Should I upgrade

[Donut417]

Yesterday my mom came to me and wanted to talk more about cutting the cord. Comcast finally pushed her to the breaking point. Any way I need to figure out if I need to upgrade my aging router. Currently we sub to Comcast's 75 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up service. Currently we are using the DLink DIR835 Flashed with DDWRT. My gaming rig is connected directly to the router. We also have 3 phones, 1 tablet, a chromebook, 1 laptop and 3 tvs that connect to the network. That being said, we dont download much thru the phones. My moms tablet it used mostly by my niece and nephew when they come over and want to watch youtube. The smart TV in my moms room has an antenna and I dont think she really uses the smart features. One TV has an Amazon Fire stick and the other has Roku, they are used, but really only in the evening. We are currently looking at streaming options. 

 

The issue is my router, hasnt been supported by Dlink since 2013 which is why it has DDWRT on it. Its a N750 router. My concern is making sure that streaming is going to be smooth. Generally I watch a lot of youtube and netflix. Plus what ever my dad and mom could be streaming. I figure maybe 3 streams at one time. Would a new router make sense? If so what would be a good one? I only know that Asus and Netgear are good, but Im not sure what models. I would say no more than $150 USD, might be able to swing $200 if I need. 

 

PS. 

 

I have the router and modem in my room. With my gaming rig, 2 monitors and a TV. So Ubiquiti edge routers and APs are not an option. Its expected that the equipment doesn't multiply. Dont want to burn down the house. Also, a PFsense box is also out of the option as I dont have any old hardware laying around and dont think I could run another computer in my room. It gets fucking hot in here already. 

[samcool55]

Try to get a decent router that does 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz so the load is split over both frequencies.

Apart from that, don't really have any suggestions tbh

[Donut417]

1 minute ago, samcool55 said:

Try to get a decent router that does 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz so the load is split over both frequencies.

Apart from that, don't really have any suggestions tbh

My router does dual band. The issue is with all the streaming service Im not sure my current router will handle it. I mean, I had use a laptop cooler on it because it was getting very hot to begin with. 

[luigi90210]

invest in a pfsense box with your current router as an access point

i personally use an old laptop i had laying around with a USB3 NIC as my second ethernet port so if you or your parents have an old laptop that isnt being used you can do that

outside of buying a new router though i dont see how else this can be done, your parents might not like the idea of adding more devices but in the end it would be worth it and the savings would pay for the equipment within the next year or two

EDIT
if you have 2 NICs on your current gaming rig you can run pfsense virtually and use your router as an access point, idk how to setup pfsense on a VM but i know it can and has been done before
 

[Donut417]

30 minutes ago, luigi90210 said:

invest in a pfsense box with your current router as an access point

i personally use an old laptop i had laying around with a USB3 NIC as my second ethernet port so if you or your parents have an old laptop that isnt being used you can do that

outside of buying a new router though i dont see how else this can be done, your parents might not like the idea of adding more devices but in the end it would be worth it and the savings would pay for the equipment within the next year or two

EDIT
if you have 2 NICs on your current gaming rig you can run pfsense virtually and use your router as an access point, idk how to setup pfsense on a VM but i know it can and has been done before
 

Yeah I dont like leaving my rig running all day. I do let my computer go to sleep. 

 

Dude There is sooooooo much plugged in to my room already. Also, it gets fucking hot. Hot enough I dont even open my vent for the furnace during the Winter. Me and my moms rooms are on the same circuit as well, so you have to take in account the stuff she has plugged in. I rather just get a new consumer grade router. Plus when I upgrade my current system, Im looking to go Mini ITX. So using my gaming rig as a router might not be a good idea. 

 

Plus Im totaly good with buying a new router. Im just wondering if we need a new one. Currently Im the only one who really uses the internet. However, after cutting the cord we will have more network traffic. Possibly up to 3 streams going at a time. 

[luigi90210]

3 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

Yeah I dont like leaving my rig running all day. I do let my computer go to sleep. 

 

Dude There is sooooooo much plugged in to my room already. Also, it gets fucking hot. Hot enough I dont even open my vent for the furnace during the Winter. Me and my moms rooms are on the same circuit as well, so you have to take in account the stuff she has plugged in. I rather just get a new consumer grade router. Plus when I upgrade my current system, Im looking to go Mini ITX. So using my gaming rig as a router might not be a good idea. 

 

Plus Im totaly good with buying a new router. Im just wondering if we need a new one. Currently Im the only one who really uses the internet. However, after cutting the cord we will have more network traffic. Possibly up to 3 streams going at a time. 

https://www.amazon.com/AmpliFi-Home-Wi-Fi-Router-AFI-R/dp/B01L9O08PW/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1497154502&sr=1-8&keywords=ubiquiti%2Brouter&th=1

that is the router i would get

also common misconception about pfsense boxes but you can buy a low powered passively cooled atom computer with 2 nics(or one with a single nic and use a usb nic) and that wont really use much more power than a high end consumer router

the pfsense box would be the best option for you as the router would have enough power to ensure everyone's traffic doesnt get delayed, when i installed my pfsense box it was the single best thing i did for my home network, not only can i maintain my full 40MBps(yes megabyte not megabit) download speeds when downloading a game without any real dips in speed, but i can run at least 4 concurrent HD streams(my brother, mother, wife, and child) from my various streaming boxes/devices(phones, tablets, kodi boxes, smart tvs, ect.) while playing overwatch online

i realize i have faster internet than you do but before on my netgear R6220 i couldnt really maintain that kind of speed for long periods of time and the network traffic my household uses would often result in streams dropping in quality or outright buffering

i understand your point though with the warm room, just want to give you some food for thought though not to mention you can move the router you are currently using out of your room and centralize it in the house for the best wifi coverage so that will help remove some heat out of your room

either way good luck

also dont worry much about burning your house down, as long as you dont do stupid stuff like plug extension cords into extension cords(which is a fire hazard itself) your breaker box will prevent any over current situation 

