Hi there!
I’ve been dabbling with Mikrotik routers for quite a while, having previously used Ubiquiti which have not proven reliable.
My setup is complex due to cable runs and thick walls, so I’m hoping for some advice on the best way to set up multiple RouterOS devices that can all talk to each other.
At the core I have an RB3011 (that will be replaced with an RB5009) It’s connected to my ISP with a 1Gbps link.
Attached is a Ubiquit WiFi AP and my Synology NAS which hosts two virtual machines and backs up all my important documents (offsite backup to Gdrive)
The RB3011 is linked via SFP to my office to a RB5009, that is attached to another Ubiquiti AP
Also on the RB3011 is a Mikrotik cAP lite that covers a dead spot, and a long Ethernet cable that heads to a switch in another office with a VOIP phone system,and a third Ubiquiti AP.
Essentially it will be:
VOIP + Ubiquiti ↔ Switch + cAP ac + cAP Lite + NAS ↔ RB5009 (Main and connected to WAN) <-SFP 10 Gbps-> RB5009 ↔ cAP ax + other devices via Ethernet
Now I realise that sounds too complicated, but the house is double story, serves many pcs/macs/wireless devices and has two offices.
Generally this works really well, but the Ubiquiti APs have started giving me trouble and are dropping connections for no apparent reason.
The cAP lite in contrast is very reliable. The plan is to replace two of the Ubiquitis with a cAP ax and cAP ac. The RB3011 will be replaced with a RB5009 in order to use 10Gbps SFP and to avoid the RB3011s congested ports. (It’s the best location for the NAS (which uses 4x ports) and currently the bottleneck of the system)
I’ve tried CapsMan to configure WiFi, but it’s hit and miss, and won’t reliably pick up new APs.
My question is: how to I make multiple devices running RouterOS talk to each other, use a single DHCP server/co-habitate DHCP, and allow devices on any AP to access essential resources like the alarm system/HomeAssistant on the NAS without things breaking. Apple HomeKit has not been happy with multiple DHCP ranges. At this point I’ve disabled firewalls and NAT on all but the main router, but it feels like there must be a better way.
Lastly - if you don’t have any constructive comments, I don’t want to hear it.
I know this is overly complicated. I’m not interested in a Mesh setup, and I’ve done pretty ok so far - I can figure this out, but I wanted to ask what the best practice would be in this situation. A lot of the complexity stems from having to consider backup situations for when the power goes out. We have daily power cuts and at each “node” I feed in power to maintain the system.
I suspect bridging is the answer.
Happy to go read up on things if pointed in the right direction. I’m doing this partly because I need the various aspects and partly because I find it fun to tinker and learn.
I have browsed the forum, but I don’t see a good way to make multiple RouterOS devices talk to each other.
A 2xSFP+ POE 8 port 2.5Gbps switch is on it’s way to complicate things further 