MikroTik CRS305 Switch Overview: Why We Love and Replace Them

[@adamwojciechowski9287]

we are ISP in Poland (almost 12.000 HP) this swichs are on core of our networks and work as signal repeater. So recive 20 Gbit from location A and send 20 Gbit to location B. As a power supply we use 12v or 24v battery pack and this swich can work on double 12v9ah about 19 h

[@sargeNL666]

Completely agree, I use this switch in my homelab and have outgrown it just now but since I had a second one I now use two of them till my new switch arrives. I bought the second unit just to take along to customers to deploy when moving data and demonstrate the benefits of upgrading the infrastructure. These switches allowed us to introduce 10G at the core of our customer networks and build out from there, when we eventually replace them with larger models the small units just move to the edge of the network.

[@jbscpa]

What is your new switch?

[@sargeNL666]

@@jbscpa Unifi US‑16‑XG, was planning to go with the Mikrotik CRS309-1G-8S+IN however I could get the unifi for a good price and need to test it for a customer deployment.

[@spaghetticode3107]

I feel like its such a simple, and affordable piece, that its great piece for any beginner

[@IntermitTech]

The CRS305 and CRS309 are really awesome. I've been using a CRS309 for a year now and I literally have all cable options (Fiber, RJ45, DAC) and it's been doing it flawlessly! I love that it doesn't make any noise either and performance is just perfect.

[@BR0KK85]

Just bought one for my home setup ;) Also love that your showing so much enthusiasm in your vids

[@sarhtaq]

We use a few of them as 10G media covertions between SM and MM fiber, perhaps with a single backup NAS placed at that spot as well. Great for starting migrating from older 100Mb / 1Gb setups, while trying to convince the higherups to get a full remake of all backbone lines.

[@victorcoss2600]

I use the Ethernet port as an uplink, works just fine and fully saturates 1Gbps.

[@ermacstudios]

I was planning on doing this as well, connecting it at 1Gb to a Ubiquiti POE switch. I have read that when using RouterOS there used to be performance problems, but these seem to be fixed. Can you use that port both as a data port and as a management port simultaneously?

[@bartvanhalder11325]

Doing the same on my crs309, why waste a 10gig port on a 1gig uplink/downlink? Have you had any trouble Patrick? Or is it just an assumption?

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Most likely because we end up with a lot of clients on 1GbE links so a 1GbE uplink to 10GbE servers gets saturated quickly. Also, using the other 10GbE ports on 1GbE switches is not ideal when you only have 1GbE between switches.

[@victorcoss2600]

@Justin Emerson I use SwOS on it and yes you can use it for both data uplink and management. Not sure about routeros perf.

[@ermacstudios]

@@ServeTheHomeVideo Fair enough but, when your other switch only has 1Gb ports then it doesn't make sense to burn a 10Gb port on a SFP->1Gb link.

[@SigEpBlue]

9:14 Couldn't agree more. For as long as these have been around, and how much they offer for the price, it's strange that there aren't a zillion knockoffs on Amazon, or elsewhere.

[@JakeSDN]

SPF is the likely reason. Companies are trying to make 10Gb Ethernet more affordable. One my local cable companies plans 10Gb internet service to the home. 10Gb Ethernet is standard now on Apple desktop. 2.5gb is a concession, and are becoming common on motherboards now.

[@RylTheValstrax]

Wow, that basically mirrors my experience with this switch as well. I have a couple of them, and they're basically being recycled around the 'edge' of my homelab-turned-SMB-homeoffice (connecting workstations to my main switch), while their original usecases were replaced by larger switches as I upgraded more and more of my systems to 10G and needed more ports than they could provide.

[@crashk6]

Yes, these are very useful for quick deployment networks. My favorite use case is where you have a POE capable ethernet card in client machine setup in 19" racks, the switch gets powered by both the node/machine's PSU and also gets backup power directly from the backup batteries in the self contained rack, so it stays up even if the machine powers down. 10gb fiber gets run switch to switch. Basically click LC connectors station to station and the network comes up a node at a time as an in field deployment, it's fantastic. Great for temporary situations where using one large centrally positioned switch isn't logistically (physically) possible.

[@444chroma]

This switch works great for me at home. My workstation and NAS are really the only computers doing any beefy transfers

[@rightwingsafetysquad9872]

This kind of switch is great because the only 2 things I really want 10G for are my desktop workstation and NAS/home server. Everything else is just fine with Gigabit (or less).

