[SGVLUG] Recommendations for > 100 MBbs routers

[Jess Bermudes]

Claude,

In case you're not familiar, the reason the EdgeRouter Lite have 3 ports is
because the device is only a router. Each of those jacks is meant to
represent a different network you're connecting together, but I think you
can make them behave like a switch in the GUI if you dig around. You'll
likely want hardware switches if you want to have more things plugged in,
but then you might want to start doing more sophisticated things with your
network in which case the dumb switches won't be enough and you'll want to
start looking into things like managed switches, in which case your budget
either has to expand or now those all-in-one router/switch combos off the
shelf start looking tempting again.



On Fri, Aug 19, 2016 at 8:54 PM, Munjal Thakkar <m00njal at gmail.com> wrote:

> Claude,
>
> For your home use, the ER-X router is more than enough for your needs. It
> has more ports, has POE Pass through, and has been tested to do well with
> 400-500mbps WAN connections/throughput.
>
> The UAPs seem pricey, but honestly they are not for how they perform.
> Their performance and reliability matches that of competitor (*cough
> meraki*) APs that range $200 or more.
>
> For your setup, I suggest a ER-X router, with just 1 UAP-AC access point.
> This way you have a router, and the UAP-AC comes with a PoE injector. That
> Single injector will power the ER-X router and the UAP through the pass
> through port, for minimal wiring, power supplies, and so that you can
> remote mount the UAP-AC wherever you need to in your house for best
> performance (it'll be fine).
>
> I didnt watch this full video, but I think he shows how you can connect
> what I am describing. That is WAN MODEM>POE INJECTOR> ERX ROUTER>UAP (via
> ethernet)
>
> I have this setup at home, but will take a picture later today.
>
> If you go to  this route, you'll have an enterprise router, that is
> consumer friendly, and also enterprise Wifi, that is consumer friendly, and
> all very budget friendly. The ER-X is $50-60 online and so you save there,
> and your UAP-AC is $85 or so. Total cost is less than $150.
>
> Didn't even mention the awesome Unifi Software (free) that is available to
> manage the UAP. 4 SSIDs, channel scan, and flexibility to really tweak
> performance gains. I'll gladly setup a sample Unifi Controller for you to
> poke around in if you'd like. Just let me know. (no I dont work for UBNT or
> even own their stock).
>
> Best,
> Munjal
>
> On Fri, Aug 19, 2016 at 8:22 PM, Claude Felizardo <cafelizardo at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Ok, after going over the various responses, I see what you guys were
>> getting at.  It is annoying having to reconfigure an all-in-one every time
>> you do an update either because of new WiFi features or in my case, I need
>> a true gigabit router.  I did start out with individual components
>> originally...
>>
>> When I moved my old wifi router which I was using as an extender for the
>> TWC internet from the living room to the wiring closet to test with the
>> Giggle Fiber modem, I inadvertently caused the signal to drop in the kids
>> bedrooms and my daughter managed to go through 1.5 GB of data in about a
>> week on our shared mobile data plan before I noticed.  But now I have the
>> all-in-one wifi/router back in the living room with no other devices
>> connected to the giggle fiber feed.  I used a Wifi analyzer app and I was
>> amazed how quickly the signal drops out around the house and my house isn't
>> big at all.  Must be the walls and stuff.  I may have to get a beefier
>> router with stronger radios...
>>
>> So I'm looking at the ubiquity elite 3 but it only has 3 LAN ports and I
>> think I may need at least 2 AP's. Wow, this stuff really looks cool but
>> isn't this overkill for a single storey house under 2000'?  And the
>> individual AP's aren't cheap and I'd still need to get PoE injectors.  So
>> with at least 2 remote switches and a 3rd in the closet, I guess the 3-port
>> router could work but I'd need to pick up 2 more gigabit switches.  Or else
>> there's the EdgeRouter X?   Sheesh.  So you just install these AP's like
>> wired smoke detectors in the ceiling wherever you need them?  Hmm...
