Router options

[fitterjohn]

Hey all, so I don?t know anything about computers or routers, but I?m pretty sure ours is on its last legs based on what people tell me. My question is what should I look for in one. We have 3 cell phones being used at once along with 1-2 TVs streaming or a tv and PlayStation going at the same time. The max things going ever is 3 phones, 2 TVs streaming and a PlayStation. I did run an Ethernet cable to the basement for my son?s PlayStation to one day figure out how to make work. So what would you all suggest within a reasonable price. Thank in advance

[BPTactical]

I was gonna say Bosch or Porter Cable but…….

[BushMasterBoy]

I was using a Netgear Nighthawk. Then I got fiber and a router came with the service. I could mail you one of these if you want? For free...

https://www.netgear.com/home/wifi/routers/r7000p/

[buffalobo]

Hey all, so I don?t know anything about computers or routers, but I?m pretty sure ours is on its last legs based on what people tell me. My question is what should I look for in one. We have 3 cell phones being used at once along with 1-2 TVs streaming or a tv and PlayStation going at the same time. The max things going ever is 3 phones, 2 TVs streaming and a PlayStation. I did run an Ethernet cable to the basement for my son?s PlayStation to one day figure out how to make work. So what would you all suggest within a reasonable price. Thank in advanceTagged, am in same spot.

If you're unarmed, you are a victim.

[buffalobo]

I was gonna say Bosch or Porter Cable but??.Bosch, PC used to be tops, but not since sale several yrs ago though.

If you're unarmed, you are a victim.

[bradbn4]

key will be - number of wifi users/ size of coverage / need for range extensions like mesh./ wifi interface like a/b/g/
https://community.fs.com/article/802-11-standards-explained.html

I would go with ax - the newer common standard in the US. I would do dual band / tri-band max.

I use to love Asus - but I have had my fair share of issues getting older Asus and newer Asus working together.

currently I went with a managed switch which would make your eyes bleed because how complex it gets.

I don't do mesh - so I am not sure what is out there other than I know folks sort of like ubiquiti mesh hardware.

and yes, WiFi 7 is starting to be a "thing".

[BushMasterBoy]

PM sent.

[Jamnanc]

I have a Netgear nighthawk that you can have if you can figure out how to pick it up. I’m In Milliken

[fitterjohn]

Thanks for the offer from guys. I just found out this morning that a relative that works in it dropped one in the mail for me.

[Erni]

I?m a bit of a UniFi hoe. Their dream router is my all in one firewall, access point, and wired router. You can manage it with an app and honestly it does most of the work once you set it up plus with constant updates it just runs.

[def90]

Honestly, the stuff that comcast/xfinity gives you nowadays is perfectly fine for home use. They have the plug in extenders that you can place around your home and so on as well.

That said I install building wide Wi-Fi systems in multi family/ commercial projects and I use all Ubiquiti gear.

[Jer]

The best advice I can give you is to stay away from consumer-grade BS and make sure your router/firewall has a focus on security first and foremost. This is the area most consumer-grade routers fall short. The problem is that you won't know until it's too late and then you'll wish you had been better secured on the front end.

Without getting too technical or detailed, I'd encourage you (and anyone else reading this that needs a new router, or didn't know previously that they did and now wants to up their network security game) to check into something like a Ubiquiti Dream Machine (https://store.ui.com/us/en/products/udm). Ubiquiti is the perfect blend (IMO) between enterprise grade (read: expensive, robust & complex) security features and consumer grade ease-of-use interface. The perfect blend for most end users. The single UI to manage all UniFi devices and settings is intuitive & pretty glorious.

There's be a few more steps to set it up initially but nothing the average person who can follow basic instructions can't do. There's a massive following from those who know networking and technical types online so there's plenty of free videos online (YouTube is your friend) to help walkthrough the initial setup. It's time & money well invested to protect you and your family's personal info/data. It gets regular security updates like the enterprise great without the monthly recurring charges typically associated with enterprise gear. Just buy the equipment once and set your updates to automatic and you'll get the latest and greatest security patches meant for enterprise-level corporations in your home at about consumer-grade pricing.

