Comparison MikroTik hEX S vs MikroTik RB4011iGS+RM

— Desktop. Desktop routers include routers that do not use special rack mounts and are suitable for placement on any suitable surface — a table, shelf, etc. Although there are quite advanced models among desktop devices, however, most of them have relatively simple functionality and are designed for use in small networks where an abundance of equipment is not required.

— Rack mounted. Routers that are standard installed in a telecommunications rack are usually 19 "standard (although technically many of them can also be used as desktop ones, albeit with less convenience). Racks are used in extensive networks that require a large amount of equipment; accordingly, routers of this type in general, more powerful and advanced than the desktop, and are designed primarily for professional use.

— To the mast. Installation on a mast or other vertical structure — a tower, a pole, etc. Quite a rare form factor; It is mainly used in waterproof models designed for the possibility of working outdoors. Mobile network capable devices in this category may have a directional antenna to improve connectivity.

The number of standard RJ-45 network connectors of the Fast Ethernet format, provided in the design of the device.

Fast Ethernet is the most modest of the wired connection formats over a twisted-pair network cable in our time - it provides data transfer rates up to 100 Mbps. Nevertheless, even this speed is often enough for relatively simple tasks that are not associated with large amounts of data.

As for the number of connectors, it corresponds to the number of network devices that can be connected to the "switch" directly, without the use of additional equipment.

The number of ports designated as WAN by the manufacturer. They are intended for wired connection of the device to the Internet or other external networks (to solve some specific problems).

In this case, dedicated LANs mean directly marked network connectors designed for wired connection of LAN devices - PCs, servers, additional access points, etc. The number of ports corresponds to the number of devices that can be directly connected to the equipment by wire.

The number of USB ports provided in the design of the router. USB is a universal interface used in computer technology to connect peripheral devices for various purposes. One of its uses is to connect a 3G modem (if provided, see “Data entry (WAN-port)”), but this is not limited to this: in fact, the options for using USB ports directly depend only on the capabilities specified in the router firmware. So, in some models, you can connect a flash drive or an external hard drive to this connector — to update the firmware or even organize an FTP server directly on the router. And for other peripherals — printers, cameras, etc. — USB connection can be used to work as network devices (however, such functions are rare in standard firmware).

The presence of a console port in the router. This connector is used to control the device settings from a separate computer, which plays the role of a control panel — a console. The advantage of this format of operation is that access to the functions of the router does not depend on the state of the network; in addition, special utilities can be used on the console that provide more extensive capabilities than a regular web interface or network protocols (see "Management"). An RS-232 connector is often used as a console port, but in modern routers this role can also be played by a separate Ethernet input (not used for any other purpose).

Management methods and protocols supported by the router.

— SSH. Abbreviation for Secure Shell, i.e. "Safe shell". The SSH protocol provides a fairly high degree of security, because. encrypts all transmitted data, including passwords. Suitable for managing almost all major network protocols, but requires a special utility on the host computer.

— Telnet. A network management protocol that provides configuration via a text-based command line. It does not use encryption and does not protect transmitted data, and is also devoid of a graphical interface, which is why in many areas it has been supplanted by more secure (SSH) or more convenient (web interface) options. However, it is still used in modern network equipment — in particular, as a means of managing FTP servers.

— Web interface. This function allows you to open the router's management interface in a regular Internet browser. Thus, to access the settings, you do not need special software — just a regular computer or even a smartphone / tablet is enough (modern mobile browsers are close to desktop ones in terms of capabilities).

— SNMP. Abbreviation for Simple Network Management Protocol, i.e. "simple network control protocol". It is a standard part of the common TCP/IP protocol on which both the Internet and many local networks are built. I...t uses two types of software — "managers" on control computers and "agents" on managed computers (in this case, on a router). The degree of security is relatively low, but SNMP can be used for simple management tasks.

Note that this list is not exhaustive — some routers have other, more specific management capabilities (such as the EEM event manager in Cisco devices).

The basic capabilities of the router — that is, the functions directly related to the work for the main purpose. The most common of these features are DHCP server, load balancing, link reservation, port forwarding, MAC address cloning, VPN and DDNS support. Here is a detailed description of each item:

— DHCP server. A feature that makes it easy to assign IP addresses to devices connected to the router. An IP address is necessary for correct operation in TCP / IP networks (and this is the entire Internet and the vast majority of modern “local sites”). In the presence of DHCP, this process can be carried out completely automatically, which makes life much easier for both users and administrators. However, the administrator can also set additional DHCP options — for example, specify a range of available IP addresses (to prevent errors) or limit the time of using one address. If necessary, you can even manually enter a specific address for each device on the network, without automatically adding new devices — DHCP also simplifies this procedure, as it allows you to carry out all operations on the router without delving into the settings of each subscriber device.

