Fhait

It sounds like the biggest problem with your old system was you. This isn't a flame. I'm just suggesting that maybe you want to pay somebody to build you a system that you never have to open and tinker with, perhaps with a warranty. It's nice to keep up with modern CPU's but was your older i7 cutting it for you ? You can save a lot of money staying behind the bleeding edge. = F

What you need in this case is a wireless 'BRIDGE'. Like you suggested you hang the bridge off the end of the powerline module in your kitchen and it bridges the wireless connection down to your existing router for DHCP/etc. However, you have now consumed another power outlet so you need to decide whether or not that is worth the 40 pounds minus whatever you pay for the bridge. Most(possibly all) Linksys equipment I've seen can run in bridge mode. (you don't even have to configure anything, you just DONT enable/configure any of the DHCP/routing stuff) Other vendors you'll need to check on individually as I've never used any of them in bridge mode. The DLINK wireless router I used to use COULD NOT bridge however so don't assume that every vendor can do both. = F

pfSense is not a software package that runs under a modern operating system. It is a standalone product that you can boot off of cdrom or even USB flashdrive. So the existing WinXP OS on the hard drives can either be saved (just run off the cdrom/flash) or you can install pfSense to the hard drive if you want which will trash WinXP. I would recommend at least 2 ethernet ports, and a wireless NIC so that you can use the machine as an access-point for your wireless devices as well. My recommendation to you at this point would be to download the pfSense ISO from their website and experiment with it in a virtual machine. That way you aren't lugging an old system out of the boneyard and commissioning it before you even know whether or not you are going to like it or want to implement it. You can duplicate your exact desired configuration in the virtual machine for testing (multiple NIC cards, etc) You can even implement pfSense and actually deploy it as a virtual machine but now we are really digressing. There are a number of freeware virtual-machine packages out there for windows. Microsoft Virtual PC which I honestly can't recall if I've ever used, or Oracle VirtualBox which I have used and is pretty great. = F

There's good news and bad news. It looks like your router has the proper support to classify/police your traffic. Good news. Bad news. It's using DSCP technology to do to. This is not a slam against DSCP. It is excellent technology (especially when it first started appearing in devices about 15years ago). The configuration interface, as you can see is quite overwhelming and assumes a higher level of understanding that I suspect may make it unwieldy in your case. Do you feel comfortable with the idea of taking a small, perhaps currently unused system and making it into a home router ? I think I saw a recommendation of pfSense a few posts ago which not only has an excellent traffic shaper/bandwidth control interface, but you can plug a 'squid' web cache into it (via software) if this is something you would also like to explore as per your initial query. Since you had asked about setting up a cache, perhaps you have a candidate system already ? TL/DR . Yes, your router can do what we've discussed, but be prepared for an exciting 'journey' to get it set up = F

Looking for some input on the best practice when looking to extend multiple PC systems and displays. In my case I'd like to extend the displays of my current configuration up from my basement to one of my upstairs bedrooms so that the office can be silent, and the PC's can stay in the basement where the ambient temperature is quite a bit lower. I know I can use thunderbolt to extend a single PC/Display in this fashion but what about multiple PCs and displays. I run a multi-PC/multi-monitor configuration. I use a software package called Multiplicity to do IP-KVM between these systems. Can I daisy chain multiple thunderbolt docks together, and then use a single (pricey) thunderbolt cable to extend up to the office ? How would this configuration react to a USB peripheral like a printer or flash drive being inserted up in the office ? Would all the systems downstairs see the new USB device and if so would this cause problems ? Does anybody make a single, high density dock/hub that could accomodate I/O from 3 or 4 systems on the same unit ? Thanks in advance. = F

Honestly I agree with the general tone of most of these responses that adding a cache server is of little value to you as a residential user. So much web server data is generated dynamically now, that you won't see a noticeable benefit in your browsing. In fact, in my experience as a network operator, adding a cache server to a network can actually have a negative user experience. (even while having a positive bandwidth usage impact) I would look at possibly getting a QoS capable switch or router/firewall software where you can set bandwidth caps on certain kinds of traffic. For example, if you have 6megs of traffic, try setting up Netflix to only consume 5, or many software downloaders like Steam/Origin/etc have bandwidth limits you can set within the software itself. = K