Hi, I'm Tim from Scoop, and welcome to our how-to series.
MikroTik is renowned for its flexible use and competitive price, but some prospective
users are put off by sometimes complex configuration. In this video we'll show
you how to create a MikroTik PtP bridge link and explain our configuration recommendations.
As a prerequisite, you will need MikroTik routers with the wireless interface and level 3 license.
A level 4 license is only required for PtMP situations.
In addition we recommend Winbox for configuration which you can get from MikroTik's website.
For this demonstration we'll be using a pair of SXT square 5AC
and LGH60G as the configuration differs slightly between 5GHz and 60GHz links.
Open up Winbox to discover directly connected MikroTik devices. You can access them by selecting
the MAC address and hitting the connect button. Remove any default configuration as this will
interfere with the setup. You can either remove this from the prompted window which
displays on first login to the router, or by going to System > Reset Configuration
and make sure to select 'No default configuration' before rebooting the device. In a few moments you
should be able to access the device once again via Winbox using its MAC address.
Next is to create a bridge interface. This is a software interface which is
essentially our container for the Ethernet and Wireless interfaces.
It will allow for traffic to pass through both sides of the link. Once you have created the
bridge, we can add physical interfaces by simply selecting them in the Ports menu.
Next we will be adding an IP address to this bridge interface, although an IP is not essential
for the link to function, we recommend adding one in the same IP subnet for management purposes.
For the wireless configuration, start off by enabling the relevant wireless interface
which is part of the bridge. Double-click on the interface and navigate to the wireless
tab to access settings. Set the mode to 'Bridge'; this will accept a single client
connection. The opposite side of the link uses 'Station-Bridge' mode; this is the only wireless
setting that differs between each end, all other settings will need to be identical.
Since we are using 5GHz 802.11ac products, we'll be setting the band to 5GHz-only-AC.
Other bands can be selected to match all the chipset requirements if necessary.
At this point we'd recommend adjusting your channel width, frequency, and SSID for whatever
is suitable for your location. It's also important to change the country setting to match your region
to ensure you're working within your country's frequency regulations.
When using MikroTik for PtP applications, we recommend using the proprietary NV2 protocol for
best link performance. To use this click on the advanced mode tab and change the wireless protocol
to NV2. To improve security we recommend adding a pre-shared key by opening the NV2 menu, enabling
the security checkbox and specifying a password of your choice. If you are not using NV2, please
note an independent security profile needs to be configured and used for other protocol types.
With the AP configuration complete, we need to duplicate this config with the exception of using
the same IP address and wireless mode - remember to use 'Station-Bridge' mode on the client. Once
both sides are configured, you should notice the wireless interface would have changed to a running
state indicated by a flag in RouterOS. At this point, if you disconnect from the Winbox session
and check your Neighbors tab, you should see both devices as they are now part of the same
broadcast domain. You'll also be able to access resources from either side of your wireless link.
60GHz devices have independent wireless settings from the usual.
Start your configuration by adding the bridge with just the Ethernet interface as the port.
Navigate to the W60G tab to access its configuration.
Here you want to set the mode to Bridge, select the frequency, SSID and password of your choice.
Select your bridge interface from the 'Put Stations in Bridge' option;
this will dynamically add the correct 60GHz station interface into the bridge. On the client
side, create your bridge and add both Ethernet and wireless interfaces on the ports menu and specify
station bridge mode in the W60G tab. As with the 5GHz example, you should be able to detect both
routers in your Neighbors tab in Winbox and access resources on either side of the link.
As you can see creating a PtP wireless link with MikroTik is easier than what most people
would expect. Let us know what you think in the comments. If you found this how-to video useful,
give it a like and subscribe to our channel to keep up to date with the latest video releases.
Thank you so much for watching, I'm Tim from Scoop.