The recent announcement of MikroTik's collaboration with Ampere for server-class CPUs has sparked extensive community discussion, highlighting the company's unique position in the networking market and its long-standing reputation for delivering high-value networking solutions.
Community's Long-term Experience with MikroTik
Users with over a decade of experience with MikroTik equipment consistently praise the company's exceptional return on investment (ROI) and feature-rich offerings. The community particularly emphasizes the robust hardware quality, especially in outdoor deployments, where users report successful implementation of up to 30 units with impressive reliability.
The OS Challenge in Network Hardware
A significant insight from network professionals reveals that RouterOS, MikroTik's operating system, represents both the company's greatest opportunity and challenge. While major vendors like Cisco, Arista, and Juniper don't necessarily offer substantially better hardware, their market dominance is maintained through superior operating systems and supporting infrastructure. The community suggests that enhancing RouterOS's manageability, support, QA, and feature roadmap could position MikroTik as a major market disruptor.
Flexibility and Advanced Features
MikroTik's hardware stands out for its versatility and advanced feature set. Users highlight the ability to repurpose devices for different functions, such as converting wireless routers into clients for complex network setups. The inclusion of unique features like RoMON (Router Management Overlay Network) provides critical functionality for remote management and configuration recovery, demonstrating MikroTik's attention to practical networking needs.
Software Considerations and Learning Curve
While the hardware receives consistent praise, users note some software-related challenges. The community points out that RouterOS's interface and default settings can be unintuitive, potentially leading to security misconfigurations. However, tools like Winbox with Safe Mode feature and RoMON help mitigate these risks by providing rollback capabilities and remote management options.
Future Prospects
The partnership with Ampere marks a strategic move for MikroTik, potentially reducing dependency on other chip manufacturers. However, the community expresses mixed reactions about Ampere's recent processor releases, with some concerns about single-thread performance compared to modern desktop processors like the M3.
Conclusion
MikroTik's reputation for delivering high-value networking solutions remains strong within the technical community. While software challenges exist, the combination of reliable hardware, extensive features, and competitive pricing continues to make their products attractive to both small businesses and enterprise users. The upcoming Ampere-based product line could further strengthen their market position, provided they address the software-related feedback from their user base.