I got ala hEX S recently to upgrade my home network. It's a great bit of kit but... am I alone wishing there was a device similar to the hEX S (hEX S+ maybe?) but with the following features?:

• 4x PoE+ ports (fully IEEE 802.3at compliant)
• 48 V power brick included
• 64-bit ARM CPU (maybe same CPU as the hAP ax2/ax3)

My initial set-up was just the hEX S and one PoE AP (which didn't come with a PSU). I had hoped to be able to run the two devices using the included hEX S PSU but the included PSU is only 24V. I bought a 48V PoE+ injector hoping I could feed the hEX S PoE-in (this worked) and simultaneously the AP using on eth5 using the PoE-out featuere, only to learn that this doesn't work when the hEX S is powered using PoE-in, even though the injector has more than enough power to supply the two devices. So I still need two separate power supplies.

I'm now looking to add a second AP and I would like to be able to run the whole show off a single power brick and to keep my set-up as minimal as possible. What are my options if I want to stick with Mikrotik? Well, the next best option is the Rb5009upr S In which costs 4x more than the hEX S. Admittedly the price of the Rb5009upr S In is fair and justified because it is an absolute beast, but I don't need so much power, and from that point of view the hEX PoE would be adequate for the job at hand, except... it can't power PoE+ devices. I'm hesitant to buy the Rb5009upr S In when I can get a cheap TP-Link managed PoE+ switch and stick with the hEX S. See the problem? I'm not complaining that the Rb5009upr S In is expensive; I'm pointing out the obvious: Mikrotik's product range plagued with gaps, each of which is a missed opportunity. Instead of buying the hypothetical Mikrotik hEX S+ described above, I will almost definitely be buying a TP-Link switch.

A similar situation exists with other Mikrotik products, for example, anyone trying to decide between the hAP ax2 and the hAP ax3 will face a several dilemmas:

• Small (good) vs big (bad)
• Weak CPU (bad) vs better CPU (good)
• Has (good)/lacks (bad) a USB port
• Lower (bad) vs higher (good) antenna gain

Neither of these devices ticks all the boxes. With Mikrotik current products no matter what you choose you are always compromising on something.

I agree, but please also replace the 1G ports by 2.5G ports! ))

I agree, but please also replace the 1G ports by 2.5G ports! ))

Would 2.5G ports benefit a large number of users? Would 2.5G ports significantly increase cost? I personally don't have a use for 2.5G ports right now but if a lot of users need it I wouldn't mind paying up to an extra $10-15.

Would 2.5G ports benefit a large number of users? Would 2.5G ports significantly increase cost? I personally don't have a use for 2.5G ports right now but if a lot of users need it I wouldn't mind paying up to an extra $10-15.

What I know is, that my cAPax and other PoE APs with Wifi6 have 2.5G ports. I don´t really need 2.5G on a single AP, but at least on the uplink, it would be nice to have.

I installed a RB960PGS-PB outside to Drive 2 APs and a PtP link. The PtP is not up yet but the APs are af/at power. They have a max consumption of 20 watts each. They are running without issue at this point.

The RB960PGS-PB has a power budget of 54 Watts.
It uses 6 Watts.
And each port has a Max output of 450mA.

I used a 56V 60 Watt POE injector on the RB960PGS-PB
56 * .450 = 25.2 watts output per port.

And like i typed.. its working.

Now the RB5009 UP That shipped with the 48v962A power supply. It can't drive an 11 watt AP without shutting down the ports. Mikrotik can't figure it out.

I have given up trouble shooting this for now. I have labeled it as another MIKROTIK F--KUP. Like the CRS354s. Still broken after 4 years...

Back on topic... the hex POE should be able to put out 25 watts per port. But I wouldn't bother if this hadn't been on outdoor deployment. But NO MOTHER F--KING WAY am I gonna even bother trying the RB5009UPr+S+OUT.

EDIT

Would you look at that... during my back and forth I pointed out that the webpage for the RB5009 UP doesn't specifically explain that the 96 watt power supply ain't gonna do the 130 watts they claim.

I just went to the webpage for the out door unit RB5009UPr+S+OUT... look what they added...
"Each PoE-out port can supply up to 25W of power. All the ports combined are limited to 130W, which should be enough for most setups. (Note that the included PSU is capable of 96W total, so for maximum output, a different PSU will be needed)."

Would 2.5G ports benefit a large number of users? Would 2.5G ports significantly increase cost? I personally don't have a use for 2.5G ports right now but if a lot of users need it I wouldn't mind paying up to an extra $10-15.

What I know is, that my cAPax and other PoE APs with Wifi6 have 2.5G ports. I don´t really need 2.5G on a single AP, but at least on the uplink, it would be nice to have.

Yes you are right. Mikrotik's product line is inconsistent with itself. Offering devices that work well with each other encourages customers to buy your gear instead of looking for third-party solutions.

I installed a RB960PGS-PB outside to Drive 2 APs and a PtP link. The PtP is not up yet but the APs are af/at power. They have a max consumption of 20 watts each. They are running without issue at this point.

The RB960PGS-PB has a power budget of 54 Watts.
It uses 6 Watts.
And each port has a Max output of 450mA.

I used a 56V 60 Watt POE injector on the RB960PGS-PB
56 * .450 = 25.2 watts output per port.

And like i typed.. its working.

