OpenWrt does not support the Cisco Meraki MS220 series. A separate community project, meraki-builder, lists several MS220 models as build targets, but that is an experimental image-building effort—not an official OpenWrt port or evidence of a complete, stable replacement for Meraki firmware.
The clearest functional report is for the MS220-8P: in June 2020, its developer said custom firmware booted, but networking initially failed because traffic was not passing between the switching ASIC and management CPU. Later changes enabled SSH access to the management CPU; the report did not establish full switching or PoE functionality.
Is OpenWrt available for the Meraki MS220?
No. The OpenWrt Wiki’s Meraki MS220 entry labels the device “Not supported.” Community work on custom firmware exists, but it should not be described as an OpenWrt port.
The wiki entry is marked under construction, and its page was not accessible during this research beyond its indexed excerpt. That excerpt lists a Vitesse VCore-III VSC7425 SoC, MIPS architecture, 128 MB RAM, 16 MiB flash, Gigabit Ethernet, USB, serial, and JTAG. Treat those as reference details, not verified specifications for every MS220 variant.
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- 8 port gigabit Ethernet,2 × SFP for 1G uplink, non-shared
- Voice and Video QoS, Low noise, fanless, Non-blocking switch fabric
- Visibility and control over thousands of ports, Built-in multi-site management
- Zero touch provisioning, Email and text message alerts
- Requires cloud license (sold separately) POE (Power over ethernet)
What does the community firmware project cover?
Hal Martin’s meraki-builder repository describes scripts and tools for assembling firmware images for Meraki switches and MX routers. Its listed switch targets include:
- MS220-8 and MS220-8P
- MS220-24 and MS220-24P
- MS220-48LP and MS220-48FP
- Other listed families include MS22(P), MS42(P), MS320-24(P), and MS320-48(LP|FP).
For MS220 builds, the repository’s instructions call for a RedBoot loader binary, a kernel built from its linked switch-11-22-ms220 source, and a Buildroot-derived SquashFS root filesystem. These are ingredients and build instructions, not a turnkey installer, a supported upgrade path, or proof that every listed model works. The reviewed sources do not establish a current stable firmware release.
Rank #2
- 24 port gigabit Ethernet, 4 × SFP for 1G uplink, shared
- Voice and Video QoS, Non-blocking switch fabric
- Cloud Management with zero touch provisioning
- Monitoring and diagnostics for connectivity and message alerts
- Includes 370W with Power Over Ethernet (poE) Requires Cloud license (sold separately)
What works on the MS220-8P—and what remains unproven?
In a post dated June 24, 2020, developer Hal Martin described a from-scratch MS220-8P setup using RedBoot without CRC or kernel-size checks, Linux kernel 3.18.123 with xz compression, and a BusyBox userspace based on Buildroot 2020.02.1. The post also describes loading several Meraki kernel modules at boot.
The key limitation was networking. Martin wrote, “However, networking is non-functional,” explaining that the switch sent DHCP requests but packets were not passing between the switching ASIC and management CPU. Later, after starting switch_brain and changing Click filters to “allow all,” he reported being able to SSH to the management CPU. His post’s closing note still described further Click configuration work as a goal. Read the full MS220-8P development report for the original context.
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Rank #3
![Cisco Meraki MS220-8P-HW 8-Port PoE Managed Gigabit Ethernet Switch [Unclaimed & No License] (Renewed)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31iOPqocFvL._SL160_.jpg)
- Gigabit Access switching with 8 x 1GbE RJ45 ports and optional PoE/PoE+
- 2 x 1G SFP uplink interfaces on all models
- Integrated power supply and fanless operation
- Non-blocking switch backplane with 20 Gbps bandwidth support
- 124 watt PoE budget with PoE+ support and dynamic power allocation for powering APs, phones, cameras, and other PoE-enabled devices
This is developer-reported progress from 2020, not a current independent test. It shows that a shell became accessible after configuration changes; it does not establish reliable ordinary switching, that every port works, PoE operation, or suitability for a production network.
Community firmware versus official Meraki firmware
| Question | Official Meraki firmware | Community build effort |
|---|---|---|
| Support status | Vendor firmware is documented by Cisco Meraki, subject to device-specific firmware restrictions. | OpenWrt lists MS220 as “Not supported”; meraki-builder is an independent project. |
| Management model | The MS220-8 datasheet describes cloud management when the switch is connected. | The reviewed sources do not demonstrate Meraki cloud-management feature parity under custom firmware. |
| Functional evidence | Consult Meraki’s current documentation for restrictions applicable to the specific switch and network. | The detailed report is for one MS220-8P and describes initial networking failure followed by SSH access to the management CPU—not a verified complete switch. |
| Model evidence | Restrictions depend on the relevant product and network context. | The repository lists several MS220 variants, but the detailed progress report covers the MS220-8P only. |
| Operational confidence | Vendor documentation is the reference for supported firmware operation. | The sources do not establish a current stable release or production-ready functionality. |
The MS220-8 datasheet describes Meraki cloud management as part of the product’s standard operation. The reviewed community sources do not establish that custom firmware retains those features. See the MS220-8 Series Datasheet for the vendor’s product description.
Rank #4
- Interface: - 48x 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet RJ45. - 4x SFP for 1GbE uplink. - Auto negotiation and crossover detection (auto-MDIX crossover)
- Idle/Full Load Power: 49/903 W
- Switching Capacity: 104 Gbps
- Weight: 10.9 lb (4.94 kg)
- Physical Dimensions (H x W x D): 1.74 x 19.1 x 14.17 inches
Can an MS220-8P be used without a Meraki license?
The custom-firmware sources show an attempt to run locally built software on an MS220-8P, but they do not establish a complete, usable switch or confirm how licensing affects a particular unit. Installing experimental firmware should not be treated as proof that the device will provide normal switching or replace Meraki’s cloud-managed service. The evidence here is too limited to give a reliable yes-or-no answer about license-free use.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 48x 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet RJ45, Layer 2 switching
- 4x SFP for 1GbE uplink, Voice and Video QoS, rack mountable
- Non-blocking switch fabric, Zero-touch provisioning
- Cloud management, monitoring and diagnostics
- 370W PoE output, Internal power supply, Cloud licensing required (sold separately)
What to check before considering an MS220 custom build
- Verify the exact model and suffix. The project lists multiple MS220 variants, while the detailed functionality report is for the MS220-8P.
- Separate build support from working operation. A listed target and build recipe do not establish that an image is ready to install or works across all ports and features.
- Do not assume a recovery or upgrade path. The reviewed sources do not document a supported installation route or recovery procedure for these builds.
- Check firmware restrictions for your network and device. Two Cisco Meraki documentation pages give conflicting MS220 upper-version entries: one lists MS 16.9 and says MS 17 is unavailable; another lists MS 17.2.2. The conflict is not resolved here. Consult the applicable current Product Firmware Version Restrictions page and verify with the relevant device and network context; do not rely on a single general maximum.
- Keep experiments off production networks. The reported networking issue and lack of verified complete functionality make the project unsuitable to assume production-ready.
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