Description

This powerful and affordable router crushes all previous CCR models in single-core performance. 16x Gigabit Ethernet ports, 2x10G SFP+ cages, active cooling and the best single-core performance per watt & best overall performance per watt among all the CCR devices.

Key Features & Highlights

1. The 16-Core Tilera CPU: This is the heart of the device. Unlike traditional x86 CPUs or simpler MIPS-based SoCs, the Tilera architecture features a “mesh” of 16 independent cores. This allows it to handle massive numbers of simultaneous connections and parallel tasks extremely efficiently. Performance is measured in multiple millions of packets per second (Mpps).

2. Excellent Port Configuration:

   • The 16 Gigabit Ethernet ports are perfect for aggregating multiple client connections, servers, or network segments.

   • The dual 10 Gbps SFP+ ports are crucial for high-speed uplinks. You can use one as a WAN and one as a LAN trunk, connect to a core switch, or even bundle them for a 20 Gbps link (using LACP).

3. Dual M.2 Slots for Storage: This is a standout feature. You can install two M.2 SATA SSDs (e.g., 2242 or 2280 size) to use for:

   • Caching Proxy (store cached web data)

   • User Manager database (for HotSpot/PPP logins)

   • Logging (store extensive logs without wearing out the internal NAND)

   • Dude Server (store the Dude database)

   • General file storage (e.g., for scripts, backups)

4. RouterOS License Level 5: It comes with the highest license level, unlocking all features without any additional cost, including advanced routing protocols (BGP, OSPF, MPLS), tunneling, the Queues for bandwidth management, the HotSpot gateway, and more.

Performance Benchmarks (Approximate)

• Routing: ~10 Gbps with simple fast-path routing (no complex rules).

• Firewall: ~4-6 Gbps with a moderate set of filtering rules.

• IPsec VPN: Highly dependent on cipher but can achieve multiple Gbps due to the high core count.

• Packet Forwarding Rate: ~20 Million PPS – This is its most impressive metric, meaning it can handle a massive amount of small packets (e.g., VoIP traffic, DNS requests, gaming packets) without breaking a sweat.

Ideal Use Cases

This router is overkill for a home user (unless you’re a very advanced enthusiast with multi-gigabit internet). It’s designed for:

1. Small to Medium ISP / WISP: As a core router for a few hundred to a few thousand subscribers. It can easily handle BGP sessions, route large tables, and manage traffic at the edge of your network.

2. Business Gateway / Enterprise Edge: For an office with hundreds of users and a multi-gigabit internet connection (e.g., 2 Gbps+). It can handle heavy firewall filtering, multiple VLANs, VPN tunnels (site-to-site), and complex queue trees for traffic shaping.

3. Hosting / Data Center: As a top-of-rack router or a virtualization host router where high throughput and many connections are required.

4. Advanced Lab / Testing Environment: For testing complex network scenarios, BGP, MPLS, or running network applications that benefit from the M.2 storage and high CPU core count.

Pros and Cons