<div dir="ltr">Steve, we just switched to Meraki for our wireless access last year and so far I've been very pleased with it. They were offering a very good deal for public libraries, which if I recall correctly was 5 years of licensing for the cost of 1 year. Even with the cost of the new hardware, which was substantial, this came out to be less than what we would have paid for our old solution over the next 5 years (cloud management license only).<div><br></div><div>As for your specific questions:</div><div><ul><li>Counting patron usage per location is very easy. Once per month I look up our monthly usage per location, both the number of unique clients and the total data transferred.</li><li>Yes, it offers an acceptable use splash screen. We have ours set up with a link to a page on our website that defines terms of use. You could put your entire terms of use on the splash page, but I didn't like the formatting on it, and when I tried changing the formatting, it didn't accept all HTML.</li><li>Since we switched, I have NEVER had to touch the units. The MR26 AP units that we have are the most reliable wireless APs I've seen so far, but at ~$600 each, they should be.</li></ul><div>One thing that bugged me about the Meraki trial and purchase process: they wanted a credit card on file before they would agree to send us hardware and set up a trial. I understand the need to have some way to charge customers for hardware when they fail to return it, but for a public library or educational institution? I get that it's just their policy, but it gives off a "we don't trust you to do the right thing if you decide to not purchase the product" vibe. It ruffled some feathers here enough that we almost didn't go through with the trial process.</div><div><br></div><div>I can't speak for the wireless products from Ubiquiti, but I've been less than thrilled with the "AirCam" IP security cameras and the accompanying AirVision software that we purchased from them. The server software falls over weekly and needs reset, several cameras have died on us and needed replaced, and on the whole, the entire system seems to have been abandoned by Ubiquiti after their new UniFi line came out. It's all considered "legacy" now, and it's less than 5 years old. To their credit, I've heard good things about UniFi, and their wireless APs are dirt cheap, but with how important wireless internet access has become to our patrons, I'm willing to pay a bit more for better reliability and less headaches on my end.</div></div><div><br></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Feb 5, 2016 at 12:33 PM, Steve Maze <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mazest@rodmanlibrary.com" target="_blank">mazest@rodmanlibrary.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">We are looking to upgrade our wireless network at our main location and branch. What wireless solution is your library using? Are you able to easily count wireless patrons? Does it offer an acceptable use splash screen? How reliable is your setup? We currently use a Sonicwall solution and are interested in hearing from libraries that use Meraki, Ubiquiti, or Aruba solutions.<br>
Thank you.<span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><br>
Steve<br>
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-- <br>
Steve Maze <a href="mailto:mazest@rodmanlibrary.com" target="_blank">mazest@rodmanlibrary.com</a><br>
Systems Technician<br>
Rodman Public Library voice: <a href="tel:330-821-2665" value="+13308212665" target="_blank">330-821-2665</a><br>
215 E. Broadway Street fax: <a href="tel:330-821-5053" value="+13308215053" target="_blank">330-821-5053</a><br>
Alliance, OH 44601 <a href="http://www.rodmanlibrary.com" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.rodmanlibrary.com</a><br>
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</font></span></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature"><span style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Ken Butler<br><a href="mailto:hcotech@holmeslib.org" target="_blank">hcotech@holmeslib.org</a><br>Head of Information Technology</span><div><span style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Holmes County District Public Library<br>3102 Glen Drive<br>Millersburg, OH 44654<br>PH: 330-674-5972 ext 224</span></div></div>
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