What are the opening hours?

Monday 08:00 - 20:00 Tuesday 08:00 - 20:00 Wednesday 08:00 - 20:00 Thursday 08:00 - 20:00 Friday 08:00 - 20:00 Saturday 12:00 - 20:00

AppMint Technologies, Monrovia (2026)

21/08/2026

🌐 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗜𝘀 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻. 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗬𝗲𝘁.

When someone tells me, “The internet is down,” I try not to react too quickly because I've learned something over the years:

The first explanation isn't always the right explanation. It's tempting to blame the ISP. Restart the router. Call technical support.

Wait.

But good troubleshooting starts somewhere else:

With evidence. I think about problems the same way I approach a broken machine. You don't replace the entire machine because one part stopped working.

You find where the failure begins.

That's a lesson that applies far beyond technology.

🔍 𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗲

Before making assumptions, observe. What changed? What is working? What isn't?

Sometimes the clues are already in front of you.

🧠 𝟮. 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀

A big problem can feel overwhelming. A smaller question is easier:

What's the first thing that stopped working? Then work forward from there.

📍 𝟯. 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀

Experience can sometimes make us overlook simple things. We want complicated answers when the real solution may be surprisingly simple. Never become too experienced to check the basics.

🧪 𝟰. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲

If you change five things simultaneously, you may fix the problem without ever knowing what actually caused it. Good problem-solving requires discipline.

📊 𝟱. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

Opinions are useful. Evidence is better.

Instead of asking: "Who is responsible?"

Ask: "What do I know for certain?"

That small change in thinking can completely change how you approach problems.

After more than 20 years in technology, one principle continues to guide me:

Don't troubleshoot the story. Troubleshoot the evidence. Whether it's a network problem, a business challenge, a personal decision, or a difficult situation...

Don't jump straight to the conclusion. 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽. 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲. 𝗜𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲. 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁.

Because sometimes the biggest mistake isn't choosing the wrong solution.

It's trying to solve the problem before understanding what the problem actually is.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀?

20/08/2026

📺 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝗕𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 - 𝗨𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟰𝗞 𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼.

A business can have 500 Mbps or even 1 Gbps internet and still feel painfully slow.

Why? Because having more capacity doesn't automatically mean using it wisely.

Think about a busy road. The road hasn't become smaller.

But add enough vehicles at once, and suddenly everyone moves more slowly.

That's what can happen when several people start streaming high-quality video during working hours.

One person watches YouTube.

Another starts a Netflix stream.

Someone else is scrolling TikTok.

Meanwhile, your team is trying to:

☁️ Work with cloud applications.

📞 Join Zoom or Teams meetings.

📧 Send important documents.

💳 Process customer transactions.

🗄️ Synchronize business data.

The problem isn't necessarily that people are doing something wrong.

The problem is that everything is competing for the same resource.

And this teaches an important lesson that applies far beyond networking:

Not every activity deserves the same priority.

In a business, revenue-generating work should come first.

That doesn't necessarily mean banning entertainment.

It means creating boundaries.

📊 Know where your resources are going.

⚡ Protect what matters most.

🚦 Limit unnecessary consumption when necessary.

⏰ Schedule heavy activities at better times.

👥 Make sure one person's activity doesn't negatively affect everyone else.

I've learned this after more than 20 years in technology:

More resources don't always solve a management problem.

Sometimes the answer isn't getting more.

It's getting better at managing what you already have.

The same principle applies to money.

Time.

Attention.

Energy.

People.

And even opportunities.

You don't always need more resources.

Sometimes you simply need to use your existing resources better.

What is one resource in your life or business that you think you're not using efficiently enough?

18/08/2026

⚙️ Don't Put a MikroTik Router Into Production Without Doing These 10 Things

A MikroTik router can be configured in minutes.

But putting it into production safely?

That's a different exercise.

I've learned that many network problems aren't caused by complicated configurations.

