Network Address Translation (NAT) is a fundamental networking function, used by businesses of all sizes to connect multiple devices to the internet while conserving public IP addresses. When done correctly, NAT should be seamless—ensuring VPNs, VoIP calls, and other network services work flawlessly.
But if you've ever deployed a MikroTik router in a small business and tried running VPNs or VoIP over it, you've likely pulled your hair out in frustration. MikroTik’s NAT implementation is notoriously buggy, breaking common use cases like L2TP/IPSec VPNs and SIP-based phone systems.
In contrast, a stock Debian-based NAT setup works smoothly with zero issues. Even better, Fusion’s SD-WAN uses a clean, well-implemented NAT, ensuring small businesses can focus on operations rather than troubleshooting network problems.
Let’s dive into the details of NAT, why MikroTik struggles with it, and why switching to a better solution—like Fusion’s SD-WAN—is the smarter move for small businesses.
What is NAT & Why Does It Matter?
Network Address Translation (NAT) allows multiple devices on a private network to share a single public IP address when accessing the internet. It works by modifying the source and destination IP addresses of packets as they pass through the router.
How NAT Works in a Small Business Environment
For a small business, NAT is crucial because:
Most businesses get only one public IP address from their ISP. NAT allows all employees to browse the internet using that single IP.
It enables internal servers (like a PBX or VPN gateway) to communicate externally.
It provides basic security, as internal devices are hidden from the outside world.
When NAT works properly, applications like:
✅ Windows VPNs (L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, SSTP)
✅ VoIP calls (SIP, WebRTC, Softphones)
✅ Remote desktop connections
… all function seamlessly.
Debian NAT | The Gold Standard
A vanilla NAT setup on a Debian-based router using nftables is rock solid. It handles multiple VPN tunnels without issues, ensures SIP and VoIP work flawlessly, and doesn’t require endless tweaking. Businesses running Debian NAT never need to think about NAT—because it just works.
MikroTik’s NAT | A Disaster for Small Businesses
MikroTik routers are popular due to their affordability and feature set, but their NAT implementation is a nightmare for real-world use cases.
1. MikroTik NAT Breaks VPNs
One of the biggest frustrations with MikroTik NAT is that it breaks Windows VPNs like L2TP/IPSec. If multiple users try to connect to a remote VPN server, only one session works at a time.
🔴 Symptoms:
One user connects, but when the second user tries, they fail to establish a tunnel.
VPN traffic randomly drops or disconnects.
Logs show ESP (Encapsulating Security Payload) issues.
🔎 Why does this happen?
MikroTik struggles with NAT traversal for IPSec (NAT-T), especially when multiple devices behind the same NAT need to connect to the same VPN server.
💡 Workarounds?
Some admins try to enable "IPsec Passthrough," but this only works sporadically.
Others manually configure RAW firewall rules to mark connections, which is a painful, fragile hack.
The real solution? Use a router with proper NAT, like Fusion SD-WAN or even a simple Debian-based firewall.
2. VoIP & SIP on MikroTik | Constant Headaches
Small businesses using VoIP services (SIP trunks, cloud PBXs, or even simple VoIP softphones) constantly face problems on MikroTik networks.
🔴 Common Issues:
Calls drop after 30-60 seconds.
No incoming calls, or phones don’t ring.
One-way audio (you can hear them, but they can’t hear you).
Registration failures (phones randomly go offline).
🔎 Why does this happen?
MikroTik’s connection tracking for SIP is deeply flawed.
It mishandles SIP session states.
It doesn’t properly track UDP timeouts for VoIP packets.
It struggles with NAT keepalive mechanisms, breaking SIP registrations.
💡 Fixes?
Admins try disabling SIP ALG (/ip firewall service-port disable sip), which sometimes helps.
Others try manual port forwarding, which is tedious and unreliable.
Some implement persistent NAT rules, which work until the next MikroTik firmware update breaks something.
Again, a better solution is to use a proper NAT implementation like Fusion SD-WAN.
3. MikroTik NAT Is Overcomplicated
Unlike Debian’s simple and effective NAT implementation using masquerade, MikroTik’s NAT requires navigating its weird, overly complex firewall ruleset.
🔴 Issues:
NAT rules conflict unpredictably—some work, some don’t.
Connection tracking is buggy, leading to dropped sessions.
Firmware updates sometimes break NAT rules, requiring constant reconfiguration.
For small businesses, this means extra wasted time troubleshooting NAT instead of focusing on running the business.
Fusion’s SD-WAN | The Right NAT for Small Businesses
If a small business wants hassle-free networking with no NAT headaches, Fusion SD-WAN is the answer. Unlike MikroTik, Fusion:
✅ Handles NAT properly—no VPN or VoIP issues.
✅ Supports multiple L2TP/IPSec users without breaking tunnels.
✅ Maintains stable SIP/VoIP connections with perfect audio quality.
✅ Requires zero NAT tweaking—it just works.
Since Fusion’s SD-WAN NAT is based on clean, well-tested networking principles, businesses never experience the broken VPNs, one-way audio, or connection tracking failures that plague MikroTik setups.
Wrap | Small Businesses Deserve Better Than MikroTik NAT
MikroTik may be cheap, but its broken NAT implementation costs businesses time, money, and productivity due to:
VPN issues (only one L2TP/IPSec connection at a time).
VoIP problems (dropped calls, no incoming calls, one-way audio).
Overcomplicated firewall rules that make troubleshooting a nightmare.
Instead of wasting time with workarounds and fragile configurations, businesses should use a solution with a reliable NAT implementation.
🔹 Debian-based firewalls work beautifully out of the box.
🔹 Fusion SD-WAN provides a fully managed, zero-hassle NAT experience, eliminating network headaches for small businesses.
If you want networking that "just works"—without spending hours debugging broken NAT—ditch MikroTik and switch to Fusion’s SD-WAN.
