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I need a new router and ap
- Thread starter trick0502
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remixedcat
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Do you need a beefy firewall? That's gonna alter a lot of recommendations.
If yes then a PFsense box+an Aruba RAP109 AP would do the trick. I can sell you one, as I have a spare but I'd have to charge 450 to cover shipping+firmware updating
If no then you can get a Meraki Z1 and then get a Unifi AP to keep it under 400. I got my Z1 for 169 off airspeed wireless with 3 years of the cloud license. CDW has it for around that price but they don't accept paypal tho. but if you use a CC then CDW would be fine.
If yes then a PFsense box+an Aruba RAP109 AP would do the trick. I can sell you one, as I have a spare but I'd have to charge 450 to cover shipping+firmware updating
If no then you can get a Meraki Z1 and then get a Unifi AP to keep it under 400. I got my Z1 for 169 off airspeed wireless with 3 years of the cloud license. CDW has it for around that price but they don't accept paypal tho. but if you use a CC then CDW would be fine.
My real main concern are pings in games. I used to run an untangle vm. That worked great, but it raised my pings 10ns in games.
Now I have a netgear 3700 (stock router) and a buffalo (ap wrt). Pings in games are fine, but the wireless is starting to get flaky.
Now I have a netgear 3700 (stock router) and a buffalo (ap wrt). Pings in games are fine, but the wireless is starting to get flaky.
WD MyNet N750
http://www.amazon.com/N750-Dual-Rou...TF8&qid=1406089189&sr=8-1&keywords=mynet+n750
or TP-Link TL-WDR3600
http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WD...=UTF8&qid=1406089202&sr=8-1&keywords=wdr-3600
Done, the WD is similar to your current on while the TP-Link uses slightly newer hardware.
//Danne
http://www.amazon.com/N750-Dual-Rou...TF8&qid=1406089189&sr=8-1&keywords=mynet+n750
or TP-Link TL-WDR3600
http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WD...=UTF8&qid=1406089202&sr=8-1&keywords=wdr-3600
Done, the WD is similar to your current on while the TP-Link uses slightly newer hardware.
//Danne
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Use an old box to set up ClearOS.
You can also set it up with a wireless card, or just get 2 APs.. one for downstairs and one for upstairs.
It is free and super easy to set up except the wireless part, although that has gotten a lot better in the past couple releases.
You basically get an enterprise level router, firewall, media server, WSUS server, etc for almost nothing and you don't have to worry about having a crappy "consumer" router dying in a year or less.
Only time mine even gets rebooted is if we have a power outage or if I am upgrading the software.
You can also set it up with a wireless card, or just get 2 APs.. one for downstairs and one for upstairs.
It is free and super easy to set up except the wireless part, although that has gotten a lot better in the past couple releases.
You basically get an enterprise level router, firewall, media server, WSUS server, etc for almost nothing and you don't have to worry about having a crappy "consumer" router dying in a year or less.
Only time mine even gets rebooted is if we have a power outage or if I am upgrading the software.
I'd replace the buffalo AP with a Uniquiti Long Range AP - $90.
If your current router is handling the wired side fine, no need to replace it, just get a really good AP instead.
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this is nice, but you need the pro model. the std ap only does 2.4ghz.
This x100.
Except I recommend the Netgear ProSafe switches. Solid and reliable with 8 ports for under $50.
Meh. 2.4 GHz is good. The UniFi APs are great about channel selection and managing interference. Range is better at 2.4 than 5 as well. I live in an apartment building with LOTS of APs in range, and the UniFi at 2.4 has been loads better than my old dual-band 2.4/5 router.
I just got an EdgeRouter Lite, pretty sweet for $99 imo.
A cheaper AP could be used that would perform adequately in a residential settings, a UniFi AP is probably overkill, but then that wouldn't be [H] would it.
It is worth warning that an ERL comes out of the box completely unconfigured. The lastest system image added a wizard for getting up to a basic SOHO configuration, and new UI widgets for managing port forwarding.
The UniFi AP is very affordable. Decent APs are generally around the same price or higher. I had a TP-Link AP that I liked, and when I bought it it was something like $45. The UniFi blows it away for reliability, range, dealing with interference, and design.
I'm a fan of the UniFi AP-LR, as opposed to just the AP just for the boosted range/cost ratio. That being said, both are pretty awesome.
As has been addressed, the Pro model adds 5ghz, and dual gigabit ethernet ports to allow for bridging. For a home implementation, this is all pretty unneeded. I'd say save cash, and not worry about that particular model.
