I DREAMED of this Switch for YEARS MikroTik CRS310-8G+2S-IN Review

[@JeffGeerling]

After years, it seems 2.5 GbE will finally hit its stride. Some predicted it would be 1 GbE to 10, but pricing for consumer level stuff never really came down to earth yet for 10 GbE. Hope Mikrotik updates everything to 2.5 Gbps baseline!

[@level80888]

with Wifi7 reaches 46gbit and Wifi6E around 9gbit 2.5gbe looks pointless. 10gbe home network is next step.

[@JeffGeerling]

@@level80888 Well... 99% of consumer WiFi 6E routers will never be pumping through even a gigabit (for various reasons), and 2.5G seems to be what most 6E and 7 vendors are settling on for this generation. Only in the enterprise realm are there models with 10G built in, and those are fairly insane in pricing. It'll be another 5-10 years, I think, before 10G could really take off for consumers. Prices still need to come down!

[@DozIT]

Up here in Canada, our major ISPs have started providing ONTs and AIO Modems with 10Gbe ports. In Ottawa, Bell is offering 8Gbps home internet for $200/mo. Though at the switching level, 10Gbe is just too expensive for the home, happy to see ISPs considering the future, so that home users can 'ride the wave' up to 10Gb!

[@JeffGeerling]

@@DozIT I wish American ISPs were so forward-thinking. 1 Gbps is still a pipe dream for most, and 5 GbE is barely achievable in a select few areas. At least some places are laying fiber now.

[@DozIT]

@@JeffGeerling My experience is based in Ottawa, Canada. From what I hear, there are still chunks of rural Canada on DSL and dial-up (with Starlink making up for it). They started fibre to the home in my city around 10 years ago, which has been amazingly reliable (and fast).

[@abavariannormiepleb9470]

A tip for quieting the switch down without having to change the default fan: There is a fan speed control under System > Health. By default it completely stops the fan to 0 %. Increase the minimum fan speed percentage from 0 % to 15 %. It’s still very quiet at that speed but the switch won’t warm up as much as with the default 0 % which then periodically ramps up the fan to pretty loud levels.

[@gmas]

I've also replaced the fan with a Noctua and connected it via the low noise adapter. This makes it bearable with an SFP+ to RJ45 transceiver that idles at 74C and basically keeps the fan at full speed non-stop.

[@homersimpson6074]

I have also replaced the default fan with a Noctua one (NF-A4x20 PWM). That makes sitting next to it bearable. One key to the fan speed is if, you use RJ45-to-SFP+ modules. These get hot quickly and trigger the fan to ramp up. If possible try to use DAC cables or optical SFP+ modules. They don't get so hot >> less fan noise.

[@Wahinies]

Nice call. Unoptimized fan curves have been the bane of my existence for a minute.

[@chuckevans2792]

Thanks!

[@wojciechb1602]

Since I am planning to put one of these in my bedroom - will it be safe if I just, unplug the fan? If possible I would mount it on the wall, (un)plugged fan pointing ceiling (no rack).

[@charles2000wang]

As a hobbyist electrical engineer I can tell you that the unpopulated components on the PCB is almost certainly for PoE in a future product.

[@arudanel5542]

Good catch, I was thinking all those round marks looked like spots for caps. Was curious why, that makes total sense. Also that barrel jack being rated for so much juice would make more sense that way too.

[@marcogenovesi8570]

Yeah Mikrotik always does this, they make a single board design and then "rush out" the product without PoE, then a little bit later they start offering PoE too

[@Ojref1]

It better be POE+ spec too. This fails the trifecta for 2.5GB, POE+ and SPF+ to make it useful as a WIFI/Camera switch.

[@DavidCNavas]

I was about to ask exactly this question. Nice.

[@markbooth3066]

That's exactly what I was going to suggest.

[@jimpanse6556]

10" networking cabinets are kind of a thing in privat homes here in Europe. The mentioned optional mounting solution isn't only to double mount, it's also for 10" racks. So that is a perfectly sized product for that market.

[@majstealth]

fucking 42U 800x1000mm - get gud but i see a 10" 4-6U more realisticaly in a non-it household

[@gentlemanbirdlake]

yes want to see more 10” but also please double the density of ports fit in 1u half rack.

[@meatbyproducts]

Love this company. Not Chinese and good value. Thank you Latvia for awesome switches.

[@crazyidiot5309]

VERY much!! I love my MikroTik equipment. Also some of the best constructed equipment I know of.

