High-end, professional routers include the Mikrotik RB951Ui 2HnDd. Its configuration, technical specifications and testing procedure for this network solution will be further described in this material.
Brand Information. Product positioning
Network equipment under the brand name "Mikrotik" has not yet received wide distribution today. But this is not surprising because the manufacturer himself attributes his products to professional-level solutions. Therefore, the cost of such routers or routers is much higher than that of budget “ASUS” or “TP-Link”. But the functionality and reliability in this case are an order of magnitude higher. Therefore, the products of this brand are primarily aimed at corporate customers. As a rule, in this case, increased demands are made on network devices, it is to them that the equipment manufactured under the Mikrotik brand is fully and completely consistent. It can mainly be found in offices, banks, industrial enterprises and other places where the highest demands are made on network infrastructure.
Router Options
At first glance, this network node boasts a very, very truncated configuration. It includes a power supply, crimped twisted pair, warranty card and Mikrotik RB951Ui 2HnD. Its configuration, in turn, is in the electronic version of the documentation, which is integrated into the software shell of the device. The same can be said about the software for configuring the router. It can be found in the same place. Therefore, separately including them in the package on any other media does not make much sense. This approach of the manufacturer indicates the professional affiliation of the solution in question.
Connection List
A practically perfect set of ports and wireless connection methods boasts the router considered in this article. In the first case, there are 4 ports for implementing a local network and one for receiving data from the global web. Also, this list is supplemented by one universal USB port. It can be used to connect a 3G or even LTE / 4G modem . There is also one socket for connecting a power supply. The list of wireless interfaces consists of one Wi-Fi. It runs at 2.4 GHz and supports 802.11 b / g / n. In this case, the transmission speed is limited to 300 Mbps. If you use a wired connection, this value may increase to 1 Gbit / s.
Stage 1. Choosing a place to install a network node and connecting it
Configuring the Mikrotik RB951Ui 2HnD step by step starts with the right choice of installation location. In this case, free access to wires is required. This is a power cable and twisted pair cable from an Internet traffic provider. Each of them should easily reach this place. The router itself can be located both on a vertical and on a horizontal surface. Separately, it should be noted that there should not be metal sheets and other products near the router. If this requirement is not met, then the quality of the wireless part of the computer network will deteriorate. Connecting a router consists of the following steps:
We organize the power supply of the device. To do this, install the power supply in the socket, and the cord from it - into the socket of the router.
In the first port of the RJ-45 format , a twisted pair cable from an Internet provider is installed.
The twisted pair cable, which is included with the router, connects to the second RJ-45 port . Its second end is installed in the network card slot.
On this preparatory work is completed.
Stage 2. Setting parameters of the program shell
There are two possible ways to configure the shell: the WEB-interface or using the WinBox utility. Since the latter has a more understandable menu, it is recommended to use it for this operation. This utility can be downloaded from the internal memory of the router. To do this, type 192.169.88.1 in any of the browsers available on the PC. After opening the window, select the WinBox item and download this utility to the computer. The next step is to run it. Next, open the Connect to list and select our network node by the MAC address (it is on the sticker on the device). Then enter admin in the Login field, and leave Password blank. Click the Connect button. After that, the Mikrotik RB951Ui 2HnD configuration window opens.
Reset - this is the next step. In the RouterOS window, select the Remove item. Then, select the System item in the menu and set User and Password in it at our discretion. At the next stage, in the menu item Interfaces we set the names of all connection methods. The input port should be called WAN, the LAN1 ports are LAN4, and the wireless network is referred to as your own. At the next stage, go to the Bridge menu item. In it, we set the input WAN as the source, and all the others should be elements of the internal part of the computer network. Next, in the IP menu, select the sub-item Address and set the static address of the device. Then, in the same menu, we select the Pool sub-item and set the address range of the built-in DHCP server. Then you need to initialize it, for which we select the IP menu item, and in it the DHCP sub-item. In the window that opens, set the server name, operation mode and confirm the address list. Next, go to the Network tab. It sets the subnet address, its mask, DNS and gateway. Then, the DHCP client settings are set. To do this, go to the IP item and select the DHCP client subkey in it. We create a new client in which we set the wired input port.
Then we go to the same IP menu and open the DNS sub-item, in which we select the Allow Remote check box. In the next step, configure Firewall in the IP menu. Here on the NAT tab we make a new rule. The Chain parameter is set as srcnat. In the router field, set the input source. Then go from the General tab to Action and set masquerade in the drop-down list. The next step is the wireless network configuration: the Wireless item and in the window that opens, select Security. After opening this tab, specify the parameters of the wireless connection. At the end, we save all changes and close the service utility.
Stage 3. Configuring an external modem
As noted earlier, the Mikrotik RB951Ui 2HnD is equipped with a USB format port . Configuring a 4G modem reduced to the following stages:
Connecting a modem with a SIM card.
We go into the WinBox utility .
In the Interfaces menu we launch PPP - connection from 4 G- routers.
Next, we move to the Bridge section and configure it, taking into account the fact that an external router can be used in the process.
Then, in the IP item, select Address and set the address for the connected modem.
We move to the Firewall item , configure it.
At the end, additional values are specified in IP / DNS.
Testing Settings
This completes the setup of the Mikrotik RB951Ui 2HnD router . Further, it is recommended to check the correct operation of the wired section of the configured computer network. To do this, on the included PC, download the test page from the Global Web, for example, ya.ru. Then, in the same way, we verify the correct operation of the wireless segment of our network.
Cost
As noted earlier, Mikrotik RB951Ui 2HnD belongs to professional-grade solutions. Customization for this reason it is more complicated than that of more budget routers. The functionality of it is increasing as well as the cost, which at the moment is 4500-5000 rubles.
Reviews Benefits and significant disadvantages
Two minuses in the reviews indicate the owners for the Mikrotik RB951Ui 2HnD router: setup increased complexity and lack of support for 802.11 speakers. The pluses include increased functionality and the ability to flexibly configure for each individual case.
Summary
As you can see from the previously described algorithm, it is not so easy to properly configure the Mikrotik RB951Ui 2HnD. Customization only professionals can do it. Moreover, for home use there are more affordable solutions with low cost. And this router will look best on office, banking, or even industrial networks. In this case, there is a system administrator who can cope with such a task.