Yes, you can use eSIMs from any mobile network operator (MNO) with supported MikroTik routers. Here’s how to activate (provision) an eSIM in RouterOS, as explained in the MikroTik Help docs: RouterOS > Mobile Networking > LTE eSIM
In the brochure for hEX S (2025) BONDING SUPPORT is advertised.
Does this mean that for EN7562CT chip bridge hardware offload support is added for bonding and will it then work for hEX refresh (non S) too?
And by the way if unlike most ISP boxes, you can assign any port as WAN, LAN, or bridge as we all know then why keep insisting on marking ports as internet and LAN on these devices?
Sorry but there is no guide there how to activate only what modems are supported and what commands are supported.
Is there a guide somewhere else?
Does this help ?
This is awesome. Finally the first 5G device is here!!! I can’t believe it. I will cry of happiness. Finally good news!!!
It only talks about the new connectivity app. No explanation on how to use another ISP besides Mikrotik.
Mikrotik is not ISP, it’s equipment vendor. When using device with eSIM, it has to be provisioned even with the first MNO to whose network device is connecting. And it has to be provisioned (in the same manner) for any other MNO where device is used later on.
Still no gain information about the ATL 5G on the product page or in the brochure. Or what the “R16” means.
Nope, that’s only for MikroTik’s own virtual roaming data plans (“MikroTik Connectivity”)
This how you activiate your own:
- Get the eSIM SM-DP+ address and activation code (or QR code) from your mobile operator.
- Log in to your MikroTik router via WebFig or WinBox.
- Go to Interfaces > LTE > eSIM Management.
- Add new eSIM profile and enter the SM-DP+ address and activation code. These values can be extracted from the QR code, just scan it to get a string like “LPA:1$<SM-DP+ address>$”.
- Apply and wait for the profile to activate.
- Verify that the LTE interface is registered and working.
You can activate multiple profiles (e.g. different plans or NMOs) on the same eSIM.
I’m guessing it’s the 5G release. The Snapdragon X65 chipset found in the Quectel RG520F modem supports 5G release 16. The Snapdragon X75 chipset found in the Quectel RG650E modem supports 5G release 17. AFAIK those are the modems used by Mikrotik’s new 5G devices. The 5G release is similar to 4G category - it’s the evolution of the standard, allowing for higher throughput, carrier aggregation, MIMO, beamforming, spectrum sharing with LTE and so on.
The term “eSIM” is widely used to describe a number of different technologies, specifications and form-factors, i.e. the whole ecosystem.
At the heart of this is the chip which supports the eUICC software specification and standards. This was originally a discrete chip, which supported the JavaCard JVM for runtime execution of applets, but this functionality has now been included in newer mobile SOC’s.
Devices compliant with the eUICC standard are capable of being provisioned with an eSIM profile, using Remote SIM Provisioning (RSP).
To make things more interesting, it is possible to get physical SIM cards which support the eUICC specification (compared to the convention, more restricted UICC cards). These normally require third party software components to act as the LPA (Local Profile Assistant) to provision these removeable eUICC cards, as they can’t be directly managed by the mobile device itself in the same way that on-board eUICC systems can.
So, it is perfectly possible to get physical SIM cards which support eSIM profiles…
Given that the Quectel RG520 modem used in this device is a well known model with full eUICC support, it just needs the appropriate software to provision the third-party eSIM profile onto the modem - and that seems to be supported by the latest ROS versions.
The challenge with provisioning eSIM profiles onto a device is that you need Internet connectivity in the first place to retrieve the eSIM profile from the providers SM-DP+ (Subscription Manager-Data Preparation+) server.
What it looks like to me, is that Mikrotik have done a relatively unique and clever thing by pre-loading a custom eSIM profile, supported by a myriad of mobile providers (perhaps by MNO support, but more likely via roaming), which will provide highly restrictive connectivity, but just enough connectivity to allow the ATL device to go online via the local mobile carrier and connect to the appropriate SM-DP+ servers, to retrieve the selected eSIM profile.
That permits the device to be provisioned out of the box, without any existing Internet connectivity… neat solution!
And the RG520 supports the installation of any third party eSIM profile, so it can be manually provisioned outside of the selected carrier packages.
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Well, in theory this should work, but as always there are potential compatibility issues to keep in mind.
Take a look at this thread posted today by @Amm0: “Product Request: MikroTik should sell a ‘physical eSIM’ for older devices (or suggest some 3rd-party eSIM)”
MT marketing has reached a low point. This is stated for the HEXs : “Connect your PC over 2.5G, then bond two 1G ports to your NAS”
A normal bond won´t provide you the doubling of your throughput as anyone with some basic network knowledge knows on a single point to point link. I´m aware of tricks on BSD or Linux side (balance-rr), but I´m not sure of any NAS or Windows client supporting those.
Nonetheless I find the HEXs is a nice device for the price if you want to have some device with a bit of storage (USB3) and VPN support. More 2.5Gs IFs would have been much better.
I hope for a HEXpoe refresh with 2.5G ports…
What could be interesting use case is 2.5Gbps ISP link with bond link to a LAN switch which should provide good distributed internet access to users.
But I wonder what the achievable performance would be if bonding is done in software only and that according to published test results this new HEX s unfortunately isn’t capable of reaching more that 1.5Gbps firewall speed…
I think Synology and SNAP support LCAP, so MikroTik may not be wrong. But issue is if you say stuff like that you have some article/doc/etc that describes how.
FWIW, There could be a “confirmation code required” which be a $1 after the activation code (which may or may not be present). If it helps anyone, I’d wrote a script parse the LPA string and add the eSIM using a function: http://forum.mikrotik.com/t/interactively-parsing-esim-activation-from-lpa-in-qrcode/182146/1
But, this seems like an ideal feature for the EXISTING mobile apps – that have a camera – so the QR code can just be scanned and added from MikroTIk iOS/Android apps.
Getting the “extracted from the QR code” is not exactly straightforward & that’s tricky part with current eSIM support.
RouterOS v3.17 or RouterBOOT v3.17?
hex-s : see it as a little firewall or a isp ppp modem to serve your little network , facing internet @ 2.5Gbps and your lan @ 1Gbps
I just see a bottleneck
Sfp and all 5 eth ports @ 2.5Gbps would be the real improvement !
hex-s : see it as a little firewall or a isp ppp modem to serve your little network , facing internet @ 2.5Gbps and your lan @ 1Gbps
I just see a bottleneck
Sfp and all 5 eth ports @ 2.5Gbps would be the real improvement !
I don’t see the new hex S being able to do 2.5Gbps NAT/Firewall (specially with PPPoE) in any real world scenario. It’s too underpowered. At least if it had a quad-core CPU, but then mikrotik would risk competing with the much more expensive RB5009 (which in my opinion is also underpowered for 2025 and it’s price).
You would use the 2.5G SFP for a LAN device, on the same vlan with other devices on the 1G ports (L2 switching, not L3). It would still use the CPU as the SFP is not physically connected to the switch, but software switching is much lighter than routing, NATing and firewalling.