L009: the natural evolution of a legend

For more than a decade, the RB2011 family has delivered affordable, flexible, rock-solid networking—and it was our first router to feature SFP. The time has come to move forward. Good news: every hallmark you loved about RB2011 is still here, only better. Yes, including the iconic red look and the wallet-friendly price.

Three reasons to pick L009

More performance. More features. Better day-to-day usability. Let’s start with the muscle.

Modern power, modern possibilities

L009 is driven by a dual-core ARM CPU, bringing big gains for:

• routing & filtering,
• complex firewall rules,
• IPsec hardware encryption, and
• advanced RouterOS capabilities.

ARM architecture unlocks benefits older MIPS units can’t match—like the latest Linux kernel features and container support. Pair the ARM chip with the full-size USB port and you can run your own projects right on the router: set up a Pi-hole ad-blocker, or add an LTE modem—the rest is up to your imagination.

Real-world speedups

Across typical setups—from fast-path routing to intricate bridge filters—L009 is up to 4× faster than RB2011. With hardware-accelerated IPsec, you get lower CPU usage without measurable performance loss versus the standard driver. Expect around 60–90 Mbps IPsec throughput with 1400-byte packets.

Connectivity that scales with you

All Ethernet ports are Gigabit. PoE-in on port 1 lets you power the router without the DC jack. On the opposite end, PoE-Out* on the last port can power another device. There’s also an SFP cage that supports 1G and 2.5G, tested with a range of MikroTik SFP modules and higher-speed cables—because that 2.5G headroom makes a sysadmin’s life easier. And yes, there’s a console port for quick, direct access.

At the core sits a Marvell Peridot switch chip:

• 2.5 Gbps full-duplex link from the switch to the CPU for all ports except Ether1,
• 1 Gbps full-duplex dedicated line from Ether1 to the CPU.

Translation: tons of configuration options without bottlenecks.

Smarter thermals, smarter racks

The new chassis shares the proven form factor of our RB5009 series. The case doubles as a large heat-sink, guarding your setup against overheating. Even better, you get everything needed to mount up to four L009 units in a single 1U rack space.

MikroTik rack-tetris pro tip: pair an RB5009 with PoE-out and mount it together with seven L009 routers in just two 1U slots. Clean power, minimal space, maximum legend points among admins.

RM vs IN: The L009-RM mirrors the L009-IN model, minus the 2.4 GHz wireless. It includes all required rack accessories and helps you cut costs even more.

RB2011 will always be a classic. But if you’re ready to step up, L009 is the drop-in upgrade that saves time, money, and rack space—without sacrificing what made the original great.

* PoE-Out: See product specs for exact requirements and limits.