Meraki Cloud Controller it will instead broadcast a default SSID of "Meraki-Scanning." The AP takes an address of 10.128.128.128, the SSID runs DHCP, and it will try to assign any clients that associate with it an address. This is merely to provide connection between a client and the AP to allow for local configuration.
Potential known default SSID names along with potential causes/solutions:
<SSID_name>-bad-gateway
Cause: An AP's configured default gateway has failed to respond to 15 consecutive ARP requests.
Solution: Check the AP's IP address configuration and reachability to its default gateway.
<SSID_name>-connecting
Cause: An AP's SSID that is configured to use a VPN concentrator is unable to connect.
Solution: Verify connectivity to the concentrator using the tools in Dashboard. Also, confirm that your local firewall is not blocking the connection.
<SSID_name>-scanning
Cause: Similar to 'bad-gateway', an AP is unable to connect to its default gateway.
Solution: Check the AP's IP address configuration and reachability to its default gateway.
Meraki Setup
Cause: An AP has never connected to the Meraki cloud controller (MCC) or has been factory reset.
Solution: Establish MCC connectivity for the AP by ensuring appropriate Internet access.