New Router - Consumer Grade or Ubiquiti?

[TSDible]

I'm thinking about replacing my current router, a Linksys EA6900.* I have this
along with a DD-WRT router as an access point to cover most of my home.

I'm not happy at all with the EA6900.* Luckily, I got it cheap on CL, and now
I see why.* I would go back to my ASUS RT-N16 (DD-WRT) router, but I used it
to upgrade a family member.

So I'm in the market again, and I'm thinking I may do something a bit more
extreme.

After reading the following article:

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015...-realize-how-terrible-consumer-wi-fi-gear-is/

I'm thinking about ditching the consumer grade stuff and going with a Ubiquiti
Router and Access point.* Right now, I'm looking at this combo:

Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YFJT29C...UTF8&colid=2H0YSKU8NDF0F&coliid=IYGSOQXMC8OL9

And

Ubiquiti UniFi Long Range Access Point
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005H4CDF4...TF8&colid=2H0YSKU8NDF0F&coliid=I2FRI5BAC3AD61

This would probably be a bit tougher to set up, but if I can figure out how to
configure my network with DD-WRT, I'm guessing I could make this happen as
well.

One of the biggest problems with the current setup is that there is no handoff
between consumer routers and AP.* I have to manually switch between AP.* I
think this would help with that if I needed to add more AP.

The other option is that I could skip the router, and steal my RT-N16 back and
give my BIL the EA6900.* He doesn't have nearly the tech savy that I do, and
it would most likely meet the needs for his small home.

Thoughts?

Has anyone else made the jump to more dedicated hardware like this?

 

[kevnich2]

For home use- the edgerouter's latest fw actually has an entire wizard that you just select how your internet is, click ok and it reconfigures everything for you. Then you simply connect your internet cat5 cable to the proper port (usually eth0) and then your switch cable to the proper port. That's it.

As far as performance and reliability, you won't be disappointed.

As far as your AP is concerned - unless you're looking specifically at the newer Unifi AP AC LR, avoid the older plain Unifi AP LR. In a residential setting, the transmit power is far too great.

The newest AP AC LR is actually much better for most deployments but right now they're hard to find as they were just publicly released in the past month. If you can hold out, find a reseller to place an order and then just wait the few weeks it may take for them to come in. I have one in my house and range and performance is awesome.

 

[Spicedaddy]

I setup the regular Unifi APs for a client of mine, they have 5 of them. Range is excellent on the regular model, I wouldn't bother with the LR version. (you'll be limited by the client's transmit power anyways)

They're extremely stable, and the biggest advantage is how easy they are to manage from one computer. I was thinking of getting the AC model for my place, but last time I checked they cost like 4x the price of the N model. I see they have an AC-LITE now, but doesn't seem to be out yet.

 

[TSDible]

For home use- the edgerouter's latest fw actually has an entire wizard that you just select how your internet is, click ok and it reconfigures everything for you. Then you simply connect your internet cat5 cable to the proper port (usually eth0) and then your switch cable to the proper port. That's it.

As far as performance and reliability, you won't be disappointed.

As far as your AP is concerned - unless you're looking specifically at the newer Unifi AP AC LR, avoid the older plain Unifi AP LR. In a residential setting, the transmit power is far too great.

The newest AP AC LR is actually much better for most deployments but right now they're hard to find as they were just publicly released in the past month. If you can hold out, find a reseller to place an order and then just wait the few weeks it may take for them to come in. I have one in my house and range and performance is awesome.

Thanks for pointing out the model difference.

I'll definitely wait until those are available.

 

[Makaveli]

I'm thinking about replacing my current router, a Linksys EA6900.* I have this
along with a DD-WRT router as an access point to cover most of my home.

I'm not happy at all with the EA6900.* Luckily, I got it cheap on CL, and now
I see why.* I would go back to my ASUS RT-N16 (DD-WRT) router, but I used it
to upgrade a family member.

So I'm in the market again, and I'm thinking I may do something a bit more
extreme.

