Use template or 'Not' for Wireless

[Gucamole]

I'm new to Meraki and about to enter production for the first time. I would like to gather feedback from experienced individuals.

I'm curious to know if you are utilizing a template in your environment or if you manage everything solely through the "Network" option. Our situation involves a cookie-cutter scenario with a few offices and remote sites that share the same SSID, RF profile, and so on. One drawback I noticed when using the template is the inability to schedule firmware upgrades on a site-by-site basis. Instead, we would have to upgrade the entire template simultaneously or duplicate the template, unbind the network from the "old" template, and gradually transition to the "new" template with newer firmware.

I'm trying to determine whether it would be more beneficial for us to use a Template to manage our Meraki Wireless or simply rely on the Network option. We will only be utilizing Meraki APs and no other equipment. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions you can provide.

[aleabrahao]

If you have a single standard configuration for all your newtorks, definitely using templates is the best option.

Imagine if you had 500 networks in your organization, wouldn't it be easier to apply the settings in a single place instead of configuring them in each network?

The update issue may seem worrisome initially, so what you can do is choose a location that is not so critical and not add it to the template, then you can update that location first and do the necessary validations before updating the entire template.

[Gucamole]

Thank you for your suggestion.

[Brash]

@alessandrodematos's answer is spot on.

Just to add one thing - if you're a confident coder, you can keep the networks separate (not templated) and perform bulk changes via the API.

[Gucamole]

Thank you for the suggestion but I am not very familiar with coding or using API. I think it's best for me to use the features provided within the Meraki dashboard.