MikroTik Routers and Switches Reviews

I like the routing features.

If the client wants bigger capacity, there may be some issues. That is, there may be issues with scalability.

There's a general complaint of slowness, but it could be a bandwidth issue.

I would like to see the addition of Wi-Fi features in the next release.

I've been using it for about a year.

It's deployed both on the cloud and on-premises.

It is a very stable solution.

It is scalable.

They have really good customer service and technical support. On a scale from one to ten, I would rate them at ten.

Positive

In comparison to other solutions, MikroTik is easy to install. It's a small unit as compared to that of Cisco. Also, the Cisco router is complex.

The initial setup is quite easy, and it took two days to deploy it.

It's reasonably priced. It's not the most cheap solution, but also, it's not the most expensive one.

I would highly recommend MikroTik Routers and Switches and would rate it at ten on a scale from one to ten.

I have worked more with the MikroTik Routers, as opposed to their switching products.

We use this solution to route traffic in our network. For example, if one group is experiencing a slow connection then we can re-route the traffic. This is possible because we have multiple links on our premises.

The most valuable features are the versatility and ease of use.

We make use of a script that will automatically re-route traffic when connections are slow.

The manageability of the web-based UI needs to be improved. I still prefer to use the Winbox application.

It would be great if they included some next-generation features in the future.

I have been using MikroTik Routers and Switches for about three years.

We had some trouble with the latest patch that was released. There were issues with high CPU usage, so we reverted back to the previous version.

This is a scalable solution. We have between 1,000 and 1,500 users.

We do not rely on technical support from the vendor. We do our own research, test situations in our lab, and solve our own problems.

The installation is straightforward.

Our in-house team deployed our routers.

This product is cheaper than competing products by other vendors.

I was not the person who selected and deployed this solution.

We have not had any issues with our MikroTik routers and I would definitely recommend them.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

We use this solution for high-speed wireless connections.

The most valuable feature is the ease of use.

I have been using this solution for approximately four years.

I have found this solution to be stable.

MikroTik Routers and Switches are scalable.

There needs to be better support for this solution in India. We have no local support.

I have previously used Cisco Cloud Service Routers, such as the L2 and L3.

The installation is very easy.

I did the implementation of the solution myself.

There is a one-time license fee for the use of this solution and it is less expensive than Cisco products.

I recommend this solution to others.

I rate MikroTik Routers and Switches a seven out of ten.

We primarily use our MikroTik devices as layer three routers.

The best part about MikroTik Routers is the price.

The biggest thing that needs improvement is the support. There are lots of bugs but you can find workarounds for these. However, without support for professional use, you don't know when it fails and why it fails. You have to troubleshoot on your own.

I have been using MikroTik Routers for two or three years.

The stability is poor because it's dropping packets. As you control it through the GUI, the device is starting to drop packets, so it is not stable.

The scalability is hard for me to judge at this point.

Technical support is bad overall. However, when I contacted them last, the answer to that question was straightforward. It was a little bit confusing because they were talking about CPU queues versus hardware queues, and my English is not perfect, but I did get a straightforward answer after the second email.

If you read the manual and the documentation carefully, and also research the Wiki support sites, the setup can be quite straightforward.

The length of time for deployment depends on the type of scenario and what you want to do.

To have a working solution it can take weeks. You have to test all of the limits because if you don't know your limits then you don't know your product area. For example, can a device be placed when serving a 1G internet? Knowing the limits and testing the limits is a time-consuming activity. It can take one to two weeks depending on what you are testing.

The implementation can be done without the help of a consultant. You can do it on your own.

The technical features in MikroTik are not mentionable because it is a low-cost solution. There is no service, support, or proper training. We are using them because our competitors are using them, and we have to stay competitive.

The only real value of MikroTik is the price and I would not recommend this solution for any other reason. If you can get another device from a bigger company at a similar price then I would do that because the support is going to be better. Proper support is important.

I would rate this solution a five out of ten.

We primarily use the solution for high performance, low-cost routers and for low-cost wifi environments where we need specific configurations.

The cost and versatility are the solution's most valuable features. You can do anything with them if you know how to. The solution has a whole portfolio of routing features available.

You don't need to buy special licenses for the solution. You have everything there. The configuration capabilities are good too. They're very flexible. 

