Cisco Meraki is a leader in cloud-managed networking solutions, offering products tailored to meet the demands of modern teleworking environments. Among its lineup, the Meraki Z series teleworker gateways are pivotal tools for enabling secure and efficient remote connectivity. Initially, the Meraki Z1 was a popular choice for remote workers, offering essential features such as VPN capabilities and centralized management through the Meraki Cloud. However, with advances in wireless technology and increasing demands for higher performance, Cisco has since introduced the Meraki Z3 as a more powerful, feature-rich upgrade designed to meet the evolving needs of today’s businesses.
This article will provide a detailed comparison of the Meraki Z1 vs. Z3, analyzing the key differences between these models, including performance upgrades, security enhancements, and overall functionality. As remote work becomes the norm, it’s essential for businesses to understand how the Meraki Z3 can offer superior value for securing remote networks, enhancing user experience, and future-proofing their infrastructure.
Whether you’re a business decision-maker or an IT professional seeking to optimize your network, this comparison of Meraki Z1 vs. Meraki Z3 can help ensure your organization stays ahead of the curve.
Overview of the Meraki Z Series
What Is the Cisco Meraki Z Series?
The Meraki Z series is a line of cloud-managed teleworker gateways designed to extend secure, reliable connectivity to employees working remotely. These devices are equipped with enterprise-class firewalls, VPN gateways, and traffic shaping capabilities to ensure that both business and recreational traffic are properly managed. Additionally, all models in the Z series are managed via the Meraki Cloud, providing centralized control, automatic firmware upgrades, and real-time traffic analysis.
Key features of the Meraki Z series include:
- Auto VPN for easy site-to-site VPN connectivity.
- Layer 7 traffic shaping to prioritize business-critical applications over recreational traffic.
- Cloud architecture that enables rapid deployment with zero-touch configuration.
- Enterprise-grade security features, such as inter-VLAN routing, port authentication, and guest access.
Typical Use Cases
The Meraki Z1 and Z3 are both designed to support remote workers, telecommuters, and small branch offices. They allow businesses to provide secure, high-speed connectivity for virtual desktops, VoIP phones, and other devices in home offices or small teleworker deployments. Whether it’s segregating corporate data from personal traffic or ensuring guest access at remote sites, the Z series gateways offer a comprehensive solution for managing remote network needs.
Meraki Z1 – The Original Teleworker Gateway
Hardware Overview
The Meraki Z1 was one of the first teleworker gateways introduced by Cisco Meraki. It features four Gigabit Ethernet ports and dual-band 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) for wireless connectivity. With a maximum wireless data rate of 600 Mbps, the Z1 was designed to provide secure wired and wireless access for small networks.
Key Features
The Meraki Z1 comes equipped with several notable features, including:
- VPN tunneling for secure remote access to corporate networks.
- A Layer 3 firewall to separate corporate data from personal traffic.
- Plug-and-play deployment, which allows IT administrators to easily configure the device through the Meraki Cloud Management platform.
- Traffic shaping to prioritize business applications over recreational activities, improving overall network performance.
Limitations
Despite its utility, the Meraki Z1 has some limitations that make it less suitable for modern business environments:
- Outdated hardware that no longer supports current wireless standards like Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6.
- Slower VPN throughput and processing power compared to more recent models.
- Limited scalability for businesses that need to support more devices or higher data rates.
End-of-Life Announcement
Cisco Meraki announced the end of life (EOL) for the Z1, replacing it with the Meraki Z3 as the preferred teleworker gateway. The Z3 offers significant hardware and performance improvements, making it a more future-proof solution for businesses looking to support remote workers.
Meraki Z3 – The Modern Upgrade
Hardware Overview
The Meraki Z3 is a modern teleworker gateway designed to replace the Z1, offering several enhancements in both hardware and wireless performance. Like its predecessor, the Z3 includes four Gigabit Ethernet ports for wired devices, but it also introduces one PoE-enabled port, allowing the Z3 to power VoIP phones or other devices.
Wi-Fi 5 Compatibility
One of the most significant upgrades in the Meraki Z3 is its support for 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5), which provides faster wireless speeds and improved performance compared to the Z1’s 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4). With a maximum wireless data rate of 1.3 Gbps, the Z3 can handle higher data loads, making it ideal for businesses that need reliable, high-speed wireless network access.