[@satokotsu]

it’s european??? i thought this was taiwanese for a while

[@meatbyproducts]

@rokiesato yeah, it blows people's mind all the time. I love thier gear and no one sees Latvia coming as country of origin. Spread it around and let people know about this company.

[@aliancemd]

@@satokotsu Mikrotik is from an European country that has to comply with EU electrical/hardware safety and privacy regulations

[@Gowan08]

I Just bought two of these on ebay for 400 bucks total. I am impressed, and these things are as good as you think they are. Also extremely quiet without a ton of load. I could see someone wanting to change out the fan to a noctua if it was running at full load, but nearly silent in my usecase (not really slamming it).

[@hateWinVista]

Instant click on anything 2.5GbE.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Totally agree. I hope there are more soon!

I have been using it for a few weeks now. I first changed the fan to a quieter one, and it has been running fine, not getting hot, with 1x10Gbps fibers and fully 8x2.5Gbps loaded.

[@bronxbrown1986]

Had this switch in my home now for a month. Been running great with zero complaints.

[@BattousaiHBr]

regarding routing performance, this device can in fact do L3 offloading. their own test results are done on the CPU, it's questionable why they don't provide L3 offload results. we use these switches with L3 offloading in production and they work great (although early releases were wonky, but it's ironed out now). just make sure to check limitations, don't expect to hold 1m routes in the ASIC...

[@floodo1]

thx that’s a huge factor

[@andersahrsjo7507]

Out of band serial port probably availible on the USB port like the RB5009 switch. Use two Usb to serial adapters head to head to your pc to connect. Or get Mikrotik Wireless out of band management USB stick (Woobm-USB) is a useful assistant for any network administrator. Simply plug it into any RouterBOARD USB port and it will allow you to access the console of that device over wireless. It sets up as a wireless access point and has a simple web interface where you can access a fully featured terminal interface to configure your router, and where you can configure the Woobm itself.

[@jaycahow4667]

Discontinued

[@ntgm20]

Interesting find. I just purchased and am using a MokerLink 2G08110GSM, a smart managed switch with 8 2.5GbE and one 10Gb SFP+ port. Not the smoothest interface for management but it works, for how long though is unknown. It is on Amazon in the $140 range right now.

[@EagleSightLabs]

I have some initial thoughts after watching your review. 1. I agree where the F is the console management port? 2. I'm not a fan of barrel jack power adapters. I'd prefer to use a standard power cable. 3. I'm also not a fan of the power being in the front. As a fan of rack mounting network equipment this screams bad cable management. 4. I'd love that it has 2.5G ethernet but I'd like to see them all on the same row to make the switch wider. Bonus points if it could be long enough to be rack mountable. Sometimes you only need 8 ports and still want to be able mount it in a rack. 5. I'm with you where's the POE? 6. Since there's no POE and low power why not make it fanless? Overall, love that MicroTik released this and like Jeff Geerling said I hope they are pushing for 2.5G ethernet to be more standard and a baseline for all their products. This is definitely a step in the right direction.

[@ffsireallydontcare]

Mikrotik *used* to be the inexpensive option, but they're doing exactly what Ubiquiti has done and they're moving further into the mid-range territory. Their CRS312-4C+8XG-RM switch launched at $900 in my region, now it's over 30% more expensive at $1250. Is that temporary chip shortage pricing and it will come down again, or are we stuck with nVIDIA "new normal" RTX pricing "because they can"? They might just be leaving room for the cheap Chinese manufacturers to muscle into their market segment while not being suitable for the market segment they're trying to move into.... Edit: readability correction

[@shaunerickson2858]

I bought one of these and it worked great in RouterOS. I discovered, however, that the two SFP+ ports were 100% non-functional, when the switch was booted into SwOS. They worked perfectly in RouterOS, but were dead in SwOS. I opened a support ticket with Mikrotik, and they sent me a link to SwOS version 2.17rc2 (I had been running 2.16), specifically for this switch, to upgrade it to, and that got them working. Keep this in mind if you have this issue.

[@roopey]

Hi there. Same problem here. Could you share that link maybe?

[@nathanpoole2308]

Patrick, I think you nailed this review. And I agree on the PoE and heatsink for the next model. I also agree on a lockable power cord, and I would add a rocker power switch. I would rather see the power on the back of the device though. I can't count the times I accidently yanked a power cord while people were working. And I've had clients mix up power plug-in when unplugging several devices when the Internet goes out.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Thanks! I think that is why at least having the retention hook to prevent that is important.

