In short
Meraki subscription licensing, sold as Cisco Networking Subscription, licenses Meraki devices per network rather than per organisation. You choose a term of 12 to 84 months, pick Essentials or Advantage tiers per product type, claim the subscription once, and if it lapses only the affected networks lose management while traffic keeps flowing.
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What is Meraki subscription licensing?
Subscription licensing is the third and newest of the Meraki licensing models, sold as Cisco Networking Subscription. Meraki describes it as the latest licensing model from Cisco Meraki, offering more flexibility in payment, configuration, management and scale than the older co-termination and per-device models.
It is available to new and renewing customers globally, with the exception of Russia and Belarus. An organisation moves onto it automatically the moment a subscription licence key is claimed in the dashboard. New organisations still start on co-term by default, so if you are setting up a new Meraki organisation, the choice is made by which kind of key you claim first.
Cisco also positions subscription as the licensing model for its next generation of hardware, including Cisco Wireless Wi-Fi 7 access points and Cisco Smart Switches, alongside the existing Meraki families.
How Cisco Networking Subscription works
The mechanics are different from co-term in almost every respect:
- Flexible terms: you choose a term from 12 up to 84 months, with your own start and end dates, so you can line licensing up with budgets or contract dates. Meraki hardware and Cisco Wireless access points need at least 12 months; some newer hardware, including Cisco Smart Switches, needs at least 36 months.
- Hardware-agnostic licences: a single subscription licence covers a family or size class of hardware rather than one model. Wireless uses one licence for all access points; switches and security appliances are licensed by size class. Replacing hardware within a class does not need new licences.
- Network binding: licences belong to a subscription, and you bind networks to it. A network can be bound to one subscription at a time, and many networks can share one subscription. Binding is done under Organization > Subscriptions & license info, one network at a time or in bulk.
- Feature tiers per network: each product type in each network (wireless, switching, security and SD-WAN, and so on) is set to Essentials or Advantage. One subscription can hold both tiers.
- One claim: you claim the subscription key once. Additions, tier upgrades, end-date changes and renewals are submitted through your Cisco Partner and then appear in the dashboard automatically, with no further keys to claim.
- Several subscriptions per organisation: useful for franchises, separate business units or sites with different budgets. One subscription cannot be shared across organisations, though.
When a subscription is first claimed, product types are usually set to Essentials by default, whatever the subscription includes. If you bought Advantage, the tier needs switching on the Networks tab.
Subscription vs co-term
Meraki's own comparison of the two models comes down to these differences:
| Subscription | Co-term | |
|---|---|---|
| Expiry | Fixed end date per subscription | One organisation-wide date, recalculated with every licence added |
| Licences apply to | Networks bound to the subscription | The whole organisation |
| Feature tiers | Essentials and Advantage, set per network | One edition per product family across the organisation |
| Upgrading features | Tier upgrades mid-term | Needs upgrade licences or costs licence time |
| Licence keys | Claimed once | Claimed for every addition and renewal |
| Payment options listed by Meraki | Periodic or prepaid | Prepaid only |
| Out of compliance | Management disabled for affected networks or devices; traffic keeps flowing | Whole organisation shut down after 30 days |
| Renewal | Automatic or manual, no new key | New key claimed as a renewal |
The table is not the whole story: co-term is still a sensible choice for some stable estates mid-term, and moving is permanent. Our Meraki co-term licensing page covers the other side.
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Compliance, grace periods and Amber Mode
Subscription licensing follows a one device, one licence rule, but enforcement is deliberately narrow.
- Too many devices: if a network has more devices of a product class than the subscription covers, there is a 30-day grace period. After that, management is disabled for the extra devices on a last in, first out basis. Other product classes, and other subscriptions, are not affected.
- Expired, cancelled or unbound: if a subscription passes its end date or is cancelled, or a network is not bound to an active subscription, the affected networks get a 30-day grace period and then move to a disabled management state.
- What "disabled management" means: devices keep their last licence-compliant configuration and keep forwarding traffic. What you lose is the ability to configure them, see their configuration and monitoring data in the dashboard or API, start firmware updates, and get support for them.
Meraki calls this Amber Mode, and it is the main reason it recommends subscription over co-term, where an organisation that stays out of compliance is shut down. It is still not somewhere you want to be: a network you cannot change or troubleshoot is a risk. See what happens when a Meraki licence expires for all three models side by side.
Essentials and Advantage tiers
Subscription licensing uses two feature tiers. Essentials covers the core of each product family, and Advantage includes everything in Essentials plus more advanced features, such as Adaptive Policy and AI-driven radio management on wireless, or WAN, VoIP and web application health analytics on the MX. Cameras, cellular gateways and sensors have Essentials only.
Because tiers are set per network, you can run Advantage where it earns its keep (a head office, a hub site) and Essentials elsewhere. Organisations already on subscription can also start a 30-day Advantage trial for a product class on a network, which reverts to Essentials automatically if no Advantage licences are added.
The full feature-by-feature comparison, taken from Meraki's per-family subscription pages, is in Meraki Essentials vs Advantage.
Is Meraki subscription licensing the right fit for you?
We will check it against your systems and requirements and recommend the right option.
