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Installation of the Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker Unit

January 30, 2020 ,

Installation of the Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker Unit

Cisco Meraki Z3 is a cloud-managed teleworker gateway that offers reliable and secure connectivity to distant workers. It features five gigabit ethernet ports, one of which is PoE-enabled, as well as two 802.11ac Wave 2 wireless radios that operate simultaneously. 

It additionally supports site-to-site VPN, layer 7 traffic shaping, layer 3 firewall, and up to four SSIDs. The Z3C variant includes an inbuilt CAT 3 LTE cellular modem for cellular failover.

Cisco Meraki Z3
Fig 1.1- Cisco Meraki Z3

Cisco Meraki Z3 features 

  • Suitable for networks with up to five client devices.
  • Up to 100 Mbps stateful firewall throughput
  • Four GbE ports for printers, phones, and other wired devices.
  • One PoE-enabled port for VoIP phones and powered devices
  • Dual concurrent 802.11ac Wave 2 radios with up to 1.3 Gbps data rate
  • Auto VPN provides intelligent site-to-site VPN connectivity.
  • 802.1x port authentication for wired devices.
  • Layer 7 application traffic shaping and prioritization.
  • Layer 3 firewall to segregate company data and personal traffic.
  • Up to four SSIDs with integrated company security and personal/guest access.
  • Self-configuration, plug-and-play deployment.
  • Suitable for telecommuters utilizing VoIP and remote applications.
  • Sleek and low-profile design
  • USB port with 3G/4G connectivity.

Setup with Meraki Z3

To register with the cloud, all Meraki Z3 require an IP address and an Internet connection. The Z3 are set up to get an IP address automatically from the end user's ISP router/modem via DHCP.  The following instructions should ensure that the Z3 receives the IP address.

Step 1: Remove the Z3 router, power cable, and Ethernet cable from the box

Step 2: Connect the supplied Ethernet cable to the Internet Port on the Z3 to your home Internet gateway (router, gateway, or etc) Ethernet port

DHCP MUST be enabled for your home Internet gateway for the Z3 to obtain an IP and connect to the cloud.

Step 3:Connect one end of an Ethernet cable of the power injector that is connected on port 1 and bring the other Ethernet cable and plug it into the back of the phone on the left most side port as illustrated below.

The phone should start booting once the connections are completed.  If the phone display doesn’t light or indicate changes, check the cabling to ensure you have plugged into the correct ports.

Step 4: Ports 2, 3, and 4 of the Z3 are for authorized desktops and laptops 

Step 5: Wait for Z3 front panel LED status light to cycle from multi-color to solid white

Step 6: All connected device ports on the Z3 should be green on the upper left port LED and blinking green on the upper port LED