Enterprise router for under £45? MikroTik hAP AC Lite - Review and Performance Tests

Today we're going to take a look at an entry level wireless router from MikroTik - The hAP AC Lite. This device supports all the features of MikroTik's powerful RouterOS operating system while costing under £45. We'll also take a look at some performance tests to see what this thing is capable of.

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[zusurs]

Hey, cool to see product from my country to be represented in the video of one of my subscribed foregin channels! :) I’m also using Mikrotik routerboards in my home and office, because they are amazing bang-for-a-buck. They are not perticularly easy to get used to (for beginners out there), as the configuration UI is pretty complicated (they are meant to be mostly serviced via remote SSH terminal), but they have a TON of features, especially professional grade ones.

I’m pretty advanced user myself, but despite having selective QoS, captive portal, packet sniffing, DDNS and many other services configured and running on my devices that I use, I’m not using even scratching the very surface of all the functionality that Mikrotik offers.

[swc]

Thanks for this, good videos on MikroTik products are few and far between. A cool thing about these is that they are designed to be somewhat modular, you can buy different boards (hence the name routerBOARD) and install them in your choice of enclosure, and the nicer ones have mPCIe slots so you can install your own choice of interfaces, useful for future upgrades or in applications where for example permanent 4G access is required and you don't want a big dongle sticking out that could potentially get damaged or removed and lost by the end user.

[kuglepen]

They also have an amazingly affordable 10Gb, four SFP+, fanless router/switch, the MikroTik CRS305-1G-4S+IN.

[johnreyes]

The MikroTik "passive PoE" is actually compatible with Ubiquiti "passive PoE". I have an EdgeRouter X SFP powering both a UniFi AP-AC-LR and a MikroTik RB260GS switch. Still not as nice as real PoE, but nice that you can mix and match the low end UBNT and MikroTik stuff.

[drreality]

Really nice video, Thank you.
I have hap ac2, it does everything I need from it and more.
However, for me( non IT person) it's step learning curve. Still only scratching the surface.
I'd look forward for you to do educational videos on basic vlan, vpn, firewall please

[d.e.v.z.e.r.o]

I am having the Hap AC, I like it very much, you can attach a LTE device on the USB Port f.e. an Android phone with Inet over USB and that worked out of the Box. That is very neat if your main Internet Connection breaks.

[pandrosof]

I recommend the RB750GR3 for a gigabit alternative, I have been using this little device for some weeks and it is quite amazing what you can do. The only thing I have been adjusting and tuning is my QOS.

[larskbragdon]

Awesome, someone that uses mtik devices. I've deployed a couple thousand of these things over the years from Cloud cores to the HAP's. other than Mikrotiks MPLS issues, great cheap routers. FYI if you ever decide to do BGP w/ full tables ID recommend getting a X86 based server and installing CHR. FYI 24V POE is also part of the standard as voltage is not defined in most of the 802.3 Standards just wattage. Most ubiquiti devices support 24V POE for a long time that is all they used Especially for the airmax line. you could for example install a HAP AC Lite and a Nanostation M5 on the POE port.

[TheRealKuif]

I got one of these as well. Great little router! I'm able to fully saturate my 100M/100M glass fiber connection via 5Ghz, which is great. My glass fiber is on a VLAN by the way, so I didn't see the between-VPN slowdown you described. Otherwise, it's really stable and featureful. It's also plenty fast to do VPN and some firewalling.

[pijussimkevicius]

These routers are pretty good. I have the hAP lite TC.

[bf]

I was looking for a no bs router that had reliability over speed.100mbps is more than enough for me! Thank you.

[UnknownSoldier]

Hi Cameron, in the video you mentioned switching to a full Unifi set up. If you plan on using the security features of the gateway keep in mind the bandwidth limitations. My USG caps out around 100 mbit before the CPU hits 100% (higher than the 50 or 80 it says it's capable of but still). If you do anything with high bandwidth requirements out of the WAN port (including just downloading games or software) it may be worth stepping up to the higher end units. Everything still mostly works for me on the 3 port model, but if I download a game on steam for example it makes websites load incorrectly or incomplete.

[videocity]

@gray I hope you don't mind me asking as I know this video is four years old, but what would you recommend for a small office home office user with an FTTP connection with a lab server? my ISP router is so cheap it's unreal.

[anthonykinney]

I had one of these for 2 years really good for small apartment or office

[Soda]

If you're using a modem, you should set up a PPP client so that mikrotik itself 'dials' the WAN connection. That way you avoid being double NATed. Works with DSL and (supported) 3G/4G modems.

[LouiseBrooksBob]

For VPNs, some models of Mikrotik router such as the Hex S and the hAP ac2 have hardware support for IPSEC tunnel VPNs, which need some care to get working but which can take the strain of encrypting VPN packets off the CPU and speed up VPN connections. This will be particularly useful if done at both ends.

[callumevans]

I've got that exact modem and it hasn't let me down once since I bought it 12 months ago.

[TheIvicask]

About WIFI signal icon, you can program any LED to do it instead, you can script them to do anything you want.

[JodyBruchon]

MikroTik doesn't provide warranty service for their products at all. You have to return it to the place you bought it if something goes wrong within the warranty term.

[SproutyPottedPlant]

Awwww it’s so cute! The stand alone modem is ginormous though, remember those early BT speed touch USB modems? Why were they so small but that thing is so big?