[@shadowkora]

First time I see a review on anything that I already got hahah I hope they release more switches in this form-factor, would be nice to get a 6-8 port SFP+ one to go next to this one. It could also use PoE, I hope they release an updated version of this one later down the line.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Totally agreed. Talked about all of that in Key Lessons Learned including showing a PoE option. This switch randomly showed up without warning just as I was heading to Taiwan to film that last QCT liquid cooling video and before the studio was packed in September. The move to the new bigger studio slowed us down quite a bit.

[@etimacias]

​It seems it's their first go in this market - and given the history - I'm certain they will come up with the whole line-up :) Also it's a very feature-rich switch with L3 HW offload! Did you have a chance to test the 2.5Gbps PoE on this D-Link? I heard a lot of rumors about 2.5G PoE being very problematic.

[@shadowkora]

Perks of replying before watching the full video 😂 Was testing some stuff yesterday, the fan at full throttle is *very* loud, so I might replace it with a Noctua one. Also the LED control on this device doesn't support (and won't as confirmed by Mikrotik support) turning off interface LEDs, minor inconvenience for some, bigger for some others (like me, as I have the server rack in my room and the lights are a little annoying at night)

[@concinnus]

The unpopulated pads on the board look to be for a PoE version.

[@be-kind00]

Bought this 2 weeks ago. The fan noise seems to go away after a couple of minutes. I wonder if fully loaded with 2 DACS or SPF+ (not RJ45 transciever) if it will stay quiet and not need the fan repalcement?@@ServeTheHomeVideo

[@maths8971]

Thanks for the video it looks like a great value I'm glad we now have options to go past 1gbe and also having the two sfp+ ports make it useful long term! Now I must learn how to configure mikrotik's devices ahah

[@ehsnils]

For the switch to be really interesting I'd like it to have four SFP+ ports. It doesn't seem like it makes much of a difference, but it actually do. That and the existence of PoE+ makes the CRS112 very useful at my workplace where we have an extensive optical fiber net.

[@shanent5793]

I agree, can't build a four post mesh without using some of the client ports

[@Lem0nbleach]

The only thing that this switch bothers me is the power cord at the front of the machine. If they can move that to the back of the switch then this thing is goat; PoE would be nice too. And I WISH that they can make a new rack mount accessory that can mount two RB5009 and one of this on one level, that will make it absolutely the best combo.

[@sin3r6y98]

The thing this switch has that almost none of the others have is wire speed L3 routing. Add Poe to that and it’s basically perfect.

[@39zack]

So it has l3 hardware offloading inter-vlan routing?

[@TheCreat]

This might be a weird take, but I'm glad it has a fan. I have the CRS328-24P-4S, which is their 24 port 1gig and 2x SFP+ port for 200-ish bucks (these days). It doesn't have a fan. Even running a SINGLE copper based 10G SFP+ module in the summer in it will heat it to the point where that module goes into thermal protection and the link dies. I had to add a small fan myself to just get some airflow over the SFP+ cages, which is barely running but enough. Thankfully, even that switch has a fan-shaped cutout at the back (cause MikroTik is nice to us like that). So with anything SFP+ the fan isn't just about the actual switch, but the modules that can be quite power/heat intensive. My 4 port MikroTik SFP+ (that cute little thing that has only those ports) does OK with a single SFP+ since there are perforations directly above (and I just have a single copper 10G SFP+ in there), but even that gets kinda toasty and I'll throw a fan on that too once it lives in the thermally worse location it's destined for.

[@marcogenovesi8570]

The copper SFP+ modules heat A LOT, and that's one of the reasons 10gbit copper is dead in the water. If you use fiber or SFP+ cable there is no overheating issue

[@level80888]

@@marcogenovesi8570copper is just fine. Its SPF+ to copper transsivers overheat.

[@marcogenovesi8570]

@@level80888 10gbit cards that have rj45 connectors for copper cable heat more than cards with SPF+ too. More power is needed for 10gbit copper than 10gbit optic or short range SPF+ cables

[@TheCreat]

@@marcogenovesi8570 I'm aware copper 10g gets hot, but that wasn't the point. Someone might want to use a copper 10g module in these, and without a fan you basically can't unless you modify it (by adding a fan). I personally prefer DAC or fiber (for longer runs) of course, but I happen to have a copper line where I need a connection, so I'm not spending 2 weekends to somehow get fiber there, too. @level80888 No, non-SFP+ 10G "modules" or cards or chips get just as hot, they just need 2-3W of power. It has nothing to do with the form factor, it's just unsuited for cooling it well without external help since it's compact and has no fins. If you're using a 10g copper switch with multiple active ports, check power usage. It's the same. Cause it's literally the same chip just in a different housing and probably with a proper heatsink.