The solution doesn't fit every need. There are lots of things you cannot do. There is no management and there is no controller in wireless. It's not a real whole network. You have to work them into other solutions. Mikrotik is mostly a standalone solution and you have to manage how it relates to other solutions, unlike Cisco, which is something that you can easily put into an ecosystem.

They could improve their product if they set, for instance, a controller for wireless LAN.
That would allow them to really have something more than an access point.

The solution isn't really scalable. Each machine has a purpose, and while you can swap it out for a bigger one, you have to create a new design. They're stand-alone products. There is not a flow of products that brings you to the next step easily.

I haven't reached out to technical support myself, however, my colleagues have, and my understanding is they were able to resolve the issues. They were satisfied with the level of support they received. However, it was a process to get in touch with them, share the problem, and work together to solve it.

The initial setup is complex. Users will need to do a bit of research before implementing the product. You must prepare and understand how to set each parameter. You couldn't use Mikrotik if you're not certified or have a deep knowledge of the solution.

We use a few different solutions. We are installing big networks with Aruba and use Extreme Networks as well. Which solution we ultimately use depends on the project itself.

We buy from wholesalers, but we don't have a special selling agreement with anyone.

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten when it fits. It's useless if it doesn't fit. If it fits, I don't think there's a better product when you are looking at price-performance. Overall, I'd rate them nine out of ten. Any requirement would be fulfilled from Aruba or from Cisco, but not necessarily from Mikrotik, which is why I don't give them a perfect score.

I configure and implement WiFi internet and wide area networks using MikroTik Routers and Switches. I also use it for connectivity with end-users and for implementing a firewall and routing protocols.

The switches Mikrotik have a good optimization with MSTP, they can interconnect with other brands equipment such as switches Huawei and Cisco. They can easily configure with the app Winbox, creating bridges, and attached ports to differents bridges, working like a differents virtuals switchs. Electing the spanning tree protocol mode into the bridge configuration such as STP,  RSTP and MSTP.

I think they have very strong routers because they have multiple processors. I like its easy configuration with applications. For example, configuration with Linux, Iptables, and routing protocols.

Technical support could be better. They don't have good support like Cisco. It can also be more stable and scalable.

I have used MikroTik Routers and Switches within the past 12 months. I have vast experience with this solution. I have implemented it in other enterprises and also worked with my partners that have enterprises.

The stability of their switches is very poor. It doesn't have a good score with Spanning Tree Protocol, and it's very difficult to implement.

Scalability is very hard to implement because when I connect through the links, the network doesn't go back.

Technical support could be better. MikroTik Routers and Switches don't have technical support in the cloud.

We use MikroTik Routers, but for switches, we use Cisco or Huawei. Clients prefer Cisco, Huawei, and McAfee, depending on their budget. MikroTik's equipment is very cheap.

It's easy to implement, but it's very hard to fix it when we have trouble. Depending on the project, it usually takes four days to implement this solution.

I implemented this solution in universities, banks, and commercial centers. We have two or three people in charge of deployment and maintenance. 

MikroTik's equipment is very cheap compared to Cisco and Huawei.

The routers are very good, and they are very cheap. We can buy a lot of these routers for backup.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give MikroTik Routers and Switches a six.

We use MikroTik both in our company and clients. Even extended to our household clients. MikroTik devices offer you similar features you'll normally get from high priced devices like Cisco and HP, however at a fraction of the costs. This works very nicely with us since our clients are mainly small and medium. The device price doesn't dictate whether the client gets a solution.

VLANs, L3 Routing, Load Balancing, HotSpot are amongst some of the features we normally use in many of our deployments.

Costs saving and expansion of our product portfolio as a result of those features offered by mikrotik, but would have to pay for licenses from other providers. Dude also improved network management and service, which our re-skilled team enjoy. Many MikroTik devices can be powered from 12VDC and this is also a cost saving on electricity consumption and allow our deployments in areas where solar solutions are offered, extending our footprint.

The pricing is a great selling point.

We find the VLANs, Load Balancing, HotSpot, Traffic Management the most valuable part of the solution.

We're very happy with what we are getting out of the solution in general. The features are good. They're comparable to other brands such as Cisco and HP.

