I have a site running a Ubiquiti UDMPro, USW 16 port switch, 8 APs, several servers, a hEX (just for Wireguard and DHCP), a Cube-Cube-wAP, and a few other things.
I'm seriously considering changing the UDM and USW to MT devices. I would keep the Unifi APs.
I think the RB5009 would be a good choice for the router (Spectrum Internet, 1Gb).
But, I'm totally confused about which switch to use.
The servers include: Home Assistant and Blue Iris.
Yes, I've looked at mikrotik.com and compared the specs. That helped somewhat, but I'm still not clear on which switch would be wisests.
I think someting in the CRS line (as opposed to CSS, because I want to run ROS), and with SFP to connect to the RB5009 (which I think nearly all have), but that's as far as I've gotten.
It would be nice to have POE out for the access points and Cube -- unless that would put too much of a strain on the switch's PS and/or create too much heat.
I see the 320, 326, 328 -- and each come (I think) in different variations.
Re: Which switch?
I'm curious why you want to switch them out.I'm seriously considering changing the UDM and USW to MT devices
PoE wise, there's sadly nothing faster than 1G.
But there's
CRS328-24P-4S+RM
CRS320-8P-8B-4S+RM
and if 8 Ports is enough, you can even get a RB5009UPr+S+IN
Re: Which switch?
"Why" is an excellent question for which I have a mediocre answer -- several reasons:I'm curious why you want to switch them out.I'm seriously considering changing the UDM and USW to MT devices
PoE wise, there's sadly nothing faster than 1G.
But there's
CRS328-24P-4S+RM
CRS320-8P-8B-4S+RM
and if 8 Ports is enough, you can even get a RB5009UPr+S+IN
1) I have been focusing for a while now on learning ROS and know it better than Unifi (which isn't saying much);
2) This site is connected to many other sites and it would be nice to have uniformity of equiptment across sites;
3) Managing different environments is hard;
4) Hoping to reduce the complexity a little bit -- at the site there is a hEX doing nothing but wireguard and DHCP and these functions would be handled by a new RB5009;
5) I am in the process of changing over all the sites (slowly, one by one), to implementing VLANs and having to deal with Ubiquiti's VLAN managing at this site would be hard.
I am not well-versed on the usefulness and/or need of more than 1G when the Internet connection is limited to a max of 1G. That is, I realize that if all devices (or at least the infrastructure supporting all devices) were 10G, "things" might be more pleasant, but I'm not certain I would see a difference.
On the other hand, with lots of video streams from cameras to the Blue Iris server, maybe a 10G backbone would make a difference.
Re: Which switch?
The more I look the more confused I get. Lots of variations within each model line.
Number of SFP+ ports, passive vs. fan cooling, external vs. internal PS, POE+/POE++ out, POE in, etc. each have pro and con arguments.
Number of SFP+ ports, passive vs. fan cooling, external vs. internal PS, POE+/POE++ out, POE in, etc. each have pro and con arguments.
Re: Which switch?
If you want uniformity, why do you keep adding new devices?"Why" is an excellent question for which I have a mediocre answer -- several reasons:I'm curious why you want to switch them out.
1) I have been focusing for a while now on learning ROS and know it better than Unifi (which isn't saying much);
2) This site is connected to many other sites and it would be nice to have uniformity of equiptment across sites;
3) Managing different environments is hard;
4) Hoping to reduce the complexity a little bit -- at the site there is a hEX doing nothing but wireguard and DHCP and these functions would be handled by a new RB5009;
5) I am in the process of changing over all the sites (slowly, one by one), to implementing VLANs and having to deal with Ubiquiti's VLAN managing at this site would be hard.
I would have thought that Unifi would have been a good fit for you, it is definitely easier to manage multiple Unifi devices than multiple ROS devices. Unifi is not be as flexible as ROS, but I haven't heard what features you need that Unifi doesn't support.
Saying ROS is better than X without saying what your measurement criteria are is pretty meaningless. It's like saying a sports car is better than a pickup truck. That may be true for James Bond, but probably not for a rancher.
It seems that vlans are important to you, but why you think they are easier to manage across multiple different ROS devices than multiple Unifi devices is hard for me to understand, especially when you have mulitple devices at one site and have vlans connected between them. And no, I don't have any Unifi (or Ubiquiti switches, but I do have several Unifi APs).
The RB5009 is a nice router (I have one and a hEX S RB760iGS). The RB5000 is much better than the hEX. But ROS is more like the C or even Assembler language compared to something like BASIC or Python (which is more like Unifi).
Re: Which switch?