[@marcogenovesi8570]

@@TheCreat I'm telling you why they took that shortcut, because it's not that common. Other switches also have similar issues if you use too many SFP+ copper modules even with the fans will have issues.

[@Bob-en1lv]

I actually pulled the trigger on this switch two days ago (pro tip you can get it cheaper from the EU), and that TP Link was my original first choice. But, that TP Link has also had a lot of reports of failure for the first two versions, hence why there's so many hardware versions of the sand switch, and the cost is considerably more.

[@tinkerman5220]

A management port, and a blower fan would make this a clear winner. The air flow path is also sub-par. It probably comes in the vents and goes straight back to the fan missing most of the board components. A couple good channels directing the air over the heatsinks would help tremendously.

[@Enonymouse_]

Now Mikrotik, Give me a Poe++ version of this exact switch.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Agreed

[@beyondearth6418]

We need a new RB6009 router series with 2.5Gbps ports - i'd buy that immediately.

[@eduardodelvalle2071]

The CRS family is dual boot capable. Try booting it using SwOS that is the less heavy more switch oriented software that allows management. Thanks for the review.

[@JBNetwork]

The name on Mikrotiks tell you his features: Cloud Router Switch - You can Use Router OS or Switch OS (dual boot) 310 -- 3 -- 300 Series -- 10 - 10 Wired Connection No wifi --- 8G+ == 8 Gigabit plus (multigigabit) ports 2S+ - 2 SFP+ Ports IN = Indoor case, also there is RM rack Mound and OUT for outdoor uses.. Same on example RB3011-UiAS-RM 3000 Series 0 - Zero Wireless 11 - Wired connections U- USB i- PoE Out on one Port usually the last one A- AP Licence (level 4) S- SFP port RM- RackMount

[@ochristi]

My bet is on a PoE version of this. Notice the 8x on the board silk screen, from their nomenclature it's 8G for regular ports and 8P for PoE ports. With those missing populated components. Sprinkle some inductors, caps, transistors and a beefier power connector on to the board.

[@level80888]

yeah, and double the price. No, thank you.

[@AttilaSVK]

If you know Mikrotik's naming scheme, and look at the silkscreen on the PCB, it's clear that this switch was designed to get a PoE version called CRS310-8P+2S+IN, that's why it says CRS310-8x+2S+ on the PCB.

[@TheRealXyzven]

Hey Patrick, it Mik-rotik, not Micro-tik, those crazy Lithuanians (no seriously, they are crazy ingenious from my experience). Love this channel lots!

[@ryanmalone2681]

I have no idea why people are saying 10G never came down in price to homelab or prosumer level. There are a ton of options for many different manufacturers, even for 25G, so why are people saying this???

[@tanithrosenbaum]

The amount of unpopulated footprints for large capacitors on that board makes me think that POE+ might actually be in store for that very board, because what else would you need large amounts of large capacitors for in a switch other than power delivery :)

[@hollisross3561]

The way that you broke down HW bases features vs SW was great!

[@DrivingWithJake]

We have a little 2x10G and 8x1G in our office for a few years now sadly haven't used it yet. Might have to get our guys to setup it for a few basic things it's great to see some of these little switches. We mostly run all enterprise 40/100g switches as it's in a data center.

[@DeputatKaktus]

This looks like a neat device. The power connector though….that is one goofy design choice if I ever saw one. The lack of a console port and missing management port though…this is alarmingly close to being a deal breaker for me. Having either one would really have been nice.

[@marcogenovesi8570]

On Mikrotiks you can plug a Prolific chipset usb serial in the USB port and it will automatically configure console over that (so you plug usb to serial in the USB on the switch, then serial cable, then serial to usb for your PC). It was used originally with the "Woobm-USB" dongle they sell. This works only inside RouterOS so it's ok for normal configuration but you can't do recovery or other advanced stuff where you need actual serial for bootloader access

[@Darkk6969]

@@marcogenovesi8570 Which is the whole point of having a dedicated management port on the switch for ease of management and recovery. It's not a deal breaker for me but it's one of the features I look for in a switch.

[@marcogenovesi8570]

@@Darkk6969 as I said management and configuration works with the dongle so for 99% of the job you can get by if you have to. For "recovery" I mean actual recovery, so ROuterOS does not boot or something like that. Imho on a serious managed switch the lack of serial console is offensive and very close to be a deal breaker. Having to use the same USB port "method" that I use for their modems is kind of meh

[@timschonherr7674]

Yea the missing dedicated console port and especially the powercord. position is a dealbreaker for me.

