Just got a new RB1100 and the thing sounds like a turbo prop. Drowns out the 4 PC’s running and the cooling fan for the POE interfaces. Thinking maybe there was a setting to slow it down I went into Health and found the auto/man main/aux settings. When on auto and either fan selected and applied, it always goes to the aux fan. Set on manual and applied the Aux fan runs, but set to main fan and nothing. I’m hoping for not only a defective fan (the non-working one) but also that the one that is working is WAAYYY louder than it’s supposed to be.
It’s worse when put in the rack as it echos out even louder! Anybody?
Yes, and that’s completely normal for any 1U device. Do you have any other 1U rackmount servers that make less noise? Of all devices we have, the RB1100 is actually one of the quietest.
Doesn’t everything sounds like a turbo prop? For example 3com switches and HP servers. If I were complaining of the fan noise of RB1100, I would complain about anything made for corporate networks.
Where do you use your RB1100, in your living room or bedroom?
I’m more concerned that the main fan will not power up, even when set manually. I assume the 2 fan option is a backup for cooling and with one fan already down (from the factory) it doesn’t bode well for the remaining fan.
i have one RB1100 running without fans - it’s in a rack where there’s fans at the back sucking air through that’s pretty quiet (quiet enough to be in my office) - the CPU temp hovers @ 40C - the secret here was to take the heatsink off, and apply CPU thermal compound - there just didn’t seem to be enough on there.
Supermicro has some very quiet 1U servers. They use 100mm blowers with a vertical axis. They make much less noise than tiny 1U fans and run at 4200 rpm.
You might want to check and see if both fans even work. That was the point of my first post, but was ignored my MikroTik (no offer to send me another fan, nothing!) Nothing like a backup fan that doesn’t work! I ended up removing the factory fans, removed the top and cut a 4" hole in it and mounted a standard PC chassis fan on top. I fabricated a cover that exhausts to the side. It’s VERY quiet now and the highest the temp has ever gone is 32 degrees. It is now takes up a 2U space, but I’ve plenty of room in the rack.
I’ve now replaced the fans on two units I’ve described in previous posts, and the results are great! running on my desk, I can’t hear the fan at all in the RB1100 when powered up.
First off, I took the heat-sink off the CPU and applied thermal paste - there wasn’t enough in the first place IMHO.
Temperature wise, the test RB1100 with no fans has been at 40C the past two week. Putting the fans in it (one active, one backup), it now sits at 30C.
Overall, I’d have happily paid $10 extra for these fans to have been in it - the only downside was I had to solder the connectors from the original fans on it.
If noise is an issue, then I’m very happy with the results of this - it cost $4 USD for the fans, and 20 mins soldering connectors on.
For me the amount of noise a rackmount device makes is irrelevant. It can be as noisy as at likes because it’s going in the server room with stuff that’s just as loud if not louder. I suspect this was MikroTik’s design planning as well. I would not want to pay extra for a “quiet” version.
I would have been happy if both fans would have worked! Or, if after the original post someone from MikroTik would have said “sorry, where can we send a replacement fan to?”
Did the fans work? I have the same problem… They seem to screem! Its not a normal fan noise, got 6 servers and none make this mutch noise… 3 of them are 1U servers from supermicro… There fans work good…
I disabled both fans. (pull the connectors out from the board)
I then mod a 80mm fan to a USB connector and then place the fan at the exhaust holes of the RB1100. (USB is powered by a server nearby)
Temp is 32 deg celsius.
Silent and better than the default fans.
Cons: it look messy
I would be very much interested to see your changes. Could you please make some photographs and send to support@mikrotk.com? It doesn’t matter that it looks messy. If you send us more info (also fan specifications please), it would help us to improve design for next revisions. We would choose a better fan, or change airflow design