They make a TON of devices (most rack mountable) and you can get pretty far down the rabbit hole pretty quickly if you want. That device I linked to is their most basic (in terms of added bells & whistles; it won't do security cams, VoIP or building security/access) but not in terms of security & networking it still has the same network software of the higher end individual appliances in a sleek all-in-one. It's intended to bring their network solution to the masses in a hardware config that most consumers are used to: gateway/small 4pt switch/wireless access point AIO device that looks clean in their living room. You can get devices capable of much, much more from Ubiquiti but the price and learning curve also increases with the amount of solutions you can add to the same platform. I wouldn't suggest this for a first timer who just needs a new router though. Just know that Ubiquiti's UniFi ecosystem is nearly limitless in terms of scalability.

This device will do important core security processes like IPS/IDS (Intrusion Prevention/Intrusion Detection) where it inspects every single packet of data coming through the firewall for threats. As you can imagine, these types of security processes can get hardware intensive pretty quickly. If you have a very fast internet connection (read: north of a gig) and want full IPS/IDS enabled you'll need to buy higher-end equipment which they certainly sell. That Dream Machine linked above is rated at about 850Mbps w/IPS/IDS enabled which is good for most consumer internet packages up to gigabit since even "gigabit" plans typically provide bandwidth around 850ish anyway. If you've got a 2.5Gbe or higher ISP plan you'll want a higher end gateway since it will have the computing power to process that much bandwidth real time.

My guess is that last part won't be necessary to most people reading this though. That Dream Machine will more than cover most people's needs with a level of security they wouldn't otherwise get. Without getting overly technical, just know that you're getting a LOT (in terms of all of the awesome security measures going on behind the scenes without you even needing to think or really even know about it) for a minimal price. The ability to add features later within the UniFi ecosystem as you need them is also expansive. Personally, I wouldn't even consider the consumer-grade junk you get at a big box store. It's all trash, comparatively speaking. Especially when you consider you can get an enterprise grade solution for about the same or not much more money.

[Erni]

Just saying: 3 votes for Ubiquiti and two of those for dream router

[Delfuego]

Ubiquity dream machine is a consumer device, by design. It's not business and far from enterprise. Most of the Ubiquity stuff I see, gets quickly removed and replaced with enterprise hardware. As a company, their track record for security is spotty too. I will give them +1 on cheap wireless Point-2-Point hardware. Real business/Enterprise level firewalls start around $1k and go way, way up from there. They also require support subscriptions every year starting $300-$500 and going up and up and up.

A device like a router of firewall is not security. Security doesn't happen on the perimeter, it has to be everywhere and on everything. Layers and layers. No perimeter firewall will help you if you decided to clicked on that link...

Sorry to be a buzzkill, I have just seen to much.

[BushMasterBoy]

Ever open one of these electronic devices up? Every integrated circuit (chip) is marked "CHINA". Go ahead and tell me my hardware is not compromised. The military is still using floppy discs to control our land based ICBM's. Three people can keep a secret when two of them are dead.

Meeting TEMPEST specifications 100% almost means you need to be under a mountain in a cave.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempest_(codename)#:~:text=The%20TEMPEST%20standar ds%20mandate%20elements,or%20equipment%20and%20bui lding%20pipes.


The USA was the number one economic power in the world until we outsourced the brilliant technology the USA developed. The Justice Department recently gave a visiting Chinese student a 6 month sentence for running a video gathering drone over a military installation.

https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/chinese-national-sentenced-for-espionage-after-flying-drone-over-nn-navy-ships/

[bradbn4]

>Three people can keep a secret when two of them are dead.
well; going with an addition, the 3rd is not a politician/ or lawyer.