They're caused by simple things that were never checked before the router went live.

Before I put a MikroTik into production, I want these 10 things addressed:

🔐1. Change default credentials
Use strong, unique administrator credentials.

🛡️ 2. Restrict management access
WinBox, SSH, WebFig, and API shouldn't be unnecessarily exposed to the internet.

🔥 3. Review the firewall
Don't rely blindly on default or copied rules. Understand what each rule permits and blocks.

🌐 4. Verify IP addressing and routing
Confirm interfaces, gateways, routes, and DNS are working as intended.

🏷️ 5. Name interfaces clearly
`ISP_PRIMARY` tells you far more than `ether1`.

💾 6. Create and secure a backup
Keep an independent copy of the configuration before production changes begin.

📜 7. Configure logging
Know what events you need to monitor and where those logs will be stored.

📊 8. Test bandwidth and traffic policies
Make sure QoS and queues aren't accidentally restricting critical applications.

🔄 9. Check RouterOS and firmware
Use an appropriate stable version and understand the update/recovery process.

📝 10. Document everything
Record the IP plan, VLANs, firewall logic, credentials process, topology, and major configuration decisions.

The final step is simple:

Test before handing the network over.

Test internet access.

Test management access.

Test failover if configured.

Test critical applications.

Test recovery.

Because a router isn't production-ready simply because users can browse the internet.

Production-ready means predictable, secure, recoverable, and documented.

After 20+ years in network engineering, this is one principle I keep coming back to:

The quality of a network is often determined by what you check before the first user connects.

Save this checklist and use it before your next MikroTik deployment.

16/08/2026

⚙️ 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀.

We often assume experience means having everything figured out. It doesn't.

Experience doesn't mean you never make mistakes. It means you've made enough mistakes to understand what they can teach you.

Over the years, I've learned that some of my most valuable lessons didn't come from success.

They came from moments when:

❌ I moved too quickly.

❌ I assumed I already knew the answer.

❌ I didn't ask enough questions.

❌ I trusted memory instead of checking the facts.

❌ I thought a small decision couldn't have a big consequence.

And those lessons have shaped how I approach work and life today.

🧠 𝟭. 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁

Sometimes we are so eager to solve a problem that we don't spend enough time understanding it.

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻: Slow down enough to see the whole picture.

📋 𝟮. 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

You may remember what you did today.

But will you remember it six months from now?

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻: Write things down. Your future self will thank you.

🔍 𝟯. 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴

Experience can sometimes make us overconfident.

We think we already know what someone means.

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻: Ask questions. Clarification can prevent hours of unnecessary work.

🔄 𝟰. 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻

Sometimes we continue with a plan simply because we've already invested time in it.

But continuing in the wrong direction doesn't make the destination right.

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻: It's okay to stop, reassess, and change direction.

🌱 𝟱. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗔𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴

Technology changes.

People change.

Life changes.

There will always be something new to learn.

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻: Stay teachable.

After more than 20 years in technology, one thing has become increasingly clear to me:

Experience doesn't eliminate mistakes.

It changes how you respond to them.

You become less interested in proving that you're right...

And more interested in discovering what is actually right.

That's growth. That's maturity. And that's what keeps experience valuable.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁?

15/08/2026

💸 𝗔 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮. 𝗜𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 - 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

Most businesses approach cybersecurity with one question: Can a hacker get into our network?

But there's another question every business leader should be asking: What will it cost us if they do?

Because a security incident rarely ends with fixing one compromised computer. The financial impact can spread across the entire business.

Imagine discovering tomorrow that your network has been compromised. Suddenly, your team may need to:

🔍 Investigate what happened.

🛠️ Restore affected systems.

🔐 Reset credentials and secure accounts.

⏳ Keep employees offline while systems are investigated.

📞 Notify customers, partners, or regulators where necessary.

And that's only the beginning. The hidden costs can be even more painful.

Employees can't work normally. Customers experience delays.

