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jbweld
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Advice for purchasing: Router, preferably with wifi, if on/off possible.

Fri Dec 01, 2023 11:43 pm

Hello! I am in search of a router for two boilers and a controller for them. No serious internet-usage is intended, but I will come by and may want to access to the server outside, located at the manufacturer of the boilers. The router will be behind Fritzbox 7530ax as a modem router (over VDSL converter, 120meter twisted pair). It's very hot there, so it has to be heat-resilient.
The manufacturer of the boilers recommend me MikroTik RB750R2. They say that since they started using this, they don't have issues in network anymore. I was almost going to buy one. But then, it will be convenient, if there is also wifi: the Ethernet port of my laptop is broken, and I don't always carry USB dongle around. So I was looking at hAP lite etc. But I am not really sure if they also function as routers: they are sold as access points, and it says RouterOS level 4. Does it mean that the license level is only intended for access point, and we can't use them as routers?
And, I don't want wifi to be always active: I would like to turn it on just when I need it: if it can't be turned off, I would rather buy RB750R2.
On amazon's product description it says hAP lite requires a lithium ion battery. Is it true?

I would very much appreciate your advice and recommendation/suggestion. I don't know anything about mikrotik products.
 
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mkx
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Re: Advice for purchasing: Router, preferably with wifi, if on/off possible.  [SOLVED]

Sat Dec 02, 2023 5:43 pm

All Mikrotik wireless devices can be used as full-featured routers (but their capacity varies).

On all Mikrotik wireless devices it's possible to dissable (=switch off) wireless part. Since that's done in software, you generally have chicken-egg problem: you need wireless enabled before you can connect wirelessly to enable wireless. Some Mikrotik devices have "mode button" (not to be confused with "reset button"), which can ve configured to run a custom script ... which toggles wireless interface (enables if disabled, disables if enabled).

No mikrotik device requires a battery, all rely on external power supply. A notable exception is (discontinued) mUPS, which is, as name indicates, a UPS solution and not a router/switch/AP.

If the device will be used in hot environment, then definitely avoid modern wirrkess devices (ac and ax), they trnd to run hot themselves and, if nothing else, combined heat would shorten their lifetime.
 
jbweld
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Re: Advice for purchasing: Router, preferably with wifi, if on/off possible.

Sat Dec 02, 2023 9:46 pm

@mkx Thank you very much for your reply with good info! OK, in all, I have a feeling that it's probably better to separate wifi from router in my case: with mikrotik I can't turn it on or off using a push button, and, yeah, wireless is an extra work, even with 2G only, and that might produce heat or may cause issues, I think I will stick with hex lite then. It's after all tested by the boiler company.
In fact, I had ordered a used fritzbox4020 for 10 Euro before the technician came and told me about mikrotik. I think I will first set up fb4020 (with OpenWRT) as a router till I learn scripting on routerOS (I need ping monitoring with alarm to SMS etc), then i will use FB4020 as an access point in case I need wireless: as a spare I can just leave it in the boiler room.

Thank you again!!

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