I’m looking to make a long-term upgrade to my network, including centralizing the WAN links in a dedicated data cabinet…not a rack, but a “connected home” cabinet mounted between drywall studs. So space is at a premium. I’m wanting to have PoE available, as well as the capability for fiber connectivity when/if the ISPs get around to upgrading my area. I’ve been toying with the idea of staying with MikroTik or perhaps some (readily available) surplus NetVanta hardware.
The Netvanta PoE switches (which I can afford) all require a separate router…available cheaply, but as I mentioned space is at a premium. The plus side there is that I’ve already used some NetVanta hardware (at my church) and they seem to happily support it forever, even if you bought it well-used as I did. The MikroTik CRS328-24P-4S+RM, on the other hand, has exactly the mix of ports which I’m looking for; it’s right at my price point (new), and as mentioned it’s all in a single unit. My question is, how well does it work as an all-in-one router? I do see the benchmarks, but I have to admit I have no experience in interpreting them.
The MikroTik (hAP-ac) was my first upgrade from an ASUS home hobbyist router running DD-WRT, and I’ve been quite happy with it. I just want to make sure that I’m not locking myself into a box (pun intended) which I’ll want to get out of sooner rather than later.
Again, I’m not experienced in interpreting these results. But it appears just from looking at the numbers that the CRS328 would be a step down from my present hAP-ac as a router. As a switch it looks fine, but if I’m going to have to purchase a separate router…well, I’ll keep looking. I’m not in a big hurry on this.
First of all, good job in asking these questions before making the purchase. There’s so many posts where someone bought a CRS, thinking or hoping that it could be their all in one solution, only to be schooled the hard way. I would never call myself a expert in Mikrotik gear, but I don’t think any CRS ever sold has the capability to be a proper switch and router. Sure, there are some things you could do to improve performance such as ensure you switch in hardware and use fast track as much as possible in your firewall. But likely no matter what you do, the CPU would end up being a bottleneck for whatever Internet speeds you’re getting now. It absolutely would if you ever got fiber. Going with a CCR would do the job, but that’s a lot more money and probably massive overkill for someone who’s happy with a Hap Ac. Whatever you end up doing, buy separate devices for your routing and switching. It’s the most effective and flexible solution.
As a follow-up of what MR99 said about using the CRS as a router AND switch, please confirm that the best option is using the CRS125-24G-S-RM as a pure switch, after my old RB2011 router.
Is it ok to also use some of the switching capabilities of RB 2011, by directly wiring some devices to the free ports on RB? Or should I leave the LAN ports free on RB and rely the switch job to the CRS?
Same question about the wireless interface of. RB2011.
Does it make sense in disabling this interface and just use CAP ac instead of it? I already have two CAP’s linked to RB.
I’m not familiar with these devices, but I took a look at the CRS125. It’s got a lot going for it, but whether it’s the best choice depends on the capabilities you need now or anticipate needing soon. Take a look at https://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:CRS1xx/2xx_series_switches to see how it stacks up for you. The 2011 with its two separate switch groups, with only one of those supporting gigabit, is going to be a lot less flexible for switching. Check https://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:Switch_Chip_Features for more info on the RB’s switch chip capabilities. Also, always consult the device’s block diagram to help you design the most effective solution. I don’t have any opinion on the 2011’s AP - I think it depends on your personal preferences, AP placement, and the capabilities of your wireless clients to determine what makes the most sense for you.
It all depends on how you intend to configure said router. A CRS112 can route 150Mb using fast track and a minimal firewall but that isn’t much fun if you intend to QoS and do other routing related exotic activities.
This will also depend on how good your WAN speed is expected to be. Personally I’d say up to 50Mb with little need for VPN, QoS, Mangle or heavy firewall then yeah go nuts. Maybe even up to 100Mb.
If you intend to do more “stuff” then maybe look at a Hex which would wipe the floor for a minimal cost.