[@PhilippDitfurth]

For me, the CRS305 works as an add-on instead of a stand-in: I'm currently using the CSS610-8G-2S+IN very happily, with my NAS on 10G and a MacBook on 2.5G (due to cheaper adapters). I did order a Mac Studio last week though and didn't want to compromise my Macbook-Connection, so in comes the CRS 305. After watching this Video, I also ordered a 1m DAC to connect them - the original plan was to use the 1G Port to connect to the Internet and the Rest of the Network, but yeah. And I think a DAC just looks nice, too. :D

[@davidsomething4867]

I have a 4port CRS305 and an 8port CRS309. I use them as aggregation switches in my home. I split the CRS309 with LAG between 2 Aruba 24 port 2930f that have 4 X SFP+ ports. So I have a resilient core switch for routing and resilient 10Gb connections for 2 ESXi servers and a 10Gb NAS. I would also recommend considering more ports to start with. I have quickly run out of ports on the CRS305 and I could easily fill 2 CRS309s in a future planned lab upgrade.

[@MarkRose1337]

Thanks for pointing out the CRS309-1G-8S+in. But I must say, on a device with Cloud in its name, a DB9 connector is so anachronistic. I'm still waiting for a decently priced 8 port switch with full 2.5/5 support on all ports.

[@dregenius]

That's one advantage of Cisco's insistence on using an 8P8C (RJ45) for the console port, it blends in a little better... although I totally admit that it's ridiculous to have two physically identical but electrically incompatible ports literally an inch or less away from each other. lol

[@mishasawangwan6652]

this is such an awesome switch. got 3 of these as well as a CRS309. very robust unit and rock solid reliable. they only go down when i turn the power off. all are running off of poe and i’m utilizing all ports.

[@LeonardTavast]

I have no use for 10G SFP as a regular consumer but I'm amazed this product exist. It's small, cheap, flexible and even has the ability to be grounded. I can imagine this being used as a backbone to reduce the amount of CAT6 used in an office. Just get one optical SFP cable between this an a local switch with 1G ports instead of connecting all users directly to a central hub. Such a consolidation would cut both cost and work for installation in a small office.

[@mrfluffyhedgehog]

current setup with this switch: 1g eth port for connection to wan switch, 4 10g port for network new setup: 1 10g port to main house switch, 3 10g ports for homeofice laptop, testing rig and spare network, 1g eth port for printer. it definitely is not a main switch but it is great for room setups. i run 10g fiber to rooms and these switches translate to 10g copper.

[@steveboesch6221]

Great video, I love mine, I was looking for the post on the main site for this and didn't see it, so I'm commenting here.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

If you check the description, we are linking corresponding articles there.

[@eugrus]

6:17 why would you discourage the use of it as a data port if the "big" switch is only 1GBE?

[@zenja42]

I just get one for my NUC together with a Thunderbold 10G SFP+ Adapter, connected via DAC. The 1g + 3x 10g get it's port based (mostly untagged) VLAN and the NUC gets all as tagged. Targed is a Network debugging tool, where I could connect Uplink Singlemode, Customer in Rack Multimode, etc. Customers in a Colo Datacenter sometimes have low to no knowlege about networking or else. I had an Enterprise Carrier, that let me debug his "core router" because he don't know and his one Admin were on Vacation. Everything is mounted on a 1u Tray and connected to one central PSU that have a c13 installed, so I can mount it somewhere quickly.

[@augurseer]

this switch has been around the block a few times and i still love it. Want to get one. Tom Lawrence has reviewed it, Chris from Cross Talk and Craft Computing. now lets see what Patrick has to say!!

[@Michael-bt7bq]

This video made me purchase one after learning it supported 2.5G negotiation. It arrived just a few days ago to replace my HH3000 and works beautifully. It did cost $247CAD plus the $69.99 10G/5G/2.5G sfp module because what's the point of 1.5Gb internet if I can't access it? With the Bell Fiber GPON module, the 10G copper module, and the 1G management port active, it really only gets slightly warm with my setup. The other great thing is that it's highly configurable unlike consumer devices.

