A free utility tool for MikroTik’s RouterOS

WinBox is a free utility tool developed by MikroTik, a company specializing in providing software and hardware solutions for internet connectivity worldwide. This network manager program is meant to be used with the company’s RouterOS firmware that provides users with extensive stability controls and flexibility for all kinds of data interfaces and routing. 

WinBox is available for PC devices and features a fast and simple user interface for ease of use. If you are looking for a more powerful alternative, you can try checking out NetWorx, Copy Handler, and The Dude produced by the same developers.

What is WinBox used for?

This small but terrible solution brought by MikroTik allows the administration of RouterOS through an efficient and intuitive GUI. All of the WinBox interface function closely mirror its console functions thus, you can notice that none of its sections are presented in the manual.  This desktop program supports IPv6 connectivity and in order for you to connect to the address’ router, it must be put in square braces just like when you’re linking to the IPv6 server. Furthermore, its neighbor discovery function can now accurately discover IPv6-enabled routers.

Keep in mind that there will be two entries each for these IPv6-enabled routers, one entry contains an IPv4 address while the other one is consist of an IPv6 link-local address. The excellent computer solution is equipped with an MDI interface that enables all menu configurations to be displayed in the main window instantly showing in its work area. By default, the app shows the most commonly used parameters though there are times that other parameters are necessarily displayed. This includes “BGP AS Path” or other BGP attributes.

How do I set up WinBox?

WinBox is a utility tool for MikroTik’s RouterOS that can be freely downloaded and used on your PC devices. However, the OS itself needs to be purchased first before you can use it. This tool only provides a way for you to control and manage it using a graphical user interface on your computer. Once you’ve downloaded and installed it on your device, you can proceed to the next step. 

You’ll be presented with three fields that need to be configured first. You need to input the IP or MAC address of the router, followed by its username and password. Click on the ‘Connect’ button on the right once everything is filled out. Alternatively, you can also refer to the ‘Neighbors’ tab on the bottom half of the screen to show you a list of available devices that you can select and connect to.

Once connected, there are various settings and tools available, including options to configure the interfaces for both wired and wireless connections, real-time traffic monitoring tools, and even the option to save session configurations and layouts. There is a bit of a steep learning curve needed to use RouterOS and WinBox properly. Thankfully, the program provides a user manual that features in-depth tutorials and guides on how to use its OS on its official Wiki page.

Maximize RouterOS to its fullest

All in all, MikroTik’s RouterOS is a robust software that is filled with useful networking tools, and WinBox is a great way to be able to take advantage of it through a simple and clean user interface. If you use RouterOS to manage the company’s network devices, this utility is an easy recommendation. It will take some time to learn it fully, but there are plenty of tutorials and guides to help you along.