Mikrotik SUCKS

RouterOS General
21

I can understand the TO, I have spend more than 15 years with Mikrotik. And the first years gave me a permanent mix of frustration and depression. But at some point I was able to understand (at least a tiny bit) of the sense behind it. Its hard, really, but its worth, not because of MT, but because of the knowledge you will gain. All other vendors do the same, but there is so much of abstraction, only a very limited/filtered reality is presented to you. With MT you are able to see “behind the curtain”.

And I can promise you, all other vendors have weaknesses too. No one is 100% perfect.

On the other hand, MT offers a lot. I have absolutely no glue of dynamic routing, like OSPF, BGP, RIP… or MSTP, no way I understand MSTP in any MT manual. In some way we are overloaded with so much, the own insight to accept to not understand everything is a important piece of peace of your mind when working with MT.

22

Why this: > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZJ-pM89N7o > work on ac3, but there is no way to set up on new L900?

Why? Because this Youtube shows something irrational, and completly outdated. (Like using some Windows for Workgroups driver installation procedure in Windows 11, to have SMB file sharing)

In that video the used VLAN has no function. Remove all VLAN things , just use that second bridge, and all will be set with ease

Using a separate bridge per VLAN is the oldest and obsolete method for working with VLANs.
It can still be done. Just as the VLAN can still be set at some (virtual) WLAN interface. Again an old method.
Today VLAN tagging/untagging/filtering is done with the only bridge that might or might not be hardware offloaded to the switch for performance. (Offloading is depending on the switch chip)

Even worse and much older:
This old ROS software had another model for ports on the bridge (with master port), obsolete and outdated, converted to a newer bridge model.
“Note: When upgrading from previous versions (before RouterOS v6.41), the old master-port configuration is automatically converted to the new Bridge Hardware Offloading configuration.”

Either OP understands what he is doing, and adapts, or he is just copying obsolete cookbook procedures in newer devices, what seldom works.
Softwares evolve, methods change, understand what you are doing, and it is an easy case here.

Just add guest WLAN and ethernet ports to a separate bridge. Done! Over, and up to the next setup.

Mikrotik does not suck, but it is a Lego or Mecanno: you have to (learn to) build that little car, train, house, … , and will have much more functionality than dedicated car, train, house toys

Setup your Cisco catalyst switch with IOS 9.2 procedures, and get nowhere operational.
Understand what you do, and last 50+ years as IT engineer. Just copy procedures, and be outdated in no time. (And are not an IT engineer I would hire)

Mikrotik has a steep learning curve, because there are not the Guides, Theory of operation, Reference, and other manuals, like we had with VAX/VMS (1 cubic meter, 32 binders with every release).

But you should not need those manuals or video tutorials for just this very simple Guest wifi problem.
But you can always look for a cookbook procedure, as starting point, don’t copy or follow, just learn and understand … https://www.d4d.lt/how-to-setup-mikrotik-guest-wifi-network

23

Nicely stated BPWL!!

24

@bpwl

25

May i kindly suggest reading a little, helped me so much:

Using RouterOS to VLAN your network: http://forum.mikrotik.com/t/using-routeros-to-vlan-your-network/126489/1

RouterOS bridge mysteries explained: http://forum.mikrotik.com/t/routeros-bridge-mysteries-explained/147832/1

If you want to play without too many wire, use a VMBox and a Cloud Hosted Router.
(ROS as a VDI image): https://mikrotik.com/download
VMBox nettwork explanation here: https://www.nakivo.com/blog/virtualbox-network-setting-guide/

26

I understand the frustration, especially when you’re in a work setting where you need to get something functioning under a deadline. Sometimes we all need to vent a little bit. But seriously, it might be worth it to hire a consultant. Not to do everything, but to help fill in some of the specific items you’re struggling with and get you in a better place.

27

Most network engineers understand the technology/theory and can navigate easily between different vendors’ implementations to achieve the same results.

If it takes you days to set up a VLAN, then most likely you are not well-versed with the technology you are trying to use.
Just because on other vendors some things are obfuscated behind single click options, that doesn’t mean you understand how the technology actually works.

RouterOS requires you to actually know how things work in order to implement them. Then it all fits together nicely.

28

100% agree.

There’s network engineers and there’s vendor-only engineer. If this guy only knows Cisco, he’s a Cisco engineer, not a network engineer.

29

cheers to that! :clap:

30

About the only viable complaint with MikroTik is their VLAN and Switch menu implementation, its a bit bass ackwards and definitely requires a thought process rewire to understand it as it does not operate like other vendors
Everything else I absolutely agree, if you truly know and understand networking then MikroTik is no different to any other vendor, and infact much of it is a lot simpler to work with (troubleshooting tools and ease of insight is fantastic)

There’s nothing wrong with ‘Cisco Guys’ if they actually know what the hell they are doing. Trouble with Cisco is how cheap their certifications seem to have become. I don’t understand why, as their certifications are indeed bloody tough and really do require very solid knowledge to pass, yet the amount of people i’ve interviewed and spoken with you’d swear they receive their CCNA or CCNP for free out of a cereal box, as they just have NFI whatsoever. I started with Cisco and took pride in my certs as I took the time to truly understand the technologies and how/where/why to work with them, so that when I went with any other vendor I knew what the hell I was doing. Maybe there’s inside track i’m unaware of, a guy I can give $500 to and he’ll give me a triple CCIE? i’m all ears as I feel like i’ve been slogged with the hard track attaining my certs to date and many others are cruising along in ignorance

Even someone who has a CCNA yet has truly earned it and absorbed the information needed, should have network fundamentals down pat and be able work with other vendors without much issue

31

I agree. Switching on ROS is not intuitive at all. But still, having the necessary background and with little RTFM you can work your way through.
They should have copied Cisco’s way of doing switching (in terms of UI/UX/CLI). Much more intuitive and easier to troubleshoot.

