In today's fast-paced business world, internet connectivity is paramount. Many ISPs offer FTTx business links, often at premium prices, and claim to manage the router for you. Sounds convenient, right? Well, not quite.
A common choice for these installations is the Mikrotik router, a versatile platform. However, it's crucial to understand that it's not a set-and-forget solution for business services. Here's why:
Vulnerable Firmware: Mikrotik routers often run outdated firmware versions, leaving your network exposed to potential vulnerabilities.
Weak Authentication: Insecure logins and lax authentication mechanisms can make it easier for unauthorized access.
Ad-Hoc Configurations: Configuration backups may be haphazard or nonexistent, causing headaches when issues arise.
Lack of Automation: Without automation or provisioning, you're left with time-consuming manual tasks.
Limited Visibility: Mikrotik routers typically lack comprehensive network performance management and traffic visualization tools.
Cybersecurity Gaps: Inadequate threat tracking and mitigation can put your network at risk of cyberattacks.
Neglected Name Resolution: Ignoring DNS security can lead to potential vulnerabilities and inefficiencies.
Poor WiFi coverage: The abilities of these routers as Access Points is notoriously poor and often exacerbated by being shoved into metallic wall enclosures.
Clearly, relying solely on a Mikrotik router provided by your ISP leaves your business exposed to these shortcomings. What's the solution?
“Dinky Toys”
When operators and service providers install ONTs (Optical Network Terminals) and CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) that are of poor quality—equivalent to "plastic dinky toys"—they inadvertently weaken the entire business-grade telecommunications service. These low-quality devices, often chosen for cost-cutting, introduce several reliability risks that undermine the very purpose of having a robust and dependable network infrastructure. Here's how they negatively impact reliability:
1. Subpar Hardware Durability
Business-grade telecommunications services require hardware capable of handling continuous, high-performance tasks without frequent failures. Low-quality ONTs and CPE devices are typically made from cheap plastic materials and poorly manufactured components that can’t endure long-term usage. Over time, they may succumb to wear and tear more rapidly than enterprise-grade equipment, leading to more frequent replacements and downtime.
Result: Increased downtime and costly replacements, which disrupt business continuity and critical operations.
CPE equipment plays a key role in handling traffic between the customer’s network and the service provider’s backbone. When low-grade ONTs and CPE devices are installed, their performance often fails to meet business expectations, struggling to deliver consistent throughput, stable connections, and adequate processing power. They might not be able to handle peak loads or prioritize business-critical traffic.
3. Limited Support for Advanced Features
Modern business communications rely on features like Quality of Service (QoS), VPN tunneling, redundancy, and robust security protocols. Lower-end ONTs and CPEs are unlikely to support these advanced features or, if they do, their implementation is often flawed and unreliable. Without proper handling of QoS, for instance, important applications like VoIP or video conferencing suffer from jitter, latency, and packet loss.
Result: Critical business applications experience degradation, reducing overall operational efficiency.
4. Inadequate Security
One of the most concerning issues with low-grade equipment is their lack of security hardening. These devices often have outdated firmware, unpatched vulnerabilities, or weak security features, making them easy targets for cyberattacks. Since the ONT and CPE act as gateways into the business’s internal network, their compromise could expose sensitive data or disrupt operations through attacks like DDoS or data breaches.
Result: Heightened cybersecurity risks, leading to potential financial loss, reputational damage, and data breaches.
5. Poor Heat Management
The low-quality components inside "plastic dinky toy" ONTs and CPEs usually lack proper heat dissipation mechanisms, such as cooling systems or high-quality enclosures. These devices often overheat when subjected to heavy loads or continuous use, leading to hardware failures or throttling.
Result: Unstable service with frequent device reboots and crashes, further diminishing network reliability.
6. Lack of Vendor Support and Maintenance
Cheaply-made equipment is often produced by lesser-known vendors with limited technical support, if any. In case of device failure, getting quick replacements, firmware updates, or troubleshooting assistance can be difficult, leaving businesses without proper support during critical outages or service disruptions.
Result: Lengthy recovery times during outages, with no swift resolution options from the provider, prolonging downtime.
7. Failure to Meet SLAs
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) typically ensure a high standard of performance, uptime, and support for business-grade services. However, when ONTs and CPE equipment are of inferior quality, these agreements are difficult or impossible to meet. Even if the core network of the provider is robust, the weakest link—the subpar demarcation equipment—can cause failure points that result in SLA breaches.
Result: Service providers may be unable to fulfill SLAs, leading to financial penalties and loss of trust from business clients.
Wrap | A False Economy of Savings
By installing ONTs and CPE devices that resemble "plastic dinky toys" rather than robust, business-grade equipment, service providers are not just cutting costs—they’re compromising the reliability and stability of their entire service offering. Businesses expect telecommunications solutions to deliver uninterrupted, high-quality performance that scales with their needs. Instead, these low-end devices increase the risk of outages, security breaches, and operational inefficiencies, leading to a false economy where the upfront savings are outweighed by frequent failures, reduced productivity, and long-term costs. For true business-grade telecommunications reliability, quality should always come first.
At Nepean Networks, we understand the need for a more comprehensive approach. We integrate various router types, including Mikrotiks, in handoff scenarios to deliver a complete networking solution. Our expertise allows us to address management, automation, and cybersecurity threats, ensuring your business stays connected and secure.
Don't settle for subpar business services – choose Nepean Networks for a reliable, efficient, and secure networking solution. 🚀💼🌐
Ronald Bartels ensures that Internet inhabiting things are connected reliably online at Nepan Networks - the leading specialized SD-WAN provider in South Africa. Learn more about the best SD-WAN in the world: 👉 Contact Nepean🚀
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