[@shanematthews1985]

So, you say you wouldn't use the 1gb link for data, but, you could right? Like, i want the 10gb for between a few devices, but my internet is sub 1gb, so this could just connect to the router to give the 10gb devices internet access while still keeping them on their own speed wise, or is there some technical issue there?

[@sagetechnology4913]

I got one, waiting for transceivers to arrive in the mail, I'm going to be using it as a router via RouterOS, 3 of the 4 sfp+ ports will have gigabit rj45 transceivers, only one port is used for a 10gbase-L fiber line, couldn't have found a better appliance.

[@GW2_Live]

This would be pretty great for my application at home, but its expensive anywhere i can find it in Canadurp

[@lucasgautier8373]

This switch is definitely a must have for home labs that need 10G. It’s so affordable. Compared to offerings from UniFi, there aren’t any products in this price range or form factor. The hesitation for me personally jumping in is the strong UniFi ecosystem and management.

[@LifeIsDigitalUK]

I know what you mean, I have gone almost all unifi at home and very happy with how it performs, but its all 1Gb... My one 10Gb switch is a D-Link, new PC with SFP+ NIC showed issues, so moved to 10GBaseT with SFP+ convertor in that switch and I still see issues, moved from CAT6a to CAT7 cable, still issues...Want to move to a switch which has both SFP+ and 10GBaseT ports and its looking more like 3 times the cost of this little switch, that is what puts me off

[@bensatunia8842]

Lucas Gautier I know 2 guys where this switch died from heat due to ‘normal’ daily/nightly usage as switch between office net and backup pc with 1-8TB transferee every day. The parts inside are low quality. It’s a no go for me ....

[@BlownMacTruck]

UniFi management is garbage. It’s ok for home use... barely. It doesn’t conform to any standards, is full of bugs, and the support from Ubiquiti is laughable.

[@LifeIsDigitalUK]

@@BlownMacTruck so for the sub £500 band of products, what 10gig switch would you recommend? Criticism is fine as long as it's constructive, otherwise it's just trolling... Tell me what issues you have with Unifi software? I run plenty of switches, ap and gateway with no issues and a vast improvement on running costs over my HP kit and inter VLAN traffic is secured... It's not the easiest or best supported product range, but bang for buck it's very competitive

[@Rene-kg7pf]

Only thing I think is disadvantage is its managed but with that said I'm also totally new in SFP+ and am considering this between my NAS (being build) and my edit computer...

[@allantinker6838]

This switch seems perfect for remote Gpon locations. I use Microtik NetMetals for various backhauls. But I tend to shy away from it on the fiber network. Maybe its about time I give it a shot. Worst case, I install a different switch right?

[@jolness1]

This looks to fit the bill for connecting my Server to both of my machines over 10gbe. Not familiar with SFP+ and all the nuances of fiber vs copper (or if there is any difference of 10GBaseT or copper SFP) so I am still doing some research but I am glad to find that there is a 4 port 10gbe switch since I don't need many for my little home lab.

[@7rich79]

Love it when the model name of a switch looks more like a SKU number :D

[@aure_eti]

I have one, sleeping in a box for almost a year because I only have 1 10gig pc. But so far I didn't regret the investment.

[@jeffreyplum5259]

I think it fits in with the growing 2.5 GB Ethernet trend. As it is it sort of leads people into the multi-GB speed world for short money. Your cautions about it are solidbut some home Lab people are price first buyers. You remind people such choices may be a trap, even if the hardware is great but very Limited.

[@turbo2ltr]

Seems this was discontinued? I have one and wanted to get another and they are no where to be found! I don't see any replacement in their lineup.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Switches are still very tight supply chain

[@turbo2ltr]

@@ServeTheHomeVideo Ended up picking up a USW-Aggregation.. should be enough for my three computers. lol.

[@Wav10001]

Are there 10Gb SFP+ transceivers that take SM APC fiber and are compatible with this? It would only be like a 300-400ft run at most.

[@sharedworldsltd1626]

Currently running a single node LC-LC cable to my garden office (100Meters) from my UDM Pro / unifi Pro Switch. Will this be a good option for my office. Seems good value

[@ludovico007]

The sfp+ ports could work at 2.5gbit? I would use it with a 2.5g gpon sfp+ module. Thanks

[@dereksnider7148]

What SFP+ PCIe NIC (that I can buy from Amazon) works best with this switch using DAC?

