Same SSID - Multiple Locations - Best Practice?

[MB781]

Hi

We are planning a new network out across 40+ locations and plan to setup each Location as a new 'Network'.

We have a company Wi-Fi SSID (plus same config) that wish to deploy to each Network, but is there a way of having templates or method of not having to do this 40+ times for each network?

We had thought of having ALL the AP's from each site in a single Network, but heard against this?

Thanks
matt

[mloraditch]

You can certainly use templates: https://documentation.meraki.com/General_Administration/Templates_and_Config_Sync/Managing_Multiple_Networks_with_Configuration_Templates but they do have limitations, definitely read the documentation, they may work for you, they may not.

You can also create the original network and just clone it. Future changes would have to be done individually.

You can also use the API to do the deployment or future changes. This is what I do, with postman and the ability to use runners you can do some stuff fairly easily without having to learn a lot of coding.

I would not put ALL the aps in the same network. I always divide up by site, but I also deploy the whole stack and need client tracking data to work properly.

[joey.debra]

There is a formal template method where you can create the SSID's and basic settings at the template and then bind the template to networks. You can even bulk create networks using a CSV file with the AP's per network. You still have some local control per network where you can override some behavior.

But as Mloradith already said: you can create a first network too and then clone it many times too. But then you lose the ability to bulk change without using some automation script.

[Messy]

we have about 70 sites. We used a template to begin with when all we had were APs, but when we added switches and MX's we tried to figure out what the impact of using a combined template was and decided it was best to just not use them.

We use API scripting now if we want to make a change to all of them. But to be honest it is very rare that we want to apply the exact same change to every site so changes are often manual in the dashboard.

[joey.debra]

The only thing I personally don't like about the combined templates is that the MX template randomizes IP subnet generation and not groups them per site but only per local VLAN.

The rest is all awesome.

[Philip D'Ath]

You can still override the randomized IP subnet and replace it with something you prefer.

[Philip D'Ath]

>We had thought of having ALL the AP's from each site in a single Network, but heard against this?

I have done this once for a company for their guest WiFi, because they wanted to see the analytics reported in a particular way. It worked fine, but it would normally be my last choice.

Others have mentioned templates, so I'll let you consider their advice.

I have had a company that had a network they dedicated to storing the settings in (it didn't contain any devices). They got me to write a script that would copy WiFi settings from that network to every other network based on a tag (for example, copy network "default-settings" to all networks with the tag "store").

This made it easy for them to test (copy the settings to networks with the tag "test") before doing a full production roll out.

[MB781]

Thank you - This sounds the same for us. We use 'GovWifi' (UK based) and its the same config all sites, plus push out a Public Wi-Fi to select buildings...

Cheeky ask - do you still have the scripts available at all?

[Philip D'Ath]

I do, but I can't release them. They were paid for by a client, but no harm in asking.

[MB781]

No problem - understand and points us in the right direction! Thank you!

[Rasmus Hoffmann Birkelund]

One of the reasons for not putting all APs in the same network, is due to that fact that all roaming information, 11k/v, etc are shared between APs witihn the same network. If you have APs at different sites, but in the same network, they would essentially be sharing neighbor information, keys and sessions. Especially when using 11r Fast Transition. So you'd have APs at site A having information about clients at Site B, and reverse.

[Philip D'Ath]

The information is shared between the APs using layer 2 broadcasts.

https://documentation.meraki.com/MR/Wi-Fi_Basics_and_Best_Practices/Roaming_Technologies#Client_Tracking

If the APs are at different sites they wont see each others broadcasts.

[Rasmus Hoffmann Birkelund]

I seem to recall, being told that it also shares the PMKID and PTKIDs, for Oppotunistic Key Caching. Unless I'm mistaken?