Looking for a new router

[CubeBlaze03]

I have had my Linksys router for about 3 or 4 years now and is now becoming unreliable. I am looking for a new router that can handle multiple video streams and some online gaming. I would like it to last for at least 3-5 years and has at least 4 Ethernet ports. My budget is around $250-$300. 

[LukeLinusFanFic]

I am not sure about the internet ports, but the Google WiFi mesh system, or Google onhub are worth every penny

[asquirrel]

If you need something that does routing for you and need a GUI to configure it (IE: your current router is about as complex as you want) then I'd buy a pre-built pfsense router (https://store.netgate.com/pfSense/SG-1100.aspx). "But that only has one (maybe 2) LAN ports!" Yep, so you also buy a cheap switch (https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=15762) (AVOID TP-LINK!). So you plug all of your devices into the switch, then the switch into the router. The switch is dumb, think of it literally like a port expander. But, the backplane inside is capable of handling full throughput. I have an older version of that same switch and I love it; no PSU whine like the TP-link had, rock solid, does it's job, etc.

 

If you're open to something more complex, and you can wait a little while, zotac will be coming out with a new series of zboxes based on Zen 2 (or 3?) that are a massive upgrade from the intel CPU my own router has. https://www.anandtech.com/show/15320/ces-2020-zotac-zbox-ca621-with-passive-cooled-amd-ryzen-3-3200u

 

In this case, I would not run pfsense, but instead would install standard linux, setup iptables/isc-dhcp-server/and bind9 to act as my router/DHCP server/DNS server and go from there. To give you an idea of how powerful this route can be, I bought my zbox (CI323 https://www.zotac.com/product/mini_pcs/zbox-ci323-nano) around 4 years ago for (inc RAM and SSD) ~$230. It can run a VPN at the full 1Gb/s. As in, openVPN is running on the router encrypting a full gigabit a second of traffic. 4 years ago, no pre-built router on the market could exceed ~700Mb/s doing that, and the one that could touch 700Mb/s cost about $600.

 

Because it's a linux box you can do lots of stuff with it. Host a mumble server for your friends, make a Samba server for sharing movies/music on your LAN (plug in an external USB hard drive), run a bitcoin/ethereum/monero node, I think you're getting the picture here. Just be aware...this option is not for the faint of heart. If you're a GUI guy, then you're going to hate how hard it is to setup linux to be a router.

[CubeBlaze03]

8 minutes ago, asquirrel said:

If you need something that does routing for you and need a GUI to configure it (IE: your current router is about as complex as you want) then I'd buy a pre-built pfsense router (https://store.netgate.com/pfSense/SG-1100.aspx). "But that only has one (maybe 2) LAN ports!" Yep, so you also buy a cheap switch (https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=15762) (AVOID TP-LINK!). So you plug all of your devices into the switch, then the switch into the router. The switch is dumb, think of it literally like a port expander. But, the backplane inside is capable of handling full throughput. I have an older version of that same switch and I love it; no PSU whine like the TP-link had, rock solid, does it's job, etc.

 

If you're open to something more complex, and you can wait a little while, zotac will be coming out with a new series of zboxes based on Zen 2 (or 3?) that are a massive upgrade from the intel CPU my own router has. https://www.anandtech.com/show/15320/ces-2020-zotac-zbox-ca621-with-passive-cooled-amd-ryzen-3-3200u

 

In this case, I would not run pfsense, but instead would install standard linux, setup iptables/isc-dhcp-server/and bind9 to act as my router/DHCP server/DNS server and go from there. To give you an idea of how powerful this route can be, I bought my zbox (CI323 https://www.zotac.com/product/mini_pcs/zbox-ci323-nano) around 4 years ago for (inc RAM and SSD) ~$230. It can run a VPN at the full 1Gb/s. As in, openVPN is running on the router encrypting a full gigabit a second of traffic. 4 years ago, no pre-built router on the market could exceed ~700Mb/s doing that, and the one that could touch 700Mb/s cost about $600.

 

Because it's a linux box you can do lots of stuff with it. Host a mumble server for your friends, make a Samba server for sharing movies/music on your LAN (plug in an external USB hard drive), run a bitcoin/ethereum/monero node, I think you're getting the picture here. Just be aware...this option is not for the faint of heart. If you're a GUI guy, then you're going to hate how hard it is to setup linux to be a router.

I do not think that is quite what i am looking for but thank you for the advice. I would love to mess with Linux or a Raspberry Pi but I do not know anything about code.

[spartaman64]

i have a linksys wrt 1900acs and it works well

[CubeBlaze03]

15 minutes ago, LukeLinusFanFic said:

I am not sure about the internet ports, but the Google WiFi mesh system, or Google onhub are worth every penny

I do like the idea of a mesh internet system but I don’t really think I need one. I will look into that, but I was thinking that a standard wireless router will work sufficiently. Thank you for the advice. 

[CubeBlaze03]

Just now, spartaman64 said:

i have a linksys wrt 1900acs and it works well

How long have you had yours? How many devices do you have on your network?

[spartaman64]

1 minute ago, CubeBlaze03 said:

How long have you had yours? How many devices do you have on your network?

for like 3 years and the max amount of devices ive had is 12

[CubeBlaze03]

7 minutes ago, spartaman64 said:

for like 3 years and the max amount of devices ive had is 12

That router looks like a good choice for my uses. Thank you for your advice.

[Donut417]

1 hour ago, CubeBlaze03 said:

I have had my Linksys router for about 3 or 4 years now and is now becoming unreliable. I am looking for a new router that can handle multiple video streams and some online gaming. I would like it to last for at least 3-5 years and has at least 4 Ethernet ports. My budget is around $250-$300. 

Synology RT2600AC. Ive had this guy for a year or two. Has always been rock solid. We have up to 3 1080p streams going at once. Never had issues with gaming with it, but keep in mind Im direct connected to it via Ethernet on my gaming rig. 

[CubeBlaze03]

8 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

Synology RT2600AC. Ive had this guy for a year or two. Has always been rock solid. We have up to 3 1080p streams going at once. Never had issues with gaming with it, but keep in mind Im direct connected to it via Ethernet on my gaming rig. 

That looks like an excellent router for my uses. Definitely looking like the best one i have seen. My main computer never has any problems connected to Ethernet but some of my other wireless devices do. Thanks for your help.