MikroTik Cloud Router Switch Reviews

I mostly work with network equipment now, focusing mainly on routers.

I work with FortiGates and MikroTik routers. When referring to FortiGate routers, I mean the firewalls, but not the enterprise-grade, usually those low to medium.

I work with FortiGates approximately 50% of the time. Since we are a service provider company, we usually work with what the client wants and can afford, not what we prefer most.

I encounter MikroTik Cloud Router Switches and perform configuration on different levels.

I'm mostly an integrator for MikroTik Cloud Router Switches, making configurations for my clients. Configuration, maintenance, and installation are the main tasks.

Since our clients are usually medium to small and have MikroTik Cloud Router Switches, they handle traffic efficiently. I was using the CRS 328, which is middle-grade for MikroTik, perhaps slightly above middle-grade but not top gear.

The main reason why MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is usually chosen is its raw performance to price ratio. In comparison to UniFi switches, MikroTik Cloud Router Switch can mirror all ports for traffic inspection for further traffic analysis, which UniFi cannot do.

VLANs in MikroTik Cloud Router Switch are always useful. The way MikroTik implements VLAN-aware switching at the bridge level is hidden in the configuration. Making CRS work as a simple VLAN-aware switch requires deeper configuration, which is not intuitive.

VLANs support individual interfaces not part of the bridge, allowing for double VLANing. You can create a VLAN interface in the interfaces context and also create a bridge interface, add physical ports, create VLANs for that bridge interface, and assign tagged and untagged ports and VLANs.

Load balancing is one of the key components. The feature itself is quite efficient and works reliably on MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. The very basic setup is one of my favorites because they have their protocol where I can connect through the MAC address right on Layer 2, and I don't lose connectivity to the switch if I mess up with bridging or IP addressing.

It can be difficult to identify key functions for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. I experience functionality limitations, particularly when trying to find specific features.

It would be beneficial to have geographically predefined lists going from a MikroTik cloud appliance. This simple feature, which FortiGate and UniFi routers have, would be very helpful, particularly from the routing and firewalling perspective rather than the switching side.

I have been using this solution for two to three years.

For switch stability, MikroTik Cloud Router Switch, priced at 400 euros and up, rates around eight to nine out of ten. I haven't encountered many instances of them dropping or dying without reason, and having double PSUs eliminates power outages unless the entire city loses power.

I would rate scalability for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch around eight out of ten. We usually operate on-prem, and comparing it to UniFi, which is our second most popular switch with clients, we have an on-prem UniFi console where we can adopt and connect each switch for our clients. We could attempt something via The Dude, but it still involves more manual labor compared to using a UniFi console.

I cannot provide a rating for technical support from MikroTik as I haven't needed to contact them yet.

The initial setup for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is quite simple. Basic setup involves putting in an IP address, a password, and setting up a DHCP server or other basic configurations. The basic setup is one of my favorites because they have their protocol where I can connect through the MAC address right on Layer 2, and I don't lose connectivity to the switch if I mess up with bridging or IP addressing.

The main competitor for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch in the market is UniFi. The solution that works better depends on the setup. UniFi excels in simplicity for scaling deployment; connecting the UniFi device physically to an existing network allows it to adopt and make minor changes if the configuration is good. However, MikroTik Cloud Router Switch offers better customization options.

I can estimate that MikroTik Cloud Router Switch can handle up to 10 gigabits, though I haven't encountered those traffic levels yet.

In one instance, clients needed to improve their security and hired a third-party company that needed all traffic mirrored from the core switch to their analytics. UniFi didn't have this capability, so we had to change and implement MikroTik Cloud Router Switch as a core router solution.

Both solutions have their advantages and disadvantages; simplicity versus complexity and adaptability are representative of their own cases, which is why we use different types of switches for different clients.

Some features are very hidden and located in unexpected places. For instance, the configuration to make the bridge a VLAN-aware switch required extensive research for what seemed an elementary function and differed from standard setups.

I rate this solution 9 out of 10.

The use cases for my clients with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch are mainly DIA, Direct Internet Access.

As an integrator, the best advantage of the product is its cost.

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch stands out for its features, especially those available at that price point.

I don't get involved too much in the setup of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch, so I appreciate the ease of setup. There are no specific features we use it for; its cost-effectiveness for internet access is what matters.

One useful feature we utilize is Ethernet over IP.

The positive impact of the solution on our company and clients is that it provides an attractive price point. It allows us to deliver cost-compliant solutions to our clients. Since we work in the public sector, cost is a very important attribute, and that's where it fits in our portfolio.

It is difficult to assess the disadvantages or areas for improvement in the product since we only use it with relatively simple use cases. Advanced security and SD-WAN could be improved.

Aspects such as zero trust, security, and management interface could be improved, which would be useful.

Regarding the management interface, we could improve security features such as zero trust and SASE type functionality. More advanced security features could be beneficial.

I have been dealing with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch for two years.

