Integrate Cisco Meraki with VisitorOS

This article explains how the Cisco Meraki integration works with VisitorOS and how to configure your Cisco Meraki environment for the integration.

How the integration works

Visitors are emailed credentials to connect to your site’s Wi-Fi network based on whether they pre-register for an event or sign in as walk-in visitors.

• Pre-registered visitors: Visitors who complete the pre-registration process receive Wi-Fi credentials that are valid for the duration of the event.
• Walk-in visitors: Visitors who are not part of an event receive Wi-Fi credentials after they sign in. The credentials are valid until the end of the day.

Configure your Cisco Meraki environment

Follow the instructions below to set up your Cisco Meraki environment for the integration.

Obtain your API access key

To obtain your API access key, follow the steps below or see Cisco Meraki Dashboard API for more detailed instructions.

1. Sign in to the Cisco Meraki dashboard for your organization as an Org Admin.
2. From the left sidebar, hover over Organization, then select API & webhooks.
3. Select the API keys and access tab.
4. Click Generate API Key. Copy the key and save it in a safe location.

Obtain your organization ID

Sign in to the Cisco Meraki dashboard for your organization. You can find your organization ID at the bottom of any page. 

• Example: Data for Acme Ltd. (organization ID: 274820) is hosted in Europe

Obtain your network name and SSID

Follow the steps below to find your Meraki network name and SSID. If you need to create a new network, see Creating and Deleting Dashboard Networks.

1. Sign in to the Cisco Meraki dashboard for your organization as an Org Admin.
2. From the left sidebar, hover over Wireless, then select Overview to view the list of network names. Copy the network name you want to use and save it in a safe location.
3. To see your SSID name, click on the network name. 
4. Under SSIDS, copy the name of the SSID you want to use, typically your guest SSID, and save it in a safe location. If you need to configure the SSID, see Configuring Simple Guest and Internal Wireless Networks.

IP allowlisting

Cisco Meraki allows organizations to restrict Dashboard API access to requests originating from approved IP addresses.

If this restriction is enabled for your Meraki organization, the applicable VisitorOS egress IP addresses must be added to the permitted API IP ranges. The FacilityOS team will provide the required IP addresses during the integration implementation.

Provide your Cisco Meraki details to FacilityOS

After you configure your Cisco Meraki environment, you will have the following information:

• API access key: See Obtain your API access key
• Organization ID: See Obtain your organization ID
• Network name: See obtain your network name and SSID
• SSID name: See obtain your network name and SSID
• Account Type: The account type is the authentication method assigned to the Meraki user account. Typically, this is set to Guest. FacilityOS will need to know which account type to assign.

Send your configuration information, including the account type, to FacilityOS Support so that they can complete the integration on your behalf.