We've had difficulties allocating different hubs with different IPs. At times, some users use it on one range and can access computers on another range. We thought isolation would help, but it hasn't. When you assign IP addresses to ports, people can still access those ports, and that's really frustrating.

The solution doesn't offer very good documentation. When we had questions around isolation and allocating different hubs and IPs, we couldn't find any verifiable answers.

The solution's website isn't that good. When I go to it, I can't find what I'm looking for. However, if I go to a third party's website, I can easily find the information.

We've been using the solution for ten years.

Very stable, not major failures reported at this stage.

It's a very scalable solution. It's not really an issue if companies need to scale. However, the issue of port isolation and the difficulties we have might ultimately affect scaling as we have to maintain security and right now we're struggling with that. When you scale, you compromise security. It's a double-edged sword.

We have about 15 users on the particular solution currently. However, these are solutions that will be deployed across different clients.

I have never contacted technical support directly. I have gone to their support website, which, I feel, doesn't have enough information or documentation. If you compare it to Cisco, Cisco has got more support online; you don't even have to call them.

Much as MicroTik is cheaper than Cisco, and you can see a difference in support quality. Cisco does offer a lot of support on their website. When you go to Cisco, you get answers to all types of issues. With MicroTik, I need to go look at private third-party websites. That's why I feel their technical support is a disappointment.

You can try calling or writing emails, however, you don't get responses. In the end, you have to fiddle around and try things yourself. This is not sustainable. A client will eventually not mind so much if they need to pay a bit more to get proper service.

We've previously used Cisco, which was much more expensive.

The initial setup is straightforward. Deployment typically takes about one hour if it's just a basic initial layer that needs to be implemented.

In-house, it was more of a trial and error but finally got it. We still and constantly improving our know how but we will get there.

The costs of hardware reduces the ROI dramatically. Same way the Costs of Ownership does.

The pricing of the solution is quite reasonable.

What we do is we buy Level Four devices, so we don't have to buy license supported versions.

We came across MikroTik and immediately fell in love with it

We use the solution and we provide services to clients as well. It's much cheaper than when we used Cisco and other devices. We're a reseller and solutions provider.

I do advise people to use the solution, because of the price and features. The more you learn is the more you realize how valuable MikroTik devices are.

One thing I would mention to others is that MikroTik is on Linux, but there's nothing like WinBox for Linux, or what you might call a Linux box. You need to do something that looks like WinBox, because if you're using Ubuntu, you will need to use WinBox and there isn't one for Linux. Not everybody uses Windows and many people, especially technical people, are moving away from Windows. 

The solution is a good product and it has improved since the first time we used it. It's just support that is really lacking.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. I'd rate it higher if technical support was better.

We use this product to route traffic with dynamic routing protocols like BGP. We also use it for filtering traffic and making network translations to provide access to services that are behind it. In this regard, it acts as a firewall.

It hosts a lot of B2B sessions with our internal and external peers.

MikroTik provides us a quick way to give access to internal services from outside of our network, and a way to manage those services.

This solution offers features that make it convenient for debugging.

Traffic classification is a very convenient feature.

The flexible IP firewall and IP network address translation make it very easy to give access to internal services. 

I would like to see a cluster feature added, where multiple devices can be configured and managed as one. One is in a standby state while the other is active, and if one fails then the other takes over.

The stability can be improved.

We have been using a MikroTik router for seven or eight years.

This solution is not very stable. I would rate stability at seven out of ten.

The scalability is good and we have 50 or 60 users, in addition to perhaps five technical staff who can connect devices and configure them.

Technical support responds very quickly. However, we very often catch bugs that they are not aware of, which is bad. MikroTik should be finding these bugs itself.

We are happy with the communication from technical support, but they should improve with respect to testing and releasing updates.

The initial setup is very straightforward and easy. It will take several hours to set up and have it work properly.

The implementation was done by my team.

There is no licensing fee in addition to the hardware, but we do pay an annual fee for support.

I would recommend this solution for those who don't need a very stable solution. You will not have zero-downtime provided by MikroTik. Also, if you need clustered routers then this solution will not work. However, if you are willing to update several times a month with several minutes of downtime while upgrading and rebooting, then it will be fine.

The biggest lesson that I have learned from using this solution is to write the network plan out before implementing changes. Then, go only by the steps of the plan, and do not deviate.

Overall, it is a very good solution with a lot of features.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.