— Load balancing. A feature found on models that have two or...more channels to connect to the Internet (and other external networks); most often these are two or more WAN ports, but there is another option — one port, supplemented by support for 3G / 4G mobile networks. Anyway, the idea of balancing is to use several channels for external connection at the same time, dividing the load between them in one way or another. This allows you to increase the efficiency of the connection, achieving maximum data transfer speeds and at the same time avoiding unnecessary congestion. For example, a channel for online games can be separated from the rest of the connection, minimizing lags and reducing the likelihood of failures. As for load distribution, it can be either automatic (when the router itself determines the optimal channel for each device, depending on the current traffic consumption), or manual (when specific channels are prescribed for different network devices, applications, or even types of traffic).

— Channel reservation. Another feature related to the simultaneous use of several channels to connect to the Internet (or other external network). In redundancy mode, the router constantly uses the main channel (or several channels) for external connection, and in case of failures on this channel, it automatically switches to the spare (spare). This relieves the administrator of the need to manually organize the connection when the main connection fails; and the spare channel works only when it is indispensable, which in some cases allows you to avoid unnecessary costs. A typical example of working with redundancy in everyday life is the use of a wired Internet connection as the main channel and a 3G / 4G modem as a spare; although, of course, other, more specific options are possible.

— Port forwarding. The ability to redirect traffic from the router's own ports to the address of a specific computer (or other device) on the local network. When working in this mode, such a computer “outside” will look like it is connected to the Internet directly, without a router. This mode may be needed to use some specific functions — for example, working in HTTP server mode or participating in P2P networks.

— Cloning the MAC address. The ability to copy the MAC address of one of the devices connected to it to the router — so that when accessing the router, it is the address of this device that is visible, and not the router itself. The MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to each device with a WAN port. And the need to clone this identifier arises from the fact that some Internet providers use not only a login / password, but also the MAC address of a specific computer connected directly to the network to authenticate users. If, however, such a computer is supplemented with a router, then the provider's equipment will see a new, unfamiliar device, and will not give access to the network. Cloning the MAC address allows you to fix this situation as quickly and simply as possible.

— VPN support. Support for the VPN function of the router — virtual private networks. One of the key principles behind this feature is the transmission of encrypted data over open networks, primarily the Internet. A VPN is used mainly in two formats:

• Creating virtual networks based on an Internet connection. Thus, it is possible, for example, to combine branches of one company located in different cities or even countries into one logical network. At the same time, thanks to traffic encryption, the entire network remains closed to outsiders, although data is transmitted over an open channel. For this format, devices of the Firewall type (see "Type") are mainly used, while such a device actually plays the role of a VPN server.
• Internet connection through an external VPN server. The functions of such a server are in many ways similar to a proxy: it serves as an "intermediary" in the exchange of traffic and replaces the user's IP address with its own address. The latter, in particular, allows you to bypass regional restrictions: nowadays, servers with IP addresses related to almost any country in the world are available. However, a VPN server, unlike a proxy, additionally encrypts the traffic transmitted to the user — this, again, has a positive effect on security and privacy. This mode is also available in regular routers.

Note that the connection to the VPN server can also be “raised” on individual devices on the network (for example, through tools in some Internet browsers). However, using this feature on a router is often more convenient: you only need to set up a VPN once, you don’t have to fiddle with options for each individual subscriber, and any network device can use such a connection (including those that do not have their own VPN tools) . On the other hand, the connection speed when working through a VPN can drop noticeably, and enabling and disabling this feature on a router is usually more difficult than on user devices.

— DDNS. Short for Dynamic DNS — "dynamic DNS". This feature allows you to assign a permanent domain name to a device with a dynamic IP address. A domain name is the name of a device on the local network or the address of a site on the Internet (for example, m.ua or e-katalog.ru). An IP address is service information in the form of a digital code; it is thanks to her that network equipment can find the desired device and issue the required data from it. Actually, IP is the primary network "coordinates"; however, remembering addresses as a sequence of numbers is quite difficult, so domain names appeared — they are much more convenient for a person. Both on the Internet and in local networks, the connection between a domain name and an IP address is responsible for the so-called DNS servers: for each domain in the database of such a server, its own IP is registered. However, for technical reasons, situations often arise when the router has to use a dynamic (changing) IP; accordingly, in order for information to be constantly available on the same domain name, it is necessary to update the data on the DNS server with each IP change. It is this update that the DDNS function provides.

The model of the processor installed in the device. The processor is responsible for processing network traffic and running software. Knowing its name, you can get more detailed data on the speed capabilities of the equipment and understand how much such a powerful or, on the contrary, mediocre element is needed on board. In new models of Wi-Fi equipment, coprocessors or so-called NPU modules are often installed, which relieve the load from the main processor.