[@Nexxxeh]

I love your energy in your videos, and this switch looks great entry into the 2.5Gb market. I love a good managed switch, not least because they're a huge help in diagnostics.

[@naizondj]

Would be nice to see how you edit? How you take photos of the restaurant dish.. ect! Love your content!

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Best case is I do not edit and Alex does because he is better at it. I just do a final run through

[@naizondj]

@@ServeTheHomeVideo ???

[@jimsubtle886]

I wish this was tested with a bench power supply instead of whatever is going on inside that provided wall wart brick. Or, even better let us see that data comparison of the difference between the wall wart and a calibrated bench power supply. Maybe next review? plz Thank you so much for all of these amazing videos !!!

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

That one is pretty close to the Extech TrueRMS power unit we used. (~0.1-0.4W from 1-200W) We actually buy like two dozen of these, test them, and then only use the one(s) that are close. For the low-cost series, we started using them since it is closer to what people will see that do not have power meters that cost hundreds of dollars.

[@jaxxarmstrong]

Havng the power connector on the front is just poor & lazy engineering and most likely due to keep costs down. I highly urge Mikrotik to change that in a rev. 2. Also, having a active fan in a 'desktop' product is just a no-go. Not counting possible additional maintenance it's also adding to the overall ambient noise profile in any SOHO scenario. Like many others I've been waiting for this product-drop, but the fore-mentioned issues are probably going to make me look for competing products, unfortunately.

[@Xamy-]

Yup

[@jondelaire]

Hopefully the packet buffer is a bit deeper. The previous switch was unusable with streaming video like NDI when going from 10g to 1G and vise verse, but more noticing going from 10 to 1.

[@-PORK-CHOP-]

I liked the old days when the ports and power were on the rear of the unit, and the LED were on the front

[@YKSGuy]

Need more 10GBe + 2.5Gbe Managed switches reviewed.. I am thinking one of these and an POE+ one would be a perfect setup for my home servers and WiFi distribution. This one might even be too big for my structured cable cabinet.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

We have a new round-up coming. Trying to get it all done in the new studio, so things are a bit slow right now.

[@gowinfanless]

Perfect Video,MikroTik always made the best！

[@kylegoldston]

Waiting for the RB5009 version.🙂

[@timramich]

I have the same switch, albeit 1 gigabit for the 8 ports instead. Still has 10 gigabit SFP+ ports, and no USB port. I believe it is fanless. It has been rock solid. My main switches are two Brocade ICX-6610 (1 with 24x PoE and 1 with 24x SFP). My servers is connected to them via a DAC @ 40 gigabit. Then I have an OM3 cable running inside to my desk to this Mikrotik switch. One SFP+ port is from the fiber, and one is DACed to my desktop (yes I have an SFP+ NIC in my desktop). The RJ45 ports go to IPMI for my desktop, my HDHomerun, and my nVidia Shield.

[@adriftatlas]

Almost what I'm looking for but not quite. I power my network gear with a 12V Micro UPS and while I could step it up to 19V with a simple adapter it's not exactly efficient. I'd love a 12V passively cooled 8 port 2.5G switch with VLAN support. I currently use a Netgear GS308E it works well but sadly only 1G.

[@CarlE.Mankinen]

To be honest, I can find a USED Cisco switch on ebay that is PoE, has 4 SFP+ ports, etc for half the price and a ton more features, just not 2.5GBE which I don't really need anyway. I use the 3560-CG series for desktop use in my office because the switch is totally silent and fanless. SWEET!

[@Iamdebug]

If I had one of these with MGig and standard gig 12-16 ports maybe 1/3rd 2/3rds WITH POE+ even just on the gig ports I'd buy a a couple of those. I'm having to use other switches to fill that lack currently and I'd rather have Mikrotik for the ease of management.

[@TheJensss]

Make a PoE+ version and you have the "golden" home switch. Also hoping their firmware on their cheaper switches gets better. The CSS610-8P-2S+IN has been working stable, but it has some bugs when configuring. Auto negotiation of speed on the sfp + ports does not work etc.

[@ZiggyTheHamster]

> Auto negotiation of speed on the sfp + ports does not work etc. If you have S+RJ10 transceivers, the first revision has a hardware bug where auto-negotiation doesn't work. Also the switch might be buggy too, but I figured I'd mention the transceiver bug in case that's actually what you're experiencing.

[@Tempo_Gigante]

Just keep it as a separate option, I will NOT buy!

