Extreme Networks wireless offerings increased following the Enterasys acquisition in 2013 and later, Aerohive. To unify all disparate elements and centralize control of the network all the way to the branch, ExtremeCloud SD-WAN is Extreme Networks' solution for simplicity and control.
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MikroTik Routers and Switches
Score 9.0 out of 10
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Latvian company MikroTik offers routers and switches.
I can say that as an infrastructure analyst I can have absolute control over the wireless network with the Aerohive Wireless WLAN architecture. We manage the network via the Web from anywhere and we have, from a graphical interface, a view and status of all installed access points. We receive notifications when an issue arises and we've already been able to resolve the case. The prices are very good and it has a very modern and compact appearance and design. We recommend technical support also to avoid future hardware issues.
MikroTik routers and switches are a reliable low cost products. due to their low cost they are very well suited for small businesses and medium businesses. In some cases even large enterprises are using these products because they provide lots of features at very low cost. However they are not suited to handle large amounts of traffic like at ISP core level.
When you are creating a firewall filter rule on a router, the amount of options you have is incredible. For example, most other firewalls or routers will not give you the option to select a connection state, a packet size, specify the packet content etc.
You can use the routers in transparent mode, when your router is placed in front of a customer firewall or customer router, allowing only the allocated public IP address to communicate with the Internet and allowing you to allocate a certain bandwidth or speed.
The lowest end model routers have the same operating system, features as the more expensive ones making simple for us to test configuration on cheap equipment before commit to buy the more expensive one. The licensing model is very simple as well and easy to understand.
The cheapest routers also come with one SFP port, which is great as it is allowing us to connect fiber straight into it. No extra PoE injectors and converter are needed, reducing the number of points of failure.
There is no SOC, NOC, where you can contact to try to resolve any difficulties. The problems that these devices have are solved largely through the community, with workaround alternatives, or if the support team responds to a request, the response times are too high for the current needs of technological communications.
Since 2003/04, I've evaluated, used, configured, and set up dozens of Wifi networks and none has had the capabilities and complex abilities that Aerohive offers as a solution. During the evaluation period, it was a clear standout from an office and business environment due to the advanced configuration options and security settings that were required.
Despite having a high cost, the possibility of using a low-end equipment with the operating system RouterOS to support the management of the MikroTik allowed this to prevail as an option like most of the solutions offered in the market, in addition to the possibilities presented for the support and the community information of the same they play important factors in the implementation and the taking of decisions.
