First post here...trying to get a grasp on if this stuff is as great as it sems to be. thanks for your help/guidance/insight anyone who replies:
it's not just a wireless AP? this is...exciting!
I'm considering buying one for my home, if so.
I've heard there is a "steep learning curve" to RouterOS, so I may have to rely on my fellow members here for some help...but I just want to clarify with the dual core ARM processor and all that RAM, all I have to do is bridge my ISP's CPE and follow a setup on the cAP and I've got great wifi? (I'd need a PoE injector as well...)
Or should I combine it with a hEX PoE switch for future expansion and wired connectivity as well?

I'm just trying to config a system for a "typical" suburban NAmerican home of 1000+ sqft with 100+Mbps internet

If you will never need 1Gbps internet speeds the new hex coming out is a great device, to handle your ISP connection and then connect to the capax. I would also look at the new wapAX just released as an alternative. This gives you additional ports on the hex for other needs, and the possibility of using any wifi not just mt wifi.

If you will never need 1Gbps internet speeds the new hex coming out is a great device, to handle your ISP connection and then connect to the capax. I would also look at the new wapAX just released as an alternative. This gives you additional ports on the hex for other needs, and the possibility of using any wifi not just mt wifi.

thanks for replying!
my question is, can I bridge the CPE gateway device from teksavvy and use the cAP as the main router with RouterOS?
It's not a large home, has few occupants/devices and package speeds of 120Mbps/10Mbps....it seems too good to be true in my head, so I'm really asking if I'm missing a key point somehow.

Obama said...
Yes You Can.

All MT devices can be used ( efficiently or not) as router.
Even mAP Lite with only 1 ether port.

Well you implied you may need more ports????? capac is supposed to be a ceiling/wall mount and although it has a second port it may be difficult to setup.
The new wapAX may be more conducive to a non wall..ceiling install....a but still only two ports and thus you could feed a switch........ if you do need a few more ports then a hex may make sense.

... and although it has a second port it may be difficult to setup.

Now now, you're disappointing me here quite a bit.

What's difficult about this ?
You need a WAN interface and you need LAN ports. Both can be ... anything. Wired, wireless, sfp, whatever.
What does it matter if there are only 2 ports or 48 ?
I have a shop with a customer using a simple mAP (yes, MAP, the 2 port Fast Ethernet thing) as router.
Only 50Mbps internet, so no need for more. It does wireguard, it does IPSEC to Azure, it does EOIP to a central router 100km further ... in a thing about the size of 2 matchboxes.

So, what's the issue ?

Obama said...
Yes You Can.

All MT devices can be used ( efficiently or not) as router.
Even mAP Lite with only 1 ether port.

I think it was Yes WE can, but I'll take it: A cAP device can be an all-in-one solution. Perfect, thank you.
Now, if I may dig a bit deeper into your response, what were you alluding to with the "efficiently" part of your answer?

I'm just trying to balance requirements/capabilities/budget for a basic home user: emails and calls and some streaming. no IoT devices, no NAS...think retiree/pensioner, empty nester, or a single professional who spends little to no time at home, but needs solid internet when they are. with everything being mobile these days, if a case can't be made that something ISN'T (or shouldn't be) wireless, then why trouble yourself with incorporating it from the start? cAP ax seems just the right solution, at a very affordable price.

The "efficiently" depends on the Mikrotik device involved, the mentioned map lite is barely capable of routing 100 Mbps (but it is a 3.5 W device) a Cap AX is rather capable and should top at around 1 Gbps (but it is 11 W).

Even if you can, it doesn't mean you should, an hap Ax2 is a more "flexible" device than the Cap Ax (besides the added costs for cabling in the ceiling, if you need to physically reset it or check the RJ45 connection or replace it you need a ladder) with roughly the same performance, for some 30 $ less.

The good thing with the Cap Ax is that it won't be easily moved/thrown around (but the combo power supply + gigabit poe injector is anyway "vulnerable").
The bad thing is that it produces some heat, and the ceiling around it is likely to become stained (not unlike what happens to walls over radiators).

For a slower internet connection (max around 0.5 Gbps) I would rather think at the (new, just came out) WapAX:
https://mikrotik.com/product/wap_ax

The information keeps getting better! Awesome, thank you all!
cAP ax topping out "around 1Gbps" as a standalone router in a small home with limited client devices and 120Mbps package speed doesn't seem like it's a drawback...
but I agree, the hAP ax2 is a much more comparable direct replacement to what ISPs provide (at least in my part of the world) with both ethernet as well as wireless connectivity.

And now that I've looked at it, that new wAP seems to be the way to go for multi-AP setups...indoors, outdoors, AX3000...AXcelsior

Good point jaclaz, didnt notice before the routing speed at 25 filter rules just over 1gig. thanks!!!