I am experiencing performance issues with a MikroTik hEX (E50UG) in a building-type deployment, and I would like to understand whether the device is underpowered for this scenario or if there is something I can optimize in the configuration.
Scenario:
48 apartments (end users)
WAN connection: 1000 Mbps (fiber)
Each user limited to 15 Mbps
Router: MikroTik hEX (E50UG)
RouterOS updated (latest stable version)
Current configuration:
Bandwidth limiting using queues (currently using PCQ)
NAT enabled
Basic firewall rules
FastTrack disabled (to avoid interfering with QoS)
Problem:
Total throughput does not exceed approximately 300 Mbps
Users report that “internet is not working well”, especially during peak hours
Observed issues:
general slowness
high latency
incomplete page loading
Could this be caused by CPU limitations due to PCQ and packet processing?
Is this performance expected for this device in this scenario?
What hardware would be recommended for handling ~1 Gbps with 40–50 users and bandwidth control? (RB4011, CCR, or x86?)
Hex Refresh can handle a normal 1Gbps connection but not much more.
You added PCQ for 48 users and you wonder why it struggles ?
Just look at the cpu load (individual cores) when things start crumbling down.
I think you may have to go with at least RB5009, maybe even CCR but can't tell from experience (I don't use PCQ with 48 users).
Others may chime in with personal experience.
Set aside - for one moment - the number of end users, the usual reference used to determine real world speed when routing, is the 512 byte packet with 25 firewall rules.
For the E50UG: https://mikrotik.com/product/hex_2024
that value is 498.1 Mbps, so HALF the ISP connection you have.
In some particular setups (fasttrack) it is sometimes possible to get more, almost double that, but that remains (IMHO) the reference when choosing a device, and since you have fasttrack disabled you are stuck at around that speed.
Additionally, due to some reasons, ether1 used as WAN on that particular model may be slower, it depends on specific RoS version and on configuration.
You can choose between a RB5009 and a RB4011RB5009 (the 4011 costs the same but is an older model, if you happen to have one or can procure an used one, it is good, but buying a new one is not advised) among the cheaper devices, but a more beefy router would give you more peace of mind.
The 48 are not "end users", they are 48 "clusters" of end users, more likely an average of 4-5 devices for each apartment, even if not all concurrently in use, they are a lot.
I’d probably try fq-codel queue tree setup with no limit on the users. I haven’t tried it on that particular hardware, but it seems pretty efficient and does a good job of keeping latency low when loaded. The users would probably be happier and it might not require any additional purchase.
Of course if you are trying to sell bandwidth tiers or something that wouldn’t work well, but if that’s not a requirement and you are paying a flat rate for the ISP connection, it would make sense to me to let the users actually use it. HTH.
Totally forgot about that one.
Because ether1 is a direct connection to CPU and not going to switch chip.
Makes a huge difference for normal setup but I doubt it will have an impact when using PCQ since that's 100% CPU bound already.
Scenario:
Current configuration:
Problem: