Expired Meraki License Risks Network Shutdowns

Cisco Meraki users face a hidden risk: an expired license can bring down an entire network. Once the expiration date passes, a 30-day grace period begins, after which the network stops allowing internet traffic. The default co-termination licensing model doesn’t even display the remaining time, leaving IT teams unaware until the shutdown occurs. This sudden disruption can be particularly frustrating for IT professionals who already criticize Meraki’s pricing structure, which includes a subscription fee on top of hardware costs.

The newer subscription licensing model offers a gentler approach, avoiding organization-wide shutdowns when a license expires. However, administrators lose access to the dashboard, and there’s no option to revert to the previous model. Meraki’s three licensing models, co-termination, per-device, and subscription, each result in different outcomes when a license lapses. Co-termination affects the entire network, per-device only shuts down the lapsed device, and subscription retains traffic flow but disables dashboard access.

To avoid unexpected outages, IT teams should prepare by ensuring multiple team members receive license alerts, verifying co-termination dates when adding hardware, and planning early conversions to subscription models. Proactive measures, such as checking license statuses and setting reminders, can prevent costly disruptions. While Cisco’s shift away from shutdowns in the subscription model is a positive change, co-termination users remain vulnerable to network downtime if licenses aren’t renewed in time.