Cisco 800 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISR 800)
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
More suited is where we need more flexibility in terms of diagnosing the issues and also troubleshooting, which makes it easier for us because we have a more transparent way of diagnosing faults and fixing the issues. So that's a good one. I'm not too sure what is the less appropriate areas, but I could see less appropriate, probably not in places where it's a quick deployment on the cloud side. So probably that's right, I think. And all the security solutions as well
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch work very well as layer2/3 switches in enterprise environments, aggregation or distribution layers. Example: in our case (ISP) we use CRS326 and CRS317 at multi-dwelling units to finish the customer lines, manage vlans of service and apply basic qos. They offer a good variety of ports 1/10G, which is perfect for connecting other ISPs or connecting corporate end users. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch would work fine in low-traffic Routing and Switching, you could configure L3 Hardware offloading and serve some significant traffic, but you may missing some features like, mangle, nat, firewall or other things that may be solved with other device in an upper layer of infrastructure. Based on our experience MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is not good for high performance traffic, they are not optimized for heavy L3 routing task. Example: if you use a CRS as core or router in a small DC or IX the result is traduced on high cpu usage and load performance. If you are looking for special works, MikroTik Cloud Router Switch in this aspect is out.
[Cisco 800 Series Integrated] Routers can form tunnels over a cellular network via the SIM inserted into it.
With an external antenna attached to it, their coverage is very good, making them suitable for remote sites where network coverage from ISPs is a concern.
They function as a switch and router in one device.
Cisco has provided a real diverse router in a small package that meets the needs of our current environment. I highly recommend this product and should feel the to consider this type of solution, you would have made the right decision
This router is easy to use and manage. It provides the features, most important the security our organization requires to function properly. There is also cohesion between the HQ router we are currently using.
Powerful features at a low price: MikroTik Cloud Router Switch provides a good variety of features that are not present on more expensive brands. Flexible deployment options: SwOS for simple switching use cases and RouterOS for more advanced configurations. Winbox is a fast and responsive tool for configuring, maintain and monitoring the traffic or other variable. Why it doesn't score higher, we think that the learning curve for new users could be hard. Sometimes the logic configuration can be unintuitive example: bridge filtering, vlan interfaces. Inconsistent UX Across RouterOS versions, some features may change without clear documentation causing confusion missconfig or incompatibility between versions. Documentation and support are poor, official documentation is fragmented and depht in some cases, the active community should be your best friend.
I think Cisco is a good product that offers a huge list of options where you can get support from. I find that forums, blogs and communities really assist wit resolving any issues that you might come across.
Implementation of this router is relatively easy. What i can say is plan your implementation and consider the the environment you are going to use it for.
We looked into setting up Site to Site VPN with either Cisco ASAs or [Fortinet] FortiGate Firewalls. We were unable to find a product that didn't also require us to set up an LTE modem separately. It would have forced us to have a mess of cables and multiple devices. Our kit for the field with the Cisco 800 [Series Integrated Services Router] is simple: router, power cables, and wireless access point. Everything is labeled and attached plugs into one device. Any field user can follow the instructions [to] get up and running quickly.
We chose MikroTik Cloud Router Switch because it met our technical requirements without significantly affecting our budget. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch offers a performance reliable and scalable for access and aggregation roles and is easy to integrate with our existing infrastructure (Mikrotik CCR). While it doesn't offer enterprise-class UX, or automation frameworks out the box, its disruptive focus, control and granular configuration convert it in an attractive option for ISP operations.