[@mrmotofy]

While the power plug can be an issue. A couple dabs of hotmelt glue can make the plug very difficult to accidently unplug

[@philarmishaw3730]

The fan is to cool the sfp+ to 10gbase-T adapters. If they didn’t there would be lots of problems.

[@brodriguez11000]

Borrow the cooling design from motherboards.

[@robert5]

Best switch I ever had was a linux box configured as a router. Ran a small ISP with it. Customers hated it because I could assign them an IP and then track and graph everything they did. This was back in the day when 3 gig was a lot. Few clicks and I could throttle them or lock them down. Remember so many times doing that and 5 minutes phone start ringing. DUDE I'M OFF LINE WTF? I said so you did not think I would be watching huh? Them huh. Id just sat there not saying anything. Eventually they would start apologizing and talking about it. I just say fine dude your back up in 5 but remember I am watching.

[@etimacias]

The only downside of it is it's loud even with just two 2.5Gbe ports connected - not a bench/quiet office switch :(

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

It is sitting on my desk right now with five 2.5GbE ports connected to mini PCs, one to another 2.5GbE unmanaged switch, a SFP+ to a workstation and a 10Gbase-T to SFP+ adapter and it is nearly silent. If I push all ports it will get loud, but at idle it is not that simple.

[@etimacias]

​@@ServeTheHomeVideo I have two of those and both start spinning the fan even when I only have 10Gb port (SFP+ WDM module) and one or two 2.5Gb ports connected to my PC/NAS/10G switch. I found that a lot depends on ambient airflow and temperature. I had to add a fan in my rack or 12mm blowing directly at the case to keep it at fan speed=0 Also - can you confirm in System->Health that your fan is not spinning?

[@abavariannormiepleb9470]

I just posted a comment about adjusting the integrated fan speed control under System > Health, increase the minimum fan speed from 0 % to 15 %, still quiet but prevents the annoying ramping up of the fan because the heat doesn’t build up in the switch.

[@etimacias]

@@abavariannormiepleb9470 Interesting! Will give it a go!

[@BattousaiHBr]

oh god, i did not know about the randomized password. this is going to be a nightmare in the future when managing customer edge devices.

[@zacharylewis417]

2.5G should be the standard now that more and more consumer motherboards are going towards 2.5G. Would love to see this but with 4x10G SFP+ and the 8x 2.5G RJ45 ports.

[@level80888]

yeah, and most of them have failing Intel chipset with sudden signal interruption. Read forums.

[@KirbyTheKirby]

grabbed one for ~$170 USD here in canada, look for better prices if you have a local distributor

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Nice!

[@christopherjackson2157]

I liked the power cable retention on microtik switches at first But after using it for a while in the lab where i was always rewiring stuff, it got more annoying than anything Still kinda disappointed they did away with it lol

[@JasonsLabVideos]

Freaking wicked video Patrick !! Love this !!

[@ViciousXUSMC]

Just ordered another Dell R210ii to build a 2nd PFSense box. Would love to just see a 12-16 port multi gig switch that uses SFPs for the entire thing for cheap maybe a few RJ45 ethernetports. I am thinking about getting another switch you recommended the Hasivo S1100W-8XGT-SE but the price has gone up and all my servers already run fiber, so hate to get new SFP's to convert them to coper. So kinda looking at the MicroTik CRS309 just see a lot of people saying the SFP runs really hot. I am going to need some multigig stuff to interface new WAN 5gb service and 2.5gb (or higher) Wireless Access Points. So this being 2.5gb is not the right item, but I do like MicroTik stuff and would prefer to some unknown like Hasivo.

[@wyattliu3637]

I always wanted a RJ45 10Gbe alongside the spf+ as many homes are still using cat5e to pass around 10G unofficially. I had a ubiquity switch unmanaged that does that for about 180 dollars😂 but slower ports are Gbe. Wonderful if we have 2.5 x8 sfp+ x2 and RJ45 10G x1 hopefullyx2

[@post-leftluddite]

Exactly...I've got CAT6a in my walls...I'm not going to run fiber, neither is 99.99% of homeowners, and I don't want to buy expensive transceivers....is it me, or do they seem very reluctant to put a 10GBase-T port on these things?

[@otbricki]

When Verizon starts offering 2GB fiber here this is the kind of thing I will be looking at.

[@Rok_Satanas]

The internal sticker is probably there because mikrotik often sells their routers naked as well.

