A 100 Gigabit switch for enterprise networks and data centers. Hot-swappable parts and insane port density with 1.2 Tbps switching capacity!

As 100 Gigabit product family grows, the time has come to introduce a serious enterprise-level switch. A switch that is up for the challenge when the CRS504 port density is just not enough. Introducing the spectacular CRS518-16XS-2XQ!

With 2x 100 Gigabit QSFP28 ports and 16x 25 Gigabit SFP28 ports, this is the perfect cost-effective addition to any enterprise network or data center. And with dual-redundant hot-swappable power supplies and fans, you won’t have to worry about unnecessary downtime.

Here’s a real-life setup – similar to the one MikroTik is using in our office:

At the top, you could place two flagship CCR2216 routers to provide the main connectivity and routing. Then a blazing-fast 100 Gigabit connection leads to three CRS518 distribution level switches. This is where all the magic happens. The CRS518 switches connect every access level device to the main network, deal with traffic filtering, and network policy enforcement. And they handle all that with grace and dignity – thanks to the fantastic Marvell Prestera Aldrin2 switch-chip. The same chip you’ve seen in our flagship CCR2216 that did wonders with L3 Hardware Offloading.

Powering the switch is the Marvell Prestera Aldrin2 switch chip. MikroTik is using a higher-quality switch chip than Ubiquiti’s 25/100GbE line. Ubiquiti is using a 4th-tier switch chip by sticking with Nephos, a company with a tiny market share. Marvell is a much larger vendor and has a larger customer base. The larger customer base generally drives quality. Still, Broadcom is the heavyweight in the 25/100GbE switch space.


The 25-gigabit ports are backward compatible with 10 Gigabit and 1 Gigabit SFP devices. Mix and match as you need!

The two hot-swap power supplies support a high input voltage range: 100-240V. The board itself uses up to 45W of power, while the total maximum power consumption goes up to 77W with all the attachments. It can be a bit more power-hungry than the CRS504, but you would be too if you had 16x 25-Gigabit ports, wouldn’t you?

The rear of the unit has two power supplies and four fan modules.


These PSUs and fan modules are hot-swappable and redundant. MikroTik is trying to move up market.


100 Gigabit product family keeps growing: switches, routers, cables, and QSFP28 modules. If you want real speed and ultimate flexibility for the best price on the market – you want MikroTik!

Nothing can stop this switch: it supports VLAN (802.1Q, 802.1ad), L3 hardware offloaded routing, ACL, LACP, MLAG, Jumbo frames, IGMP/MLD snooping, and so on. Keep your RouterOS up to date and enjoy the real power of CRS!