This is why I despair with Mikrotik. They make equipment that functions quite well yet neglect to make the kit properly waterproof. Just had two NetMETAL 5 2xRPSMA, 2000mW fail last night due to rainwater getting in the window where the LED’s are visible. I had numerous Groove units fail this way and it frankly sucks.
We are now taking off the LED window and pumping silicone into the hole to ensure this does not happen again.
So Mikrotik - why don’t you make sure that your products are fit for purpose?
Here is a picture showing the result of the water ingress…
Please contact your reseller for RMA replacement. This should not happen, most likely this unit had a factory defect. We test the units in extreme conditions
Attached are two pictures which clearly show the water damage is localised around the LED window. This is a ridiculous design flaw which I am certain other users will suffer from at some stage. In general the NetMETAL unit is a very good design - however to have a cheap sticker acting as a window for the LED’s is sheer stupidity. I saw several Groove units fail from the same location. Perhaps the Mikrotik test units were put together with more care but after a few months of being baked in the sun combined with mass production sticker placement - this is going to be a nightmare.
Today I had to replace a NetMetal. It went out of service after 3 days (2 with rain) from installation. I found it full of water.
I have several other installed and only this one was affected, so I suppose it’s something like an assembling error more than a design flaw. Will see what happens to the others.
Can you identify where the water got in? This would be really interesting to know - especially if it was via the LED window.
Once again, I want to say that overall the NetMETAL is the best outdoor radio unit I have seen in this class - but if it has a weakness then this must be identified.
I find this thread very informative, especially the second and third picture. But i also have a question / proposal: why the leds are not inside, where the sfp/usb ports are, so they’re not visible from outside? I can pretty sure live without them being visible from outside, if they’re prone to this type of failure.
When you have to aim the antenna … and if you’re using the leds (i always prefer a laptop) … you can pretty simply open the unit and see the leds … and when you’re done aiming the antenna … just close the whole thing.
Do you have a list of serial’s that might be affected? I just bought a bunch of these and luckily it’s snowing here, as it’s cold outside. I’m just wondering if it will happen to me in spring time.
I just want to add a comment from one of my technicians who has many years of experience in the field of electrical and electronic engineering. I instructed him to remove the LED sticker and fill the holes with clear silicone. He was expecting the sticker to be difficult to remove but found it came away quite easily. This is a unit that was purchased 2 months after the previous failed ones so this just confirms my suspicions - the NetMETAL units are not fit for purpose out of the box. Only removing the LED sticker and applying silicone will make these units suitable for heavy rain.
This is a unique situation, there is no list of serial numbers. This topic is the first time we see such problem. I am very sorry this happened, please submit the unit for warranty replacement.
So I just got time to examine a third unit which I withdrew from service at the same location as a precaution - the attached photos speak for themselves. The serial number is shown in one of the pictures as requested by Normis. These pictures clearly show a manufacturing error and obviously is not going to be unique to any unit I purchased. This sticker is a really bad idea as only a small placement error renders the unit unsuitable for outdoor use. This is not a complete disaster once people are aware of the problem and use silicone to fill the LED window and I will continue to use the units. However future designs need to take account of this…
Two Netmetal 5 were in service 1 month before failure. The two Netmetal 5 that failed were in adverse conditions exposed to salt water mist . When the bottom latch was opened 3 ounces of salt water came out and the ETH/POE was charred on both Netmetal 5 units . Currently the plan is to seal all the seams and orifices with silicon until weather proof plastic enclosures can be built to house the NetMetal units.
We have had 3 failures due to water intrusion so this now my personal recommendation of weather proofing NetMetal 5 .