[@talon262]

The custom STH "creator edition" LTT Screwdriver making an appearance ;-)

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Ha! My creator edition is Blue/ Black.I think that is the one I made at LTT Expo this year while Linus was staring over my shoulder while filming Jeff Geerling making his

[@johnadriani7467]

hmm it's logical that you equip the box directly with POE, this technology is mostly used in small networks, the ICS, Mesh, CBRS home cell, surveillance cam and IOT sensors.. you should make sure that it is as possible when putting together the components from the same manufacturer

[@TheUKDude_]

Actually its a Desktop Cloud Router / Switch, but you wouldn't use it as a router due to routing is rather bad, as for the switching overall throughput the CSS326-24G-2S+RM is faster. But if you are wanting the 2.5Gbit ports then yeah this might be better.

[@NormanTheDormantDoormat]

My dream switch would be 10-ish ports all SFP+ compatible to 1/2.5/5/10G so i could mix everything at will. And maybe an additional 2x 10G SFP+ or 1x 25G SFP28 uplinks.

[@melanzystaa]

@ServeTheHome you can also put this switch in smaller 10" racks if you use Mikrotik's P/N RMK-2/10 with it

[@ZeronicMatrix]

I wonder if the extra parts will make this a PoE Switch, which would be sweet.

[@cl4998]

That's usually what mikrotik does, they release a new model, then following that they release a poe version.

[@marcogenovesi8570]

that's what they usually do

[@rfekztjpkrpd4988]

you can configure one port as management port

[@lordcarnorjax8599]

Considering the whole reason why 802.3bz was developed as a standard was to run WAP's there's really no reason why all 2.5GB switches shouldn't have some PoE+ ports.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Well now we have many PCs with 2.5GbE as well so I understand why not all have this given the extra cost to add PoE and bigger power supplies.

[@anthonyrasat6924]

You don't buy Mikrotik for a 2.5Gbps switching, you buy Mikrotik for networking magic it employs. For example, VLAN tagging.

[@denvera1g1]

I assumed 8G+2S meant 8x2.5G, but i was wrong, the 2S apparently means 2x10g Would be nice if it was 2G8+10G2, but thats just me, or maybe a letter code that corresponds with the speeds so like 8T=8x2.5G, and 16B=16x28G, the letters dont need to make sense, but as long as they're easy to reference, never change, and never represent more than 1 speed/feature

[@level80888]

for $250 looks ok for extension of your network to remote room. But biggest omission is lack of POE for at least few ports, AND needs few more SFP+ or rj45 10gbe for devices. Developers truly do not understand the usecase.

[@rougenaxela]

If I was ready to switch to 2.5 GbE, this MikroTik seems like a relatively tempting option. Maybe if I upgrade my NAS and my WiFi AP this would make sense.

[@Andre-jj6xs]

I'd love to see 8x 2.5G + 2x sfp+ in a rb5009 case (with PoE IN, and a full 8x PoE out version)

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

I think it would need a new chip to be cooled in that form factor

[@luisotaviomc]

Only thing I can say about the swtich is the pain in the of a randomized password. It´s just a change password at first use. This only makes it harder to setup equipment.

[@MirkoMancini]

Very interesting channel, thanks. liked && subscribed

[@TheBackyardChemist]

All of those unpopulated footprints look like power supply parts. I am 99% sure there is a POE version being developed that will populate those components and likely add a POE hat. That large hole in the middle looks like a cutout for a large capacitor on the future POE hat.

[@thebigfut]

I love MikroTik, don't get me wrong. I think right now they are going through an identity crisis. Kind of like what UI went through about ten years ago. They have some Pro, some a little less, and then their consumer offerings that don't really fit into either category. I think MT needs to hardset certain items as SOHO/business classes. And then set other products as Consumer, and even have another set that is their Prosumer level so that consumers are not constantly confused by the next release and if it's aimed for where in the product stack.

[@crazyidiot5309]

First not sure the USB port supports mass storage that way (Never has, they use it for external hardware like 4G/5G modems and other USB accessories). Second, reset switch has been just like that switch on every MikroTik product ever made. I've provisioned hundreds and hundreds of these devices, heX/netPower/AC2/AC3/CCRs/RB's and all kinds of equipment. I'm running the CRS112 right now for 10Gbps fiber in my home, and the RB4011 that runs it along with an mANT 15s and several CAPs. MikroTik does some things VERY VERY well but all you're paying for really is RouterOS development. ALSO.... they should have stayed Qualcomm for their CPU's. I feel lucky getting one of the last AL214 products before Amazon. Also, on your PCB review, they really don't GAF about the internals or how they look. These cheap low-IPC ARM SoC's are not doing them any good. Stick something worthy in there, then put hardware offloading for certain things (like they mostly already do except on their MIPS devices; older). Have you ever reviewed a CCR1036 or anything that caliber? All of this is highly common.

