I'm looking through Mikrotik's current product line-up and I can't see a single product, wired or wireless, that I could say "that's a killer product". Somehow it seems no matter which product I pick I'll be trading one set of features and limitations for another.
In my head I know exactly what I want: an hAP ax2 with a USB port, separate PoE in and out ports, and a shell that resembles a box rather than a Coca-Cola bottle. If I want the USB port instead I have to buy the hAP ax3, which is ginourmous (mostly hollow BTW), more expensive and more power-hungry. Maybe I could go with an Ethernet router + AP set-up, perhaps the hEX S? Sure, except it has a weaker CPU and no ARM architecture means no containers despite having a USB port.
I think it's silly to use a curvy shell with angled faces that then requires a strap-on base just so it can sit stably on a flat surface... Mikrotik offers many devices that use the old industrial look, but they don't satisfy my other requirements.
Want PoE on all ports? Get the hEX PoE, but you have a weaker CPU, and still no containers. Want separate PoE in and out ports? Neither the ax2 nor the ax3 can do this. No matter how I look at this, I'm going to need either a PoE switch or injectors.
OK, I thought, maybe they have something in store in their more industrial-looking range, perhaps the L009UiGS-2HaxD-IN (BTW small criticism here, but my product names like this are harder to remember than most of my passwords). A nice feature of this product is that it has the ports on the front, which IMO lends itself to more flexible mounting options. The L009UiGS-2HaxD-IN at first sight looks like it might fit the bill, until you realise it only has 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and not even a single PoE-out port.
OK, I thought again, maybe the RB5009UG+S+IN might be a little cheaper since it has no wireless interface. Turns out it cots double. I guess it's stronger in other areas. If you want PoE then it'd be the RB5009UPr+S+IN, which costs even more.
Besides, it would be nice if Mikrotik products had a consistent look and feel across the board, particularly for the consumer-oriented products. Believe it or not, people subconsciously appreciate that. For example, the hAP ax2 and the hAP ax3 don't speak the same design language.
In short, I see missed many opportunities. I still cannot make up my mind. I will probably just grab a hAP ax3 and live with its size and look.
In my head I know exactly what I want: an hAP ax2 with a USB port, separate PoE in and out ports, and a shell that resembles a box rather than a Coca-Cola bottle. If I want the USB port instead I have to buy the hAP ax3, which is ginourmous (mostly hollow BTW), more expensive and more power-hungry. Maybe I could go with an Ethernet router + AP set-up, perhaps the hEX S? Sure, except it has a weaker CPU and no ARM architecture means no containers despite having a USB port.
I think it's silly to use a curvy shell with angled faces that then requires a strap-on base just so it can sit stably on a flat surface... Mikrotik offers many devices that use the old industrial look, but they don't satisfy my other requirements.
Want PoE on all ports? Get the hEX PoE, but you have a weaker CPU, and still no containers. Want separate PoE in and out ports? Neither the ax2 nor the ax3 can do this. No matter how I look at this, I'm going to need either a PoE switch or injectors.
OK, I thought, maybe they have something in store in their more industrial-looking range, perhaps the L009UiGS-2HaxD-IN (BTW small criticism here, but my product names like this are harder to remember than most of my passwords). A nice feature of this product is that it has the ports on the front, which IMO lends itself to more flexible mounting options. The L009UiGS-2HaxD-IN at first sight looks like it might fit the bill, until you realise it only has 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and not even a single PoE-out port.
OK, I thought again, maybe the RB5009UG+S+IN might be a little cheaper since it has no wireless interface. Turns out it cots double. I guess it's stronger in other areas. If you want PoE then it'd be the RB5009UPr+S+IN, which costs even more.
Besides, it would be nice if Mikrotik products had a consistent look and feel across the board, particularly for the consumer-oriented products. Believe it or not, people subconsciously appreciate that. For example, the hAP ax2 and the hAP ax3 don't speak the same design language.
In short, I see missed many opportunities. I still cannot make up my mind. I will probably just grab a hAP ax3 and live with its size and look.
Statistics: Posted by Scoox — Tue Mar 19, 2024 2:11 pm