Deciding on a new router is a time consuming process

[VirtualLarry]

No torrents at all.

Oh, btw, as I found out - Windows 10 Updates are delivered using a Torrent-like protocol. As are many game download services. So you may be subjecting your router to "torrent loads", whether you realize it or not.

 

[UsandThem]

True. I guess I didn't even think about my Windows 10 computers all looking for updates, or my kid's Xboxes doing their thing as well.

When I hear someone say torrent, I think more along P2P sites, like movies and music.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

True. I guess I didn't even think about my Windows 10 computers all looking for updates, or my kid's Xboxes doing their thing as well.

When I hear someone say torrent, I think more along P2P sites, like movies and music.

Heh.

When I hear someone say torrent, I think "Crap, my router's on fire!"

Seriously. I had a little Centurylink DSL modem/router combo not that many years ago that had 12MB of RAM. It let all the magic blue smoke out. Guess what I was doing at the time?

The replacement (same model, ofc) would overheat and reset itself shortly after starting a torrent, which finally game my stupid former self a clue as to what was going on.

 

[sdifox]

Doesn't have to be. Just go to smallnetbuilder's router ranker, sort by overall ranking, or (since you were having performance issues) sort by routing performance, and go down the list until you hit your price limit.

It's not quite as nerd-gratifying as making a well-educated selection based on all available information and consideration of every possible use case, but the chances of you making a bad choice are essentially nonexistent.

Incidentally, the R7000 you had also has a fairly beefy dual core CPU, but only 256 MB of RAM. Are you doing a lot of torrents?

I'd be curious how any of the above would compare to a RasPi 3 (quad core, 1GB RAM) running pfsense though. You know, if you were feeling really, really geeky.

RPI3 is the wrong SBC for this purpose. Everything is on USB so the maximum bus speed is 20MB/s. There are SMBs with higher throughput and dedicated ethernet connection to cpu that would work better. RPI3 is really a learning platform.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Ah, yeah. I hadn't paid too close attention, but I had hoped they finally fixed the USB/Ethernet thing for the v3. Guess not. :-(

 

[sdifox]

Ah, yeah. I hadn't paid too close attention, but I had hoped they finally fixed the USB/Ethernet thing for the v3. Guess not. :-(

Eventually they will move off that platform. But not any time soon.

 

[Makaveli]

Were you using QOS at all on the R7000?

 

[kevnich2]

For what the typical all in one wireless router costs now, why not look into a ubiquiti edgerouter lite with a Unifi Lite AP or even the edgerouter 5 port poe with the same AP. The combined price is about the same and the performance will far exceed anything else.

 

[bbhaag]

For what the typical all in one wireless router costs now, why not look into a ubiquiti edgerouter lite with a Unifi Lite AP or even the edgerouter 5 port poe with the same AP. The combined price is about the same and the performance will far exceed anything else.

This is what I did and I don't think I will ever go back. EdgeRouter X + UAP-AC-LR made me a very happy camper.

 

[ch33zw1z]

I have the same setup.

 

[kevnich2]

This is what I did and I don't think I will ever go back. EdgeRouter X + UAP-AC-LR made me a very happy camper.

That's a good setup as well for home use - edgerouter x with the POE plus UAP-AC-LR. $175 for that combo through Amazon.

 

[UsandThem]

Were you using QOS at all on the R7000?

Weird, I must have accidentally clicked on 'unwatch thread', so I just now saw this question.

Yeah, I was. It worked without issue for a few years, so after I configured it I left it alone. I think I didn't turn on QOS until I had it for a couple of months. We had slower internet speeds at that time, and it helped with Netflix/Amazon streaming.

I still have to say I am really digging this new router. Coverage is marginally better (I now get 2-3 bars out in my garage from opposite side of house where router is located, where with the R7000 I was getting 1-2 bars). But it's enough to allow me to stream internet radio out there with no drops, whereas before I would sometimes have to use my cell phone's mobile network instead of my wifi network.

But the biggest difference is nobody in the house is having drops / slow down issues like before. I'm very happy with the purchase.

 

[john bradshaw]

Thanks, very informative i must say but the thing is that you also gotto keep in mind your need, yes quality always matter but the need is the main thing for me it may vary with the nature of use.

 

[Treyshadow]

I switched to Ubiquiti gear and everything speed and smiles. I went with the following:

Ubiquiti Networks UniFi Edge Router PoE 5-Port Router
Ubiquiti Networks UniFi AP AC Pro
Ubiquiti Networks UniFi AP AC LR

Using this setup I modeled my house using the floorplan and was able to place the 2 Access points where I would have the best coverage. Since my house is a little over 3600 square feet with some interesting walls and stairs between the primary panel and the living spaces I wanted to ensure the best coverage everywhere. Now I can push 5Ghz at full bars from anywhere in the house.