[@derHutschi]

thanks for the video, I hadn't had Mikrotik "on my radar" before question: what is the Update/EoL Policy for Mikrotek devices?

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Depends on the model. The CRS line with this switch chip tend to be popular so usually it is quite a long time (but varies).

[@AWPneeson]

GREAT review

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Ha! Thanks. Famous CS AWPer!

[@PoetofHateSpeech]

2.5gb switches still cost heaps here in Australia 😢😢

[@thedryparn1279]

The unpopulated components on the circuit board looks like power management so a PoE version might not be far off.

[@jaycahow4667]

I can always replace the fan but the Power Jack on the front is a killer for me, I hope they move it when the POE version comes out...

[@tomaszkarwik6357]

7:19 seeing all of the cap footprints makes me think that it will be something with poe

I'll wait for the PoE version of this switch for the RB5009 and a couple of hap ax3s that I already have. :)

[@marcoschirrmeister]

According to a german Amazon review the fan in his switch seems to be very loud. Hopefully it is not a general issue. I guess workaround would be to buy a silent fan from another vendor. Lets hope for a passive cooled Rev2 edition. 🙂

[@level80888]

the remedy already published in this thread yesterday. No need to flip the fan.

[@vincentdy7679]

Interesting 👍 Close to QNAP QSW-M408-2C. I will compare them :)

[@luca-bazooka-2013]

Actually, it does have a console port, you simply need to configure the USB port as a console port in the admin interface, it literally takes 30s. Also, the comparison with the TP-Link is very much apples and oranges. Yes, the TP-Link has PoE, but on the other hand, the management interface is horrendously limited. The Mikrotik comes with a learning curve for users who have never worked with RouterOS before, but it does so, so much more in term of fine tuning, and the switch even supports scripting. Finally, the best feature you forgot to mention is the fact that you can have 2 of them into a single 1U slot, or you can mix and match it with its all SFP sibling (the other CRS310). The TP-Link comes with a vulnerabilities-prone OS, it's bulky, and it draws so much more power, even with PoE disabled. To each his own I guess.

[@amateurwizard]

You can swap out the fan for a Noctua pretty easy

[@level80888]

and cancel warranty, right? Nice.

[@2008mjb]

I am curious if this is good enough for a small dev lab to do iSCSI at near port speed. Will the buffer be able to handle it?

[@Mr.Unacceptable]

I'm having a hell of a time finding an affordable wall mounted rack. I only need 8U. Should be able to find something that fits? Right? Nope 400-800 bucks. Are you kidding? These chassis cost nothing to make. It's the case it doesn't do anything but keep your stuff organized and stable. I've even looked at used stuff and haven't found anything. All way overpriced same as NAS units. ?Are they insane? An old PC will do the same job and hold way more hard drives with custom opensource software. Not stuck with busted corporate UI to deal with.

[@kawag2780]

Will you be testing the AOOSTAR / Topton NAS? I'm thinking of purchasing them and I would like your view on it. It has the Intel N100, supports 2 x 3.5 HDD, 32GB RAM and 2.5G connections.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

We have not just because we typically test bigger NAS units. We do have the bigger Tooton NAS, but not sure if we are going to do the review since there are a few usability things our team does not love.

[@abavariannormiepleb9470]

Can you confirm this bug with this switch? An Intel X550-T2 can only automatically connect to the switch with 1 GbE, using the latest ethernet adapter firmware and drivers from Intel’s ethernet software package 28.2.1. Only when forcing the connection to 2.5 GbE manually on both ends it then works. Using RouterOS 7.12.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Need to find a X550-T2 in the boxes that the studio is still in :-/ We have tried other Intel NICs (X710-T2L?) and Marvell Aquantia NICs at 2.5GbE speeds on this.

[@abavariannormiepleb9470]

2.5 GbE also works fine automatically with the I225-V, it’s only the X550-T2 I’ve encountered that issue with. (It works fine with the same cables and a different switch with 10 GbE)

[@bastian433]

That's caused by the Intel card, it sort of has half support for Nbase-T but not fully.

[@philrobinson8862]

Not Ideal but I'd use the slots above the power port to cable tie the dc cable as some level of prevention.

[@mofoq]

competition is good hope to see more products especially unmanaged to enter the market and lower the price MORE. 🤔

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

We have looked at dozens of cheap unmanaged 2.5GbE switches this year

[@MobICHobAEL]

Wow, can't believe I'm so early to this one!

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

You are very fast!

[@skorpion1298]

Ubiquiti should keep up with this asap :)