Device Deployment, Provisioning, and Configuration
Claim, assign, configure
Deployment is a three-step flow. Claim adds the hardware (by order number, license key, or serial) to the organization's inventory. Assign moves the device from inventory into a specific network. Configure applies ports, uplinks, VLANs, SSIDs, or routing. A claimed device sitting in inventory is not in service, and a serial can exist in only one organization at a time.
Zero-touch provisioning
Once assigned, a device needs only DHCP and outbound HTTPS. It contacts the cloud, matches its serial to the organization, pulls its configuration, and comes online - no console cable or staging required. This is the practical payoff of the cloud architecture and a frequent exam theme.
Licensing
Meraki is licensed per device, and co-termination aligns all licenses in an organization to one shared expiration date. License tiers (for example Enterprise versus Advanced Security on an MX) unlock different feature sets. Licenses must live in the same organization as the devices they cover.
Traps to watch
Claiming a key does not by itself enable features on an unassigned device; an MR needs PoE or an injector; an MS stack needs cabling and matched firmware; removing a device from a network returns it to inventory, not to the vendor.
Rule of thumb: if a device appears in inventory but not in the network, it is an assignment problem, not a hardware problem.
Worked example: a new MS225 arrives. Claim the order number under Organization > Inventory, add the switch to the branch network, then configure ports - the switch pulls its configuration on first boot.