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Getting Started

Welcome to the Meraki Dashboard Home Assistant Integration! This comprehensive guide will help you get up and running quickly with monitoring your Cisco Meraki devices in Home Assistant.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

  • Home Assistant 2024.1.0 or newer
  • A Cisco Meraki Dashboard account with API access
  • Your Meraki API key
  • At least one Meraki organization with devices

Installation

The Meraki Dashboard integration is now available in the default HACS repository! This is the easiest way to install and keep the integration updated.

Prerequisites: - HACS must be installed and configured in your Home Assistant instance - Home Assistant 2024.1.0 or newer

Steps:

  1. Open HACS in your Home Assistant interface
  2. Click on "Integrations"
  3. Click the "+ Explore & Download Repositories" button
  4. Search for "Meraki Dashboard"
  5. Click on the integration
  6. Click "Download"
  7. Restart Home Assistant

Open your Home Assistant instance and open a repository inside the Home Assistant Community Store.

Manual Installation

If you prefer to install manually or HACS is not available:

  1. Download the latest release from the GitHub releases page
  2. Extract the meraki_dashboard folder to your custom_components directory
  3. Restart Home Assistant

Directory Structure: 

custom_components/
└── meraki_dashboard/
    ├── __init__.py
    ├── manifest.json
    ├── config_flow.py
    └── ... (other files)

Configuration

Obtaining Your Meraki API Key

  1. Get your Meraki API Key:
  2. Log in to the Meraki Dashboard
  3. Navigate to Organization → Settings
  4. Under "Dashboard API access", enable API access

  5. Generate a new API key

  6. Configure the Integration:

  7. In Home Assistant, go to Settings → Devices & Services
  8. Click "Add Integration" and search for "Meraki Dashboard"
  9. Enter your API key when prompted

Organization and Device Selection

After entering your API key:

  1. Select the organizations you want to monitor
  2. Choose which networks to include
  3. Select device types (MT, MR, MS, MV)

Advanced Configuration Options

Scan Intervals

Configure how often the integration polls for updates:

  • MT (Environmental Sensors): Default 10 minutes
  • MR (Access Points): Default 5 minutes
  • MS (Switches): Default 5 minutes
  • MV (Cameras): Default 10 minutes

Regional API Endpoints

If you're using a regional Meraki dashboard:

  • Global: https://api.meraki.com/api/v1 (default)
  • Canada: https://api.meraki.ca/api/v1
  • China: https://api.meraki.cn/api/v1
  • India: https://api.meraki.in/api/v1
  • US Government: https://api.gov-meraki.com/api/v1

Device Discovery

  • Auto-discovery: Automatically detect new devices
  • Discovery interval: How often to check for new devices (default: 1 hour)

Post-Installation Verification

After installation and configuration:

  1. Check the Home Assistant logs for any errors
  2. Confirm the integration appears in your integrations list
  3. Verify entities are being created for your devices
  4. Go to Settings → Devices & Services to see your Meraki hubs

Performance Optimization

API Call Optimization

The integration uses intelligent caching and batching:

  • Configuration and discovery data cached for 5 minutes
  • Sensor data is never cached (always fresh)
  • Device-specific scan intervals optimize API usage

Entity Management

  • Entities are created only for available metrics
  • Unused entities can be disabled in the UI
  • Network-level aggregation sensors available

Security Considerations

  • API keys are stored securely in Home Assistant
  • Never share your API key in logs or screenshots
  • Use read-only API keys when possible
  • Consider IP restrictions on your Meraki API key

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Invalid API Key: - Verify key is correct and has proper permissions

No Organizations Found: - Check API key permissions

Missing Devices: - Ensure devices are online and accessible

Rate Limiting: - Adjust scan intervals if hitting API limits

Integration not loading: - Check Home Assistant logs for errors - Verify your Meraki API key and permissions - Ensure network connectivity to the Meraki Dashboard API

Getting Help

If you encounter issues:

  • Check the FAQ for common problems
  • Review the Home Assistant logs
  • Ensure your API key has the correct permissions
  • Verify network connectivity to the Meraki Dashboard API

Next Steps

  • Device Support - Learn about supported devices, metrics, and MT fast refresh
  • API Optimization - Performance and optimization details
  • FAQ - Common questions and detailed troubleshooting
  • Development - Contributing to the integration