MikroTik has a new small switch for fiber networks: the MikroTik CRS310-1G-5S-4S+IN. This switch has a number of different types of ports and is an indoor version of MikroTik’s netFiber 9 outdoor switch. This is one we think many STH readers will want to see.
MikroTik CRS310-1G-5S-4S+IN Fiber Switch
The MikroTik CRS310-1G-5S-4S+IN has nine fiber ports and one 1GbE copper port (plus a console port. The copper 1GbE port is a PoE in capable port so one can power this switch without a separate power cable, or use it as a redundant power option.
The fiber ports have five SFP ports and four SFP+ 10GbE ports. Internally this is a familiar architecture with Marvell switch chips that will have some L3 offload capabilities with RouterOS 7 as well as 256MB of RAM and an Arm v7 processor.
One of the points we want to see is the fan noise. Many of MikroTik’s switches like the MikroTik CRS309-1G-8S+IN we reviewed are passively cooled, even pushing more bandwidth than this CRS310.
MikroTik has a fan installed in this model and says it has a fan controller, still, that is a potential source of noise and a potential point of failure.
Final Words
Overall, when we combine this with the recently announced MikroTik CCR2004-1G-2XS-PCIe 2x SFP28 25GbE Router on a PCIe Card and MikroTik CCR2216-1G-12XS-2XQ 25GbE and 100GbE Router we can safely say we are excited for a lot of MikroTik’s new products. List pricing on this switch is expected to be around $199. Pre-pandemic, MikroTik’s products were usually sold below their list prices but it can be different these days. Still, this looks like a reasonably priced switch especially for those who need to span longer distances or need an inexpensive 10GbE SFP+ switch when the MikroTik CRS305-1G-4S+IN is not an option.
This looks nice.
In the “what I really want” camp is an affordable 4xSFP28 + 4xSFP+, would that be a CRS310-1G-4S-4XS? Mini-top of rack switch without the fuss/cost of 100G and the CCR2216-1G-12XS-2XQ.
For around the same money you can get an 8 sfp+ port (+1x RJ45 gigabit) switch from mikrotik…. It seems like the new switch is a step backwards
…or am I missing something with a “fibre switch” as opposed to normal sfp/+?
@Mike. I don’t think you’re missing anything (but other please correct us if we are wrong), but $199 is 26% lower than $269, which is the list price of the CRS309-1G-8S+IN. But yes you are right that the CRS309 is probably a better option for many. The 309 is also fanless and has twice the RAM and CPU cores. The main point of the 310 seems to be the lower price.
A CRS309 will be a better buy.
Just bought one of these since the CRS305 and CRS309 are unobtainable right now. The fan is a 30mm 11,000rpm screamer, however after the first 3 minutes of being powered on the fan is switched off.
The switch chip has a good chunky heatsink on it with fins nearly reaching the top of the chassis, but it looks like it’s held on by a pair of weakly sprung clips, and a very thick and spongey thermal pad. The CPU heatsink is about the type you’d find on a raspi, with a very thick and spongey adhesive thermal pad which on mine was in danger of shorting out a whole row of resistors
This seems a very strange product for Mikrotik. Along with the cost-cutting step of not populating the 2nd PSU connector on the PCB (especially given how unreliable the PSUs are), would many people be buying these and putting anything other than 1G copper modules in the SFP slots?
Hey, Mikrotik, where’s our fanless CRS3xx-1G-4XS-4S+? :)
Any comparison about the idle power consumption (especially as compared to the CRS309-1G-8S+-IN)?
“Hey, Mikrotik, where’s our fanless CRS3xx-1G-4XS-4S+?”
As I went 40gbe, I would rather like to see a cheap CRS312-8S+6Q+IN or even CRS308-8Q+IN ;-) (That would be the same switch chip as CRS326-24S+2Q+RM…)