MikroTik PWR Line EU - Outdoors [request]

Hardware MikroTik hardware general
1

Dear MikroTik,

Could you, pretty please make an outdoor version of https://mikrotik.com/product/pwr_line_ap?

There are vertical outdoors weather/dust protected 220V EU shuko plugs with a lid.

Whenever the lid is closed, the plug is safe.

Whenever there is a cord attached, the plug is again safe.

I don’t think there would be much of a design difference, except for no ventilation, perhaps a cubic cm or two bulkier plug (more plastic so it shuts the plug completely) and a small ethernet case modification.

The ethernet could be facing downwards and be protected from moisture by a case design, similar to the MikroTik wAP.

It’s basically, same hardware model, a different case and you can sell it for double the price as an outdoor unit.
At 7W of power draw, as a comparison, a Samsung S4+ charger draws at least 10W and it’s completely shut sealed, confined to a lot smaller case. So perhaps heat dissipation won’t be much of an issue. In the long run, if the AC->DC adapter is good enough, i doubt it’ll be an issue either.

Not sure if the plastic itself is sturdy enough, or should be a better rated one.

You know, the same bulky inside walls are even bulkier towards the outside and there’s always usually an outdoor plug near the balcony/entrance.

This could also work greatly on European mobile construction sites, where everything is containerized in big metal cargo container housings, and power is quite modular and outdoors, so almost no ethernet needs to be deployed.

Best Regards,
Jovan

2

If it’s an temporary outdoor setup and the looks doesn’t matter, just use armored multimode-fiber or outdoor cat5/6.

I people use this devices at home because running cat5/6 is not an option (concrete walls or rental apartment)

3

I’d like to see cheaper “base” version without Wifi. Only “remote” PWR-APs should have it. Why have WiFi in first device which is connected near home router?

4

As wireless (the low-power part at least) is integral part of QCA9531 SoC, omitting wireless wouldn’t push the price down by much (production cost would be lower by price of 2.4GHz power amplifier, I guess that’s sub-Euro per piece).

So if it really bothers you, just disable wireless interface. As many of us do with the great SOHO router (hAP ac² a.k.a. RBD52G-5HacD2HnD-TC). You don’t get as powerful router without wifi for a lower price.
The price of these units is so affordable that one might actually purchase a few identical units and use them differently. I did it with RB951G … purchased two pieces and used one as wired router and the other one as managed switch and AP. Plus they could take up duties of the other one if required (if one of them failed), my LAN topology allows that. Same goes with purchasing 3 (or more) PWR line units … if a wired unit fails and you can spare one which is otherwise used only for wired connectivity (but supports wifi), you have instant relief unit at hand …

5

Makes sense.