NetGear Prosafe switches are pretty spiffy as well. I recommended HP's stuff just because I've used and had good luck with them. The lifetime warranty on them is nice as well.
The ERL will take some configuring and tinkering with to get up and running happily along. Once you do so though, it's super stable and happy. Before I moved, my ERL had an uptime of 9+ months, and the only reason it wasn't longer is that I had to power it down to change what closet I had it setup in.
As has been addressed, the Pro model adds 5ghz, and dual gigabit ethernet ports to allow for bridging. For a home implementation, this is all pretty unneeded. I'd say save cash, and not worry about that particular model.
NetGear Prosafe switches are pretty spiffy as well. I recommended HP's stuff just because I've used and had good luck with them. The lifetime warranty on them is nice as well.
The ERL will take some configuring and tinkering with to get up and running happily along. Once you do so though, it's super stable and happy. Before I moved, my ERL had an uptime of 9+ months, and the only reason it wasn't longer is that I had to power it down to change what closet I had it setup in.
In my experience the vendor provided firmware was quite buggy in general, seems to have improved over time but given the forums I don't trust it much (I run FreeBSD on my boxes). It's not really aimed for a home network so some features might be missing that you'd want. You're better off getting something that runs OpenWRT.
//Danne
//Danne
The latest system image ERL has a UPnP setup wizard. That being said I don't use UPnP because it is a security risk. I do my always do port forwards by hand. So I can't comment on how well it works with the ERL.
What are the security implications of enabling UPnP in my home router?
As far as gaming in general. I play CS:GO and BF4 without issues having an ERL as my gateway. Its forwarding speed is plenty fast enough to handle residential connections. In a completely unscientific test, I am able to ping through my ERL the upstream gateway with a RTT of 4ms.
The latest system images are rock solid. I was previously running a DIY router, but the ERL was a nice compromise between small footprint, low power and customization. The CLI and debian package repo gives a ton of flexibility.
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QwertyJuan
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For home user? Asus RT-AC68U. Fastest unit I've ever used myself.
They released a new version actually... even faster again. AC2400 anyone??
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140722006471/en/ASUS-Launches-RT-AC87-Dual-band-Wireless-AC2400-Gigabit-Router#.U8_scvldXTq
They released a new version actually... even faster again. AC2400 anyone??
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140722006471/en/ASUS-Launches-RT-AC87-Dual-band-Wireless-AC2400-Gigabit-Router#.U8_scvldXTq
Using the UniFi AP-LR myself, great product at $90, 2.4 ghz works perfectly fine, and PoE (injector included) means no additional power adapter/cable. The software is user friendly too, and has a lot more options then most standard routers such as issuing multiple networks, throttling specific networks or devices (i.e., guest networks or specific phones/tablets/laptops), easily identify and name devices on the network, data and device bandwidth tracking, etc...
QwertyJuan
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I like Unifi myself... but the AP and AP-LR (and even the Pro unit) are slow compared to the Asus unit I've linked.
I've done much testing and the best I can get out of the AP and AP-LR are about 4-6MB/sec transfers. The Pro will let me see 8-10MB/sec. I've seen 12MB/sec out of the Asus... basically saturating a 100/mb ethernet port(which is what I was using to do my testing.)
I gotta ask, how much is "much testing?" Never used the ASUS but I've got much better speeds running Unifi on my network then other AP's.
I should note that the ASUS linked is also a router, while the Unifi is just an AP unit. The OP is looking for both so my suggestion would be to get both, ASUS router on the lower level, Unifi AP on the top level, but also test speeds on both. This would be pretty much the sweet spot of your low $300 budget, well under $400 for sure.
QwertyJuan
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Humour me and transfer some files with that AP-LR of yours and tell me what kinda speeds you get. I'd be interested to know.
TP-Link Archer C7 hardware version 2 (avoid v1) is another strong choice, is only $99, powered by Qualcomm/Atheros chipset and supported by OpenWRT firmware. Currently using it as an access point but it's been solid and works with all my wireless clients. Throughput wise Note 3 5GHz 802.11ac 1x1 gets about 200Mbps and Surface Pro 3 with 5GHz 802.11ac 2x2 about 336Mbps. Too bad I don't have any 5GHz 802.11ac 3x3 capable clients to test.
http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?categoryid=2872&model=Archer+C7
http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?categoryid=2872&model=Archer+C7
I'm getting ~7.5mb/s using Teracopy. Humor me and tell me how many units you've tested as I'd be interested to know that too?
