Home network advice RB3011 and hAP ac lite

RouterOS Beginner Basics
1

Hello,

I’d like to upgrade my home network to mikrotik devices. Currently I consider an RB3011 to replace my router and switch and a hAP ac lite for wireless access. I only have about 80 square meter to cover with the wifi. I also need about 8 ethernet ports. The whole setup should be future prove and minimize power consumption.

I’m not really sure about the wifi part. The hAP ac lite is quite cheap but has only 100 Mbit ports. Will this be a serious limitation? Could I work around this using bonding to the RB3011? Or would the wAP be a better alternative for me? It’s much more expensive and has a higher maximum power consumption.

I’m also open for completely differnet configurations if you have some good advice.

Greetings, fmgt.

2

The most important thing is missing. What speed do you want to achieve on wan and what devices are you using in your network?

3

Thank you for the remark.

  • a few PC’s
  • two smartphones (doing extensive streaming from time to time)
  • a VOIP phone
  • two NAS systems

PC to NAS should of course be full gigabit. For the wifi I wan’t to get the best I can that is also be future prove. For now I’m stuck with G type wifi on my old access point. My current WAN interface is 16 Mbit. The best case in a few years would be 100 Mbit.

4

2011 is enough for this, if 5 gigabits is enough (+5 fast ethernets):
https://routerboard.com/RB2011UiAS-2HnD-IN
CRS125, if you need more gigabits:
https://routerboard.com/CRS125-24G-1S-2HnD-IN
These two are able to pass 100megabits LAN-WAN when fasttrack is used with ease.

Both have wifi, so you can get all-in-one device for your needs.

5

I know about the RB2011 and was already waiting for the RB3011 with wifi. I’m a bit skeptical because the RB2011 is on the market for such a long time. I’m not sure how future proof it might be in terms of software updates. Some of the major shops for mikrotik devices in my country don’t even offer it at the moment. Is it is going EOL soon!?

I could then also take the hAP ac lite or the RB951G-2HnD and keep my unmanaged 8 port gigabit switch in use. Would you suggest getting 5 GHz wifi now or is 2.4 GHz good enough for the next 3-5 years? What about AC?

For me the upgrade to mikrotik devices is also an educational exercise because of the many options you have for setting up your network. So for some parts I’m a bit lost. :wink:

6

As it is for your home, choose the Ap according to your devices. If there are no huge transfers and your devices are mostly equipped with 2.4g only, it is the answer. If you mostly have 5g ac, then buy such Ap. Not even ac is able to replace the cables, so stay with them whenever it is possible. I am pretty sure that even ros7 will be running on 2011 type devices so if you are not expecting to get gigabit Internet line to your home in upcoming years, don’t afraid to buy 2011. 951g is the same, just with worse antennas. 3011 and some additional Ap will cost several times more uselessly.

7

Thanks for your help! I’ve got a RB2011 now. Internet with NAT and wifi is already working after struggling a bit with the switch configuration. VPN/QOS/etc. coming soon.