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Comment by heavyset_go | Hacker News Reader

Look into Mikrotik hardware and OpenWRT. Of the Mikrotik-based hardware I'm familiar with, they support PoE. OpenWRT supports roaming and mesh networks, and is a local solution, as opposed to a cloud-based one. There are no licenses you need to pay for, either.

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Mikrotik is amazing, for what you get. But of a learning curve but worth the effort, I've seen large scale wireless networks crossing mountains with their kit.

I am not a fan of Mikrotik, the UI is not nice and the defaults are not smart. I have seen professionals make mistakes on them several times.

Don't bother using whatever the hardware ships with, just install and use OpenWRT.

I personally love the UI. It's basically a very readable 1:1 map of the CLI

I setup a small wisp using mikrotik kit for a few neighbours, it worked well in the end, but the learning curve was immense unless you have a strong networking background. I'd setup and used openwrt before for a domestic router and this was another level of complexity to get basically functional compared to that. Thst said the level of customizabilty and scripting (albeit in a weird language) you can do is immense, so for a true power user with a lot of time on their hands, it's a good option

I just ordered a mikrotik 10gb https://mikrotik.com/product/crs305_1g_4s_in. The guys at work recommended it so hoping for the best!

i've got one of those, and another mikrotik 10gb switch. whatever the 16 port one is.

they've been working nicely. i have good luck with fiber SFP+ modules, but it seems picky about 1G copper SFP modules, fwiw.

really i ordered cisco ones do those work?

like actual cisco-brand ones, or cisco compatible ones?

i checked my order history, it looks like ipolex and 10gtk 1000bT copper modules have had troubles in my mikrotik switches. the mikrotik brand works fine. and every 10G fiber module i've tried has worked (lots of fs.com, and i think 10gtek, and probably some other brand off amazon)

HN community is in an endless loop of switching vendors: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18200119

IMO using what we have intelligently is easier. Uniquiti hardware has the Edge line of routers and switches that are not cloud-controlled, not listen on any ports, and not establish any connections on your behalf.

> using what we have intelligently is easier.

Less dopamine, though.

>IMO using what we have intelligently is easier.

many people switch not simply for the security/security-theatre, but because they no longer want to support a company with such poor security strategy after it is revealed that they have internal issues.

They all do though. And if they don't, they're all at risk to. The best you can do is make decisions that reduce dependence on them for when they fuck up. That's why I went with the edge router line to begin with. I've already planned for this situation.

The only routers vulnerable to that exploit were routers that were deliberately configured to be open to the internet, no router with the shipped default config was vulnerable. The vulnerability was patched out in a bugfix release months before the exploit happened, so additionally it was un-updated routers at risk.

That's something entirely different from what happened with Ubiquiti.

True, I bought it because of the 10gb ethernet and youtubers recommending it. I didn't realize it was also a router with a 45 dollar license key. https://mikrotik.com/software

With Mikrotik you do need licenses, but they either come with hardware or are on-time payments.

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