Devices have been added over time for various reasons. Now is the time I wish to refine the setup.If you want uniformity, why do you keep adding new devices?
"Why" is an excellent question for which I have a mediocre answer -- several reasons:
1) I have been focusing for a while now on learning ROS and know it better than Unifi (which isn't saying much);
2) This site is connected to many other sites and it would be nice to have uniformity of equiptment across sites;
3) Managing different environments is hard;
4) Hoping to reduce the complexity a little bit -- at the site there is a hEX doing nothing but wireguard and DHCP and these functions would be handled by a new RB5009;
5) I am in the process of changing over all the sites (slowly, one by one), to implementing VLANs and having to deal with Ubiquiti's VLAN managing at this site would be hard.
I would have thought that Unifi would have been a good fit for you, it is definitely easier to manage multiple Unifi devices than multiple ROS devices. Unifi is not be as flexible as ROS, but I haven't heard what features you need that Unifi doesn't support.
Saying ROS is better than X without saying what your measurement criteria are is pretty meaningless. It's like saying a sports car is better than a pickup truck. That may be true for James Bond, but probably not for a rancher.
It seems that vlans are important to you, but why you think they are easier to manage across multiple different ROS devices than multiple Unifi devices is hard for me to understand, especially when you have mulitple devices at one site and have vlans connected between them. And no, I don't have any Unifi (or Ubiquiti switches, but I do have several Unifi APs).
The RB5009 is a nice router (I have one and a hEX S RB760iGS). The RB5000 is much better than the hEX. But ROS is more like the C or even Assembler language compared to something like BASIC or Python (which is more like Unifi).
Unifi was a good fit at the time. It might still be a good fit except for the reasons outlined above. The biggest reason is interconnectedness with other sites and uniformity (and the increased ease of management that comes with uniformity).
VLANs are important to me like a table saw is important to someone who has used a circular saw for years. The circular saw always got the job done just fine, but took longer and does not produce the same quality results and is much harder to make certain types of cuts.
I could go on living without implementing VLANs, but all you good people here keep raving about them -- I want to be one of the cool kids also!
I like your analogy that ROS compared to Unifi is like Assembler compared to BASIC. Even though I am still a baby ROS user, I have learned a tremendous amount, put it to actual good use, and feel good about it.
Re: Which switch?
Yes, there are countless options, and it can be very confusing.
In order to sort it out, think about it logically:
1) Yes, one RB5009 would be a good fit as a router. First problem solved (we still need to determine if we would get the "normal" version of it or the PoE one).
2) Do You see your internet getting faster than 2,5Gbps on a medium window frame? If "yes", then maybe get something else instead of the RB5009. If "no", keep the RB5009.
2) Switches:
a) You want RoS. So, we can cut out all of the CSS ones from the list.
b) Any Mikrotik switch will do VLANs. I get it's important to you, but not an important criteria.
c) Do You see (most of) your intranet getting faster than 1Gbps in less than... let's say 5 years? If yes, then we need to look only at the switches models that can do 2,5 Gbps and above on all ports.
d) Do You see an use case for SOME of the intranet ports getting faster than 1Gbps in (again) less than 5 years? If Yes, we need to determine how many of those ports would be needed, and adjust the search criteria accordingly.
e) Now we know how many of each type of port we want. Time to scourge the model list.
In order to sort it out, think about it logically:
1) Yes, one RB5009 would be a good fit as a router. First problem solved (we still need to determine if we would get the "normal" version of it or the PoE one).
2) Do You see your internet getting faster than 2,5Gbps on a medium window frame? If "yes", then maybe get something else instead of the RB5009. If "no", keep the RB5009.
2) Switches:
a) You want RoS. So, we can cut out all of the CSS ones from the list.
b) Any Mikrotik switch will do VLANs. I get it's important to you, but not an important criteria.
c) Do You see (most of) your intranet getting faster than 1Gbps in less than... let's say 5 years? If yes, then we need to look only at the switches models that can do 2,5 Gbps and above on all ports.
d) Do You see an use case for SOME of the intranet ports getting faster than 1Gbps in (again) less than 5 years? If Yes, we need to determine how many of those ports would be needed, and adjust the search criteria accordingly.
e) Now we know how many of each type of port we want. Time to scourge the model list.
Re: Which switch?
1) I wish I could get 2.5Gbps! I don't see faster than 1Gbps for years to come.Yes, there are countless options, and it can be very confusing.
In order to sort it out, think about it logically:
1) Yes, one RB5009 would be a good fit as a router. First problem solved (we still need to determine if we would get the "normal" version of it or the PoE one).