[@dervaretyndigtland4760]

If it had 4 10GbE RJ45 ports, I would definitely buy one for my homelab.

[@guspaz]

It can use RJ45 via SFP+ adapters, but I think SFP+ is a better option. SFP+ DACs and multimode fibre modules are cheaper (not to mention the availability of $25 SFP+ PCIe NICs), so having the flexibility of using all three types of connectivity is good.

[@BattousaiHBr]

as said, there are SFP+ modules that convert to RJ45, like this www.fluxlight.com/sfp-10g-t/ they are usually called electric transceivers. they can be a bit expensive but might be cheaper overall than the alternative.

[@mrp2301]

Why not use the 1 ethernet port for data? I mean, for my use case, I'll just be using this for my NAS and 2 computers. There are other 10gbe switches out there that are unmanaged and use RJ45 but this one was cheaper.

[@FinlayDaG33k]

CRS doesn't just mean it's one of their switches, it means it's one of their *Router* Switches (a switch with router capabilities). It it was "just" a switch, it would have been a CSS305 :)

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Totally right. Routing performance is not great though.

[@FinlayDaG33k]

@@ServeTheHomeVideo It's not great no, but it's something :)

[@DidierGras]

Hi Patrick ! Would be great to have a review of the CRS305 and CRS309 using for all SFP+ ports SFP-10G-T adapters ! May I also add a question : if my laptop enables let's say 2,5G or 5G connections, will they pass through to the CRS309 switch with such adapters, or does the upstream with those adapters have to be also multigig in all cases for this to work ?

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

This is not a supported configuration. The SFP+ to 10Gbase-T adapters get too hot and overheat the switch if they are fully populated in the CRS305/ CRS309. The 2.5/5GbE will be negotiated between the notebook and switch if that is what you are asking.

[@platin2148]

Is there one with double the ports?

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Like this one? www.servethehome.com/mikrotik-crs309-1g-8sin-review-inexpensive-8x-10gbe-switch/

[@platin2148]

@@ServeTheHomeVideo Amazing 🤩 Now one thing left does this allow for all SFP‘s or does it need special ones?

[@PatrickKennedy2]

@@platin2148 MikroTik does not block optics

[@Saphykitten]

Sure wish I could find one of these for that price

[@castlers5075]

I love using this in my home network. Only issue so far is sometimes it locks up and I have to reboot it.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Is it overheating? We have a bunch and have not seen that yet but they do get hot.

[@castlers5075]

@@ServeTheHomeVideo I put a fan over it and it seems more like a watchdog timeout sorta deal because the whole thing just locks up. This only happens when no one is using the network.

[@jonathanmatthew5631]

This thing runs uber hot!

[@thdiaman]

does anyone know if this router works with a Unifi 1G SFP - RJ45 transceiver? seen it working with other 1G to fiber transceivers but what about an RJ45 one?

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

This is probably better thought of as a switch. It works with 1-2 SFP+ to 10Gbase-T modules (four is too many) but perhaps using the 1GbE port is easier here. The MikroTik SFP+ to 10Gbase-T modules are better than the UBNT ones.

[@RobinMoran]

Hey Patrick, great update on this. I use it as a bridge most of the time in rooms that need extra ports. However, I wanted to ask abt the CRS354-48P you have setup in your video. Was there a specific way of the setting up the settings? Mine keeps crashing after 10mins or so.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Are you on the newest firmware versus what ships with the CRS354? We have not had problems with either the -48G or -48P models, albeit that is a sample size of two.

[@RobinMoran]

I’m on the latest firmware. Guess I have a dud. I’ll call and get it replaced

[@johnmijo]

So like Jensen says: "It Just Works." ;)

[@leester9487]

Yep, I went right to the 309.

[@rjy8960]

It's almost like a gateway drug.... Mikrotik stuff is really good for the price.

[@bulzaiguard]

i"m going for the 8port i think

[@__Christian]

can you lock at the "MikroTik RouterBOARD Router CCR2004-1G-12S+2XS"

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Saw this one. I want to ensure we have a good test methodology before we do it.

[@bensatunia8842]

LoL ... 234 unread PM's .... Nice new forum theme. Well done.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

I read a lot via e-mail. Now, if you want to see big numbers, e-mail is where to look!

[@joostwestra]

Why should the 1G port not be used as a data port? This is a quite likely homelab setup and saves cost on an adapter and you have 5 ports instead of one.