Transactions may stop. Projects miss deadlines. Management shifts from growing the business to containing the incident.

And then there's something much harder to calculate: Lost customer confidence.

A security incident doesn't simply create an IT problem.

It can create an operational, financial, and reputational problem.

That's why I don't view network security as simply an IT expense. I see it as a business continuity investment.

A properly secured MikroTik environment is only one part of the security strategy, but several fundamentals can significantly reduce unnecessary exposure:

🛡️ 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀
Don't expose administrative services to everyone on the internet.

🔥 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹-𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀
Control what should enter, leave, and pass through your network.

🔄 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗢𝗦 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀
Don't allow known vulnerabilities to remain unaddressed.

🔐 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Protect administrator accounts as carefully as you protect the network itself.

📊 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗟𝗼𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴
You can't respond effectively to threats you can't see.

💾 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘂𝗽𝘀
A backup isn't a recovery strategy until you know it can actually be restored.

The goal isn't to build a network where nothing can ever go wrong. That's unrealistic.

The goal is to make attacks: Harder to execute. Easier to detect. Less damaging when they occur.

After more than 20 years in network engineering, one lesson has stayed with me: Prevention is usually cheaper than recovery.

You can invest a little time today securing, monitoring, documenting, and testing your infrastructure... Or spend significantly more tomorrow recovering from an incident you could have reduced.

The choice is rarely between spending money and saving money.

It's usually between planned investment today... and unplanned loss tomorrow.

💬 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁: 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮, 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁?

13/08/2026

💸 Your Business May Be Paying for Bandwidth It Isn't Using Efficiently

A business can pay for 500 Mbps...
..and still have employees complaining:

"The internet is slow."

Sounds impossible?

I've seen it happen.

The problem isn't always how much bandwidth you buy.

Sometimes, it's how well you manage what you already have.

Think of your internet connection like a water supply.

You can install a much larger pipe...

But if the distribution system is poorly managed, some areas can still experience shortages while other capacity goes unused.

Business networks work the same way.

One employee may be downloading a massive file.

Another may be running cloud backups.

Someone else may be streaming video.

Meanwhile, your business-critical applications are competing for the same connection.

Without visibility and traffic management, you're not necessarily suffering from a bandwidth shortage.

You may be suffering from a bandwidth management problem.

When I assess a MikroTik network, I don't immediately recommend buying more bandwidth.

I first ask:

📊 **Who is consuming the most bandwidth?**

⏰ **When do the biggest traffic spikes occur?**

🌐 Which applications are consuming the connection?

⚡ Are critical business services getting the priority they need?

📈 Is the existing bandwidth actually being used efficiently?

Sometimes the solution isn't another 200 Mbps.

It may be:

✅ Better QoS
✅ Smarter bandwidth allocation
✅ Traffic monitoring
✅ Identifying unnecessary consumption
✅ Optimising the existing network

That's an important distinction:

More bandwidth increases capacity.

Better network management increases efficiency.

After **20+ years in networking**, I've learned not to recommend an upgrade until I've established that the existing capacity is being used properly.

Because sometimes the cheapest bandwidth to buy...
..is the bandwidth you're already paying for but aren't using efficiently.

Before upgrading your internet package, ask yourself:

Do I actually need more bandwidth or do I need better visibility into the bandwidth I already have?

💬 When was the last time your business measured exactly where its internet bandwidth was going?

05/08/2026

📶 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗪𝗶-𝗙𝗶 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗹

One of the biggest mistakes I see in wireless networking is treating every Wi-Fi deployment the same.

A business invests in the latest access points.

The installation looks great.

The internet connection is fast.

Yet, the complaints begin.

The Wi-Fi is slow.

My video calls keep freezing.

I lose connection when I move around the building.

The problem often isn't the internet.

It isn't even the access points.

It's the design.

Think of Wi-Fi like architecture.

You wouldn't design a hospital, a hotel, and a school using the exact same floor plan.

