You’ve probably got plenty of monitoring tools already. But how much real visibility do you have inside your environment? Meraki MT sensors provide IT teams with real-time insights into temperature, air quality, water leaks, access points, and electrical power. And they do it with the same simplicity that makes the rest of the Meraki stack so popular.

Whether you’re managing a single comms closet or a multi-site network, MT sensors are designed to catch small problems before they become expensive disasters. Let’s break down what these sensors offer, and how to tell if they’re worth the investment.

Why Your IT Environment Demands Monitoring

Monitoring isn’t just about uptime anymore; it’s about control. Without visibility into your physical environment, you’re left guessing about risks that can silently damage your infrastructure. And for most IT pros, these threats show up at the worst time: overheating racks, failed cooling, unexpected moisture, or access violations. If you’re only focused on what your switches and firewalls are doing, you’re missing half the picture.

Meraki MT sensors fill that gap. They help you see beyond digital alerts into the real-world conditions your network runs on. These aren’t luxury add-ons; they’re essential tools for avoiding preventable damage, reducing downtime, and managing physical spaces without needing boots on the ground. Whether it’s a server closet or a remote office, you’ll know what’s happening and what to do next.

Every MT Sensor In The Meraki Lineup

The MT family covers a range of physical monitoring needs, all under the same dashboard. If you’ve ever had to mix and match third-party sensors, you already know how clunky and fragmented that setup can be. 

This table provides a top-level overview of the MT portfolio, detailing what each model does, where it fits best, and how it integrates. 

Environmental Sensors For Temperature And Air Quality Monitoring

Environmental stability is the backbone of uptime. It’s not glamorous, but it’s critical. Most network failures aren’t caused by flashy cyberattacks; they’re caused by overheated gear or slow-burning infrastructure issues. If your HVAC dies over a weekend, or your switch is stuck in a poorly ventilated closet, it doesn’t take long for performance to suffer.

That’s where Meraki’s environmental sensors come in. These models are designed to track the factors that impact both hardware health and human comfort. Whether you’re trying to meet air quality standards or prevent equipment damage, these sensors give you the data you need to act fast and plan smarter.

MT10 (Temperature and Humidity Sensor)

The MT10 is your everyday environmental watchdog. It tracks both temperature and humidity in the spaces where your gear lives, especially IDFs, wiring closets, and server racks. Think of it as a simple “check engine” light that helps you avoid thermal shutdowns or corrosion due to excess moisture.

• Dual sensing for temp and humidity: Monitors ambient environmental changes that can harm sensitive IT gear.

• Threshold-based alerting: Sends real-time notifications when readings exceed defined ranges.

• Trend reporting over time: Helps identify recurring HVAC or airflow issues with historical data.

• Wireless deployment in tight spaces: Mounts easily in server racks, comms closets, or above ceiling tiles.

• Runs on BLE and dashboard native: Communicates through MR/MV devices for full Meraki integration.

MT11 (Temperature Probe Sensor)

Need cold-chain monitoring? The MT11 adds a probe that lets you measure internal temperatures for high-sensitivity environments, like those found in food service, pharmaceuticals, and clinical labs. This is what you want if you need to meet cold storage compliance standards or log temps for audits.

• External probe for precision placement: Insert the probe into storage units while keeping the sensor outside.

• Built for extreme cold environments: Handles freezers and medical-grade storage down to -40°C.

• Audit-friendly logging: Automatically logs and stores temperature readings for inspection readiness.

• Real-time deviation alerts: Instantly flags potential spoilage or regulatory violations.

• Non-invasive installation: Cable and sensor mount easily without drilling into units.

MT14 (Air Quality Sensor)

The MT14 takes environmental monitoring further by tracking VOCs (volatile organic compounds), particulate matter (PM2.5), noise levels, humidity, and temperature. It’s designed for people-centered environments: offices, classrooms, and conference spaces. With this, you’re not just protecting equipment, you’re protecting air quality and employee health.

• VOCs and particulate detection: Measures indoor pollutants that impact health and comfort.

• Sound level monitoring: Tracks ambient noise to assess productivity zones or excessive distractions.

• Humidity and temp tracking: Offers full environmental snapshots for workspace optimization.

• Automated air quality alerts: Flags rising pollution levels or HVAC system issues.

• Ideal for shared workspaces: Ensures indoor conditions meet modern health standards.

MT15 (Air Quality and CO₂ Sensor)

The MT15 adds CO₂ tracking to the MT14’s already strong sensor set. Why does that matter? Because CO₂ levels correlate with air circulation and cognitive performance. In a high-density meeting room or packed classroom, this sensor helps facilities teams maintain air quality that keeps people alert, safe, and productive.

• CO₂ sensing for occupancy monitoring: Identifies poorly ventilated areas where air turnover is too low.

• Complete IAQ coverage: Tracks temperature, humidity, VOCs, particulate matter, noise, and CO₂ in a single device.

• Supports air-exchange planning: Provides data for adjusting HVAC cycles or filtration in real time.

• Designed for high-traffic areas: Ideal for conference rooms, lecture halls, and shared office zones.

• Helps meet indoor air benchmarks: Supports wellness and safety programs with hard data.

