Routerboards (MikroTik)

Technical

Routerboard 100 series comparison, from left to right:

Routerboard 153: 32 MB RAM, 64 MB NAND Flash, 3 x MiniPCI, 5 x Ethernet, 1 x Compact Flash, 2 x 3V DC Output Headers. 160mm x 160mm
Routerboard 150: 32 MB RAM, 64 MB NAND Flash, 5 x Ethernet. 115mm x 90mm
Routerboard 133c: 16 MB RAM, 64 MB NAND Flash, 1 x MiniPCI, 1 x Ethernet. 105mm x 105mm
Routerboard 133: 32 MB RAM, 64 MB NAND Flash, 3 x MiniPCI, 3 x Ethernet, 2 x Fan Headers. 105mm x 105mm

All Routerboard 100s:

Infineon ADM5120 - 175 MHz MIPS32 4Kc CPU
Serial console via DB9 RS232C
Speaker
Power Over Ethernet (153: IEEE802.3af, others non-standard 16..28V DC)
Direct DC jack
Overvoltage protection

Routerboards come with a fairly comprehensive commercial operating system called RouterOS (see below.) RB153 supports GNU/Linux officially, while RB133/C can also run Linux (OpenWrt) unofficially. The Routerboard 100 series are the most cost effective boards in the Routerboard range. The RB133 in particular is one of the cheapest cost-per-miniPCI slot wireless platforms available (even better than Mitsubishi R100!)

The King of Routerboards, RB532:

MIPS 32 4Kc CPU - adjustable 200 MHz to 400 MHz (default 400 MHz)
32 MB or 64 MB DDR memory
128 MB NAND Flash + 1 x Compact Flash
2 x MiniPCI, 3 x Ethernet
Serial console via DB9 RS232C
Hardware watchdog
Daughterboard connector - Up to 4 more MiniPCI + 6 more Ethernet (Total: 6 x MiniPCI, 9 x Ethernet)
DC jack and Power Over Ethernet - IEEE802.3af
Speaker
Size: 140mm x 140mm

RB532 comes with RouterOS and also has extensive GNU/Linux support

Software

RouterOS

RouterOS comes mainly as a level 3 or level 4 license. Level 3 supports only client and bridging mode, while level 4 supports access point mode. RB133, RB153, RB150 and RB532 come with level 4, and RB133C (the 1 miniPCI version) comes with level 3. License levels can be easily upgraded. The RouterOS package is like a super beefed up version of the "default web interface" you will find on any access point, and is designed for outdoors with gems like automatic ACK timeout setting. It can be accessed via web, telnet, ssh or by a GUI application called Winbox. Winbox provides the most features including fequency usage dynamic graphs, traffic monitoring, antenna alignment helper, hotspot gateway, bandwidth management, routing (BGP, OSPF, RIP), packet sniffing, wireless snooping, ping flooding and more. A screenshot of Winbox is shown below.

OpenWrt

OpenWrt releases binary images for the RB532, and the OpenWrt Community supports the development for RB1xx series boards. Using OpenWrt allows greater customisation in an environment familiar to Linux users and 'bleeding edge' features such as using the latest MadWifi drivers.

Weatherproofing

Routerboard 133 and 133C, loaded with miniPCI modules, fit snuggly inside a 171mm x 121mm x 55mm polycarbonate or diecast aluminium enclosure using a 6-12 mm cable gland for the Ethernet/PoE cable and N-F or RPSMA-F bulkheads for the antennas.