Each building serves different people with different needs.

Wireless networks are no different.

The hardware may be similar.

The design shouldn't be.

🏢 Office Wi-Fi: Built for Productivity

Employees rely on:

💼 Cloud applications

📞 VoIP calls

🎥 Video conferencing

📂 Shared files and business systems

An office network should prioritize business-critical traffic, deliver seamless roaming, and provide consistent performance throughout the workday.

🏨 Hotel Wi-Fi: Built for Guest Experience

Hotels face a completely different challenge.

Every guest arrives with multiple devices:

📱 Smartphones

💻 Laptops

📺 Smart TVs

🎮 Gaming devices

The network must handle high device density while providing:

✅ Simple guest onboarding

✅ Captive portals

✅ Guest isolation

✅ Fair bandwidth allocation

Because one guest streaming 4K movies shouldn't affect everyone else.

🎓 School Wi-Fi: Built for Mobility and Scale

Schools are among the most demanding wireless environments.

Students and teachers are constantly moving between classrooms while accessing:

📚 Learning platforms

📝 Online assessments

🎥 Educational videos

☁️ Cloud-based resources

A successful school network requires:

✅ Fast roaming

✅ High client density

✅ Content filtering

✅ Secure separation for staff, students, and guests

Technology Doesn't Create Great Wi-Fi. Design Does.

After 20+ years in network engineering, I've learned one lesson that never changes:

The best Wi-Fi isn't built around hardware.

It's built around how people use the network.

When you design for users instead of simply installing equipment:

📶 Coverage improves.

⚡ Performance becomes predictable.

😊 User complaints decrease.

📈 Productivity increases.

The best compliment a network engineer can receive isn't,

Your Wi-Fi is amazing.

It's...

We never have to think about it.

Because when a network is designed properly, it quietly enables the business instead of becoming part of the problem.

💬 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗹, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁?

04/08/2026

🌱 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲

We often celebrate the finished product.

The successful business.
The promotion.
The new office.
The breakthrough.

But the truth is, those moments are built on countless small wins that most people never see.

A new skill learned.
A proposal sent.
A meaningful conversation.
A book chapter completed.
A problem solved.
A promise kept to yourself.

These may seem insignificant on their own, but together they become the foundation of extraordinary results.

As I continue building 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗠𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮, I've learned to appreciate every step forward. Every networking opportunity, every lesson from a challenge, every improvement to a system, and every connection made is moving the vision closer to reality.

I've stopped waiting for the "big moment" to celebrate.

Small progress is still progress.

Those little victories fuel confidence, build momentum, and remind us that we're moving in the right direction even when the finish line is still out of sight.

So today, take a moment to acknowledge how far you've come.

Celebrate the small wins.
Stay committed to the process.
Keep your eyes on the bigger vision.

Because big dreams don't come alive all at once; they grow through small, consistent victories.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆?

03/08/2026

⚠️ 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗸𝗿𝗼𝗧𝗶𝗸 𝗖𝗣𝗨 𝗗𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘄. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗠𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝘁.

Few things grab a network administrator's attention faster than seeing a MikroTik router pinned at 100% CPU.

The first thought is usually:

The router is underpowered.

Sometimes that's true.

But in my experience, high CPU usage is often a symptom, not the root cause.

Think of your router's CPU like the manager of a busy warehouse.

On a normal day, orders arrive at a steady pace, and everything runs efficiently.

Then, without warning, hundreds of trucks arrive at once.

The manager isn't the problem.

They're simply trying to keep up with an unexpected workload.

Your MikroTik CPU behaves the same way.

Before blaming the hardware, I always ask one question:

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗣𝗨 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱?

Here are the first areas I investigate:

🔍 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀

Large backups, software updates, cloud synchronisation, or sudden spikes in user activity can dramatically increase packet processing.

🛡️ 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗹 & 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

Brute-force login attempts, port scans, and denial-of-service attacks can generate thousands of unwanted connections that the router must inspect.