>>
>> Claude
>>
>> On Aug 17, 2016, at 9:22 PM, Dan Buthusiem <dan.buthusiem at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> If that's the route you're heading, Netgear's WNDR4300 has worked well in
>> the number of places I've installed it. It handles DDWRT nicely, too. Good
>> speed and decent range. I think I last bought one for about $80. Don't
>> expect to get anything more than 15-20 Mbps over wifi unless you're on 5GHz
>> N, though that holds true for nearly all wireless hardware I've played with
>> in that performance tier up to 802.11N. I can't speak for AC or AD, though
>> 60GHz sounds like it'd be a pain to get any distance out of.
>>
>> On Aug 17, 2016 8:31 PM, "Claude Felizardo" <cafelizardo at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Wow, learning about a cisco router is going to be a far bigger project
>>> than what I time for so I'm going to have to go with something intermediate
>>> that just works because the family wants something that works yesterday.
>>>
>>> To answer Jess B, while it would be nice to run third-party firmware,
>>> again, I need something that I won't have to keep tweaking so I'm not
>>> opposed to not being able to hack everything anymore.
>>>
>>> And while I like the LED indicators on the ubiquity edgemax elite 3, I'm
>>> also leaning toward an integrated router/switch/wifi because I've got so
>>> many outlet strips connected to the UPS's that it's not funny.  Having a
>>> console port and minimum number of ports reminds me of my Netgear RT311
>>> router i still have mounted on the wall in my closet.
>>>
>>> I was able to temporarily connect my desktop directly to the Giggle
>>> Fiber modem and run a couple speed tests and I was pleasantly surprised to
>>> see 230-320 Mbps down and 20-24 Mbps up at about 1 am against a couple of
>>> different speed testing web sites.
>>>
>>> So I'm still sitting on the fence between the TP-Link Archer C9 and the
>>> UTT router.   I was happy with the TL-SG108E and the manual for the UTT
>>> AC750GW looks pretty good with the number of features and that multi WAN
>>> option looks pretty neat.  The guy in the cubical next door has been pretty
>>> happy with his.  Both are available on Amazon for under $120.
>>>
>>> Claude
>>>
>>>
>> [ curt sections about Ciso routers as that's got to be overkill for my
>> needs ]
>>
>>
>> >
>>> > On Tue, Aug 16, 2016 at 9:45 PM, Munjal Thakkar <m00njal at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> >> +1 for the ubiquiti erlite 3. Router. You'll be amazed at how they
>>> perform
>>> >> for the cost. Google the brand, you'll find a lot on them, surprised
>>> you
>>> >> haven't heard of them.
>>> >>
>>> >> I've switched all my equipment, my clients, and my work network
>>> >> infrastructure to UbNt routers and their Unifi line of work equipment.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> On Aug 16, 2016 20:34, "Jess Bermudes" <jbermudes at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> >>>
>>> >>> A word of warning about the TP-Link router. TP-Link jumped the gun
>>> on the
>>> >>> new FCC regulations and tried to lock down the flashing of
>>> third-party
>>> >>> firmware. While it's not impossible, it can be quite the task if
>>> you're new
>>> >>> to the firmware flashing game. I have an Archer C7 you can play
>>> around with
>>> >>> at HAK this Thursday if you want to see it. I'll probably be trying
>>> to
>>> >>> restore the original firmware as flashing OpenWRT on it was
>>> unsuccessful for
>>> >>> reasons I won't know until I open it up and connect a serial cable
>>> to it.
>>> >>>
>>> >>> Were you looking for something specifically to run third-party
>>> firmware?
>>> >>>
>>> >>> On Tue, Aug 16, 2016 at 8:12 PM, Claude Felizardo <
>>> cafelizardo at gmail.com>
>>> >>> wrote:
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> So how much is a used Cisco pro router or a new linksys router?  I
>>> really
>>> >>>> don't need to know how to configure a cisco router.  I've never
>>> heard of
>>> >>>> Ubiquiti.  The Netgear's look pretty cool but a bit too expensive.
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> I have been looking at the TP-Link AC1900 Archer C9 which is
>>> available on
>>> >>>> amazon for $120 but someone told me about the UTT AC750GW that
>>> supports
>>> >>>> IPSec/PPTP VPN, detachable antennas and multiple WAN ports which
>>> sounds very
>>> >>>> interesting as it can do link aggregation or you can configure it
>>> to send
>>> >>>> outbound traffic to different ISPs based on destination or source
>>> IP.
