Z3 Sold Out

[Mike_Welker]

So, due to covid-19, I have at least 15 users that are now telecommuting daily.  I presented the capabilities of the Z3 to our executive team, and was authorized to purchase 15.

I eagerly placed the order this past Thursday with our supplier, and lo and behold, was informed tonight that both the Z3 and Z3C are sold out.  No surprise, I guess, but disappointed that it took so long to tell me.

That said, our supplier suggested the MX64W, and can reduce the price to almost equivalent to a Z3.  So, my first question is, can these be connected by a non-tech saavy user as easily as a Z3?  Meaning, the WAN port is clearly labeled?

Secondly, will it automatically grab a DHCP address on the WAN port from a home ISP connection?  I would assume so.

I know there's no POE port, but I can get around that with a power injector for the user's IP phone.

Effectively, I need a dummy-proof way to send a user home with a device, and be reasonably assured that it will "just work"

[CptnCrnch]

For the end user, it doesn't really matter from a technical point of view. It's simply not as sleek as the Z3 and has external antennas for the Wifi.

Apart from that, it will also grab a DHCP address on its WAN port and behave like a Z3 from the end users point of view. You'll find it has more bells and whistles when configuring (depending on the license).

[ToddB]

we had a couple customer orders for Z3’s we placed at the end of last week and the orders shipped today. So there is inventory direct from Meraki.

[Uberseehandel]

A good price deal on a MX64W sounds like an opportunity. The Z3's do not have the Advanced Security License option, which becomes available on the  MX range. I have both a Z3C and a MX64.

@PhilipDAth gave me some great advice for connecting the MX to another security appliance, If required I can explain how to avoid problems.

For home workers, in many situations Meraki is not an option for replacing an existing router as the MX/Z range does not handle premium TV subscription services which require that an active igmp-proxy be configured and active. However, connecting the MX/Z uplink port to a LAN port on the existing router works perfectly well (subject to a little configuring prior to installation), without double NAT issues, in my experience. The dynamic site IP address is passed through to the MX/Z.

Leaving the existing router in place creates an opportunity to sort the sheep from the goats. So anything risky, such as smart devices, IoT gear, A/V systems, guest WiFi, etc can be left connected to the existing network equipment.

[Aaron_Wilson]

You could get the MX64W, but it's roughly 3x the price, with almost no value to the end-user for typical home work use.

This is coming from someone who deployed a bunch of home MX units and was glad when the Z3 line was released.

[Mike_Welker]

At least as of right now, our supplier is saying that they can "ballpark" the price of a Z3 with the MX64W.  I'm waiting to hear from them this morning to see if they're even playing the same sport.

In any case, our users need to have a WiFi network broadcasting in their home that is already "connected" to the business resources.  The second requirement was plugging their IP phone from their office desks into the device and having full phone service.  We have softphones available, but then again, we also have a client VPN.

I can source power injectors for $25 for their phone, so if I can get the price down on the MX64W, and send a user packing with a device they just have to plug in, it will fit the bill...it's just overkill for a single user.

Either way, it is what it is, and we're unable to wait on Cisco/ Meraki to have more supply in stock.  I think the delay may have been due to our supplier dragging their feet and submitting the order to Meraki, rather than Meraki just suddenly realizing they were out of stock.

It's a mad scramble for all of us "IT guys" these past weeks.

[Uberseehandel]

For us, the key to truly functional distributed offices was cutting office/home - office traffic out of the equation; rather moving all storage and services up to the Cloud. All traffic now goes device - Cloud (vertical traffic).

Protocols are standardised, and well documented.

Accessing data on a server from a variety of different client devices is no longer an issue. Busy people rarely have to spend time on connectivity issues. Having engineered a solution, the professionals can now concentrate on their real jobs.

Anecdotally, this does not appear to be the case with organisations with complex site to site / device to site / hub-spoke network architectures for their users to negotiate (horizontal traffic).

As far as phones go, we have ditched physical VoIP phones in favour of Cisco-Accredited softphones from CounterPath. As far as people calling us are concerned, they can call the fixed line number or the mobile number, their choice. As far as we are concerned, life is simplified and more efficient. We don't need additional hardware for the landline phone at work or when travelling, it rings on the smartphone, mobile calling and fixed line calling share the same directory of phone numbers, video calls are available.

I would strongly advise people working at home to keep their office network separate from the existing network. There is so much cr*p in modern homes, they are simply not secure, rather uplink the MX/Z via a LAN port on the existing home network and if you are in professional services, your indemnity insurance would become an issue.

[bassmandan]

I know of at least one customer of ours that has run into the same issue and has gone down the road of MX64W and a POE injector as well. I don't really see any downside of this option, except for it being somewhat less neat a solution.

[Aaron_Wilson]

Just placed an order for (10) Z3s. ETA is 3 days.

[Dustin2004]

We still seeing zero stock?  I need to place an order for 14 of them.

[Mike_Welker]

My supplier, CDW (figured I would finally just give the name) still says "sold out".  When I placed the order last Thursday for 15, it was a 4 - 6 day lead time.  The order went through, and everything seemed good-to-go, until Wednesday, when our account rep contacted me to say they were sold out, and offered the MX64W.

Incidentally, their "ball park price" wasn't even close.  They quoted a total of $600+ for an MX64W and one year license.  We had ordered the Z3s for ~$350.

So, we're simply continuing one with the client VPN, softphones, and a new Routing and Remote access server I stood up for our users as a "backup" (Meraki Client VPN is notoriously complex for our users to configure/ troubleshoot, and even though I configure it for them, they have a way of "breaking" things at 2AM on a Sunday when they're sitting at home and have a critical job to do)

CDW, at least for the Z3, does not carry stock in their warehouses.  All of my Meraki devices ordered via CDW have always been drop shipped direct from Cisco/ Meraki, so I don't think they actually use any live-updating stock status/ lead times for Meraki equipment.

[Aaron_Wilson]

Yea, MX64 will bite you in upfront and renewal costs. And no PoE port.

When mine ship I'll let you know. They were a ETA of today.

[SammyB · Accepted solution]

Hey Mike,

Happy to try and assist - while the Z3 is out of stock until May timeframe, the MX64 is very similar to the Z3. It has a clearly labeled WAN interface, that will pull DHCP from the ISP. It has all the same functionality with VPN, VLANs, with additional security features with the Advanced Security License (not available on the Z Series). You can utilize a PoE injector or power adapters to support PoE devices (or see if MX65 appliances are available).

Here is additional documentation to get it setup:
https://documentation.meraki.com/MX/Installation_Guides/MX64_Installation_Guide
https://documentation.meraki.com/MX/Site-to-site_VPN/Meraki_Auto_VPN#Auto_VPN_Configuration

Cheers,

Sammy

[Mod note: Marking this as solution for greater visibility / ease of scanning this thread]

[Aaron_Wilson]

You'll notice Merkai support didn't mention the higher cost hardware and license 😉

FYI, my (10) Z3s finally shipped, just a slight delay.