Are you using the right unit? Is that MByte/s or Mbit/s? If it's indeed 7.5Mb/s then that's pretty bad as that's slower than 802.11g that gets about 22Mb/s real throughput.
I think he means MB/s. That would be the max a 150mb/s n connection would do.
Oops, never use my laptop and it was automatically connected to my old E3000. I'll reupdate this in a bit. iPhone via speedtest shows 9.58 mbps though vs. 30mbps on my gaming PC.
klank
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Lulz thread successfully derailed.
QwertyJuan
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UniFi AP
UniFi AP Pro
UniFi AP Outdoor+
Asus RT-AC66U
Asus RT-AC68U
Belkin F5D7234-4 v5
Linksys WRT310N v2
Engenius ECB9500
DLink DAP2553
Engenius EAP300
Belkin Surf 300
AND because I'm such an unreliable/dishonest guy(after being here for 14 years) here are pictures of the majority of them...
AP Outdoor - https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/537/d131cf.jpg
AP Installed behind a ceiling tile - https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/633/7cc85b.jpg
Most of the rest - https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/661/05af50.jpg
The AP Pro is in the bosses office and he's away today so not able to take a pic of that.
The RT-AC68U is installed at the bosses house. And NO I'm not going to his place to ask to take a pic of his router, LOL.
The RT-AC66U went bad after a lighting storm, and I just threw it out.
FWIW, that D-Link actually works pretty good... I got almost 10MB/sec out of it... I would say it works every bit as good as the AP Pro.
P.S. The reason the AP is behind a ceiling tile is because that is what I installed at work. I have NO issues with UniFi stuff... love it!! Especially for a work environment... but for home use?? You can EASILY get something faster. (unless the AP AC is a better unit... I've never tried one of them BUT they are $300!!).
EDIT - Pic of the AP Pro in Bosses office - https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/537/33f9e5.jpg
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Not sure where you got the unreliable/dishonest/angry part of your post came from as you made a statement and I asked a question. Following up with what you said though and bringing it into the OP's question, for less then $100, what would you recommend for an AP?
QwertyJuan
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Thought you were insinuating that I was lying.... if I took your statement wrong, sorry for that.
FWIW, I already recommended what I thought was the best Router/AP for the money. He wanted to stay under $400, $300 if he could and the Asus RT-AC68U accomplishes this task. If it HAS to be two separate units, an old box running Smoothwall or something similar would work(I've used tons of Linux Distros but shy away from them now, because I HATE the fact that when the power goes off, your box goes down and you have the chances of a PSU or HDD going bad as well.) then he could easily use, as you say, a UniFi AP... but from my testing I wouldn't recommend one... I would go with at LEAST the AP Pro.
I imagine however that he could easily get a "router only" for downstairs for $50... add that to a $225 AP Pro, and he would still be below $300.
I wish I knew the OP's hardware experience... if he's "techy" I would say go the UniFi route... if he's not, a D-Link or Linksys might be a better bet.
What am I running at home? Some cheapy $50 "N" D-Link unit. For surfing there is absolutely NO difference that I can tell between that and a $200/unit. None.
So, these get good performance even being up in the suspended ceiling with all of the metal and support wiring up there, and being next to a fluorescent?
I'm looking at some of the UniFi AP's for a customer, and for some reason they don't want anything hung below the ceiling.
We've had no problems with ours, and I've done pretty much everything to them that you are not supposed to. We have one in a wooden cabinet, one in an enclosed server rack, one laying under my desk, etc. Since we have the UniFi controller running, we can just drop one into place whenever its needed, and do the proper install later during off-hours.
The range on these things is absurd.
Also, has the customer seen a UniFi AP in person? Most people don't have a problem with them once they have seen one, since they are so low profile and fairly nice looking. You can even turn the LED off if it bugs people.
My biggest problem has been convincing the customer that the price is real. In a few cases I had to break up the labor charge and apply it to the hardware costs just to get them to accept the price.
QwertyJuan
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Believe it or not, it works great up there. That particular one is mounted right outside my office and I have NO issues with it.
Good point on actually showing them the unit. On an acoustical ceiling, compared to the lights and vents, this thing will look like a work of art.
QwertyJuan
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I "would" have mounted below the tile.... but I mounted it there for testing purposes and it worked well enough I decided to leave it.
They really look nice enough that I can't imagine anyone finding them bad looking (ESPECIALLY in an institutional environment). Larger around than a smoke detector... but they still look very slick.
So this is what I ordered today, but the long distance ap. do I need to run the software for the ap or can I run it off the router?