Nstreme is a proprietary point-to-point wireless protocol developed by MikroTik to improve performance on long-distance wireless links. It enhances frame aggregation, reduces latency, and replaces standard 802.11 MAC timing behavior with a custom approach. Because of its specific mechanism, it imposes certain compatibility restrictions:
A.
WDS between two station-wds devices is not compatible with Nstreme. This setup doesn't conform to proper AP-client architecture required by Nstreme, which operates in a master/slave role — typically ap-bridge and station.B.
Encryption (e.g., using WEP or WPA) is supported in Nstreme; however, MikroTik recommends encryption at higher layers like IPsec when performance is critical.C.
WDS between ap-bridge and station-wds is compatible with Nstreme. This is the standard pairing used when bridging two networks via wireless.D.
Bridging a station with an ap-bridge device using standard station mode (not station-wds or station-bridge) is not compatible for full Layer 2 bridging. Only station-wds or station-bridge supports bridging with ap-bridge mode.
Extract from Official MTCNA Course Material – Wireless Section:
"Nstreme is supported only between a device in ap-bridge mode and a device in station or station-wds mode. Both ends must support Nstreme. WDS is supported with station-wds and ap-bridge combinations. Encryption is supported, although optional."
Extract from Terry Combs MTCNA Notes – Nstreme Notes:
"Only ap-bridge <-> station-wds (or station-bridge in RouterOS v6+) is valid for bridging over Nstreme. Encryption like WPA2 is supported but optional."
Extract from René Meneses Study Guide – Wireless Features:
“Nstreme does not support station-station WDS. Proper implementation requires ap-bridge on one side and station-wds or station-bridge on the other. Basic encryption (WEP/WPA) is allowed.”
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