Mikrotik RouterBoard and Ubiquiti Networks Routing and Switching Solutions

Tue Aug 12 00:45:57 UTC 2014

Should we say, both products are an acquired taste ?

:)

Are they perfect, no, but then what is ?
Do they do the Job, yes.
Do they work well ? yes.
Do they do everything under the sun ? No... but then what does ?
Each has it's own set of peculiarities.

However, what actually sets them apart from everything else is, their power consumption, Environmental Tolerance, performance and flexibility.

While they are not Consumer Grade devices, and definitely need a fair amount of Network/Routing/Tech knowledge to configure and deploy properly,  some will argue that they are not Carrier Grade Either..

However they are a great 'tool' in a service provider's network.
When used properly, and configured properly, they provide a un-comparable advantage vs most other alternatives in the market place.

To use them, and deploy them widely, one has to feel comfortable is dealing with 'perceived opensource' products and deal with "you cannot have an immediate fix for your problem ".

Once you get comfortable in understanding the nature of the hardware / software platform along with the choices available, it is hard to justify purpose built appliances which carry a hefty price tag ( which is typically justified / justifiable by the amount of hand-holding / support / and dumbed down configuration interface included with them).

We consider these devices to be a good combination of open-source software with reliable, mass produced hardware, without a large price tag..

Regards 

Faisal Imtiaz
Snappy Internet & Telecom
7266 SW 48 Street
Miami, FL 33155
Tel: 305 663 5518 x 232

Help-desk: (305)663-5518 Option 2 or Email: Support at Snappytelecom.net 

----- Original Message -----
> From: "Colton Conor" <colton.conor at gmail.com>
> To: "NANOG" <nanog at nanog.org>
> Sent: Monday, August 11, 2014 8:22:05 PM
> Subject: Mikrotik RouterBoard and Ubiquiti Networks Routing and Switching Solutions
> 
> I am interested to hear opinions on Mikrotik and Ubiquiti Networks routing
> and switching products. I know both hardware providers are widely deployed
> in WISP networks, but I am less interested in their wireless solutions and
> more in their wired products.
> 
> I know most of their switches and routers are software based, but that
> might not necessarily be a bad thing since everyone is going to SDN
> anyways. Their products are 1/10th or less of the cost of
> the equivalent Cisco/Juniper products.
> 
> How stable and feature rich are both of their platforms? How do both of
> their command line interfaces compare to Cisco or Juniper? Is it easy to
> train a Cisco tech how to use a Mikrotik or Ubiquiti Networks product?
> 
> 
> *Ubiquiti Networks software is based on a version of Vyatta I believe. As
> many of you know Vyatta was bought by Brocade. I have heard that Vyatta is
> very Juniper OS like. *Ubiquiti just release a line of switches that have
> an amazing price and seem to support wire speed switching. Their EdgeRouter
> is supposedly faster than Mikrotiks solutions. They are also traded on the
> stock market, and seem to be doing well as a company.
> http://www.ubnt.com/products/
> 
> Mikrotik also seems to make routers and switches. I am not sure what their
> software is based on, but it does support advanced features such as MPLS.
> Not sure about their switches, but they seem to be dirt cheap! What is
> their command line interface like? I couldn't find any financial
> information on this company, but they seem to be located in Latvia?
> http://routerboard.com/
> 
> Does anyone have any meaningful insight to both companies? Why haven't they
> made a dent in the switching and router market with their amazing price
> points? Am I missing something here?
> 