After reading the following article:

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015...-realize-how-terrible-consumer-wi-fi-gear-is/

I'm thinking about ditching the consumer grade stuff and going with a Ubiquiti
Router and Access point.* Right now, I'm looking at this combo:

Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YFJT29C...UTF8&colid=2H0YSKU8NDF0F&coliid=IYGSOQXMC8OL9

And

Ubiquiti UniFi Long Range Access Point
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005H4CDF4...TF8&colid=2H0YSKU8NDF0F&coliid=I2FRI5BAC3AD61

This would probably be a bit tougher to set up, but if I can figure out how to
configure my network with DD-WRT, I'm guessing I could make this happen as
well.

One of the biggest problems with the current setup is that there is no handoff
between consumer routers and AP.* I have to manually switch between AP.* I
think this would help with that if I needed to add more AP.

The other option is that I could skip the router, and steal my RT-N16 back and
give my BIL the EA6900.* He doesn't have nearly the tech savy that I do, and
it would most likely meet the needs for his small home.

Thoughts?

Has anyone else made the jump to more dedicated hardware like this?

You should try Xvortex's modified merlin firmware on the router and see how its goes.

http://xvtx.ru/xwrt/index.htm

 

[Tipnmo101]

You should try Xvortex's modified merlin firmware on the router and see how its goes.

http://xvtx.ru/xwrt/index.htm

Before you do that, get Xvortex's modified CFE, which I think is required to utilize the merlin firmware anyway, but will also make dd-wrt firmware stable. As far as i am concerned, the ea6900 is unusable with dd-wrt without it, but is actually quite a nice router with it.

edit:

http://www.linksysinfo.org/index.php?threads/asuswrt-merlin-tomato-shibby-on-linksys-ea6900.71718/

http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=178138

 

[TSDible]

Before you do that, get Xvortex's modified CFE, which I think is required to utilize the merlin firmware anyway, but will also make dd-wrt firmware stable. As far as i am concerned, the ea6900 is unusable with dd-wrt without it, but is actually quite a nice router with it.

edit:

http://www.linksysinfo.org/index.php?threads/asuswrt-merlin-tomato-shibby-on-linksys-ea6900.71718/

http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=178138

I'll check that out.

 

[Engineer]

Before you do that, get Xvortex's modified CFE, which I think is required to utilize the merlin firmware anyway, but will also make dd-wrt firmware stable. As far as i am concerned, the ea6900 is unusable with dd-wrt without it, but is actually quite a nice router with it.

edit:

http://www.linksysinfo.org/index.php?threads/asuswrt-merlin-tomato-shibby-on-linksys-ea6900.71718/

http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=178138

You don't have to use the modified CFE to run XVortex firmware on the R7000. Don't remember the details but it's posted in his thread on Linksysinfo.org. I've been running that way for a few months (only as an AP though).

 

[Tipnmo101]

You don't have to use the modified CFE to run XVortex firmware on the R7000. Don't remember the details but it's posted in his thread on Linksysinfo.org. I've been running that way for a few months (only as an AP though).

The modified CFE corrects a bug which leads to nvram corruptions on the ea6900 when using more than 32kb, and this corruption will happen regardless of firmware. At one point the modified CFE was required for XVortex builds for the ea6900 (if memory serves), and that may have changed, but you would still want that modified CFE to correct the crippling 32k bug.

 

[smitbret]

Before you do that, get Xvortex's modified CFE, which I think is required to utilize the merlin firmware anyway, but will also make dd-wrt firmware stable. As far as i am concerned, the ea6900 is unusable with dd-wrt without it, but is actually quite a nice router with it.

edit:

http://www.linksysinfo.org/index.php?threads/asuswrt-merlin-tomato-shibby-on-linksys-ea6900.71718/

http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=178138

I am interested in XWRT-Vortex and your experience on the EA6900 with it. I am using a T-Mobile Cell Spot (Asus RT-AC68U) with the Asus-WRT Merlin because my SMB sharing works so much better when I can force the router to behave as the Master Browser. I am going to pick up one of T-Mobile's 4G LTE Cellspots to increase LTE cell service in my house but they won't let me keep both devices active on the account at the same time. I need to find a new router and this looks like a great way to go since I don't like the upright design on the RT-AC68U and prefer a desktop style router like the EA6900.

Does the EA6900 still struggle with things on the XWRT-Vortex? Strengths? Weaknesses?

 

[JackMDS]

As far as the EdgeRouter X is concerned it is great at Default.

