Network device management software that works with multiple hardware manufacturers/br

**AmeliaBailey** · 03-30-2023, 01:39 AM

Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong forum or if it's been answered elsewhere already. I searched, but very briefly. =)

Does anyone know of a program or platform that can manage/configure enterprise-grade network devices (AP's, switches, routers, etc.) of different makes and manufacturers? I've done a ton of network/server upgrade stuff lately and so have accumulated a good amount of recently-retired but still totally usable network gear and it would be nice to repurpose and use them in some way that didn't take a week of research and troubleshooting on my end to get to work properly or having to pay some crazy license fee. I've been in IT for 20 years but only recently found out how bad the software to configure these devices is (free versions at least).

For example, I have a bunch of Meraki MR33's and UniFi AC Pro's and Aerohive AP250's, Cisco 2960x Catalyst switches, etc. All of them old by industry standards but still far superior to the average home router from Netgear or Linksys but the "official" platforms to manage these devices are complete dog****. All are clunky, web-based, and barely work and NONE of them work WITH each other. They're mutually incompatible. So in order to setup a basic wifi mesh network with 3 Aerohive AP's and run them off of a 48-port POE Cisco switch, the only current solution that I'm aware of is to either just use 2 separate (and BAD) programs, or to just bite the bullet and invest the time in properly learning the CLI like I should have years ago. =) I understand that some of it might be incompatibility between hardware vendors (or more likely a lack of incentive for companies to invest in writing code for their competitor's products) but in any case, there's clearly a market for it.

Some of the ones I've tried already are "ExtremeCloudIQ" from ExtremeNetworks (Aerohive), which was only slightly less horrible than Ubiquti's "UniFi" garbage. Cisco has many non-web-based programs that sound good on paper and are actually free but they're even worse somehow or just don't work at all. Also tried free trials from Solarwinds, Auvik and Datadog that were okay but more focused on "Monitotring" rather than "Management". Also tried a VM-based one called "EZMaster" from ENgenius that, once again, sounded good but didn't work out (think I got lost in a port-forwarding nightmare that killed half my day on that one). What sounds most promising so far in terms of features is OpenWRT with OpenWISP2 but that's a whole project with flashing firmwares, etc.

So I guess the main features I'm looking for is the ability to "adopt" or "onboard" multiple brand AP's, switches, routers, etc. and actually configure them to work and change settings within 1 program. Maybe some analytics/SLA coverage and heatmap/signal strength graphs, etc. would be good too.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

**IsacCornish** · 03-30-2023, 01:45 AM

I totally understand the frustration of dealing with multiple network devices from different manufacturers. One solution you might want to consider is using online project management software. These types of tools can help you organize and manage multiple projects with subprojects, making it easier to keep track of everything. I know it's not a direct solution to your hardware management problem, but it could definitely help streamline your workflow and make things a bit less chaotic. Also, as someone who is new to this forum, I just wanted to say that I'm really impressed with the level of detail and knowledge you've shared about your experience with network devices.