separate different networks on a MikroTik router using the bridge

RouterOS Beginner Basics
1

I got three seperate networks 192.168.10.0/24, 192.168.11.0/24, 192.168.12.0/24,
I want to use a designated bridge to separate different networks on a MikroTik router CCR2004-1G-12S+2XS. The bridge will act as a virtual switch to link each seperat network with a gateway interface which is in my case the fortigate.

i need to know if this method is a best practice and shall i rely on in the future or should i go with vlans ?

thanks to anyone who will dedicate a little time to me, and have some advices about this matter.

2

We need to know a bit more on the context, a network diagram perhaps ?
Simple drawing on paper can be enough.

General advice:
1 bridge on your router, unless you have a real good reason to have multiple which for most, myself included, means if you do not exactly know why you want to split, keep it with one bridge.

If your different subnets all terminate on a different ether port, you can do without vlans.
But you mention Fortigate. Only 1 or 3 different ?

Otherwise (and for future expansion) vlans are the recommended approach in most cases.
Some “light” reading on the matter (ahum …) and THE reference around here:
http://forum.mikrotik.com/t/using-routeros-to-vlan-your-network/126489/1
(read it, digest it, read it again, experiment, …)

But we really need to see more context in order to give you better answers.

3

thanks for you time and help,
to be clear

I have a network architecture where three separate buildings, denoted as Bridge1, Bridge2, and Bridge3, are directly connected in a star topology to an administration building (Admin_Bridge).
All the switches within these buildings are linked to a central MikroTik CCR2004-1G-12S+2XS router.
Despite the physical separation of these buildings, I intend to use bridge configurations as virtual switches.
The goal is to segregate each building’s network through these bridges, creating a logical separation. This approach allows me to connect each distinct network to a dedicated interface on my gateway device (Fortigate).

4

Concur, one bridge and three vlans is all that is required here.
Unless the fortigate cannot handle vlans?
What is the purpose of the fortigate in this setup? Edge Router with some subscription services??


interface list=building one
vlans 11,12,13,14

Interface list=building two
vlans 21,22,23,24

interface list=building three
vlans 31,32,33,34

5

the fortigate is the gateway and the dhcp server,

So i want to know if it is safe to use only bridging to seperate these networks ?

6

Using vlan, certainly so.

7

Seems illogical to me.
What is the purpose of buying a MIKROTIK router of that power and using it as a switch??
What am I missing???