The choice was already made - but if I was going with normal off the shelf hardware
https://www.asus.com/networking-iot-servers/wifi-routers/asus-gaming-routers/rt-be88u/
I would add 2 raspberry PI machines for my DNS/DHCP services.
for a fast backbone I would add a https://mikrotik.com/product/crs304_4xg_in

The non-recommended hardware I have is mikrotik based access point.
https://mikrotik.com/product/hap_ax3

Not recommended because most folks don't like working with managed switches / routers.

[Delfuego]

How is this helpful given the demographic?


It is a stark reminder of the world we live in. There are no shortcuts and no a free lunch. Practice your digital the way we practical our tactical.

[BushMasterBoy]

Is anyone using Netgear Armor by Bit Defender? I have been sucessful without any after market defensive software. I just use Microsoft Antivirus and keep my hardware updated from Dell. I only use trusted websites. I am real cautious of unsolicited commercial email. I used to use a Norton product, when I had a website. I freaked when I saw how many bad actor states tried to attack my website.


https://www.netgear.com/dk/home/services/armor/

[Jer]

Ever open one of these electronic devices up? Every integrated circuit (chip) is marked "CHINA". Go ahead and tell me my hardware is not compromised. The military is still using floppy discs to control our land based ICBM's. Three people can keep a secret when two of them are dead.


Meeting TEMPEST specifications 100% almost means you need to be under a mountain in a cave.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempest_(codename)#:~:text=The%20TEMPEST%20standar ds%20mandate%20elements,or%20equipment%20and%20bui lding%20pipes.




The USA was the number one economic power in the world until we outsourced the brilliant technology the USA developed. The Justice Department recently gave a visiting Chinese student a 6 month sentence for running a video gathering drone over a military installation.


https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/chinese-national-sentenced-for-espionage-after-flying-drone-over-nn-navy-ships/

This is exactly why the software/firmware/Operating System of the device(s) is so important. You want an interface that tells you who devices are talking to and what they're sending as well as ways to control this definitively.


>Three people can keep a secret when two of them are dead.
well; going with an addition, the 3rd is not a politician/ or lawyer.

The choice was already made - but if I was going with normal off the shelf hardware
https://www.asus.com/networking-iot-servers/wifi-routers/asus-gaming-routers/rt-be88u/
I would add 2 raspberry PI machines for my DNS/DHCP services.
for a fast backbone I would add a https://mikrotik.com/product/crs304_4xg_in

The non-recommended hardware I have is mikrotik based access point.
https://mikrotik.com/product/hap_ax3

Not recommended because most folks don't like working with managed switches / routers.

Literally nobody reading this is doing that.

[MOD: Edited to remove personal attack]


Is anyone using Netgear Armor by Bit Defender? I have been sucessful without any after market defensive software. I just use Microsoft Antivirus and keep my hardware updated from Dell. I only use trusted websites. I am real cautious of unsolicited commercial email. I used to use a Norton product, when I had a website. I freaked when I saw how many bad actor states tried to attack my website.


https://www.netgear.com/dk/home/services/armor/

No nor would I recommend it.

[theGinsue]

Let's stop the personal attacks.

Offer your suggestions to satisfy the OP's request and allow others to do the same. No nit picking on other members posts/suggestions.

All of our members here are intelligent enough to read what's offered and determine if any suggestions can work for them. Picking apart another members offering isn't constructive and only serves to create divisiveness - which we see far too often here anymore. Wouldn't it be grand if we could all just return to being civil with one another and focus on what we all have in common? I suppose those days are long gone since all society wants to do today to focus on our differences.

Thread cleaned to stay on topic.


ETA: Closing thread since the OP's need has been met and we've devolved into another "a 10mm is better than either the .45 or 9mm because..." type of discussion.

[BushMasterBoy]

Quad-core Arm Cortex A57 at 1.7 GHz is the processor of the Ubiquiti router. Arm corporation global HQ is Cambridge UK. And this is why Ubiquiti has so many fans. Intel & AMD chip producers are trying to catch up...

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/intel-amd-join-forces-combat-145918564.html