[@mishasawangwan6652]

for management

[@t0mt0mX]

I have one, it's awesome

[@Bixmy]

I dont think ill need more than 3 10g because the backbone of the network is 1g and itll be 1 g for a while because its a 9 floor house. Rewiring is not happening. Itll only serve my pc a nas and a homelab which doesnt even need 10g. So this is actually perfect

[@tupchurch]

I'm confused why cant I use the gigabit port for data?

[@mishasawangwan6652]

you can

[@RN-ShivamSingha]

rip closed captions! youtube thinks Patrick is speaking Vietnamese

[@merlingt1]

This switch is a 10Gb network drug, use it and move on to bigger things

[@michaelstora70]

This switch has more than doubled in price.

[@mckylecfc]

Hate the new hidden KZbin comments - someone needs to slap the person that came up with that idea. Maybe a slap the youtube people icon next to the thumbs up like for this video?

[@deafno]

This switch can do wire speed filtering, which is something I wanted so that my NAS server could not do new connections to my PC or router, but I could use network shares on the NAS with 10G speeds.

[@thegreenpickel]

@ 3:14 there is a symbol that shows this device is capable of making bacon.

[@yenthanh5184]

Superb.

[@EmpressHsiao]

omg you looked so young years ago

[@Phelper99]

I am a home lab guy, no network engineer. I cant get beyond bursts of 500 MBps (super rare). Usually, it's sustained at 120MBps. Barely better than 1gbps. Maybe I got a dud, i've tried transmission between win10, winserv19, unraid, truenas, always garbage. Network is this for the 10Gb side.

[@DB-nl9xw]

What cable do we need for it work? CAT7?

[@estusflask982]

Cat6A...and SFP+ RJ45 ethernet modules that cost like $60 each and only support up to 30 meters long ethernet cables. Or just use fiber or DAC cables with this switch. 10G fiber modules are only like $20 each and support fiber cable lengths up to kilometers long.

[@glowiever]

RB750GL MASTER RACE

[@damiensmith3881]

So many years later and this switch still has no real competitors.

[@khanoff13]

Mikrotik should change naming policy. I use their products for the ages, but i can't remember any name of devices I've used.

[@chrisumali9841]

Thanks for the demo and info, have a great day #Chicklett! lol

[@McCuneWindandSolar]

I got on so I can get a 10 GB back bone to the home.

[@johncnorris]

Handy

[@charlesmcguffy]

If it does 10G, why is it called 1G? I'm confused.

[@deafno]

it's called 1G-4S+ and it has 1Gbit port and 4 SFP+ ports, which makes sense!

[@JoshQuake]

You lost me with the title. If a switch is actually good you don't need to keep replacing them.

[@BattousaiHBr]

if you watch the video, the reason it's replaced is because of infrastructure growth, where 4 ports no longer do the trick, and what they do instead is recycle it to some other place, such as network edges.

[@VideoNOLA]

Only a boss or someone paid by the word talks this much.

[@ErebuBat]

Yeah.... I want a refund! /s

[@SB-qm5wg]

I have one. I like it but it's HOT.

[@YaBoiontheXPS]

niche but doesn't really talk about anything useful. just blabbing with a smile.

[@xephael3485]

More MikroTik junk to shill.

[@ИванБрагин]

GTA 5 FREEEEEEEEEEEEEE ;)

[@WooShell]

4 10G ports.. that just screams "totally useless"... even in your pictured "one NAS and two workstations" scenario, which is already pretty unrealistic except for the smallest offices, 4 or 5 ports just isn't cutting it. There's never "just one NAS and two workstations", there's an internet link somewhere, and a printer, and an access point and.. you're already out of the scope of this device. It's only usefulness is travelling business because of its size.. but in these cases you normally don't need 10G, and can go with a 30$ Netgear 5 or 8port gigabit instead.

[@estusflask982]

Useless for you, not everyone else.

[@N1CH0LAS12]

Would this work with 2.5G SFP+ modules?

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

We have never tried 2.5G SFP+ modules in this. Only 10G SFP+. We have tried SFP+ to 10Gbase-T modules and some can run at 2.5Gbase-T speeds.

[@N1CH0LAS12]

@@ServeTheHomeVideo any recommendations as to which 10G modules that support 2.5G?