[Donut417]

6 minutes ago, luigi90210 said:

i understand your point though with the warm room, just want to give you some food for thought though not to mention you can move the router you are currently using out of your room and centralize it in the house for the best wifi coverage so that will help remove some heat out of your room

My gaming rig is on Ethernet. If the router is not in my room, then I dont have Ethernet. I have no way of getting Ethernet in the walls. Thats my delema.

[luigi90210]

Just now, Donut417 said:

My gaming rig is on Ethernet. If the router is not in my room, then I dont have Ethernet. I have no way of getting Ethernet in the walls. Thats my delema.

thats if you went with the pfsense box route since the pfsense router will be in your room you can hook up your computer with ethernet still...

also bro powerline is totally a thing as well

[Donut417]

Just now, luigi90210 said:

thats if you went with the pfsense box route since the pfsense router will be in your room you can hook up your computer with ethernet still...

also bro powerline is totally a thing as well

We have a mix of old and new wiring, Ive tasted Ethernet and wont go with anything else. Plus I got only $150 to spend, A pfsense box and AP and Power line or Moca adapters would cost more than my budget. I might just go with the TP Link Archer C9 or look at one of the netgear Nighthalwks. 

[luigi90210]

11 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

We have a mix of old and new wiring, Ive tasted Ethernet and wont go with anything else. Plus I got only $150 to spend, A pfsense box and AP and Power line or Moca adapters would cost more than my budget. I might just go with the TP Link Archer C9 or look at one of the netgear Nighthalwks. 

you could go that route just make sure you will get coverage in every room as the worse your wifi connection, the slower the speeds(which is an issue i foresee) and that could lead to people getting upset that their streams are buffering, low quality, ect.

 

[Donut417]

10 minutes ago, luigi90210 said:

you could go that route just make sure you will get coverage in every room as the worse your wifi connection, the slower the speeds(which is an issue i foresee) and that could lead to people getting upset that their streams are buffering, low quality, ect.

 

My current router gives good coverage. We live in a two story house, but its kinda small. Plus the router is about as centralized as it can get. I was looking at a few of the netgear routers. Just trying to decide if I want to make sure the router is DDWRT capable or not. As its pretty stable and useful firmware. 

[Jarsky]

That router should be plenty for handling all your routing and NAT functionality. It sounds like you have more of a Wifi issue.

 

I would just get a Ubiquti UAP-AC-Pro access point for connecting everything too.

It's 3x3 MIMO so excellent performance for a large number of connected devices.

 

DDWRT should be doing fine for QoS - and 3 x 1080p streams simultaneously is still only about 30Mbit anyway.

[Donut417]

6 hours ago, Jarsky said:

That router should be plenty for handling all your routing and NAT functionality. It sounds like you have more of a Wifi issue.

 

I would just get a Ubiquti UAP-AC-Pro access point for connecting everything too.

It's 3x3 MIMO so excellent performance for a large number of connected devices.

 

DDWRT should be doing fine for QoS - and 3 x 1080p streams simultaneously is still only about 30Mbit anyway.

I dont have any issues yet. It just we are going to be having up to 3 or 4 HD streams going at once. The router I have is old, the hardware is old. Im kinda afraid that its not going to be up for the challenge. As I had to add a laptop cooler to the router to get it to run at a good temp as it was running way too hot before. 

 

And if you read my first post, you will see why I cant add an AP. I literally want no more hardware going in my room. The heat is starting to take its toll. 

[luigi90210]

55 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

I dont have any issues yet. It just we are going to be having up to 3 or 4 HD streams going at once. The router I have is old, the hardware is old. Im kinda afraid that its not going to be up for the challenge. As I had to add a laptop cooler to the router to get it to run at a good temp as it was running way too hot before. 

 

And if you read my first post, you will see why I cant add an AP. I literally want no more hardware going in my room. The heat is starting to take its toll. 

well you wouldnt have the access points in your room, they would be spread out through out the house...

[Donut417]

1 hour ago, luigi90210 said:

well you wouldnt have the access points in your room, they would be spread out through out the house...

With the questionable wiring in my house, I really dont want to waste money on Powerline adapters. I know the wiring is questionable because this house was built back in the 1930's, so we have copper and aluminum wiring in this house. I have NO way to run any Ethernet cables. Im too fat to fit thru the attic access and plus this is a two story house. One wireless router covers my house fine, which is why I dont need extra APs. I mean I get pretty much full 5 Ghz coverage. I get 2.4 Ghz coverage in my yard. 

 

My only concern is my aging wireless router might not be able to handle the extra traffic we will be throwing at it as Im really the only one who taxes the internet. By tax it, I mean watch shit tones of youtube videos, maybe do some gaming once in a great while. We are going to do the free trail of the PS Vue service this week and Ill see how it goes. It my router has a stroke Ill look at picking up one of the Netgear models I was looking at.