MX84 Internet ports GbE SFP option

[Jotasan]

Hello,

We are deploying MX84 pairs in branches, multi homing with ISPs with rates from (300Mb - 1Gb).

Lately providers are more and more reluctant of handing off cat6 and they just give is single mode lclc connections.

Would be fantastic if we could repurpose the GbE (SFP) LAN interfaces as internet uplink. Otherwise we need media converters which is not really a clean solution.

Do you know if that's possible?

thanks

[MerakiDave]

Hi @Jotasan unfortunately the integrated SFP ports (ports 11 and 12 on the MX84) are LAN-only ports and cannot be leveraged as WAN1/2 interfaces.  I looked for an override but do not see any option.  We do have that ability on MX400/MX600 platforms where you could put in a 2x10G SFP+ module and run beta firmware to use those as WAN interfaces.  Unfortunately on the MX84, you'll only have the copper RJ45 WAN interfaces and would have to use a media converter if the ISP handoff is fiber/LC only.  Make a wish and I'll do the same with the team.  Meraki is aware of these evolving requirements which is one reason why the newer 250/450 have dual SFP+ WAN interfaces.

[Maurizio]

 Sorry for my english and sorry if I post my question in wrong place

Hi MerakiDave, we have a meraki mx84.  I see WAN1/2 interfaces have a bandwidth limits set at 500mbps so we can't use 1 gb fiber connection we have.

I see usb cellular pot doesn't have bandwidth limits my question is can we connect our mediaconverter to a USB3.0 - gigabit Ethernet 1000 converter connected to usb- modem port of meraki?

[PhilipDAth]

It is an ugly fix.

Put the SFP LAN port and a copper LAN port into a separate dedicated VLAN.  Plug in your fibre SFP circuit.  Then run a copy patch lead from the other port n the VLAN back to your WAN port.

[Uberseehandel]

I hate these cunning stunts . . . ;-[]

[Granthanimal]

Hi,

I would like to see if this works for my current environment.

Our uplink is a fiber access port ran from an ms225 to an mx84 tagged with vlan80. The fiber run plugs in to port 11 via SFP, this port is assigned as an access port tagged with vlan80.

So do I need to assign vlan 80 to both the sfp port 11 and baset port as access ports?

Or do I bring in vlan 80 as a trunk port on 11 then set up the baset port that connects to wan1 as an access port?

Any assistance is appreciated.

Update:  I was able to figure this out & it does work, thanks for the solution.

[MikeHoule]

I don't mean to hijack this thread but I have a somewhat similar question.  My ISP is handing us off a Copper uplink from our recently ordered fiber instead of handing us a fiber uplink.  Can I come out of the MX with fiber to my Cisco 2600S 48 port switches when it is coming in as Copper?

I am brand new to both Fiber and Meraki.  

[PhilipDAth]

If your MX has a copper WAN port then the ISP circuit will plug directly into it.  And then you can use copper to plug your MX into your internal switch.

[MikeHoule]

Thanks that part I knew.  We were hoping to leverage the other SFP ports to run fiber out of to connect the other switches because of distance. 

 So my thought was that it had to come in optical to the switch to be able to feed optical out to the other switches.  Is that a no - go?