How obsolete is your router? Let's compare router e-peen.

[Gryz]

Looks like a cell site. At least I'm making a big assumption based on it being Nokia. They also make the radios.

Nokia also makes routers.
But only provider routers (the really big expensive ones).
Nokia sells $2.5B worth of routers to ISPs every year.
The fact that there is written: "Nokia SR-1 Service Router" on that box makes me believe that is a router.
Probably a SR-1 Service Router.

You running a fiber ISP at your home, Gryz?

Obviously I tried to make a joke. That thing (the SR-1) is the fastest router on the planet. The first ones were shipped in December 2017. They use Nokia's new FP4 chipset. One box like that can do 6 Tbps of traffic. (If you count both in and out, that's 12 Tbps in marketing speak). It's basically 1 linecard with a control plane (CPM). You can plug 60x 100Gbps in on that thing. Not sure when, but somewhere this year Nokia will also ship linecards that can do 6 Tbps each. So in a router, sized half a rack, you can put in 12 linecards for a total of 72 Tbps forwarding capacity. It's ridiculous how fast that thing is. Also, if you configure features like QoS, ACLs, etc, the thing still keeps forwarding at linerate.

Cisco and Juniper have layer-2 switches (aka transparent bridges) that can forward at that speed (or something similar). But no such routers yet. Although I have no doubt that somewhere in 2019 or 2020 both of them will release something that's faster than FP4. Speeds are always increasing.

 

[Red Squirrel]

That's pretty crazy. I knew it was a router but just figured it was feeding cellular data, but at those speeds I imagine it's more along the lines of feeding equipment shelves providing internet to customers?

Actually it's crazy to think the density of the Stinger DSLAMs that we have, but even those are kinda ancient technology by today's standards.

 

[Gryz]

That's pretty crazy. I knew it was a router but just figured it was feeding cellular data, but at those speeds I imagine it's more along the lines of feeding equipment shelves providing internet to customers?

I think these new SR-1s are sold in combination with 5G towers. But they are so fast, you can basically use them for anything you want. But usually Nokia SR-OS routers are used as BNGs/BRASes.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Huh. Is there some reason not to use the native Wifi on the AC66U? I thought that most of those had a strong signal.

Plus, AC66U is AC1750, TP-link is only AC1200?

I mean, I've done something similar, I used to use an Asus RT-N12/D1 (10/100 WAN/LAN, N300 wifi), as my router, running Tomato, and then I had an Edimax, I think it was, Gigabit-capable AC1200 AP.

I replaced both of those units, with my AC68R, running Tomato.

Location, location, location.

 

[thebestMAX]

Rosa! We've got a wireless-G user on aisle 9! Cleanup!


Hmm.

I think that you will find your internet performance much-improved with your R7000 router. I know those Buffalo G routers with the Broadcom chipset are reliable, just like the Linksys WRT54G (spiritual twin), but those older chipsets, as you've found out, limit your internet connection (WAN-to-LAN) of around 30-50Mbit/sec. Just a thought, but maybe, time to upgrade? It looks like you already did upgrade, you just think it's a chore to configure a router. (It is. But it should be worth it to you.)

Edit: If you love your Buffalo G router so much, what you could do, is install the R7000 as your primary wired router, handling the WAN-to-LAN, for your wired devices (your main desktop PC is wired, I hope), and then connect the Buffalo as your wireless AP, for your mobile devices to use. That should give you a wireless environment like what you had before, but alleviate the bottleneck between your ISP connection, and your wired devices (desktop PC).

Thanks, Larry

I understand all these things. Setting up the new router is nothing for me but just waiting for a good time to do it. Next time she is gone for the day probably. One of those if it aint broke dont fix it kind of things. Be much easier if the Buffalo just died and I was forced into it. Not locked into keeping the Buffalo on line but will certainly keep it around for a spare or for use as an access point.

 

[skyking]

Unless you need heat in your home year round, those massive e-peen commercial systems or computer based pfsense units are a waste of power. I used to run servers in my house for fun, but the power usage turned me off.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I was using a 2003 era dell poweredge 600SC which I had upgraded to 4gb ram and from 1.8 celeron to 2.4ghz P4 running Linux IP Tables for NAT until I got lazy and just started using the one the ISP gives me. Now, I am on the second one that Uverse gave me.

 

[Insomniator]

Fios Quantum Gateway Router... it provides gigabit internet just fine. I feel like your basic router provides 95% of the functionality anyone needs and then the $300 routers try to give you an extra 5%.

 

[BUTCH1]

I have a (scary?) black (assault?) router with lights and antennas that technically belongs to my cable company...do I win?

LOL, AT+T gave me one of those too, it looks like a '70's Star wars prop, it's situated horizontally. i think Harris makes them.

 

[BUTCH1]

up to 3 antennas is ok, but anything more is just crazy. Routers like this should definitely be banned:

Nobody needs that many antennas!

Seriously though, I wonder if router companies are just playing an epeen game at this point to see how many freaking antennas they can stick on there. lmao.

Wow!, it looks like an upside-down crab!. Yea, I'm also thinking they are playing the "hey!, more is better, right!" game.

 

[NoTine42]

Fios Quantum Gateway Router... it provides gigabit internet just fine. I feel like your basic router provides 95% of the functionality anyone needs and then the $300 routers try to give you an extra 5%.

It depends on how many devices are connecting to the router at a time.
My ISP provided one got to the point where it only wanted to give 1/2 the family a connection at a time.

 

[Rifter]

pfsense running on a dedicated x86 PC.