Frequently Asked Questions¶

Common questions and answers about the Meraki Dashboard integration's MT sensor + hub architecture.

Can't find what you're looking for? Check our Troubleshooting section or ask a question on GitHub.

General Questions¶

What devices are supported?¶

As of v1.0.0, this integration supports only Meraki MT environmental sensors:

Currently Supported: - MT Series Environmental Sensors: MT10, MT12, MT14, MT15, MT20, MT30, MT40

No longer supported (removed in v1.0.0): MR wireless access points, MS switches, and MV cameras. If you rely on those, do not upgrade to v1.0.0 - see Migration & Updates below.

How does the hub architecture work?¶

The integration creates hubs automatically: - Organization Hub: {Organization Name} - Organisation manages the overall connection and a small set of minimal-health diagnostic sensors (API call status, device counts) - Network Hubs: {Network Name} - MT per network with MT sensors - Individual Devices: Your MT sensors, nested under their respective network hubs

Do I need a special Meraki license?¶

No special license is required. You just need: - A Meraki organization with API access enabled - At least one MT environmental sensor - A valid Meraki Dashboard API key

How much does this cost?¶

The integration itself is completely free and open source. You only need existing Meraki MT devices and Dashboard access.

Can I use this with Meraki Go?¶

No, this integration requires Meraki Dashboard (enterprise/business Meraki), not Meraki Go (consumer product).

Installation & Setup¶

Why can't I find the integration in Home Assistant?¶

The integration ships in the default HACS repository: 1. Install and configure HACS if you haven't already 2. Open HACS → Integrations 3. Click "+ Explore & Download Repositories" 4. Search for "Meraki Dashboard" (no custom repo needed) 5. Download the integration and restart Home Assistant 6. Add the integration through Settings → Devices & Services

I get "Invalid API Key" errors¶

Check these common issues: - Copy/paste errors: Ensure no extra spaces or characters - Wrong key: Make sure you're using the Dashboard API key, not device serial - Permissions: Verify the key has organization read access - Expiration: Check if the key has expired

No hubs are created during setup¶

This usually means: - No MT devices: Only MT environmental sensors are supported - Devices offline: Check device status in Meraki Dashboard - Network access: Verify devices are in networks accessible by your API key - Recent data: Ensure devices have reported data recently

The integration setup gets stuck¶

Try these steps: 1. Check your internet connection 2. Verify API key permissions in Meraki Dashboard 3. Look for errors in Home Assistant logs 4. Try removing and re-adding the integration

Configuration & Intervals¶

What are the default intervals?¶

MT Environmental Sensors:
With MT15/MT40 devices: 30 seconds (fast refresh mode)
Without MT15/MT40 devices: 10 minutes recommended
Discovery: 1 hour (how often to scan for new devices)

Can I configure different intervals for each hub?¶

Yes! You can set individual hub intervals: 1. Go to Settings → Devices & Services → Meraki Dashboard → Configure 2. Set per-hub scan intervals (in minutes) 3. Set per-hub discovery intervals (in minutes)

Example configuration:

Main Office - MT: 0.5 minutes (30 seconds with MT15/MT40)
Branch Office - MT: 10 minutes (standard monitoring)

How often do sensors actually update?¶

MT Sensors: - MT15/MT40 devices: Every 30 seconds with fast refresh mode - Other MT models: Every 2-20 minutes (configurable in Meraki Dashboard) - Integration defaults: - With MT15/MT40: 30 seconds (automatically sends refresh commands) - Without MT15/MT40: 10 minutes recommended - You can adjust both the sensor reporting interval and integration polling

What is MT Fast Refresh Mode?¶

For MT15 and MT40 devices only, the integration provides ultra-fast sensor updates: - Automatic Detection: Enabled automatically when MT15/MT40 devices are present - Refresh Commands: Sends API commands every 30 seconds to trigger sensor updates - Data Polling: Fetches updated data every 30 seconds - Smart Error Handling: Tracks errors per device to prevent log flooding - No Manual Configuration: Works out of the box with supported devices

Why does MT20/MT30 sometimes miss a quick press or door event?¶

MT20 (door) and MT30 (button) events are surfaced by polling the Meraki API on your configured interval, not by a push/webhook mechanism. A brief press or state change between polls can be missed or reported late. Lowering your scan interval (or enabling MT15/MT40 fast refresh where applicable) narrows this window but cannot fully eliminate it - Meraki webhooks would be more reliable for these event-driven devices, but wiring up a webhook receiver is out of scope for this integration today.