32

I agree that you can figure it out if you know what you’re doing and with some judicious RTFMing. But I agree 100% that copying Cisco’s way of doing things would have been far easier for most people (but then, I am a Cisco guy from way back, so I would say that, wouldn’t I? :smiley:)

33

These posts are funny - they smell of people unwilling or unable to research, test, lab, iterate, and find a solution to your problems. All the basic concepts of everything are there, and laid out in the menus if you know where to look or do a quick google. I’d like some good examples of things that are just ‘hard’ or ‘impossible’ to do.

34

@millenium7 yes, AFAIK it is, Cisco cert is relatively easy to buy without real knowledge, there are special people for this.

35

Let’s put this whole discussion in another context (disclaimer: this is a parody) :


A guy enters the room and shouts:

  • My wife SUCKS! I don’t understand her, she’s doing everything differently from my ex-gf, and her breasts are smaller than they should ! And she’s not doing what I want the way I want when I want ! I have 10+ experience year dating with girls and I can tell you this one SUCKS ! I’ll go to my ex-gf or to the girl next door as a retaliation !!!

The people in the room look at the guy angrily: he’s insulting their friend. A first one tells him:

  • Start trying to understand her instead of spitting your frustration and hatred… To build a solid long term relationship you need patience. And patience will result in joy and great moments.

He’s quickly followed by another one.

  • Instead of yelling, do your homework and try to learn how to interact with her, you’ll see that she’s great and reliable !

And another one:

  • And if you’re not happy why do you stay with her ?

And many more:

  • Young people do not understand they need to work hard to get a quality relationship, and that this will bring many pleasures…
  • He doesn’t even realize that she has lots of other qualities !
  • He’s a jerk he doesn’t deserve her !
  • Get lost !

And the complaining guy continues:

  • You understand, in 2023 girls should have long hair, big breasts, and spread their when a guy like me tells them to ! And she should let me do things the fast and dirty way !

And her friends:

  • No we don’t !

Then other people joined the discussion:

  • You know, he’s not completely wrong, she could have bigger breasts…
  • And honestly, why the hell is she so rigorous when it comes to organizing things ?
  • She should have done the same surgery as his ex-gf and the girl next door to increase her breast size, this would have eased things.
  • That’s right she’s psychorigid…
  • Yep and I can’t understand the way she’s reasoning…

Well… IMHO the main story here is not the fact that the girl could or should try to improve herself, or if the guy is completely wrong or not. There will be another time for this analysis. The main story here is the fact that regardless of her mistakes or imperfections, the girl didn’t deserved the “she SUCKS”, and therefore the guy yelling this insult is a jerk.

36

Girls & Boys

Pull up your Mikrotik’s branded S U^H OCKS and do your job :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

37

Hell no, f*ck Cisco CLI and their 1980s design, absoluetely no respect for modern day JSON, YAML-like data structure. Juniper and Nokia CLI FTW.

Any programmer worth his salt, would never build a CLI like Cisco’s.

38

I still struggle to understand why so many people fail to understand the MT single bridge VLAN filtering and state it is much more complicated than Cisco etc al.
A normal Cisco switch is the same: you have one implicit bridge (the ASIC) and you add VLANs, than add ports to VLANs as tagged or untagged, than add “CPU” interfaces with IP addresses to the VLANs for routing.
The CLI syntax is different, but the principle is pretty much the same.
I tend to believe those people just learned Cusco CLI commands but not the underlying principles. So they struggle if things are the same, but slightly different.

But I agree on one thing: MT WiFi sucks. A bit less than it used to, but it still sucks in terms of configuration and stability.

39

IMO - Vlan configuration in Mikrotik ROS ( Winbox , Web and CLI console ) is near impossible to get it right the first time.

I’ve been doing computer network communications since the mid-70s ( almost 50 years ). I still don’t have Mikrotik Layer-2 switch Vlans working.

With other switches & router products , you see the entire port-Vlan configuration in one screen - easy easy easy.
With ROS , you are all over the place in many screens. And most on-line documentation for ROS Vlans is different and also varies by which Mikrotik product you have. I totally gave up trying to configure Mikrotik Layer-2 switch Vlan ports in ROS a few years ago.

I really really really really wish Mikrotik would come out with a SwOS package for ROS - and/or a something that supports popular & common Vlans configurations you would normally see in other big brand-name products.

IMO - Mikrotik has some really great router and wireless products - but … complex Vlan configurations are user plausible but totally impossible to configure if you do not know how Mikrotik does Vlans.

ROS router Layer-3 Vlans - easy
ROS switch Layer-2 Vlans - errrrrrrrr not-so-easy

I miss the ability to do a “show run” and see everything to do with a port in one paragraph section between the ! and the !

North Idaho Tom Jones

40

I think MT products are great, but oh boy did I struggle with VLANs on my different MT HW Boxes! It´s no big science, but it is easy to get confused: on your HEX PoE you need completely different config than on your CRS309. Then I have some CAP ACs which again have slightly different needs.
My networks work well now, but I think I got it at least a 100 times wrong. Read posts on the forum, read MT wikis, watched videos. Of course many guides and videos are obsolete, some posts are wrong.
As an MT beginner it is an exceptionally big hurdle to get things sorted out and to find and understand the correct guides.

I had no such issues with other vendors but then I couldn´t afford to build the same infrastrutcture with those wendors at my home. And I wouldn´t want those loud fans in my flat…

Some better wiki articles made with MT beginners in mind would probably help a lot.