MikroTik CRS518-16XS-2XQ-RM Review Cheaper 25GbE and 100GbE Switching

Have you been waiting for a 25GbE/ 100GbE switch that is low-power and reasonably priced? If so, the MikroTik CRS518-16XS-2XQ-RM is going to feel extremely exciting. In our review, we are going to take a look at what happens when MikroTik makes its brand of low-cost and high-speed network switches. This is something we have been eagerly awaiting since we covered the MikroTik CRS518-16XS-2XQ-RM launch months ago, and now we can show you the unit.

MikroTik CRS518-16XS-2XQ-RM Hardware Overview

We decided to do a video for this one that you can find here:

If you want to hear the switch or see the idle power consumption being measured, that is a good place to start. As always, we suggest opening this in its own browser, tab, or app for the best viewing experience.

MikroTik CRS518-16XS-2XQ External Hardware Overview

Looking at the front of the system, we have a fairly standard 1U design. This design mirrors many of the systems we have seen previously from MikroTik.

On one side we have two QSFP28 ports. These are the 100GbE ports. Next to those are an array of 16x 25GbE SFP28 ports. 2 + 16 is how we get the “18” in the CRS518. 2XQ are for the QSFP28 ports while 16XS is for the SFP28 ports.

Next to all of the primary networking ports, we get a serial console port, a management LAN port, a USB port and a reset button.

via servethehome