I haven't heard about any glitches or latency problems with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. The feedback has been good where we've deployed them. They do their job, run efficiently, and I haven't heard of any problems with them. They seem stable. Hardware and software seem stable, making it a positive experience.

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is easy to scale. It is difficult to provide more detail as we use the small, low-end boxes, so it's more focused on volumes.

Technical support information for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is limited. Since it's low-end, we tend to support it in-house with spares. The main consideration with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is probably partners, partner channels, and distribution, which are somewhat limited. We've had support calls with them, which may be Romanian-based, and support has been acceptable but could be improved with more UK-centric support.

Neutral

I have dealt with similar solutions to MikroTik Cloud Router Switch, such as Comtrend, but not really at that price point. We've dealt with products such as DrayTek and Zyxel, which are low-end products, but we don't tend to use them. We then go up to higher-end products such as Juniper and FortiNet, but those are at very different price points.

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is quick and easy to deploy.

There is noticeable ROI with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. It is quick to deploy, so engineering time is reduced. There's a strong return on investment due to the price point.

I work with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch, but we don't use the switches yet.

We don't use MikroTik Cloud Router Switch for traffic mirroring or load balancing as we have other devices for that. It has an attractive price point, and we use it for internet access. We know it has more capability, but we don't utilize that capability at the moment.

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is the most appealing solution in terms of pricing.

At that price point, MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is good, but when considering purely technical aspects, we look at Juniper and FortiNet, which are also competitive.

I currently work with Juniper, FortiNet, and mainly those products.

On a scale of 1-10, I rate MikroTik Cloud Router Switch an 8.

We are using MikroTik Cloud Router Switch as we are the Lankacom distributor in Sri Lanka, so we are using these routers for our customer-premise equipment and most of the time our infrastructure as well.

We are using it for our own infrastructure.

The traffic monitoring capabilities are excellent.

The load balancing features have proven to be very effective based on our experience.

The basic firewall features in MikroTik Cloud Router Switch are sufficient for many users, making it a viable alternative to purchasing more expensive solutions such as FortiGate or Palo Alto.

Adding more features from a security perspective would make the solution much better.

While some customers use MikroTik Cloud Router Switch as a firewall, it's not at an industry-level, though the basic features are adequate for many users who prefer it over purchasing other reputed firewall solutions.

Our company has been doing business with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch since around 2010 or 2012.

When we compare with Cisco, we are much more familiar with configuring MikroTik Cloud Router Switch.

It is an open-source solution with no licenses, and due to its flexibility, we find it more comfortable to use.

The implementation is handled by a different team.

While I have a basic understanding of these aspects, I work in presales.

The technical department is separate and handles deployments both at customer premises and in our own infrastructure.

I am familiar with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch.

Based on requirements, we integrate these switches or routers with Azure or AWS, but we primarily use these switches for our LAN infrastructure rather than specifically for cloud integrations.

Currently, I am not working with that feature.

On a scale of 1-10, I rate MikroTik Cloud Router Switch an 8 out of 10.

We use MikroTik Cloud Router Switch as an endpoint for our internet customers. All our business customers, as we are an NSP, receive a MikroTik Cloud Router Switch as our endpoint, and they connect their firewalls to this router. The customer internet router would be the most important application where we use MikroTik Cloud Router Switch.

The best feature of the MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is its competitive price. We use RouterOS, their operating system.

In terms of security options and network monitoring tools contributing to maintaining our network integrity and performance, we use the MikroTik RouterOS included with the MikroTik Cloud Router Switch.

Regarding security and visibility in monitoring, it is very good, the GUI is very intuitive, and it has many more features than those from major vendors. The monitoring and debugging features are really good.

Regarding improvements in the MikroTik Cloud Router Switch, I am not sure as it is a good product. The performance could potentially be improved, but for this market segment, it is a good product.

There are no specific features that I would want to see included as this router has all the functionality I need.

I have been working with the MikroTik Cloud Router Switch for approximately 5 years.

Most of the time, the MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is stable. If I were to rate the stability on a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is the best, I would give it a 5.

We have had instances where if the customer requests bigger bandwidth, we change the hardware to the next level router. This is accomplished by changing the hardware rather than upscaling licenses.

I am uncertain about the scalability options of the MikroTik Cloud Router Switch in terms of expanding the network infrastructure as the company grows.

There is a forum for technical support of the MikroTik Cloud Router Switch, but it has been a long time since I have used it as there have not been many questions to address.

Positive

The initial setup is straightforward as we have been working with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch for about 15 years. The first time when you open a router, you might not have an idea of what is what, so it may be a bit complicated, but when you become familiar with it, it is straightforward.

I recommend taking a learning course to understand how to use the router. Overall, I would rate the MikroTik Cloud Router Switch as an eight out of ten.

Neutral

I am using it, and I recommend it to my customers in the financial sector.

The router power is the most valuable aspect.

I have not tried AppSec. Everything, I do on my own with Sage or something similar. I do not rely on technical support.

I have used the solution for a couple of years, like two or three years.

The solution is scalable.

I have been using Cisco for some time.

