Hello, I need to upgrade my router. I currently have an 8-port TP-Link R860 wired router and would like to upgrade to something a little more modern, wired, and need 8-ports.
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Wired Router Suggestions
- Thread starter honeycombz
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My advice: Get a big enough regular network switch for your wired LAN connections + one port for the uplink to the router. Then you don't need to limit yourself to routers that provide more than one or a couple of LAN ports.
One caveat: I would make sure that the switch can do gigabit connections even if you have a slower Internet connection than that. I see that it's still possible to purchase switches that limit you to 100 Mbps, and that's an unnecessary bottleneck.
I was going to suggest this. I always recommend using a switch + router rather than trying to do it all on the router itself. That's how we do it for enterprise clients. For one thing, you typically get way more ports. You can pick up a 48 port Catalyst switch if you want for around $100 on eBay. It also offers better flexibility because you can mount the switch, router, and wireless APs in separate locations, which can be a real benefit for some houses.
Stay away from consumer routers. They have buggy, vulnerable firmware. I would say to get an Ubiquiti Edgerouter Lite for your router and a quality switch that fits your size requirements.
All valid points. But @honeycombz : Note that many large switches (mostly 24-ports and up) tend to come with noisy fans that make them unsuitable for placement in or near regular rooms.
I second the suggestion to go with Ubiquiti, even the EdgeRouter X is a fantastic performer!
Edgerouter is nice, and I've also tried Ubiquiti access points, but the thing I dislike about Ubiquiti stuff is the need to run a Java controller. So, I use a Mikrotik router and EnGenius AP's.
Mikrotik does have an unfamiliar syntax for creating firewall rules (or otherwise configuring the router) when you do it from the CLI. They also have a GUI interface called Winbox, which a .exe file for Windows. I used to run it in a Windows VM. However, I have successfully made a Mac app out of it using Winebottler.
Winbox makes configuring the router much easier.
Winbox makes configuring the router much easier.
At home I'm using pfsense on an old Gateway SFF desktop w/ two Gb Ethernet cards as my router with a TP-Link unmanaged gigabit switch and ASUS routers repurposed as access points.
I've had good luck with both Ubiquiti and Asus. But I will say that if you want to do advanced routing, you probably want a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter or a pfsense box.
I've had good luck with both Ubiquiti and Asus. But I will say that if you want to do advanced routing, you probably want a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter or a pfsense box.
I think I might be leaning this one https://mikrotik.com/product/RB2011UiAS-IN but there is a cheaper version that doesn’t have the LCD, USB, and SFP Cage. Since I only need 8 ports, I'm not sure what use the SFP Cage would be to me since I'd have an extra port or two. USB could be useful, but, I've never had a need for USB on a router before. The LCD sounds cool, although I don't really know what it is for and since I stuff this in a ceiling I'm not going to be looking at the screen regularly unless I get on a ladder and stick my head in a ceiling. I downloaded WINE and it seems like I'd be able to install Winbox easy enough. I got 'The Dude' running no problem just to see. But, I'm not a big network guy and typically just use noob level consumer grade junk. But maybe it's time to move outside my comfort zone a bit. Ubiquiti routers look cool, and I really like one of the Asus gaming routers but maybe don't feel like spending twice as much for my needs. The switch thing could work, but I already have a bunch of modems and boxes up there for other stuff, feel like I'd rather not add two more if I can get away with one, but may reconsider on that, need to take an audit of what port is doing what and see if there is a way to consolidate. Thanks for all the help!
Though I have not switched mine over, I see they also allow control from an iOS app, so no Java.....and no Mac or PC needed.
For anybody following along, yes, the desktop tool is java based, but it only needs to be run for setting up, updates, and reporting. I go months without running mine, as I don't need reporting or other admin tool info on a regular basis.
At some point I may switch over to iOS to test.
I like my Edgerouter XFSP: small, quiet, rock solid...with enough POE ports that i don't need a switch for 3 WAPs. So dirt cheap too.
But not the most user friendly, and not much in the way of bells and whistles. If I were to look for an easier to use alternative, I might consider UBNT Security Gateway, and integrate it with the UBNT WAPs with a single dashboard.
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