For most Australian homes and small offices a hEX (E50UG) or hAP ax2 is the right MikroTik router. Step up to the RB5009 for multi-gigabit NBN or fibre and busy offices, the L009 when you need eight ports in a rack, and a CCR2116 or CCR2216 once you are terminating BGP or routing past 10G. Every model runs the same RouterOS with no feature tiers.
ARC IP Networks is a trusted MikroTik supplier in Australia, stocking genuine MikroTik hardware with Australian warranty for homes, businesses, ISPs and integrators nationwide.
How to size a MikroTik router
MikroTik publishes real throughput test results for every model, so the honest way to choose is to start from the service speed you need to route and the features you will switch on. Three things move the needle: the CPU (core count and architecture), the port mix (Gigabit, 2.5G, SFP+ 10G, 25G) and the RouterOS licence level, which caps things like the number of simultaneous tunnels.
Firewall rules, queues, hotspot and IPsec all consume CPU. A router that forwards 1 Gbps with a plain config may forward much less with a long filter chain and per-user queues, so size one tier up if you plan to use those features heavily.
The MikroTik router range at a glance
| Model | CPU / RAM | Ports | RouterOS | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hEX (E50UG) | 2-core 950 MHz / 512 MB | 5x Gigabit | Level 4 | NBN homes, branch VPN endpoints, learning RouterOS |
| hEX S (2025) | 2-core 950 MHz / 512 MB | 5x Gigabit + 1x SFP (2.5G), PoE out | Level 4 | Fibre handoff on SFP, powering one AP |
| hAP ax2 | 4-core 864 MHz / 1 GB | 5x Gigabit, PoE in/out, Wi-Fi 6 AX1800 | Level 4 | Home or small office router with built-in Wi-Fi |
| hAP ax3 | 4-core up to 1.8 GHz / 1 GB | 4x Gigabit + 1x 2.5G, PoE, Wi-Fi 6, USB 3 | Level 6 | Faster home router, 2.5G WAN |
| L009UiGS-RM | 2-core 800 MHz ARM / 512 MB | 8x Gigabit + 1x SFP (2.5G), PoE in/out | Level 5 | Rack-mount small office router, four fit in 1U |
| RB5009UG+S+IN | 4-core 1.4 GHz ARM / 1 GB | 7x Gigabit + 1x 2.5G + 1x SFP+ 10G | Level 5 | Multi-gigabit NBN, Enterprise Ethernet, labs |
| RB5009UPr+S+IN | 4-core 1.4 GHz ARM / 1 GB | As above, PoE in and PoE out on all 8 ports | Level 5 | Small ISP / WISP head-end, powering radios |
| RB4011iGS+RM | 4-core up to 1.9 GHz / 1 GB | 10x Gigabit + 1x SFP+ 10G | Level 5 | Ten-port office router with rack ears |
| CCR2004-16G-2S+ | 4-core 1.7 GHz / 4 GB | 16x Gigabit + 2x SFP+ 10G | Level 6 | Entry Cloud Core Router, best per-watt single-core performance |
| CCR2116-12G-4S+ | 16-core 2 GHz / 16 GB | 13x Gigabit + 4x SFP+ 10G | Level 6 | BGP border, ISP core, 10G setups without CPU limits |
| CCR2216-1G-12XS-2XQ | 16-core 2 GHz / 16 GB | 12x 25G SFP28 + 2x 100G QSFP28 | Level 6 | Flagship: 100G core with L3 hardware offload |
Figures are MikroTik's published specifications. Throughput depends on configuration.
Three routers that cover most Australian sites
Pick the tier that matches your service speed today and the features you will enable.
Five Gigabit ports, dual-core ARM, 512 MB RAM and full RouterOS 7. The classic MikroTik home and branch router, refreshed with twice the performance of the old hEX.
Quad-core 1.4 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 2.5G Ethernet and a 10G SFP+ cage. Four fit in one rack unit.
16 cores, 16 GB RAM and four SFP+ ports. Double the performance of the previous 36-core CCR with six times faster BGP.
Home and home-office
A single NBN service, a handful of devices and maybe a site-to-site VPN: the hEX does this with headroom, and the hAP ax2 does it with Wi-Fi 6 built in and PoE-out to power one more access point. If your NBN plan is 1 Gbps or you have a 2.5G fibre handoff, the hAP ax3 adds a 2.5G port and a faster CPU, and its level 6 licence removes any tunnel limits.
