RouterOS

[elizab]

As a software developer and network admin of 4 children I was thinking of investing in a routerOS router so I can customize it to how I prefer (parental restrictions, load balancing/bandwidth caps etc). Has anyone got experience with it or could give some feedback on their experience?

Many Thanks!

[Anonymous]

there's not much in way of reviews out there (guess as they're a small Latvian outfit) a few positives on spiceworks and a thread from reddit (circa 2014) worth a read.

https://www.reddit.com/r/networking/comments/2p3n7g/what_is_your_opinion_of_mikrotik_routers/

ultimately if it does what you want it to do, its worth it - not the first time i've taken a gamble on items with only 1-2* ratings and they've been amazing

and lets not forget, even a burnt log is better than the hub offerings from VM

[elizab]

Yea the price point and set of features make it really attractive to me. I hate being walled in by the VM hubs configuration which is lacking on a lot of features. I don't want to break the bank on cisco level equipment just for domestic purposes but I really want to have more control over my network.

[jbrennand]

What budget do you have and what features do you specifically need/want.

I have used my own equipment for >20 years - but its all been the Apple Airport equipment which has always served my routine needs. Surely any of the major players in the router business (Asus, Netgear, TP-Link, Ubiquiti, etc...) will have plenty of options for all budgets?

[Roger_Gooner]

If you are thinking of replacing VM's hub with your own, you can't.

[FlashPan · Accepted solution]

Something I have advised in the past is to use a old wifi router and install (free) ddwrt or openwrt on it.  That can give you the same options as routeros.

To consider:  You config this as an access point with it's own wifi name etc.  Give that to the kids and friends who come along.  You can set times of access etc across all devices using that AP.  Good so you do not have to keep track on phones, borrowed devices etc.  You keep you main VM wifi just for you adults.

When it comes to parental control this can be very tricky and time consuming to manage, you could use a free dns service IP that filters out adult content for instance eg: https://cleanbrowsing.org/filters/ (not used this) lots of other providers out there like cloudfare.

[pete_at_home]

Have a look at PfSense Community edition.    Then grab an old Intel I5 from eBay.  Add a second NIC, and you will have all the features you need.  If you want smaller silent HW, there's plenty of Celeron Micro-PC platforms out there for a few hundred.