I handled the implementation myself.

The Python solution pricing is on the lower side.

Simplifying the documentation would be a good idea. 

Overall rating: seven out of ten.

We use it for diverse purposes, including the amalgamation of bandwidth, acting as a gateway, and serving as firewalls.

A valuable aspect is its user-friendly configuration, making it accessible even for individuals with basic technical knowledge. It is straightforward, requiring minimal expertise in network legality for effective management.

In medium to large sectors, there's a necessity for managing aspects like proxy firewalls. Additionally, the introduction of an Enterprise Management System is crucial. This system should encompass features such as antivirus protection and intelligence, which are essential components integrated into this platform.

I have been working with it for approximately eight years.

Periodically, there are issues such as bandwidth choking and certain proxy malfunctions. These challenges are not encountered with Cisco, which is recognized for its high stability as a network router. MikroTik, on the other hand, is generally stable but not as consistently reliable, hovering around the 80 to 90 percent stability range.

Thirty users within our company actively use it.

We often reach out to the team for technical support and software solutions, and their assistance is highly beneficial. The organization is remarkably helpful, consistently providing effective solutions.

The initial setup is straightforward.

It comes at an affordable price, which is advantageous. I consider it to be a cost-effective solution.

Overall, I would rate it eight out of ten.

It's suitable for office environments and service environments, like ISPs.

I like that it's quite flexible and addresses different issues. It's quite easy to use, and the pricing is great. We find them to be very capable switches.

On MikroTik, possibly on some of the recent models, there have been a lot of issues with the latest router software. There have been some bugs. Maybe a centralized control system could come in useful.

I have been using this solution for five to six years. We work with the latest version.

For stability, I'd rate MikroTik quite solid, especially with the older versions like VirtAO 6. With the newer Windows 7, which we want to use, there are still a few things they need to handle, so I'd give it a nine out of ten.

Scalability is also quite good. Maybe it would be even better with a centralized management platform.

We use MikroTik for small offices to large ones. There's no restriction on the number of users. We do have plans to increase the further usage.

The setup is quite straightforward. Whether it's for routine switching or backups, it's easy.

It takes about 30 minutes. It's quite straightforward.

For deployment, we design it first, maybe model or test it with our team, like an emulator. Then we build a plan and proceed with deployment. It's quite straightforward, no complications.

I have two recruiters, their job roles can be engineers, technicians, or developers.

The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great.

I would rate the pricing model a nine out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is most expensive. It's the most affordable product. 

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. 

My configuration is limited to setting the IP address, which is similar to normal LAN configuration.

The best aspect is that it remains affordable. That is the strong point, and there are many guides available.

The area for improvement is security. MikroTik is mostly used by medium and small businesses, so the security is not as robust as Cisco.

I have been using MikroTik for one to two years.

I have encountered stability issues.

I have faced scalability issues.

I have not utilized customer service yet.

The initial setup was quite easy.

The implementation team consisted of two people.

The total cost is standard, and I can understand the expense, which is in the millions or billions.

There are no alternate solutions so far.

I must ensure my goals are clear for the implementation, as not all security access is available with MikroTik. Security is a concern. 

Overall, I rate the product a seven out of ten.

I use the solution in my company, and we prefer it for security reasons, especially because MikroTik, obviously, offers better security than other routers.

In most cases, MikroTik is pre-programmed, so you don't have to spend much time trying to program or reroute something.

The product might have room for improvement. I am satisfied with the product till now.

The RAM capacity offered by the product needs to be increased, as it is one area where the tool currently has some shortcomings.

I have two years of experience with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. I run a business where I need to follow up with the end users of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch.

It is a stable solution. Things are working very well with the tool.

It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

I think the scalability part is worth something, and it is valuable because in the future, if you want to accommodate your assets already know that, then you already know that you won't have to struggle since the tool already has room for the addition of any type of assets.

Only three people in my company use the product.

On my side, I use the product twice a week for a few cases.

I rate the technical support a ten out of ten.

Positive

My company has dealt with Cisco partly, apart from MikroTik.

Security-wise, MikroTik is worthier than Cisco. Even if it is a small router as long as it is from MikroTik, you won't have to deal with breaches, so you won't complain about it. There was one company that was outsourcing their services and using Microtech, and it was the same organization that introduced me to MikroTik.

I rate the product's initial setup phase a nine on a scale of one to ten, where one means it is a difficult process and ten means it is an easy process.

The solution can be deployed in a few days.

Our company's in-house team members managed the product's deployment phase unless my company ran short of something where we had to outsource the implementation part.

I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it.

When it comes to the integration capabilities of the product, I wouldn't go deep into the area of network management because it is managed by someone else in my company.

The tool has impacted our company's network costs and productivity in a perfect manner and percentage-wise, I can say it is 120 percent.

My company did not face any challenges with the product, and maybe it is because my company's business is small in nature.

I recommend the product to others who plan to use it. As long as the product is able to satisfy my needs, I would recommend it to others.

I rate the overall tool a nine out of ten.