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> http://www.uttglobal.com
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>>
>>>
>>
>>> >>>> On Aug 16, 2016, at 2:18 PM, Christopher Hicks <
>>> chicks.net at gmail.com>
>>> >>>> wrote:
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> I've had good luck with https://routerboard.com/ which supports 1G
>>> ports
>>> >>>> and has a rustic but usable web GUI.  You can get them as raw
>>> boards or
>>> >>>> integrated into rack-mountable package.
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> On Mon, Aug 15, 2016 at 9:45 PM, Jess Bermudes <jbermudes at gmail.com
>>> >
>>> >>>> wrote:
>>> >>>>>
>>> >>>>> I've heard a lot of praise for Ubiqiti's stuff, and have used it
>>> in the
>>> >>>>> past and agree it's lot of bang for your buck, but I'm hesitant to
>>> give them
>>> >>>>> my full support when they're not a good citizen of the open source
>>> world and
>>> >>>>> actively violate the GPL:
>>> >>>>>
>>> >>>>> http://libertybsd.net/ubiquiti/
>>> >>>>>
>>> >>>>> On Mon, Aug 15, 2016 at 9:34 PM, Dan Buthusiem <
>>> dan.buthusiem at gmail.com>
>>> >>>>> wrote:
>>> >>>>>>
>>> >>>>>> SmallNetBuilder's review of Ubiquiti's EdgeRouter Lite sold me on
>>> it,
>>> >>>>>> since it was able to hold 950 Mbps per port at a $100 price
>>> point. My
>>> >>>>>> Netgears aren't supposed to be able to hold much more than about
>>> 500 Mbps
>>> >>>>>> per port WAN to LAN, so I only use them as APs. It seems WiFi
>>> goes obsolete
>>> >>>>>> much faster than routers and switches, which is why I keep the
>>> access points
>>> >>>>>> as separate boxes from the rest of my network - having to take
>>> down my
>>> >>>>>> entire network for a different wireless box is annoying.
>>> >>>>>>
>>> >>>>>> I've got a dual WAN router I'm due to migrate off of soon, since
>>> it's
>>> >>>>>> nearing its EOL. If you'd like to borrow the ErLite3, I've got a
>>> spare you
>>> >>>>>> can play with for a bit. I haven't noticed anything else that
>>> beats it for
>>> >>>>>> its price point. Their Unifi APs look very tempting, too.
>>> >>>>>>
>>> >>>>>> As far as your modem question, there's nothing you should need to
>>> tune.
>>> >>>>>> I would look into its statistics page to see your speed profile,
>>> negotiated
>>> >>>>>> rate (the fastest speed your modem can manage to the node, based
>>> on line
>>> >>>>>> conditions), and your attenuation / noise. This way, you'll be
>>> able to see
>>> >>>>>> if your speed issues are due to poor line conditions or possible
>>> >>>>>> oversubscription of the node.
>>> >>>>>>
>>> >>>>>> Dan
>>> >>>>>>
>>> >>>>>>
>>>
>>
>>> >>>>>>>
>>>
>>> >>>>>>> On Mon, Aug 15, 2016 at 3:54 PM, Claude Felizardo
>>> >>>>>>> <cafelizardo at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> >>>>>>>> The TimeWarner bundle promo ended so the rate went up so I
>>> decided
>>> >>>>>>>> to
>>> >>>>>>>> give Giggle Fiber a try.  That's giggle with an I, not two O's.
>>> >>>>>>>> They
>>> >>>>>>>> bought out Champion cable in Arcadia/Monrovia so it's fiber to a
>>> >>>>>>>> node
>>> >>>>>>>> somewhere in the the neighborhood then coax to your home.  With
>>> TWC
>>> >>>>>>>> I
>>> >>>>>>>> was getting 80-90 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up, obviously capped for
>>> >>>>>>>> what
>>> >>>>>>>> I was paying but we'd get drop outs constantly and the speeds
>>> would
>>> >>>>>>>> vary so much depending on time of day.  Giggle claims on their
>>> web
>>> >>>>>>>> site that most users get over 300 and when I talked to them last
>>> >>>>>>>> year,
>>> >>>>>>>> they said because they do not offer cable TV and had fewer
>>> >>>>>>>> subscribers
>>> >>>>>>>> this meant they had plenty of capacity.