2) Do You see your internet getting faster than 2,5Gbps on a medium window frame? If "yes", then maybe get something else instead of the RB5009. If "no", keep the RB5009.
2) Switches:
a) You want RoS. So, we can cut out all of the CSS ones from the list.
b) Any Mikrotik switch will do VLANs. I get it's important to you, but not an important criteria.
c) Do You see (most of) your intranet getting faster than 1Gbps in less than... let's say 5 years? If yes, then we need to look only at the switches models that can do 2,5 Gbps and above on all ports.
d) Do You see an use case for SOME of the intranet ports getting faster than 1Gbps in (again) less than 5 years? If Yes, we need to determine how many of those ports would be needed, and adjust the search criteria accordingly.
e) Now we know how many of each type of port we want. Time to scourge the model list.
2) No CSS.
3) I'm not sure how to determine if my intranet will be faster than 1Gbps. I doubt it, but here are the details: About 12 video cameras feeding a local Blue Iris server. Often several wifi connections used (simultaneously) for streaming entertainment (TV). Often multiple users surfing the Internet. The rest are IoT-type devices, but there are many and could add up in terms of frames-and-bytes/second. So (in my limited opinion), I don't see any one device or user requiring more than 1Gbps, there might a server or 2 that would benefit from 2.5.
I really appreciate this, but I don't know where to go with this info and how to address all the other features and variables that differ between switches.
Re: Which switch?
1) Well, but do You see it happening? Because if You do, the RB5009 can't provide this - as it has only one SFP+ port. Yes, yes, "router on a stick". I try to avoid this. If You are ok with this limitation, then the RB5009 is enough.
1) I wish I could get 2.5Gbps! I don't see faster than 1Gbps for years to come.
2) No CSS.
3) I'm not sure how to determine if my intranet will be faster than 1Gbps. I doubt it, but here are the details: About 12 video cameras feeding a local Blue Iris server. Often several wifi connections used (simultaneously) for streaming entertainment (TV). Often multiple users surfing the Internet. The rest are IoT-type devices, but there are many and could add up in terms of frames-and-bytes/second. So (in my limited opinion), I don't see any one device or user requiring more than 1Gbps, there might a server or 2 that would benefit from 2.5.
I really appreciate this, but I don't know where to go with this info and how to address all the other features and variables that differ between switches.
3) You choose your intranet speed. For context: one Netflix streaming, at 4K and 30fps, uses about 40 Mbps. Say 80Mbps, and we don't have to worry about its bursty nature. That would be about 1,5Gbps on the server port and (if You have) the switch trunk port. Everything else (video wise) would be less than 100Mbps. And this only if Your cameras are 4k, 30fps AND using h265. h264 would be double. FullHD would be 1/4. Just do the math and we will know. The reason, again, has to do with the available ports.
Here we have all the Mikrotik switches, with all of its features. But FIRST You have to decide WHAT You want to do. Everything else comes later.
https://mikrotik.com/products/group/switches
Re: Which switch?
I do not foresee Internet speeds over 1Gbps available to me anytime in the near future.1) Well, but do You see it happening? Because if You do, the RB5009 can't provide this - as it has only one SFP+ port. Yes, yes, "router on a stick". I try to avoid this. If You are ok with this limitation, then the RB5009 is enough.
1) I wish I could get 2.5Gbps! I don't see faster than 1Gbps for years to come.
2) No CSS.
3) I'm not sure how to determine if my intranet will be faster than 1Gbps. I doubt it, but here are the details: About 12 video cameras feeding a local Blue Iris server. Often several wifi connections used (simultaneously) for streaming entertainment (TV). Often multiple users surfing the Internet. The rest are IoT-type devices, but there are many and could add up in terms of frames-and-bytes/second. So (in my limited opinion), I don't see any one device or user requiring more than 1Gbps, there might a server or 2 that would benefit from 2.5.
I really appreciate this, but I don't know where to go with this info and how to address all the other features and variables that differ between switches.
3) You choose your intranet speed. For context: one Netflix streaming, at 4K and 30fps, uses about 40 Mbps. Say 80Mbps, and we don't have to worry about its bursty nature. That would be about 1,5Gbps on the server port and (if You have) the switch trunk port. Everything else (video wise) would be less than 100Mbps. And this only if Your cameras are 4k, 30fps AND using h265. h264 would be double. FullHD would be 1/4. Just do the math and we will know. The reason, again, has to do with the available ports.
