MikroTik RouterOS

MikroTik RouterOS

MikroTik RouterOS is a Linux-based router and firewall operating system designed for use on MikroTik's hardware devices. It offers extensive routing, firewall, VPN, wireless access point, bandwidth management, hotspot gateway and other networking capabilities in a licenses p
MikroTik RouterOS image
networking router firewall vpn wireless hotspot bandwidth-management

MikroTik RouterOS: Linux-based Router OS for MikroTik Hardware

MikroTik RouterOS offers extensive routing, firewall, VPN, wireless access point, bandwidth management, hotspot gateway and other networking capabilities in a licenses package.

What is MikroTik RouterOS?

MikroTik RouterOS is a Linux-based network operating system developed by the Latvian company MikroTik for use on their proprietary hardware devices. It was first released in 1996 and has seen continual development and improvement over the past 25+ years.

RouterOS is designed specifically for high performance routing and networking applications. It runs on MikroTik's RouterBOARD hardware and the more full-featured hAP devices. RouterOS includes extensive routing protocols support for IPv4 and IPv6 (static routes, RIP, OSPF, BGP), firewall and NAT functionality, VPN capabilities, wireless access point control for WiFi networks, point-to-point wireless links, bandwidth management QoS, hotspot gateway features, VLAN support, real-time performance monitoring tools and more.

Some key capabilities of RouterOS include:

  • Layer 3 routing engine with support for static routes, RIP, OSPF, BGP routing capable of handling high bandwidth loads.
  • Stateful firewall, NAT capabilities, with bandwidth management QoS traffic shaping abilities.
  • Site-to-site VPN and client VPN capabilities using protocols like IPsec, PPTP, L2TP, EoIP tunneling.
  • Built-in wireless controller for managing wireless access points and WiFi networks.
  • Point-to-point wireless bridge connections.
  • Hotspot gateway functionality for authentication and accounting of public WiFi users.
  • Extensive monitoring and analytics capabilities for tracking network statistics.
  • Runs on MikroTik's RouterBOARD hardware or more advanced hAP devices.

RouterOS offers very robust routing and networking functionality in a licensed OS package designed specifically to run on MikroTik proprietary hardware devices.

MikroTik RouterOS Features

Features

  1. Extensive routing capabilities
  2. Firewall functionality
  3. VPN support
  4. Wireless access point management
  5. Bandwidth management
  6. Hotspot gateway
  7. Networking capabilities

Pricing

  • One-time Purchase
  • Custom Pricing

Pros

Highly customizable and powerful networking solution

Suitable for a wide range of networking scenarios

Supports a wide range of hardware devices

Offers a comprehensive set of networking features

Cons

Steep learning curve for beginners

Limited user-friendly interface compared to some commercial alternatives

Licensing can be complex depending on the specific use case


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