>>> >>>>>>>>
>>> >>>>>>>> I had the installer pull a brand new cable and run it to my
>>> wiring
>>> >>>>>>>> closet because I was keeping TWC for TV programming and phone
>>> for
>>> >>>>>>>> now
>>> >>>>>>>> -- will try asterisk so Paul's talk was timely.
>>> >>>>>>>>
>>> >>>>>>>> Using Giggle, the upload is hitting 20 Mbps up but down is less
>>> than
>>> >>>>>>>> TWC at around 50-70 Mbps which is a far cry from 200 Mbps so I
>>> was
>>> >>>>>>>> disappointed.  Now most of my equipment is 10/100 with cat5
>>> home run
>>> >>>>>>>> to a wiring closet where I have the routers installed (TWC and
>>> >>>>>>>> Giggle)
>>> >>>>>>>> which can then connect to a switch in the closet then to various
>>> >>>>>>>> drops
>>> >>>>>>>> in the house including two with switches because I have more
>>> >>>>>>>> equipment
>>> >>>>>>>> at those locations.
>>> >>>>>>>>
>>> >>>>>>>> I did upgrade one of the switches to a TP-Link SG108E which is
>>> an
>>> >>>>>>>> 8-port 10/100/1000 smart (web) switch with speed indicator LEDs
>>> >>>>>>>> (10/100/1000).  It has a menu option to test the connections
>>> and it
>>> >>>>>>>> will report cable lengths in meters as well as confirm
>>> connection
>>> >>>>>>>> speed.  Now the newest router I have is a TP-Link WDR3600 with
>>> N600
>>> >>>>>>>> or
>>> >>>>>>>> an older Netgear WNR200 both of which I was using when I still
>>> had
>>> >>>>>>>> DSL.   Both have 4 gigabit ports but no indicators lights.
>>> Measured
>>> >>>>>>>> cable distance from remote switch to closet is 18m which is
>>> about
>>> >>>>>>>> what
>>> >>>>>>>> I expected.
>>> >>>>>>>>
>>> >>>>>>>> For testing WiFi, the only AC device we haver is my son's
>>> >>>>>>>> smartphone,
>>> >>>>>>>> everything else is G or N speed.  For wired devices, the only
>>> thing
>>> >>>>>>>> where we could run some kind of speed test was the Xbox One and
>>> the
>>> >>>>>>>> best speed we saw was 140 Mbs down and that was when we
>>> connecting
>>> >>>>>>>> the
>>> >>>>>>>> Xbox directly to the modem and cycle power so it will give up
>>> an IP.
>>> >>>>>>>> Otherwise going through the WDR3600, we're getting usually
>>> slower
>>> >>>>>>>> than
>>> >>>>>>>> TWC for download but upload is much better which will be good
>>> for
>>> >>>>>>>> trying to backup to the cloud.
>>> >>>>>>>>
>>> >>>>>>>> Now when I ordered Giggle Fiber, they suggested I get at least
>>> an
>>> >>>>>>>> AC1900 router, the installer pretty much said the same.  I
>>> could see
>>> >>>>>>>> doing that if we had more AC devices but since most of our
>>> equipment
>>> >>>>>>>> is only N speed, I was hoping that my wired computers would see
>>> a
>>> >>>>>>>> nice
>>> >>>>>>>> speed increase but I'm wondering if my older router just can't
>>> push
>>> >>>>>>>> the data fast enough.  Is this really the case?  The TWC rented
>>> >>>>>>>> Arris
>>> >>>>>>>> router has 4 gigabit ports and is doing better than the older
>>> >>>>>>>> router.
>>> >>>>>>>> I have not tried the WNR2000 yet because the specs say its only
>>> >>>>>>>> capable of N300 wireless.
>>> >>>>>>>>
>>> >>>>>>>> So does anyone have suggestions for replacing my old router?  I
>>> may
>>> >>>>>>>> need to pick up another gigabit switch for the other room if
>>> >>>>>>>> replacing
>>> >>>>>>>> the router makes a difference. And the speeds has seemed to get
>>> >>>>>>>> better
>>> >>>>>>>> since the first day - do modems need to be tuned?
>>> >>>>>>>>
>>> >>>>>>>> Claude
>>> >>>>>>>>
>>>
>>
>
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