🌐 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗽𝘀 & 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

A bridge loop, broadcast storm, or incorrect routing configuration can flood the network with traffic, consuming valuable processing power.

📊 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘃𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴

Queue Trees, Layer 7 filtering, complex firewall rules, and other advanced features are powerful, but they all require CPU resources.

⚙️ 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻

A router that comfortably supported 20 users may struggle years later with 100 users, VPNs, cloud applications, VoIP, CCTV, and remote workers.

𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁.

Before changing a single configuration, I gather evidence.

Some of the tools I rely on include:

✅ Profile – Identify which RouterOS processes are consuming CPU time.

✅ Torch – See who's generating traffic and where it's going.

✅ Interface Statistics – Detect overloaded or error-prone links.

✅ System Logs – Reveal security events, hardware warnings, and recurring issues.

These tools tell the story before I make any changes.

Because troubleshooting without evidence is like replacing a car engine simply because the fuel warning light came on.

You might spend money...
..and never solve the real problem.

The Lesson

After 20+ years in network engineering, one principle has never failed me:

Don't troubleshoot the symptom. Troubleshoot the cause.

Sometimes the answer is a firewall optimization.

Sometimes it's improving traffic management.

Sometimes it's eliminating a routing loop.

And sometimes...
..the business has simply outgrown the hardware.

The right solution only becomes obvious when you understand why the CPU is under pressure.

💬 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗠𝗶𝗸𝗿𝗼𝗧𝗶𝗸 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝗖𝗣𝗨? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲?

I'd love to hear your experience.

30/07/2026

🌐 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝗣 𝘃𝘀 𝗗𝗛𝗖𝗣: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀

One of the simplest decisions in networking can become a major troubleshooting headache when it's made without understanding the purpose behind it.

The question is simple:

𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝗣 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗛𝗖𝗣?

Many people choose based on habit.

Experienced network engineers choose based on function.

Think of an IP address like a physical address.

DHCP is like a hotel receptionist assigning rooms to guests.

It's automatic.

It's efficient.

It's perfect when devices simply need to connect and communicate.

Static IP is like owning a permanent address.

People and systems always know exactly where to find you.

Both approaches are valuable.

The mistake is using one method for every device.

DHCP Works Best For:

💻 Employee laptops

📱 Mobile devices

👥 Guest Wi-Fi users

🖨️ Temporary devices

These devices usually don't provide services to others, so automatic address assignment makes management easier and reduces manual configuration.

Static IP Works Best For:

🖥️ Servers

📹 CCTV systems

📡 Network access points

🛡️ Firewalls and network infrastructure

When a device provides an important service, consistency matters.

Imagine trying to visit a website where the address changes every day.

That same confusion happens when critical network devices receive unpredictable IP addresses.

The Best Networks Use Both

A well-designed network usually follows this approach:

✅ DHCP for users and everyday devices.

✅ Static IP addresses or DHCP reservations for critical infrastructure.

The goal is not choosing one over the other.

The goal is creating a network that is:

✔ Predictable
✔ Manageable
✔ Easy to troubleshoot
✔ Ready to grow

After years of designing and managing business networks, I've learned:

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱.

It's about making the right decision for the right device.

A laptop does not need the same IP strategy as a server.

A guest device does not need the same configuration as a security camera.

Every device has a role.

Your IP addressing strategy should reflect that role.

💬 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸: 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗛𝗖𝗣, 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝗣, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵?

AppMint Technologies

21/08/2026

20/08/2026

18/08/2026

16/08/2026

15/08/2026

13/08/2026

05/08/2026

04/08/2026

03/08/2026

30/07/2026

Address

Opening Hours

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request

Monday	08:00 - 20:00
Tuesday	08:00 - 20:00
Wednesday	08:00 - 20:00
Thursday	08:00 - 20:00
Friday	08:00 - 20:00
Saturday	12:00 - 20:00