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Our primary consideration with hardware selection was cost, reliability and performance. It is our belief that mesh access points need to be as affordable as possible to ensure self-sustained growth of the network. Below is a description of the hardware platform we eventually settled on, after testing and evaluating numerous others.   
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Equipment from Meraki Networks was selected for its low cost, zero end user configuration, back-end management system and most importantly, its wireless mesh capabilities. This allows for several advantages. First, bandwidth usage is controlled, so one user doesn’t saturate any one Internet connection. Second, remote monitoring and management allows us to get an idea of network health/usage and modify configuration remotely. Third, as opposed to traditional wireless networks, which require an Internet connection at every access point, Meraki Mini repeaters can relay data as many times needed until it reaches an Internet connected access point (gateway), significantly reducing the cost of building the network. |
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Through experimentation we have discovered that you can convert an indoor meraki mini to an outdoor unit with some additional parts and a bit of work. There are now at least three of these outdoor Meraki Minis in use, one is sheltered under an overhang and two are out in the open, pictures can be found in the photo gallery. |
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The antennas we have tested so far have come from Hyperlinktech, which include a 9dBi and 5.5dBi with RP-SMA connector. The 9dBi omni-directional has been used mostly for outdoor nodes, they’re cheap and provide decent gain. The Bud NEMA Cable Gland .39”-.55” (Mouser part #563-NG-9515) fits the 9dBi omni-directional antenna nicely. We’ve found the 2dBi antenna included with the Meraki Mini works well indoors, especially in multi-floor buildings. The majority of users won’t be connecting with anything higher gain anyway, so it’s a good match. Meraki has provided some estimated ranges for the Meraki Mini with the stock 2dBi antenna: |
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The following amplifiers are currently in testing:
(Results will be posted here.) |
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Though the the Meraki Mini Outdoor comes with a Power over Ethernet (PoE) adapter, other models do not. To lower cost, Power over Ethernet injectors have been built using a dual RJ-45 surface mount jack and either the power supply included with the Meraki Mini (7.5V), or a higher voltage 12V power supply for longer (50+ft) Ethernet runs. |
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Firmware/Software To SSH into the Meraki, use “meraki” as the username and the Meraki’s serial number as the password (can be found on the bottom of the Meraki or in the Dashboard) /storage is a persistent (so far Meraki has not had to overwrite this partition for firmware upgrades) partition /storage/late-init.sh runs last in the boot sequence, useful for adding iptables rules, etc. /storage/config stores the current Meraki configuration. When connected to a Meraki mesh network (wired or wireless) you can access http://my.meraki.net to view the status of the node you are currently connected to and http://gateway.meraki.net to view the status of the gateway you are connecting to the Internet through.
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Technology 
