Cisco Meraki
Learn how to import and export projects from Hamina to Cisco Meraki.
Hamina Network Planner features cloud-to-cloud integration with Cisco Meraki. The integration can be used in several ways:
Deploy a network - Create a greenfield design in Hamina (including maps, scale, AP locations), and export it to the Meraki Cloud for deployment. This eliminates any duplicate mapping work in the Cisco Meraki dashboard.
Analyze an existing network - Import a network from Cisco Meraki to Hamina, and see the current running configuration including the map, AP locations, channels, and transmit power. Add walls and attenuating objects to see how the current network looks inside a predictive model.
Modify an existing network - Export the design from Hamina back to Cisco Meraki to implement any changes such as moving APs, adding APs, or changing AP models.
Create an API Key
To get started, you'll need to create an API key in the Meraki Dashboard, which Hamina Network Planner will use to communicate with Meraki.
API keys inherit whatever permissions your Meraki user account has, including which organizations your account has permissions to.
In the menu, point to the Organization group, and select API & Webhooks.
Select the API keys and access tab.
Click the Generate API Key button on the right.
Copy the API key, check the I've stored my API key confirmation, and click Done. They key is now ready to paste in Hamina Network Planner.
For more information, see Meraki documentation about API access.
Importing
You can import a network to see the current configuration of it, potentially make changes, and then later push the changes back to the network by using the Export function. For Hamina Network Planner Plus users, importing the network also sets it up for the Live View.
To import a Cisco Meraki network:
Create a new project.
Click on the Projects menu, point to to the project, then Import > From Wireless Network.
Choose Cisco Meraki.
Choose the correct Region, paste in the Meraki Dashboard API key, and click the Continue button.
The Import Settings pane will appear.
Here, you can choose:
The desired Organization and Network.
Import unused access points from the inventory - Populates the inventory in Hamina Network Planner with the MAC addresses and serial numbers of APs from the Meraki Dashboard, so they can be assigned to specific APs in the simulation tab.
Import unused access points from the selected network - The same as above, but targeting access points that are on the network (not in inventory), but aren't placed on the map.
Floor plans to import - Populates the Hamina project with floor plan images from the Meraki Dashboard. Maps that don't exist in the Hamina project yet are marked with a New tag.
Import AP locations and names - Places access points on the map in the project.
Import current transmit power
Import current channel
Click the Import button.
The imported map(s) should also include GPS coordinates at each corner of the map, which are populated by the Meraki Cloud. If the map is being imported for the first time, Hamina Network Planner will derive a scale from the GPS coordinates. If the map is being re-imported to Hamina and already contains a scale, the scale in Hamina will take precedence.
Exporting Maps
After making changes to the network such as adding, moving, or renaming APs, the Export function will push the changes from Hamina Network Planner back to Meraki. It can also be used to deploy a new network.
You don't need to import a network before making changes and exporting it. You can build a brand-new network and Export it to Meraki to deploy it. You'll still need to do network setup in the Meraki Dashboard, but you won't have to duplicate any mapping, AP placement, or AP naming outside of Hamina Network Planner.
It works largely the same way as the Import function, just in the opposite direction. For Hamina Network Planner Plus users, exporting the network also sets it up for the Live View.
GPS Coordinates
Maps that are uploaded to Meraki are expected to have a location on the globe. This can also affect aspects of the network, like the country code used by the network. We recommend using GPS coordinates to set the location of the network before uploading to Cisco Meraki.
By default, Hamina Network Planner places exported maps in downtown Hamina, Finland. If your network is located in downtown Hamina, that's fine. If not, we strongly recommend placing GPS coordinates on the map to properly locate your network on the globe.
In Google Maps, find a location that you can easily reference in both Google Maps and in Hamina Network Planner. Precisely right-click on the map, and click on the latitude and longitude item to copy them to your clipboard.
In Hamina Network Planner, in the Scale group, select the GPS coordinates tool.
Click on the map to place the GPS coordinate, and paste the latitude and longitude into the lat/long field with Ctrl + V or ⌘ + V.
Repeat steps 1-3. Note: While it is possible to export with only one GPS coordinate, two GPS coordinates are recommended to correctly orient and scale the map on the globe.
Export the map to Meraki. If any selected maps do not include one or more GPS coordinates, a warning will be displayed.
Review the results in the Meraki dashboard.
Notes
Early API Access
Hamina can read the status of the radio (whether it is on or off), but the radio status is only available in the Early API Access version of the Meraki API. This can be enabled in Organization > Configure > Early Access, and then enable Early API Access.
APs Without Location
In the Live View, if an access point does not have a location on the map, all of the clients that are associated with it will not appear in the View clients pane. Give all of the access points placements on the map to ensure that the Client list is fully populated.
Client Counts
For Meraki, Hamina shows an Active clients list for each AP. It however does not show how many clients are associated to each radio on the AP, as the Meraki API does not tell us which radio or band the client is associated to. It also does not provide an aggregated client association count per radio. Meraki has indicated that they plan to add this to their API in the future.
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