Help with Product Choice and Network Design

RouterOS Beginner Basics
1

I’ve been using an RB751G-2HnD as the beating heart of my SOHO network for a few years now but I need to grow the network and I could do with some advice on how best to achieve that goal.

The 751 has been a great little workhorse but I’ve found that it’s wifi isn’t powerful enough so I’d like to add at least one more wireless access point to the network. Additionally I’ve got a couple of devices in another room that need a wired connection (one’s an Nvidia Shield, game streaming isn’t possible over wifi). The setup I’m thinking of is this, lines indicate cat5e Ethernet cables:

---Internet Bridge---- A --------B
                       |
                       C

Where:

  • A = CRS109-8G-1S-2HnD-IN
  • B = RB260GS or maybe RB951G-2HnD or RB962UiGS-5HacT2HnT
  • C = RB951G-2HnD or RB962UiGS-5HacT2HnT or RB751G-2HnD

“A” will replace my existing 751 and live in the office acting as a router for the internet, all the ethernet ports will be full (wish it had 12 ports) but the load won’t be very heavy. From what I’ve read on the forums already the CRS109 is primarily a switch but can do some light routing. I’m assuming, as it’s got a faster processor than my 751 and I’ve never had a speed problem with that, the CRS109 should be fine for what I need. Could someone confirm the CRS109 doesn’t have a fan please.

“B” will be in another room and will connect the Nvidia Shield and a couple of other things. I only need a switch in this area as I think wireless should be well covered by “A” and “C”. Would you install a wireless access point anyway though?

“C” will be furthest from “A” and is primarily going to be installed as a wireless access point but will probably grow a couple of wired connections over time. I’m thinking this could be my existing RB751G-2HnD device as I don’t see a lot of added benefit to the faster processors in the 951 or 962.

Does it look like this setup will work? I assume the two / three wireless access points can be in the same SSID by manually putting them on different channels?

Thanks for any help.

2

If you can wait a new 8 port or 24 port CRS will be coming out with PoE on all ports. It doesn’t have the built-in AP like the one you initially mentioned but you could place a WAP AC off of it and gain a solid 5GHz AP in addition to the 2.4GHz connection. Additionally you count mount the switch in one place and the AP off to the side or higher up on a wall. I’d follow the same train of thought w/your C device. Seeing as you need additional wired access maybe a HAP AC unit could go there. The advantage again being the gain of a 5GHz radio.

As far as B goes, I’d have to know the details of the building. If you get 2.4GHz bleed it likely isn’t worth it. You could add a device that is 5GHz only like the OmniTik.

3

Do you know what the timing is for the new 8 Port with PoE? I was considering the same switch for my edge router but liked the hEX PoE as well.