Unified licences for Wi-Fi 7 and Smart Switches
Cisco Networking Subscription also carries unified licences for Cisco's newest hardware: Cisco Wireless Wi-Fi 7 access points and Cisco Smart Switches. With these licences you choose a management mode per product family:
- Cloud: devices are managed in the Meraki dashboard like any other Meraki device
- Mixed: devices are managed on premises while licences and inventory sit in the Meraki dashboard
- On-premises: licences are managed in Cisco Smart Software Manager and devices through Catalyst Center or directly on the device
Mixed and on-premises modes are only available with subscription: Meraki states that co-term licences for this hardware are cloud-only. See Meraki Wi-Fi 7 and our page on cloud-managed Catalyst for how this works in practice. Meraki also notes that Catalyst switches with a Cisco DNA licence do not need an additional Meraki subscription licence when they are in cloud monitoring, or in cloud management with the device as the configuration source.
Moving to subscription from co-term or PDL
A subscription key can only be claimed by a new organisation, an expired organisation, or one in its grace period. It cannot be claimed while active co-term or per-device licences are in place, and any trials must be removed or expired first. Meraki's path for an existing co-term organisation is:
- Check eligibility. Co-term licences normally need to reach their expiry date; Meraki support can arrange an earlier conversion when you are within six to nine months of expiry.
- Check the recommendation. Within 30 days of expiry, Organization > Configure > License info shows subscription licences and quantities based on the devices actually deployed.
- Order the subscription with a requested start date after your co-term licences expire, so you do not pay for overlap.
- Claim the subscription key in the dashboard. This converts the organisation to subscription licensing.
- Bind your networks to the subscription and set each product type to the tier you bought.
The change is organisation-wide and cannot be reversed. For a per-device organisation, the move is made through a Meraki support case and is also permanent. Get the device counts right before you order: the dashboard recommendation is a good start, but it only reflects what is deployed today.
Changes, renewals and multiple organisations
Mid-term changes, such as adding licences, upgrading a tier or extending the end date, are requested through your Cisco Partner using the Subscription ID shown under Organization > Subscriptions & license info. Once processed they appear in the dashboard automatically, and a Recent Changes panel shows the history.
Renewal can be automatic or manual, and in neither case is a new key claimed. Meraki's documentation on renewals is still evolving, so check the options that apply to your subscription with us before the end date. Our Meraki licence renewal guide has the detail.
If you run several dashboard organisations, you need at least one subscription per organisation. Moving a whole subscription between organisations is done by Meraki support; moving part of one means the subscription being reissued as two.
How Forever Systems helps
Forever Systems is a Cisco Partner, and we quote Meraki hardware and Cisco Networking Subscription licences together.
We can size a subscription from your current inventory, suggest where Advantage is worth having and where Essentials will do, plan a co-term to subscription move around your expiry date, and submit changes and renewals for you once you are on subscription. Terms, tiers and payment options are confirmed at quote.
Ask us for a quote, or contact us to review your licence position.
Subscription tiers
Working with us on Cisco Meraki
Forever Systems helps organisations plan, buy and run cloud-managed networks built on Cisco Meraki wireless, switching, security and SD-WAN.
- Plan the network: we look at your sites, users and existing kit, and can arrange a wireless site survey before anything is ordered
- Choose the right products: access points, switches, security appliances, cellular gateways, sensors and cameras sized to what each site needs, rather than a one-size bundle
- Licensing made clear: we explain co-termination, per-device and subscription licensing, check renewal dates and quote the licences you need
- Deployment help: we can set up the Meraki dashboard, organisations, networks, templates and policies, and help move you from older or on-premise kit
- Ongoing help: changes, licence renewals and reviews as your sites grow, with the scope agreed at quote
Ask us for a quote and we will confirm what is included for your organisation.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cisco Networking Subscription?
Cisco Networking Subscription is the subscription licensing model for Meraki and for Cisco's newer Wi-Fi 7 and Smart Switch hardware. Licences are bound to networks, terms run from 12 to 84 months with start and end dates you choose, and features come in Essentials and Advantage tiers.
Is Meraki subscription licensing better than co-term?
Meraki recommends it for new and renewing customers. Its main advantages are network-level licensing, mid-term tier upgrades without new keys, and compliance enforcement that disables management for affected devices rather than shutting the whole organisation down. Co-term can still suit stable estates part-way through a term.
Can I switch back from subscription to co-term?
No. Meraki's licensing FAQ states that reverting from subscription to co-term or per-device licensing is not supported, and converting an organisation to subscription is a permanent, organisation-wide change.
Do I need to claim a new licence key when I add to a subscription?
No. You claim a subscription key once. Additions, tier upgrades, end-date changes and renewals are processed against the Subscription ID and appear in the dashboard automatically.
What happens if a Meraki subscription expires?
Networks bound to it enter a 30-day grace period. After that they move to a disabled management state: devices keep their last configuration and keep forwarding traffic, but you cannot configure, monitor or update them, and support is not available for them until the subscription is renewed.
Can one Meraki subscription cover several organisations?
No. A subscription covers one or more networks within a single organisation, so you need at least one subscription per organisation. An Enterprise Agreement can span several organisations.
Still have a question about Meraki subscription licensing?
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