I'm currently in the middle of upgrading my home network, and the only part that wasn't based on MikroTik was the Wi-Fi. My Wi-Fi requirements aren't particularly demanding, so the hAP be3 Media would definitely be overkill. I was considering the hAP ax3, but on paper it doesn't seem to offer any significant improvement over my Mercusys access points in terms of performance or antenna gain. Then the hAP be lite came along, and I thought, "That's exactly what I need." I was just about to order it when I noticed it doesn't support PoE... Can someone explain what the designers of this device were thinking? Is this just another pointless product from MikroTik?
Hi,
Mission Imposiible for us, forum's users. You should ask Mikrotik directly.
Mikrotik thought this:
https://mikrotik.com/product/gpoe_usb
This is a POE-to-USB power converter that fits the hap be lite.
As access point, the hap be lite works well for me with pretty low power consumption (5-8.5W depending on load). You just should be aware that somewhere around 700-800mbit/s, wifi is CPU-limited with current RouterOS, so you shouldn't expect higher throughput.
I would rather buy ax2. But that's my opinion. Small but powerful device, powered by PoE.
I forgot to mention that I ran new cat. 7 ethernet cables through the walls specifically for the new Wi-Fi, so I wouldn't have any extra hardware hanging next to the access points. If I wanted additional gadgets or clutter, I would have installed a 230V power outlet next to the ethernet jack and just plugged in a regular power adapter.
IMHO "lite" means just cheaper and good enough for not particulary demanding users.
That model is designed to fullfill WiFi7 market hype than for usability.
What is WiFi7 for if there are only 1Gb ports +
- 2 cores vs 4
- 32-bit vs 64-bit
- lower freq -> lower speeds
No need for drama as the "lite" device offers what it offers with more than 2x lower price than "non-lite" one. It's impossible to have a cake and eat a cake.
https://mikrotik.com/products/compare?compare=MA53UG%2BHbeH,A42G-HbeP&mode=only-different
yeah, hAP be lite is completely pointless then.
It is good to know there is someone out there who knows exactly what everyone else needs.
Though personally I am with @gigabyte091 on the ax2.
Well... It isn't completely pointless.
It just isn't the right device for you.
As @BartoszP said, be lite is more a device for "lite" users, so someone who wants to have newest wifi but doesn't want to break a bank.
Or maybe they don't have fast fiber internet available but instead they have some kind of 4/5G, WISP, DSL or Starlink available. And IMHO opinion be lite is a sweet spot here.
Only downside i see here is there is no PoE out... So if you are using 4/5G device that can be PoE powered you will need to use PoE injector.
You really didn't have to... Cat 5e can run 2.5 and even 5 Gbps (and PoE) without any problems. Could have saved a few $$ for non-lite BE 
Although, in another threads, they say that "big" BE media whatever is overheating and having other problems. Cannot verify myself, it's still on waiting list here...
I always wonder what that Cat6 or 7 cables, effective WiFi over 1Gb are needed for the average home user for?
What services need so fast connections?
I am aware that many of us are nerds/freaks/whateveryouchooseforournames but if I need > 1Gb stable connection then I use a cable at home lab. I'm not changing everything.
Upgraded lately my WiFi network to WiFi6 and I see no adventage with that, except the fact that I (and only I) feel better that I could go with eg. WPA3 but on the other hand so many devices use max WPA2 that I have to have 2 SSIDS with WPA3 and WPA2 enabled.
Who knows, maybe I will need these cables for 10Gbe. 30 something meters didn't make much difference in total cost of my home network refactor.
I ran CAT6 at my house and that's more than enough for 2.5G and honestly even that is probably an overkill.
CAT7 ? In house? That's just a wasted money IMHO. If you really need 10G or more I would rather ran a fiber through out the house. That way you will have support for 25, 40 or even more...
Which is really FLEXIBLE in contrast to Cat7 which is as flexible as steel rod.
I mean, then you can truly say that you are futureproof 
Maybe I buy one BE lite so I can play with it until I get my BE3...
That's what I did, just to find out that the be lite is sufficient for me (I use it as a simple access point for several vlans).
I agree. Even CAT5e with good quality CU is sufficient; especially over short distances, you can achieve the better speeds.
There are plenty of videos on YT from geeks who install CAT7 in home labs over short distances Later they start looking for cheap switches e.g. 2.5G on Aliexpress.
For me, CAT6a is already stiff and its routing in some places is difficult due to the internal wire separator, especially in houses where you have to cut through reinforced concrete Bloki z wielkiej płyty
imho, running Cat7 is pointless in nearly all cases, and tends to be caused by users assuming higher number = better when it actually isn't. (people who really need Cat7 cable, know what they need and probably don't post here about it.)
but for structural cabling, today, i would definitely run Cat6A (or Cat6, depending on length) instead of Cat5e. why? because if you do want to upgrade to 10Gbps in future, for whatever reason, the cabling is already there, and the price difference nowadays is not that significant.
of course fibre is better for 10G in many cases, but it's difficult to run PoE over fibre...
Most of users and admins forget that if you have Cat6 or Cat7 network, then all patchcords should be proper quality for Cat6/7.
If you go for 10Gb over copper then passing power over the same cable IMHO is bad idea due to crosstalks. Do not say it's impossible but I would rather avoid it.
I ran OM4 fibre and 10G in the house . . . End user devices don't need POE (laptop, desktop, TV, etc) and are typically served by a fan out switch anyhow. Switch to switch, I want the isolation, so POE is also a non-starter. Anything I have that needs POE isn't 10G anyhow, so is served by another fan-out switch, and each device can get full access to the 10G backbone.
No 10G on copper anywhere . . . One 1.25G SFP on a backbone SFP based switch to feed a small edge switch that didn't warrant 10G (yet).