Leak Detection Sensor For Damage Prevention

Leaks aren’t just a facilities issue; they’re an IT disaster waiting to happen. Water damage can fry equipment, take down critical services, and trigger insurance claims you never saw coming. And the worst part? Most leaks go unnoticed until it’s too late. That’s why leak detection has become a must-have in any server room, rack closet, or equipment-adjacent area.

The Meraki MT12 helps you find these threats early. It doesn’t just warn you when there’s a problem; it gives you enough time to prevent a serious outage. For lean teams, this kind of proactive monitoring is often the difference between a quick mop-up and a full-blown infrastructure replacement.

MT12 (Water Leak Detection Sensor)

The MT12 detects water leaks using a flexible cable or probe. It’s perfect for deployment under HVAC units, next to water heaters, or anywhere moisture is a risk.

• Leak sensing cable or probe: Detects moisture across long runs or pinpoint spots.

• Custom cable lengths available: Tailor detection zones under racks or along baseboards.

• Fast response to first signs of water: Reduces downtime and damage from slow, hidden leaks.

• Install under high-risk equipment: Ideal for HVAC closets, basements, or behind appliances.

• Water-resistant construction: Built to survive harsh placement environments.

Access Sensor For Securing Doors And Spaces

Most IT security strategies focus on digital controls, firewalls, endpoint detection, zero trust. But physical access still matters. If someone can walk into your server room, unplug your gear, or pop open a rack, that’s a vulnerability no software patch can fix. The Meraki MT20 brings that visibility into the physical world.

It helps you know exactly when and where access happens, even at sites you don’t visit regularly. Whether you’re tracking after-hours maintenance or setting up alerts for unauthorized entry, this sensor turns physical spaces into monitored endpoints, complete with logs, alerts, and accountability.

MT20 (Door Open/Close Sensor)

The MT20 is a magnetic sensor that tracks when doors or cabinets are opened or closed. It’s simple but powerful.

• Open/close status tracking: Monitors when secured areas are accessed in real time.

• Triggers alerts on unauthorized access: Helps prevent physical tampering or data theft.

• Audit log generation: Records every event for compliance or internal investigations.

• Works on racks, rooms, and storage: Flexible install options from cabinets to doors.

• Clean dashboard integration: No additional software, just Meraki simplicity.

Smart Automation For Actions And Power Control

Reactive alerts are great. But what if you could respond automatically? The MT30 and MT40 take the MT lineup a step further by giving you control, not just insight. They let you trigger workflows, log manual actions, and even power cycle remote gear, all without waiting for someone to be on site.

These aren’t just “nice-to-haves” for large enterprises. For SMBs managing multiple locations with lean staff, this kind of automation saves real time, money, and sanity. Whether you need to restart a PoS terminal or launch a support process with one click, these sensors give your team faster ways to respond.

MT30 (Smart Automation Button)

The MT30 is a customizable push-button. You can mount it in a help desk, lab, or security booth to kick off alerts, open tickets, or trigger specific automations.

• Single-button trigger for actions: Use it to execute pre-configured automations instantly.

• Fully customizable workflows: Integrates with Meraki APIs and external platforms.

• On-demand incident response: Launch security protocols or support tickets with one touch.

• Visual confirmation with LED feedback: Lights up to confirm press and reduce misuse.

• Versatile for physical deployments: Wall-mounted in labs, offices, or restricted zones.

MT40 (Smart Power Controller)

The MT40 plugs into a standard outlet and gives you remote control and monitoring of power draw.

• Real-time power draw monitoring: View current and historical load levels per outlet.

• Instant alerting on failure or spikes: React fast to outages, brownouts, or instability.

• Remote device reboot capability: Power cycle unresponsive gear without a truck roll.

• Tracks uptime of connected hardware: Identifies repeated failures or early hardware issues.

• Ideal for critical endpoints: Use with modems, switches, UPS units, and industrial gear.

Are Meraki MT Sensors Worth The Investment

Smart gear always comes with a price tag, but so does downtime, failed audits, and last-minute fire drills. The question most teams ask isn’t whether MT sensors work. It’s whether they justify the cost. And for most SMBs managing multiple spaces, the answer tends to be yes.

These sensors aren’t designed to impress in a demo. They’re designed to save you when something goes wrong, or better yet, before it does. The value is in the data, the alerts, and the simplicity of managing everything in one place. The less time you spend chasing physical issues, the more time you can spend scaling and securing your infrastructure.

Get A Complete Sensor Strategy From A Trusted Partner

Sensors alone don’t fix problems, but having the right ones installed in the right places gives you control. If you’re already running Meraki gear, adding MT sensors is an easy next step that closes real monitoring gaps. And if you’re new to the Meraki ecosystem, this is a smart place to start.

You don’t need to roll them out everywhere at once. Start with the pain points — the forgotten closet, the cold storage unit, the leaky basement. From there, build a strategy that fits your risk tolerance, compliance needs, and physical footprint, with a partner who knows how this all works.

If you’re working with Meraki gear already, Hummingbird Networks can help ensure your sensor rollout doesn’t waste time or stack on complexity. We’ve worked through the licensing quirks, the MR/MV pairing limitations, and the weird closet placements that trip up deployments. If you want help, we’ll give you the kind that actually helps.

Ready to take the next step in protecting your environment? Explore the Meraki MT sensor lineup and select the right components for your monitoring strategy.