I am a MikroTik-based WISP operator and reseller in Lebanon, and I’ve built my entire wireless network exclusively around RouterOS devices for over 10 years. I still have RB411 and RB433 boards operating reliably to this day, I truly love your products and appreciate their reliability and value.
However, I’m writing to express urgent concern about the direction MikroTik is taking with newer WiFiwave2 and AX-based hardware — particularly the complete removal of two key features that are essential to the survival of WISPs like mine:
Superchannel support (manual frequency / “no country” mode)
NV2 protocol (for PtMP stability in high-interference environments)
These features are not just “nice to have” — they are mission-critical. In highly saturated RF environments like mine, superchannel gives us the flexibility to operate outside crowded bands, and NV2 is the only way to maintain reliable and low-latency PtMP links in such conditions.
Recently, I purchased the L11UG-5HaxD and was shocked to discover that:
/interface wireless is no longer used
Superchannel mode is completely gone
NV2 is no longer supported
Frequencies and TX power are hard-locked by country
OpenWrt is not a viable fallback due to bootloader and driver incompatibilities (and honestly, I hope I never have to resort to it)
I fully understand MikroTik’s responsibility to comply with FCC and ETSI regulations. However, the complete loss of flexibility in your new hardware stack renders it unsuitable for many real-world WISP deployments — especially in rural, congested, or underserved regions. Without superchannel and NV2, operators like myself are left with no viable upgrade path and risk being forced to abandon the MikroTik platform.
We respectfully request:
A superchannel license or override (even if hidden under expert mode or CLI)
The return of NV2 support for WiFiwave2-based hardware — or at least a roadmap
A clear statement on whether dual-driver boards or NV2-capable WiFi6 hardware are being considered
Continued availability of RouterOS 6-compatible boards, even in limited or long-term support channels
We don’t expect RouterOS 7 to be as open as 6 — but we do need a sustainable path forward that doesn’t mean throwing away a decade of design, deployment, and trust in MikroTik.
Thank you for your continued support and innovation. I truly hope MikroTik will continue to serve the global WISP community with the flexibility and reliability that made it the platform of choice for so many of us.
One final request: I would love to see the return of a product like the SXT 5HPnD with RouterOS L4 license that supports AP mode, it was a simple, affordable, and highly effective solution for short-range PtMP deployments.
This is a user forum, the most we can do is sympathize with you, most of the changes you listed derive from a change in drivers, AFAICU older devices used Mikrotik’s own development drivers (wireless menu) new ones use the (new) chip manufacturer drivers (wifi menu) that have a number of limitations.
will try the new version, last time i tried with a beta was that it just maxed the output power, and still didn’t allow out of band frequencies, like 5350-5490.
what band are we talking about 4920-6100? i successfully updated to 7.19.3 and i have superchannel now but i will buy another one to double check everything but the wifi do not have nv2 nor scan list so it is a bit confusing honestly
Not that I know anything about it but it is highly improbable IMHO that it will ever return, or at least not soon.
AFAICU, the “old” drivers were developed internally by Mikrotik and were made capable of running that NV2 protocol, which was also Mikrotik proprietary.
The “new” drivers are instead developed by the wi-fi chip manufacturer and only tweaked/adapted by Mikrotik to run on their RouterOS and their hardware.
From what I understand based on several past comments by Normis, it seems very unlikely that NV2 will ever come back. NV2 was a custom protocol developed by MikroTik that worked with their own wireless driver. Now they use drivers provided by the hardware manufacturer, and they seem quite proud of that - it brings benefits like faster time to market and less internal development effort.
Station bridge is the Mikrotik protocol that you can only use if the AP is also Mikrotik
Station pseudobridge is the one you need to use if the AP is NOT Mikrotik
I started converting the AP to OFDMA using the latest Mikrotik version 7.19.4. But I encountered the following problem.
All (mipsbe) Wi-Fi 4 clients work fine up to 6 km away, but at a distance of 7 km or more, the clients cannot connect.
Does anyone have the same problem as me?