Here we have all the Mikrotik switches, with all of its features. But FIRST You have to decide WHAT You want to do. Everything else comes later.
https://mikrotik.com/products/group/switches
I can see the list of switches available. I don't know how to evaluate all the different options (besides the number of 1gbps vs. 2.5 gbps ports).
Re: Which switch?
Very well. So we already settled on the RB5009 for routing.
Your intranet: will You need/want more than 1Gbps over the next 5 years? Are You willing to pay the price today, in order to future proof the switch? Do You need PoE on the switch?
Your intranet: will You need/want more than 1Gbps over the next 5 years? Are You willing to pay the price today, in order to future proof the switch? Do You need PoE on the switch?
Re: Which switch?
I don't feel the need to buy technology now that is future proof out 5 years. So, no, I think 1Gbps will be okay.Very well. So we already settled on the RB5009 for routing.
Your intranet: will You need/want more than 1Gbps over the next 5 years? Are You willing to pay the price today, in order to future proof the switch? Do You need PoE on the switch?
POE out is an open question. The switch will indeed be connected to lots of POE devices: APs, Cube, etc. Right now I have a mess of injectors. Would be nice to get rid of them.
Re: Which switch?
How about this one then?I don't feel the need to buy technology now that is future proof out 5 years. So, no, I think 1Gbps will be okay.
POE out is an open question. The switch will indeed be connected to lots of POE devices: APs, Cube, etc. Right now I have a mess of injectors. Would be nice to get rid of them.
https://mikrotik.com/product/crs328_24p_4s_rm
24 gigabit ports
4 SFP+
PoE in all ethernet ports.
Runs RoS
Re: Which switch?
If You don't mind the injectors, there is this one really cheaper:I don't feel the need to buy technology now that is future proof out 5 years. So, no, I think 1Gbps will be okay.
POE out is an open question. The switch will indeed be connected to lots of POE devices: APs, Cube, etc. Right now I have a mess of injectors. Would be nice to get rid of them.
https://mikrotik.com/product/CRS326-24G-2SplusRM
24 gigabit ethernet ports
2 SFP+
No PoE
Runs RoS
Re: Which switch?
Looking at competitors, the only one that comes close to the 328 is this one in terms of price and features..
Personally, If you prefer RoS, then MT is the way to go. If not using RoS, then at the price prefer the latter.
https://www.zyxelguard.com/XGS1930-28HP.asp
Personally, If you prefer RoS, then MT is the way to go. If not using RoS, then at the price prefer the latter.
https://www.zyxelguard.com/XGS1930-28HP.asp
Re: Which switch?
Leaving price aside, how does the 328 compare with the Zyxel XGS1930-28HP with respect to features and reliability?
Re: Which switch?
You can read specifications as well as anyone else, depends on your requirements etc.
For me since I love, setting up vlans on mikrotik products via RoS, its the one I would go with.
If you want a plugNplay setup, then I would go with the zyxel ( but only because of that killer sale price )
For me since I love, setting up vlans on mikrotik products via RoS, its the one I would go with.
If you want a plugNplay setup, then I would go with the zyxel ( but only because of that killer sale price )
Re: Which switch?
Reading and comprehending are different.You can read specifications as well as anyone else, depends on your requirements etc.
For me since I love, setting up vlans on mikrotik products via RoS, its the one I would go with.
If you want a plugNplay setup, then I would go with the zyxel ( but only because of that killer sale price )
And you know I don’t want plug-n-play, despite not being a vlan-lover.
Re: Which switch?
I'm trying to figure out if the 328 or the 320 would be a better solution for my needs.
I don't need the extra ports (24 vs 16, plus 4 SFP+ on each) of the 328.
But, I also don't need the POE++ of the 8 ports on the 320.
And the price is close.
Any reason to choose 1 over the other?
I don't need the extra ports (24 vs 16, plus 4 SFP+ on each) of the 328.
But, I also don't need the POE++ of the 8 ports on the 320.
And the price is close.
Any reason to choose 1 over the other?
Re: Which switch?
If nothing else helps, ask your personal numerologistAny reason to choose 1 over the other?
List of features of used switch chips is more or less the same, so it really is the dilemma between 8 extra ports and 8 PoE++ ports.
Re: Which switch?
My local numerologist said she ran the numbers and I should buy a CRS328.If nothing else helps, ask your personal numerologistAny reason to choose 1 over the other?
List of features of used switch chips is more or less the same, so it really is the dilemma between 8 extra ports and 8 PoE++ ports.
Then she told me that the fee for her services is exactly 1 CRS328.
Other than the 8-extra-ports vs. 8-POE++ is there any difference?