Mikrotik router RB493 replacement?

RouterOS Beginner Basics
1

Hi all,
so sorry, unfortunately I’m very unfamiliar with Mikrotik routers.
We (nonprofit kept alive by volunteers) have an RB493 which slowly (DNS issues, reboots) stopped working and need an upgrade or replacement.
The IT guy who installed all this made a super job since it all worked for many many years, but he long left (retired).
After reading&educating I think I managed to make a backup a while ago.

Could you please recommend a replacement since that model seems discontinued?
Can I upload the backup file to a newer unit?
What is the .xyz ending of backups?
We don’t need more speed or ports, but heat generation is a major concern.

Thanks in advance!
Sue

2

There are only a few contemporary Mikrotik routers with 10 ethernet ports, you might want to look at RB4011.

As to configuration migration: there are two ways of saving configuration from existing router:

  1. backup … either from GUI or from CLI by executing command /system backup save name=filename.backup
    It’ll create a binary file named filename.backup
  2. configuration export … from CLI by executing command /export show-sensitive filename=export
    It’ll create a text file named epxort.rsc

Option #1 is only good for restoring configuration on same unit. Or on unit of same model but some things need to be fixed afterwards (e.g. interface MAC addresses).
Option #2 is good for moving configuration to different model, but needs additional work due to differences in hardware. Also omits some settings (e.g. users and passwords, certificates, etc.).

My suggestion is different: get a new device, upgrade it to latest long-term software version, and adjust configuration manually to meed old device’s functionality. Since your current device is pretty old, it’s very likely config is based on very old defaults … newer ROS comes with much better defaults, also safer. If you go this way, you can use textual export, created by #2 above, as reminder what needs to be done. However one has to be pretty advanced to read the config and figure out how to implement things with new defaults (if that’s necessary).

3

Great info, thank you!
Yes, we think it is ca. 10 years old.
We do have another RB493 at another location so we could use the backup to export the configurations.
Unfortunately nobody here knows how to program these, so the more compatible the unit (import) is, the better.
I found that only 4 of those 9 ports are actually used, and no extensions.
Heat is a big issue.
Thanks again!

4

Browsing through products, I found this
https://mikrotik.com/product/RB750r2
2W power instead of our 3W.
Does this have the same (or better) capabilities as the RB493?
Would this be able to accept the export of the RB493?
That would be reeeeally great!!
Thanks!

5

Hi Sue, does that mean budget is the overriding factor?
The lite, means your WAN throughput will likely be in the 200-400 range.
All your LAN ports are old 10/100s whereas any modern ethernet device has 1gig ports to move traffic around.

If you are looking for best bang for the buck that will have some longevity and not break the bank,
look at the hapac2, and if not available the Hex normal (not lite).

Right off the bat you go from 64mg ram to 128mg ram, so upgrading to later firmwares and overall performance will be better.
You get 1 gig ethernet ports
The hapac2 will cover off if you ever get 1gig up and down internet, the hex plain up to 700Mbps or so.
The hapac2 has wifi, not the best wifi in todays market and one can just leave it disabled, so dont be alarmed by the fact it has wifi.

In other words, I don’t particularly recommend the hex lite as its too limiting, especially as a device that may be in place for a long time.
You don’t necessarily need a device with 10 ports etc if you are only use four. If you do down the line, then you can consider a small managed switch or maybe generic un-managed switch.

hex lite - $39US (10/100 ports only 64RAM, - 300Mbps)
hex - $79US (adds 1 gig port, 256RAM, 16MB Storage - 700Mbps)
hapac2 - $79US (adds 1 gig ports, 128RAM 16MB Storage - 1500Mbps)
hapac3 - $109US (adds 1gig ports, 256RAM 128MB Storage - 1500Mbps) newer model of hapac2

If your budget is higher then consider
RB4011
RB5009

++++++++++++++++++++

Negative you will have to start your config from the defaults that come with the router.
Which is fine as its safe out of the box, and then you can tweak it based on your settings.
What you can do once you get the new device and not installed is to post the old config here.
/export hide-sensitive file=anynameyouwish ( and ensure no public IPs are displayed - the ones from the ISP provider)

and a network diagram showing whats connected on the ports of the router, and we should be able to help massage the config on the latest ROS.
I am assuming you dont need any VPN connections and thus the best option is long term stable 6.48.6 firmware.

6

Thank you for your reply and suggestions.
Yes, cost is definetly a concern, but more so a simple transition since nobody knows how to setup these Mikrotik routers.
We truly won’t need anything higher than 100Mbit. We have 4 cameras and a simple WiFi hotspot connected.
Since they counld’nt figure how to program this thing, a 4 port switch was added for other stuff (like the hotsopot) at some point.

As mentioned, we don’t really need more speed or bandwith, actually less power would be great.
The cameras don’t exceed 5Mbit, and the WiFi is rarely used at that location.

This is all in a (must be) sealed enclosure and heat is the major major concern.

Mikrotik tech support wrote me that any unit can import the export from any other, did I misundertsand that?

/export /import will work between any model - between any RouterOS device.

If any of the units you’ve kindly mentioned would work out of the box with the RB493 export, we would get that.
However it cannot consume more than 3-4W, we have heat shutdowns sometimes already.
This setup has worked for 10+years and again, it totally satisfies our limited needs there.
We never needed to upgrade, only a switch was added at some point to implement WiFi and some other low bandwith stuff.

We just need a simple low power plug&play replacement, thank you all for your kind help with this!
Sue

7

HI Sue, then I suppose the light will work for you just fine.
Nobody makes a high heat capable unit for $39 and 5 ports LOL.
If you need extra cooling stand by it with a flamenco fan 24/7 or buy some cheap raspberry pi cooling fans (usb etc)

From the spec page temp min/max operating temp… tested to -40°C to 70°C .

8

if heat is a problem i will not recommend hap ac2, it is a already a hot device in normal conditions, i cant imagine it in a hot environment

looks like you need a low power device, and RB750r2 is one of the lowest consumption products and is small in size

and is one of the few which have a +70°C of operating temperature rating

if you are sure you don’t need anymore is ok

9

Hi all, really helpful info, thank you all so much for your thoughts and suggestions.

Yes, I saw that the
https://mikrotik.com/product/RB750r2
needs only 2W.

Now the big question is whether the hEX lite can handle all the tasks the RB493 was handling?
Like knocking, port forwarding, one VPN tunnel etc.?

And also if it could “learn” the settings by importing RB493s export?

Thanks again for your invaluable help with this!
Sue

10

in term of performance rb750r2 will outperform several times the rb493 mainly because cpu clock, rb493 has 300mhz, rb750r2 850mhz

about the configuration:

i am a fan of configuring manually the replacement router using previous router export doing it section by section verifying there is no errors, long time ago had problem copying all the config directly so i cant say if can be done in a trustworthy way

11

That sounds great!
And all that performance (not that we need it) with 1/3 less power (we do need).

What worries me is the import, none of us has the knowledge to program this, hope it works.
I’ve dealt with Asus and Linksys etc routers, but this is a totally different (cryptic) animal.

Thanks again for all your kind help and ideas and sharing your knowledge.
Really nice people and forum.
Sue

12

Sue, feel free to contact me in my profile, for further assistance if you feel comfortable doing so… If not, then ask away here once you get the device.