Hi guys,

I wanted to drop in a say a big "Thank you" to Mikrotik for making such a wonderful product. I have been in the computer industry for little over 12 years. Mostly worked with Cisco but also have seen Nortel / Juniper and SOHO networking gear like Billion and Draytek. In that time, I have come to love Cisco because it allowed network admins total control over their network, up to the little details, and it would work flawlessly. But Cisco is expensive. Some customers simply cannot afford 3500 dollars for a switch, and then pay extra for licenses and what have you. Moved to Draytek , Billion and other routers but they just didn't have the processing power or the capabilities that Cisco had. Then came OpenWRT / DD-WRT and Tomato firmware, and although they allow more functionality , the firmware has proven to be too unreliable for use in critical business situations ( this is a personal opinion, not a flame ). I then heard of Mikrotik through some forums in Australia.

At first I wasn't sure about getting hardware from Latvia. I had doubts, but they were ungrounded. I didn't buy a Mikrotik router and instead tried to work with Draytek routers, which work fine, for basic stuff. Then I realized I got packet loss ... and I decided to take the plunge : I'd buy a Mikrotik and see what it could do. If it didn't work I'd simply ebay it away. I got the RB450G, I did want one of the better models with lots of memory and gigabit ports so that I could compare it to similar products like the Draytek 2820 and the Billion 7404VNOX series.

Got the RB450G a week ago. I put the casing together and plugged it into the network. I was surprised it didn't get a DHCP ip address like a draytek / billion would have gotten. Instead it just stood there waiting to be served. This was going to be a puzzle, and I love puzzles. I read, and read a bit more, and found out that you can configure it with a tool called "winbox". I downloaded Winbox ( the download link on the RB450G page is broken btw , I had to get it through the front page ) and clicked the "..." and it magically found the RB450G !! What a pleasant surprise : Something that simply works. It used broadcasts and you don't even need an IP address to manage it, what an invention. It came with v3.26 ( I think ) and level4 license. After a very simple upgrade process, I had a v4.6 router with level5 license.

I then proceeded by clicking through the menu's. WOW ! You can actually configure interface queues ! PER INTERFACE ! This was going to be a long night. This thing can do anything a cisco can , and it's got the processing power of a beast. All these wonderful settings that I have missed in Draytek and Billion , and they're all here to tweak. Multiple queues, prerouting, postrouting I was in heaven. I can't believe I never heard about Mikrotik, after all I have been in the networking business for over 10 years. Perhaps I was just obsessed with Cisco , or afraid to try something new, because it "might not work as well". I'm glad I got out of my box and got a Mikrotik, because these things just rock. I have built a transparent QOS bridge that works flawlessly. Since I have disabled QOS on the Draytek 2820 and used the Mikrotik QOS, my packet loss has gone from 2.9% average ( unacceptably high, I know ) to 0.0% - 0.1% ! It is so nice to see that some companies still make decent quality stuff. So many products nowadays are trash and I'm ashamed to realize that I get surprised when I see something that works as advertised.

So hereby , as a compliment to the guys over at Mikrotik, I wish to thank you for surprising me in a positive way !

almost same as above keep up the good work MK Team!!!You guys have made life eaisier!!!

Since I have disabled QOS on the Draytek 2820 and used the Mikrotik QOS, my packet loss has gone from 2.9% average ( unacceptably high, I know ) to 0.0% - 0.1% ! It is so nice to see that some companies still make decent quality stuff. So many products nowadays are trash and I'm ashamed to realize that I get surprised when I see something that works as advertised.

Can you post yout QOS rules?

Great post. It's good to hear people focussing on the positive for a change

I've been slowly transitioning my WISP network to all MT gear for a while now. My life would have been much simpler had I started out that way from the get-go. Live & learn... Just want to echo the sentiment - the platform rocks! My primary "core" router that actually runs my infrastructure has always been MT, but I had a bunch of Proxim Mesh APs out there, which has been a painful lesson in 'more expensive isn't alway better". Already switched to MT routerboards in over half of my locations and I couldn't be happier (well actually I could, if the other half was already there as well). So yes, Thank You for a great product & keep up the good work.

Dear Mikrotik

we all live on their innovation.l have setup a network with 200 hundred nodes and at an average of 100000 usd. Big companies around still wonder how l could achieve such a network without out a bank loan and the network being solid.
The secret is Mikrotik.They laught at it when they saw computer as ap in those days.The can't compete with us now because we provide low prices ,highest performance and best uptime.
Am naming my first child Mikrotik.
Thanks for giving us lively hood.
Good work

Very inspiring! Thanks you guys!

poxx,
Such is the story of many who have slammed the door on those who believe 'no-one ever got fired buying Sysco [sic]'. Duhhhh....If now isnt the time to consider alternatives, and with MT, an alternative that not only works better, but allows you to buy an order of magnitude more equipment to have to work with and deploy, the world will pass by those not in the know!
It will always amaze me that even the best of us in the business of operating reliable networks still, to this day, 'stumble' onto Mikrotik. It is not easy for a jaded network operator to acquiesce and realize that there is something else out there that is not only best-in-class, and, if you actually have the time--have fun again with your equipment again!
Since you are new to MT, get ready to learn what I call the 'Mikrotik Paradigm'. You obviously already on the path since you gave examples of what you have done. Very soon, when you fully realize the potential, you will wonder what that other manufacturer put in their boxes to put the spell on, and instill fear, uncertainty, and doubt [the infamous FUD] into 'networkers'. Have no doubt that not only does it work, it is infinitely more capable in the hands of competent individuals. Visit this forum, and you will see the full gamut of expertise. You will undoubtably discern that the paradigm has a few requirements of which one is paramount--if you know how your network works, you will find an MT solution for any application in your networking environment. If you are still learning, be glad you have a tool that will take you to your limits.....

Always glad to hear from another adopter. BTW, since MT is not only hardware, but the epitome of software integration as well, dont ignore The Dude when you have monitoring and NMS requirements.

Welcome to the forum, and get ready to really start networking!