That said you have to do a detailed specific list of the configuration aspects the you use (like WOL, DDNS etc.) and make sure that they would work with the EdgeRouter X .

 

[Tipnmo101]

I am interested in XWRT-Vortex and your experience on the EA6900 with it. I am using a T-Mobile Cell Spot (Asus RT-AC68U) with the Asus-WRT Merlin because my SMB sharing works so much better when I can force the router to behave as the Master Browser. I am going to pick up one of T-Mobile's 4G LTE Cellspots to increase LTE cell service in my house but they won't let me keep both devices active on the account at the same time. I need to find a new router and this looks like a great way to go since I don't like the upright design on the RT-AC68U and prefer a desktop style router like the EA6900.

Does the EA6900 still struggle with things on the XWRT-Vortex? Strengths? Weaknesses?

I have only used the ea6900 with dd-wrt (we need dd-wrt because of a hotspot service we use.) I believe Xvortex modified the CFE for the ea6900 from the Asus RT-AC68U CFE, if you dig through the dd-wrt thread I linked to, you can follow the process of coming up with a working CFE for the ea6900. The ea6900 has great hardware (pretty much the same as the Asus), it is just crippled by a bug in the CFE, and once that is addressed, it can be a great router. We use 6 ea6900 to host hotspots with varying degrees of usage, and they are solid and stable now, and so that really sums up my experience, unusable before, very solid and stable after.

edit:

http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/search.php?search_author=XVortex

My firmware for EA6900 works only with custom CFE. You should update the CFE.

Consider this CFE as replacement for stock faulty EA6900 CFE. Not AC68U "emulator".
So you can flash DD-WRT for EA6900, AsusWRT compiled for EA6900, Tomato for EA6900

 

[smitbret]

I have only used the ea6900 with dd-wrt (we need dd-wrt because of a hotspot service we use.) I believe Xvortex modified the CFE for the ea6900 from the Asus RT-AC68U CFE, if you dig through the dd-wrt thread I linked to, you can follow the process of coming up with a working CFE for the ea6900. The ea6900 has great hardware (pretty much the same as the Asus), it is just crippled by a bug in the CFE, and once that is addressed, it can be a great router. We use 6 ea6900 to host hotspots with varying degrees of usage, and they are solid and stable now, and so that really sums up my experience, unusable before, very solid and stable after.

edit:

http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/search.php?search_author=XVortex

Good news. I had to change the CFE on the T-Mobile Cell-Spot to set it to stock Asus RT-AC68U so it shouldn't be an issue getting into XWRT-Vortex.

Thanks.

 

[Engineer]

Good news. I had to change the CFE on the T-Mobile Cell-Spot to set it to stock Asus RT-AC68U so it shouldn't be an issue getting into XWRT-Vortex.

Thanks.

I'm confused. Why would you be using (or talking about) the RT-AC68U with XVortex? XVortex is a port of the RT-AC68U firmware by Merlin over to other routers (such as Netgear's R7000).

By the way, did you use the guide at SlickDeals to change the CFE on your TMobile Cellspot?

 

[smitbret]

I'm confused. Why would you be using (or talking about) the RT-AC68U with XVortex? XVortex is a port of the RT-AC68U firmware by Merlin over to other routers (such as Netgear's R7000).

By the way, did you use the guide at SlickDeals to change the CFE on your TMobile Cellspot?

We were talking about flashing a Linksys EA6900 to XVortex and that I would have to change the CFE on the Linksys. I was just mentioning that I was comfortable with that since I had changed the CFE on the T-Mobile Cell-Spot so I could flash it to the Asus RT-AC68U.

I tried the SlickDeals link but kept getting jammed up at one place or another. I found a link on YouTube instead that was much clearer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI6D0LMkm3s

 

[Engineer]

We were talking about flashing a Linksys EA6900 to XVortex and that I would have to change the CFE on the Linksys. I was just mentioning that I was comfortable with that since I had changed the CFE on the T-Mobile Cell-Spot so I could flash it to the Asus RT-AC68U.

I tried the SlickDeals link but kept getting jammed up at one place or another. I found a link on YouTube instead that was much clearer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI6D0LMkm3s

Yes, video beats text every day. Next time, I'll try to put images in the guide to make it more clear!

 

[TSDible]

I updated the CFE and firmware...

It's like a new router.