Security and Performance Enhancements
The Z3 introduces several security and performance upgrades, including:
- Improved VPN gateway performance with 50 Mbps VPN throughput, providing faster, more secure remote access.
- Advanced firewall capabilities, with Layer 7 traffic shaping to ensure critical business applications are prioritized over recreational traffic.
- Enhanced cloud management features, such as real-time alerts, traffic analysis, and remote troubleshooting through the Meraki Dashboard.
Target Audience
The Meraki Z3 targets businesses that need to provide secure, high-performance connectivity for remote employees. It’s ideal for modern teleworker environments, home offices, and small branches where high-speed network access and robust security are essential.
Key Differences Between Z1 and Z3
Hardware Comparison
The Meraki Z3 offers several hardware improvements over the Z1:
- Wi-Fi 5 support (Z3) vs. Wi-Fi 4 support (Z1), allowing for faster wireless speeds and better overall network performance.
- One PoE-enabled port (Z3), which provides power for VoIP phones or other devices, a feature missing from the Z1.
- Enhanced throughput: The Z3 can handle more devices and perform better due to its more advanced internal hardware.
Wi-Fi Standards
The move from 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) in the Z1 to 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) in the Z3 represents a significant leap in wireless performance. Wi-Fi 5 allows the Z3 to deliver faster speeds, reduced latency, and better support for modern devices, particularly in environments with high demand for video conferencing, virtual desktops, and streaming.
Performance Upgrades
The Meraki Z3 offers substantial performance improvements over the Z1, including faster VPN speeds, higher wireless throughput, and better handling of business applications through traffic shaping. With 50 Mbps VPN throughput and advanced firewall capabilities, the Z3 is far more capable of supporting modern remote work requirements.
Modern Features
The Z3 introduces features that make it more suitable for today’s remote work environments, such as:
- Scalability to support more devices and higher traffic loads.
- Improved guest access options for remote workers and clients.
- Future-proofing with Wi-Fi 5, which provides better compatibility with current and future wireless devices.
Benefits of Upgrading from Z1 to Z3
Improved Wireless Speeds
Upgrading from the Meraki Z1 to the Z3 will provide significantly faster wireless speeds, thanks to the Z3’s 802.11ac support. This is particularly important for businesses relying on high-speed network access for remote workers using virtual desktops, video conferencing, and other bandwidth-intensive applications.
Better Security Features
The Meraki Z3 offers enhanced security features, including better VPN performance, robust firewall options, and support for inter-VLAN routing to segregate corporate data from personal traffic. This ensures that businesses can maintain secure remote connections even as the demand for remote work increases.
Scalability and Future-Proofing
With support for Wi-Fi 5 and more modern networking standards, the Meraki Z3 is better equipped to handle the demands of today’s teleworker environments. Its ability to support more devices, higher data rates, and future growth makes it a more scalable and future-proof solution than the Z1.
Choosing the Right Teleworker Gateway for Your Business
Is the Z3 Worth the Upgrade?
For businesses still using the Meraki Z1, upgrading to the Z3 is a worthwhile investment. The Z3 offers improved wireless performance, better security features, and a more scalable solution for remote work environments. If your business relies on high-speed connectivity and secure VPN access, the Z3 is a superior option for maintaining productivity and protecting sensitive data.
Ideal Use Cases for the Z3
The Meraki Z3 is ideal for businesses with remote offices, distributed workforces, or home offices that require secure, high-speed network access. It’s especially well-suited for organizations that need to support VoIP phones, virtual desktops, and business applications over secure, reliable connections.
Future Considerations
As remote work continues to expand, businesses should assess their future networking needs when choosing between maintaining older hardware or upgrading to the Meraki Z3. With its Wi-Fi 5 compatibility, better VPN throughput, and overall superior performance, the Z3 is a future-proof solution that will meet the growing demands of modern remote work.
Conclusion
In the Meraki Z1 vs. Z3 comparison, the Z3 clearly emerges as the better choice for businesses looking to upgrade their teleworker gateways. With its faster wireless speeds, improved security features, and better scalability, the Meraki Z3 is well-equipped to meet the needs of today’s remote work environments.
Upgrading to the Z3 will ensure your business is prepared for the increasing demands of remote work, providing secure, high-performance connectivity for employees working from home. At Stratus Informational Systems, we specialize in helping businesses deploy various Cisco Meraki products, ensuring your network is optimized for performance and security in any work scenario. So, if you have questions or require a professional consultation, contact us, and we will definitely help.
