MikroTik - hAP ax2

For my home network I run 2 MikroTik hapAX2's. Hardwired together. One does the routing and acts as an ap/managed switch, the other one runs just as an ap/managed switch. This is a setup that can actually route a 1gb/s connection, i'm not sure if the cheaper mesh systems can actually route a 1gb/s connection.

You could take a look at the hAp ax S. Just be aware that this is going to be their first MediaTek wifi device, so some initial flakiness could be present... The ax2 on the other hand is an absolutely reliable tried and tested product, which I would have no trouble recommending. The ax2, however, doesn't have a usb port, which makes it kind of unsuitable for containers...

I have the ax^(2), it's a fantastic little wifi router. I've never had a problem with the wifi - in fact it's the best wifi I've ever had at home. I live in a rural area so there's zero interference, so ymmv, but my own take is that if Mikrotik wifi was bad in the past, it's fine now. Performance/capability-wise it punches well above its weight. The only things I wish it had are better heat sinking (the CPU is limited to \~800MHz to prevent overheating) and a USB port - relevant to you as you mentioned wanting to run containers. While the ax^(2) has 1GB RAM and a good CPU, it has only 128MB onboard storage, and no USB port to provide an easy way to add more. 128MB is so small it's ridiculous, especially when you consider the CPU and RAM. You can still run containers but you'll need to configure network storage, which adds some complexity and fragility. If this is a big issue for you, consider the ax^(3). It adds a USB port and also has a larger heat sink, so the CPU is also unlocked. The ax^(2) has only 1Gb Ethernet. If you have an internet connection equal to/faster than 1Gb/s download or upload and want to be able to utilise all of it you should look at other brands or consider pairing a more power router with a separate wifi AP.

Mikrotik hap ax2. I connect to the isp via pppoe and it works great. It supports any kind of configuration and protocols you could imagine as long as the hw can handle it

I'm in a small flat so I don't know how it'll do for range, but I'm running a mikrotik hap ax2. No joke I get 850mbit on the 5ghz band, and mikrotik routers have every feature you could ever want in a router 

You should try with hap ax3 or at least hap ax2. Those have wifi 6.

Hey! For what you’re planning (Pi-hole, VPN, NAS, servers, etc.), I’d suggest starting with the MikroTik hAP AX2. It’s compact, Wi-Fi 6, supports VLANs, VPN, and gives you proper routing + firewall controls without being crazy expensive. Great first homelab router. If you want to expand your wired network later, pair it with a TP-Link SG3428X managed switch. That way, you can run VLANs, segment traffic (like IoT vs servers), and still push gigabit speeds easily. Both are available on [Grabnpay.in](http://grabnpay.in), and together they make a solid under-$200 starter homelab setup.

hap ax works for me as a station, not a repeater

+1 mikrotik. Especially if you're not a heavy wifi user, as they are not the most advanced APs. I have a couple of hap ac2 and ax2 in different locations, and they're rock solid.

Ac2. But this router slowly die because of lack of memory. Actually i dont think its good deal in 2025. Maybe you can buy ax2 instead? It has 1GB RAM instead 128MB and 128MB flash instead of 16MB. Latest version of routeros is problematic on ac2.

I have my daughter the ac2 with version 7.18.2 and two wireguard vpn and it works great with the new wireless package, but if I had to buy again I would avoid it, better an ax2, the 4011 is too much for a home network, the same as the 5009, plus they are more expensive

tl;dr; just buy a few things and grow/adapt as you learn I have a 60's split level and have settled into the following setup over the last 8+ years: 1. HEX RB750Gr3 running Wireguard and Capsman (v3 and v2) 2. Feeding an 8-port POE Texas passive POE injector 3. Provisioning a mix of hAP AX2, 2xcAP AC, hAP AC Lite, hAP AC2 over wired CAT5e 1. Garage: HEX + AC2 2. Upstairs Hall: cAP AC 3. Living Room: AX2 4. Backyard: cAP AC 5. Downstairs media cabinet: AC Lite for 100mb ethernet Fire TV stick It's a completely ghetto rigged setup, and one cAP AC has been removed from its case and shoved in a weatherproof box mounted to the outside of the house to replace a wAP AC that died. The CAT5e is from a spool I bought 25 years ago! But, I put it together piecemeal as I learned and it works well enough for my 300mbit AT&T service that is shared between 60+ devices. I have one central UPS powering the whole bit from the garage so it even works for a few hours during power outages. The hAP AC Lite is the thorn in my side as it is 100mbit only and is the last remaining capsman v2 device out there. If money were infinite, and I were starting over, I'd likely just get a RB5009 or L009 and run cat6e to a mix of cAP AX or hAP AX2s and be done with it. That would let you easily run 1Gbit service and share it out via 600-700mbit wifi to everything. My next goal is figuring out how to move equipment to get rid of that AC lite, but spending $100-200 on more networking isn't quite in the budget yet.

I've used hAPs before with CAPSMAN, had no complaints other than the slow adoption of the new WiFi standards. I've since switched to Unifi AP ACs with OpenWRT and usteer installed, works a treat.

Do you have any references comparing firewalla to UniFi, Mikrotik, and PFsense/other x86 software firewall? I got some “upgrade to 1/10Gb fiber ads and am tempted”. Currently at 0.6/0.6, which my hAP can do no problem