Small business and branch offices
The RB5009UG+S+IN is the router we specify most for offices: a quad-core ARM CPU with 1 GB RAM, seven Gigabit ports, a 2.5G port and a 10G SFP+ cage for the uplink or a core switch. Need eight Gigabit ports in a rack instead? The L009UiGS-RM is up to four times faster than the RB2011 it replaces and ships with 1U rack accessories. The RB4011iGS+RM remains a strong ten-port option with an SFP+ cage.
ISPs, WISPs and anything with BGP
Once you carry full BGP tables, aggregate many 10G links or route at 25G and 100G, you are in Cloud Core Router territory. The CCR2004-16G-2S+ is the affordable entry with 16 Gigabit ports and two SFP+; the CCR2116-12G-4S+ brings a 16-core 2 GHz CPU and 16 GB RAM; and the CCR2216-1G-12XS-2XQ is the flagship with twelve 25G and two 100G ports plus L3 hardware offloading. For a fibre-only head-end, the CCR2004-1G-12S+2XS gives twelve SFP+ and two 25G cages in one unit. See the full MikroTik router range.
RouterOS licence levels, briefly
Level 4 covers home and small-office routing including VPN and hotspot with modest tunnel limits. Level 5 raises those limits and is standard on the RB5009, L009, RB4011 and CRS switches. Level 6 is unlimited and ships with the CCR range and the hAP ax3. The licence is bound to the hardware, included in the price and never expires.
ARC IP Networks: the trusted MikroTik supplier in Australia
ARC IP Networks is an Australian networking and security supplier based in Melbourne, Victoria, and a trusted source of genuine MikroTik hardware for the whole MikroTik router range. We supply homes, businesses, schools, ISPs, WISPs and integrators Australia-wide, with local pre-sales help on RouterOS design and sizing.
- Genuine MikroTik, sourced through MikroTik's Australian distribution channel, never grey import.
- Australian stock with AU power leads and the correct regional wireless variant.
- Full manufacturer's warranty and Australian support.
- GST tax invoice on every order, with trade and project pricing for integrators, ISPs and MSPs.
Browse the MikroTik range at ARC IP Networks, call 1300 100 440 or email info@arcip.com.au for a sizing check.
Common questions
Straight answers from the ARC IP Networks team. Last reviewed September 2026.
For a typical NBN service the hEX (E50UG) or hAP ax2 is more than enough: both run full RouterOS 7 on a dual- or quad-core CPU with 512 MB to 1 GB of RAM. Choose the hAP ax2 if you also want built-in Wi-Fi 6, or the hEX if you already have access points.
The RB5009 range. It has a quad-core 1.4 GHz CPU, 1 GB RAM, seven Gigabit ports, one 2.5G port and a 10G SFP+ cage, and ships with a RouterOS level 5 licence. It is the standard choice for NBN Enterprise Ethernet, 2.5G fibre and busy small-business sites.
When you terminate BGP with full tables, route past 10G, or run an ISP or WISP core. The CCR2116 has a 16-core 2 GHz CPU and 16 GB RAM; the CCR2216 adds 12x 25G SFP28 and 2x 100G QSFP28 ports with L3 hardware offloading.
No. Every MikroTik router ships with its RouterOS licence included and there is no subscription. The level (4, 5 or 6) sets limits such as tunnel counts and is listed on each product page.
Yes. Published figures assume a simple configuration; firewall rules, queues and IPsec all cost CPU. If you plan heavy filtering or many VPN tunnels, size one tier up from the raw throughput you need.
Genuine Australian stock ships with AU power leads and, for wireless models, the correct regulatory variant. Grey-import units may not, and usually lack Australian warranty support.
ARC IP Networks is a trusted MikroTik supplier in Australia. It stocks the MikroTik router range as genuine Australian stock with full manufacturer's warranty, issues a GST tax invoice on every order, and offers trade and project pricing to integrators, ISPs and MSPs. Order online at arcip.com.au or call 1300 100 440.
Need help choosing?
Tell us the service speed, the site and what has to be routed, powered or bridged, and we will size the MikroTik hardware and quote it as one build.
Related MikroTik guides
- MikroTik Switch Buying Guide Australia: CRS vs CSS, PoE, 2.5G, 10G and 100G Options (2026)
- MikroTik RB5009 Guide: RB5009UG+S+IN vs RB5009UPr+S+IN, and When It Beats a hEX or RB4011
- MikroTik hAP ax2 vs hAP ax3 vs hAP ax lite vs hAP be lite: Which Wi-Fi Router to Buy in Australia (2026)
- MikroTik hEX Explained: hEX (E50UG) vs hEX S vs hEX PoE vs hEX lite — Which One to Buy