Wireless router/networking solution for large number of devices? Routers keep dying :(

[aamir_xo]

Greetings.

We have a small office with a network of around 30 devices. The network is set up in a star topology, all devices connect to a router and then(via ethernet) to a server running windows 10. Our files sizes are relatively small and rarely exceed 10mb, but since all the work is done off of the server, it's busy and gets accessed by multiple devices throughout the day. Internet is used for emails only.

 

Here's the deal - 

We get a new router, it works for 4-7 months, and then cripples down to super low speeds, and instability. What's interesting is that at this stage, it becomes first-come-first-serve; meaning that the people that connect to it first early in the morning, are still able to extract somewhat manageable speeds, but the newer connections suffer terribly.

In the recent years, I have burned through routers from D-Link, Linksys, Xiaomi, Asus, and so many TP-Link Archer routers. They all die in less than an year.

 

I did connect all 4 desktops via ethernet through switches, but most devices are laptops and mobile. The office is inside a warehouse, has only glass walls, is of two storeys(Level 0 + Level 1), and has an area of not more than 200sqft (18sqm) per floor. All routers since the past 2 years have been dual-band AC1200, with connections divided between the bands.

 

Will it help to introduce more routers? Say 4 total routers, with three acting as access points, or should I set them up as new networks entirely? Or am I missing some other solution entirely?

[LAwLz]

It sounds very weird. 

I would try running IPerf between two devices on the network to make sure you're getting decent speeds between them, which takes the server out of the equation.

If you are worried about wireless coverage then I would also suggest a site survey, but I don't think there are any free tools that are decent, and my guess is that you don't want to hire a consultant to check it out for you.

 

I feel like the fact that you have had a lot of devices "die" and you experience bad seemingly weird performance drops (like it working well for some users) points towards the issue being something other than the routers, especially since you seem to have experienced it with like 5+ different routers.

 

 

It's really hard to give suggestions without having done some investigation myself, and without having seeing the location, but if you just want some general hardware recommendations then I think one AP on each floor (2 in total) should be enough. Ubiquiti are cheap and are pretty good compared to most consumer stuff. 

 

Unfi Dream Machine with built in WiFi + one Unifi AP = ~400 USD.

Make sure you get a PoE injector if the AP doesn't come with one.

 

It will only have 3 free ethernet ports however since the AP will use one. You might need to add a switch as well if you need more than 3 ports. Any cheap gigabit ethernet switch will work if the network is simple. If you need stuff like VLAN support then Ubiquiti has cheap switches as well.

[Allan B]

I would also suggest Unfi or any business class router.  The get away from the consumer class products designed for home.  As you have discovered t is not a brand issue, it is just consumer routers are not made for business level usage.

 

The extra money you would spend on a good business class setup you would make back by avoiding replacing the router every 6-10 months.

[aamir_xo]

23 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

It sounds very weird. 

I would try running IPerf between two devices on the network to make sure you're getting decent speeds between them, which takes the server out of the equation.

If you are worried about wireless coverage then I would also suggest a site survey, but I don't think there are any free tools that are decent, and my guess is that you don't want to hire a consultant to check it out for you.

 

I feel like the fact that you have had a lot of devices "die" and you experience bad seemingly weird performance drops (like it working well for some users) points towards the issue being something other than the routers, especially since you seem to have experienced it with like 5+ different routers.

 

 

It's really hard to give suggestions without having done some investigation myself, and without having seeing the location, but if you just want some general hardware recommendations then I think one AP on each floor (2 in total) should be enough. Ubiquiti are cheap and are pretty good compared to most consumer stuff. 

 

Unfi Dream Machine with built in WiFi + one Unifi AP = ~400 USD.

Make sure you get a PoE injector if the AP doesn't come with one.

 

It will only have 3 free ethernet ports however since the AP will use one. You might need to add a switch as well if you need more than 3 ports. Any cheap gigabit ethernet switch will work if the network is simple. If you need stuff like VLAN support then Ubiquiti has cheap switches as well.

Thank you for the reply. Coverage is not an issue, we get pretty much full signal throughout the office. As I mentioned, we are pretty crammed in a small space. 

My apologies. I meant to mention before the last paragraph: I did add another router in my last setup, working as another wi-fi network. So now there is a router on each floor. The level 1 router still went bad.

 

Another thing worth mentioning is that if we reset the router, it does come back to life and performs as it is supposed to, for a few hours in fact! But goes bad eventually. And if we replace the router with a new one, it works without the reset routine for 4-7 months, as mentioned earlier.

 

Unfortunately, resetting frequently is very troublesome, as we have to ensure everyone has saved their work, and that all files opened off of the server are closed(to avoid corrupting them).

 

Thank you for the product recommendations, I will surely look for close alternatives available here in India.

[jec6613]

What you need to do is decouple your router and WiFi, it sounds like.  The all-in-one routers use the same memory and CPU to manage both your WiFi as well as everything else.

 

Simply disabling the internal Wi-Fi and getting an OK business-grade WAP to handle wireless should solve it well overall - and yes, I've run into exactly your problem pattern in the past.

[mtz_federico]

23 hours ago, jec6613 said:

What you need to do is decouple your router and WiFi, it sounds like.  The all-in-one routers use the same memory and CPU to manage both your WiFi as well as everything else.

 

Simply disabling the internal Wi-Fi and getting an OK business-grade WAP to handle wireless should solve it well overall - and yes, I've run into exactly your problem pattern in the past.

This, and if the AP and all of the ethernet devices are connected to a switch, so that the router only gets traffic going to the internet, it should work fine. You could get a good AP from ubiquiti and if you are still having issues you could replace the router with a better business-grade one.

[Slayerking92]

On 11/30/2021 at 6:25 AM, aamir_xo said:

 

In the recent years, I have burned through routers from D-Link, Linksys, Xiaomi, Asus, and so many TP-Link Archer routers. They all die in less than an year.

 

 

There is the problem.  You should be using something more business grade.  take a look at the Cisco RV series for small business.

 

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/routers/small-business-rv-series-routers/index.html

 

[jec6613]

3 hours ago, Slayerking92 said:

 

There is the problem.  You should be using something more business grade.  take a look at the Cisco RV series for small business.

 

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/routers/small-business-rv-series-routers/index.html

 

Try Zyxel, Fortinet, or Sonicwall instead.  Cisco RV series are all EOS'd and you can't get them anymore, with no replacement until next year at the earliest.