That's good to know and also very interesting. So basically you can power the the RB960PGS-PB and its 4 PoE-out ports using a single PoE-In cable? I'm curious because I tried using a 48 V injector to power my hEX S (on eth1) and then hooked up a 48 V PoE access point (TP-Link EAP653) to eth5 and the access point wouldn't power on at all. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, in Interfaces > ether5 > PoE I've set PoE-out = "auto on"it to "auto on", maybe setting this to "forced on" would do the trick? I have tried the same AP with a PoE+ switch and it worked out of the box.

Now the RB5009 UP That shipped with the 48v962A power supply. It can't drive an 11 watt AP without shutting down the ports. Mikrotik can't figure it out.

I have given up trouble shooting this for now. I have labeled it as another MIKROTIK F--KUP. Like the CRS354s. Still broken after 4 years...

Back on topic... the hex POE should be able to put out 25 watts per port. But I wouldn't bother if this hadn't been on outdoor deployment. But NO MOTHER F--KING WAY am I gonna even bother trying the RB5009UPr+S+OUT.

Damn! Well, if that's accurate I'm glad I didn't get the RB5009 UP in the end, because it would have been painful spending that much money specifically for the PoE outs only to find they don't work well. In hindsight, getting a separate switch was the right decision.

So basically you can power the the RB960PGS-PB and its 4 PoE-out ports using a single PoE-In cable? I'm curious because I tried using a 48 V injector to power my hEX S (on eth1) and then hooked up a 48 V PoE access point (TP-Link EAP653) to eth5 and the access point wouldn't power on at all.

hEX S provides passive PoE out ... which may or may not work with 802.3 af/at PD if in auto mode. Try setting PoE to forced on and see if this changes anything.

"The port #5 can power other passive PoE capable devices with the same voltage as applied to the unit"

Guess he has to force it to on. But the unit has a power budget of 24Watts and it uses 6. So that leaves 18 Watts for that device pn the poe out... supposing that his POE injector had enough power???

hEX S provides passive PoE out ... which may or may not work with 802.3 af/at PD if in auto mode. Try setting PoE to forced on and see if this changes anything.

"The port #5 can power other passive PoE capable devices with the same voltage as applied to the unit"

Guess he has to force it to on. But the unit has a power budget of 24Watts and it uses 6. So that leaves 18 Watts for that device pn the poe out... supposing that his POE injector had enough power???

The PoE injector has a power budget of 48 V * 0.5 A = 24 W, plenty. However, I have just tested with PoE set to forced on and the AP wouldn't spark up. It works fine when connected directly to the PoE injector.

Scoox,

It could be the required pins that Mikrotik sends power on. POE A vs B.

"Mode A delivers power on the data pairs of 100BASE-TX or 10BASE-T, and Mode B delivers power on the spare pairs."


https://www.balticnetworks.com/products ... OkQAvD_BwE

That's the injector I used.

https://www.balticnetworks.com/products ... McQAvD_BwE

This are The BMFAP (Big Mother F--KING Access Point) s it's driving.

OK so I got it working! I must have been doing something wrong, probably something as dumb as an improperly connected RJ45. This very message was posted with the PoE injector feeding both my hEX S and my access point

For the benefit of posterity, I include some details which may be useful to others trying to get this working:

1. The specs for the TP-Link EAP653 (and other EAPs e.g. EAP610, etc) state "PoE 802.3at" and "48 V passive PoE". From that we can't be entirely sure whether it means both active and passive modes are supported. However, by definition, IEEE 802.3at implies, among other things, active PoE, so my optimistic assumption is that it means "both are supported".

2. A forum user posted the following, which confirms my assumption:

EAPs that support both Standard POE and Passive PoE are Mode A for Standard and Mode B for Passive. So if you are talking about the Passive POE, EAP610 should be Mode B.

3. Then, on TP-Link's own FAQs we confirm EAPs use passive PoE Mode B:

Chart below shows the pinout of 802.3af standard A and B. Our passive PoE access points use the pinout of 802.3af mode B - with DC plus on pins 4 and 5 and DC minus on 7 and 8 (see chart below). Data is then on 1-2 and 3-6.

4. Finally, Mikrotik's wiki confirms confirms Mikrotik passive PoE gear also uses Mode B:

All MikroTik PSE uses the same PoE-Out pin polarity Mode B4,5 (+) and 7,8 (-), however other vendors can use opposite or Mode A pinout on PD. Reverse polarity would require using a crossover cable but Mode A PD would require Mode B to Mode A converter.

From this information we gather the hEX S and the TP-Link EAP should be compatible in passive mode since both use Mode B as long as the supply voltage into the hEX S is 48 V. This prompted me to attempt this once more, and this time it worked, so I guess it was user error—oops.

In summary, here's how I've got things connected up:

ONT → Unifi 48 V 0.5 A PoE injector → hEX S eth1 ----- hEX S eth5 (PoE forced on) → TP-Link EAP653

Thanks for all the replies, I would have given up otherwise.

PS: I'd still be interested in a "hEX S PoE", with the features outlined in my first post.

What I need.. is a RouterOS version of this.
https://www.fs.com/products/108716.html

What I need.. is a RouterOS version of this.
https://www.fs.com/products/108716.html

That is a 24-port pizza box.

What I need.. is a RouterOS version of this.
https://www.fs.com/products/108716.html

That is a 24-port pizza box.

Compared to the Droorstop CRS354, That drops a bank of ports every soften for 4 years at this point.