Meraki MR vs CW Series: What’s Changing and What It Means for Existing Customers
MR is the older Meraki-only wireless line. CW-917x is the current Cisco Wireless line — Wi-Fi 7 indoor hardware that can run Meraki dashboard or Catalyst / IOS-XE, depending on claim and licence. Existing MR access points keep working. A 2026 refresh is a move to CW, not a like-for-like MR reorder. Dashboard, SSIDs and templates can stay; serials, PoE, mounts and the licence row change.
Related pages: Cisco Meraki · How to choose the right Cisco / Meraki access point · Understanding Cisco Wi-Fi AP naming (CW-917x) · How Cisco Meraki co-term and subscription licensing work · Is Wi-Fi 7 worth it in 2026? · Knowledge base
What is the difference between MR and CW?
| MR series | CW-917x series | |
|---|---|---|
| Who named it | Meraki wireless (MR36, MR46, MR56, MR57…) | Cisco Wireless shared hardware |
| Typical generation still on walls | Wi-Fi 6 / 6E | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Operating model | Meraki dashboard | Meraki dashboard or Catalyst / IOS-XE |
| New 2026 indoor buy | Do not specify unless matching a spare | Default indoor list (9172 / 9174 / 9176 / 9178 + suffix) |
| Licence | Meraki wireless seat on co-term or subscription | MR license works if on co-term, LIC-CW needed if on subscription; different software path if you claim Catalyst |
CW916x already used the CW name on Wi-Fi 6E. That family is not MR and is not 917. Keep installed 916x if it is performing; do not treat it as an MR leftover or as a 917.
How to read 917x tokens is in the naming guide.
Do existing MR customers have to rip and replace?
No. MR units that are licensed and healthy stay in the same dashboard as new CW units. Mixed generations are normal during a phased refresh.
Replace when the AP is end-of-life, the radio limitation is the reason for tickets, or you are doing a floor anyway (paint, ceiling, switch). Do not replace a MR46 only because the brochure says Wi-Fi 7.
What maps from common MR models to CW-917x?
This is a role map, not a serial swap.
| You have | Usual CW class | Still verify |
|---|---|---|
| MR36 / low-density indoor | CW9172I | 2.4 GHz scanners, PoE+ closet |
| MR44 / MR46 mid indoor | CW9174I | 2.5G / 5G port, PoE class |
| MR56 / MR57 high indoor | CW9176I (CW9178I if dual 5 GHz / dual 10G is the point) | 802.3bt, mount size and weight |
| Wall-plate / hotel room | CW9172H | Room ports, PoE-out |
| High ceiling / racks | CW9174E | Antenna SKU, mounting |
One CW9178I does not automatically retire two MR36s. 6 GHz cells are often shorter. Recount coverage.
What stays the same on Meraki dashboard?
Organisation, networks, templates, SSIDs, RF profiles
Wireless firewall rules(including Deny Local LAN — a CW AP will enforce the same SSID policy)
Co-term or subscription model already chosen for that org
Look out for: the exact mount footprint on high-tier 9178 units, and the assumption that PoE+ is enough for full radios on 9176 / 9178.
What happens to licences when we add CW to an MR org?
Co-term: claiming new wireless seats recalculates the common date. Use License more devices for a mid-term add, not Renew, unless you intend to reset the limit. Preview in License Calculator. If performing a technical refresh, watch out for the ghost licensing trap.
Subscription: add wireless seats to the bound subscription; the end date stays. Licensing for WIFI-7 requires a separate license from regular MR licenses. This is a common problem that requires an RMA of the wrong license and a re-ordering of LIC-CW license, often at an increased cost.
You cannot drop CW units into a dashboard with no remaining wireless capacity and hope they work. See the co-term vs subscription guide.
If someone wants the same CW hardware on Catalyst persona, that is a different licence family. Decide the operating model before ordering.
What should you check in the closet before the swap?
| Check | Why it bites on CW more than old MR |
|---|---|
| PoE class and budget | 9176 / 9178 want 802.3bt for full radios, mGig and USB. On at they derate |
| Switchport speed | 2.5G / 5G / 10G NICs on a 1G PoE+ port cap the AP |
| Cabling | Cat5e length and poor terminations fail to train above 1G |
| Mount / weight | CW9178I is larger than an MR36 |
| 2.4 GHz SSIDs | Scanners and printers still need that radio |
A Wi-Fi 7 AP on a 1G uplink will not show multi-gig in a speed test.
How should a Singapore organisation cut over?
Stage in lab, claim to the existing org, hang beside or in place of the MR, confirm SSID and power mode, then pull the old unit. Overnight per floor beats a lunchtime building-wide swap. The old access points and new access points can be used simultaneously, and you get a 30-day grace period when you add additional access points to the network.
Perform a hardware replacement before turning on Wi-Fi 7. When enabling Wi-Fi 7, plan for a migration rather than turning all existing SSIDs into Wi-Fi 7.
Equipment ships from Cisco or authorised distributors. Megatron stages so the named CW SKU is ready to mount.
FAQ
Can MR and CW share one SSID?
Yes, in one Meraki network, during migration. Clients roam at their own generation.
Is CW “not Meraki anymore”?
No. CW is the hardware name. Meraki persona is still how most Singapore customers will operate it.
Should we move to Catalyst because the AP is called CW?
No. You are able to choose the Catalyst or Meraki persona to fit your needs.
Can we enable WIFI-7 with a mix of access points?
WIFI-7 requires specific encryption conditions to be fulfilled. Check if your older access points can be updated to a firmware which supports these standards. The old access points may not be able to utilize WIFI-7, but it allows you to configure and utilize WIFI-7 on the new CW917x access points.
Send the current MR inventory, switch generation and whether the org is co-term or subscription. Megatron Technology will map a CW-917x list and the licence requirements.
Request a migration quote: www.megatron.com.sg/ciscomeraki · Contact