Can I change update intervals after setup?¶

Yes! Go to Settings → Devices & Services → Meraki Dashboard → Configure to adjust: - Per-hub scan intervals: How often each hub fetches data - Per-hub discovery intervals: How often each hub scans for new devices - Organization-wide settings: Fallback intervals for new hubs

Hub Management¶

How do I see my hubs in Home Assistant?¶

After setup, you'll see your hubs in Settings → Devices & Services: - Organization Device: Shows overall connection status and minimal-health diagnostics - Network Hub Devices: One per network with MT sensors - Individual Devices: Your actual MT sensors, nested under hubs

Can I control individual hubs?¶

Yes! Each hub provides: - Update Hub Data: Force immediate refresh for that hub - Discover Devices: Scan for new MT devices in that hub - Organization Controls: Update all hubs or discover across all networks

What if I add new devices or networks?¶

Auto-Discovery (Enabled by Default): - Automatically discovers new MT devices at the configured interval - Creates new hubs when MT devices appear in a new network - Adds devices to appropriate existing hubs

Manual Discovery: - Use the "Discover Devices" buttons on individual hubs - Use organization-wide discovery for comprehensive scans

Can I disable specific hubs?¶

Currently, you can't disable individual hubs, but you can: - Use device selection to monitor only specific devices - Increase intervals for less important hubs

Device Types & Features¶

Why are some sensors missing from my MT device?¶

Not all MT models support all sensor types: - MT10: Temperature, humidity, and battery - MT11: Temperature probe (external) and battery - MT12: Water leak detection and battery - MT14: Indoor air quality (temperature, humidity, PM2.5, TVOC, noise, battery) - MT15: Indoor air quality with CO2 (temperature, humidity, CO2, PM2.5, TVOC, noise, battery) - MT20: Door/open-close sensor and battery - MT30: Smart automation button and battery - MT40: Smart power controller (electrical measurements: voltage, current, power, frequency, power factor)

Check your device model specifications in the Meraki Dashboard.

Can I monitor specific devices only?¶

Yes! You can choose to: - Monitor all MT devices: Leave device selection empty (recommended) - Select specific devices: Choose only the ones you want to monitor

Troubleshooting¶

Hubs show "Unavailable"¶

Common causes: - API connectivity: Check internet connection and API key - Device offline: Check device status in Meraki Dashboard - Rate limiting: Check if you're exceeding API limits - Network issues: Ensure HA can reach Meraki API endpoints

Some hubs update but others don't¶

Check individual hub configurations: - Hub intervals: Verify each hub has appropriate intervals - Device status: Check that devices in non-updating hubs are online - API limits: Ensure you're not hitting rate limits - Enable debug logging: See specific errors for each hub

"Rate limit exceeded" errors¶

You're making too many API calls. Solutions: - Increase hub intervals: Longer intervals reduce API usage - Reduce monitored devices: Select only necessary devices - Disable auto-discovery: If not needed, disable per-hub or organization-wide - Check other API usage: Other applications may be using your API quota

Integration shows "Failed to load"¶

Try these steps: 1. Restart Home Assistant 2. Check Home Assistant logs for specific errors 3. Verify your API key is still valid 4. Remove and re-add the integration if needed

Performance & Optimization¶

How many API calls does the integration make?¶

The architecture is designed for efficiency: - Initial setup: A handful of calls to discover devices and create hubs - Regular updates: One org-wide sensor-readings call plus one org-wide gateway-connections call per refresh cycle, shared across all network hubs (not one call per hub) - Auto-discovery: 1 additional call per hub per discovery interval (if enabled)

How do I optimize for a large organization?¶

Best Practices: - Use longer intervals for less critical locations - Selective monitoring: Don't monitor every device if not needed - Stagger discovery: Different discovery intervals for different hubs - Monitor API usage: Track usage in Meraki Dashboard

Can I use multiple API keys?¶

Each integration instance uses one API key. For multiple organizations: - Set up separate integration instances - Use different API keys if needed - Configure different hub intervals per organization

Will this affect my Meraki Dashboard performance?¶

No, the integration uses read-only API calls that don't affect Dashboard performance or device operation.

Advanced Usage¶

Can I export data from multiple hubs?¶

Yes! You can: - InfluxDB: Export data from all hubs for long-term storage - History: Use Home Assistant's built-in history for all entities - Automation: Create automations that span multiple hubs - API: Access data from all hubs through Home Assistant's REST API

Can I create automations across hubs?¶

Absolutely! Create automations that: - Monitor conditions across multiple locations/hubs - Provide organization-wide alerting and reporting

Example: Temperature monitoring across all MT hubs in your organization.

Can I set up alerts for hub issues?¶

Yes! Create automations for: - Hub connectivity issues - Device count changes (devices going offline) - API error rates - Discovery failures

Can I use this with Node-RED?¶

Yes! Node-RED can subscribe to entities from all hubs and create complex automation flows that span multiple networks.

Migration & Updates¶

I'm upgrading to v1.0.0 - what changes?¶

v1.0.0 is a breaking major release. This integration now supports only MT environmental sensors:

Automatic Migration: - Your config entry is rewritten to enable only MT devices - Any MR/MS/MV devices and their entities are removed from the device/entity registries - Your MT sensors, their entity IDs, and history are preserved - A repair notice ("Meraki Dashboard is now MT-only") appears in Settings → Repairs explaining what happened

Removed: - MR wireless access point support - MS switch support (including the cycle_switch_port_poe service) - MV camera support (including the set_camera_rtsp service)

If you rely on MR/MS/MV monitoring today, do not upgrade until you have an alternative in place.

Do I need to reconfigure after updating?¶

Required: - Nothing - migration is automatic. Review the repair notice in Settings → Repairs for a summary of what was removed.

Recommended: - Review and optimize per-hub intervals for your MT sensors - Dismiss the repair notice once you've reviewed it

Still need help? Check the troubleshooting sections above or open an issue on GitHub.