Cisco RV-340 or ....?

[bernard038]

Hello All,

Due to the less than satisfactory VPN-performance of our Cisco RV320 router i am thinking about replacing it with an new router. I am thinking about a Cisco RV-340, but maybe i am leaning too much to the Cisco SMB routers. So i am very interested in:

1. You experiences with the Cisco RV-340.
2. Any alternatives.

I am looking for a router:

• For a small office, with 7 employees and 3 people logging in over VPN.
• Decent throughput (down 200 Mb / up 100 Mb).
• A decent firewall.
• Support of two WAN connections.
• Support of:
  • IPsec site to Site VPN (currently 1 tunnel, may become 2 or 3 in the future)
  • Support for client to site vpn for: Windows 10 clients, Android,(when possible) IOS, using their native clients (especially windows), AFAIK L2tp is natively supported byWindows 10 (but is it?).
• SIP-ALG (VOIP settings)
• Optional: VLAN support
• Anti-virus would be nice, but is not a must have.
• Web filtering is absolutely not needed, as i trust my staff.
• Decent support and regular updates of the firmware would be a bonus.
• Price range: up to 350 euro or US-dollar.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts and answers!

 

[Trip]

Since you're already used to being on the Cisco RV platform, it may just make sense to upgrade from the 320 to the 340. I would guess it's using another Cavium architecture, probably Octeon III, but I'm not sure. VPN speeds are advertised at 650 Mb/s for IPSec and 100 Mb/s for PPTP, which aren't too bad, assuming their advertised numbers actually hold true in real life...

With a $400 USD budget, you've definitely got other options which could yield you way better performance and functionality for your dollar/euro. Mikrotik and pFsense come to mind, however, they will most likely require a more adept skill set and more time to setup, and perhaps more time in administration as well.

It all comes down to what you're comfortable with handling yourself, and/or what you're willing to farm out to an IT shop to do for you, should you want a more enterprise-level solution put in place.

 

[System Error Message]

definitely not a cisco rv, those things tend to be horrible. I suggest pfsense, grab yourself a PC, add a NIC and install pfsense. It'd do a lot better job and the vpn performance is ensured for every vpn type.

The problem with the cisco rv and any vpn router type is that their CPUs are horribly slow. Even ubiquiti which uses the same platform uses a CPU thats much much faster especially for the price and they have more features and less bugs.

 

[bernard038]

Hi Both,

Thanks for your replies!

If i would have the time, i would build a PfSense machine myself, i have used Moonwall in the past and i liked it. Mikrotik is a brand i am not very familiar with, but as long as i can order a router, which will work without me having to spend endless weekends to configure it, it might be a good solution (see my previous remark about Pfsense). I will definitely look into it!

Ubiquity USG Pro is also on my shortlist, BUT L2tp vpn was, at least a few weeks ago, only available in beta-versions of the Unifi software, and that's a dealbreaker for me...

any other suggestions, let me know!

 

[System Error Message]

with mikrotik getting it up and running is easy, but to use the advance features thats difficult, still if you are willing to give ubiquiti a go, then even mikrotik and pfsense is for consideration. If setting up pfsense is time consuming for you and you are willing to try configurable, there are a few mikrotik routers with vpn acceleration.

Look at mikrotik routerboards, their PPC based, ARM based and Tile based have hardware encryption, make sure to confirm by looking up the chip for their ARM based. It also depends on your throughput.

If you want anti virus you'll need a seperate pc to inspect the traffic (like with suricata guide on mikrotik forums). Pick a routerboard thats also fast enough for your connection and vpn speeds you want.

Ubiquiti's new line of edgerouters seems like it will be worth while.

 

[Trip]

You're probably already well aware of this bernard, but do keep in mind the total cost of operation here. It's one thing to start comparing this or that model router from this or that vendor, but it's a whole other thing to get it installed, configured and supported properly. There is obviously real opportunity cost associated, so if any/all of those aforementioned tasks are concerns (as they should be) then you may want to consider farming this out to a local IT firm (who comes by way of referral if possible). I'd argue that for a business especially, the overall solution is most important -- that includes hardware/software, support, management, business process integration, etc. I would think (hope) that for a business with 7 employees (or more?), it would be worth the investment.

 

[bernard038]

Hi All,

And again thank you all for your replies! @System Error Message I will look into the new UB edge routers! @Trip due to the industry i am in (mental health services) and due to my own background, i'd rather keep things in my own hand. The local IT-firm usually doesn't have the specific expertise regarding network security, the Dutch version of Hipaa and privacy laws, which are quite essential for us, compliance with these regulations has an effect on the way i have configured my IT-infrastructure. Solutions provided by larger, specialized firms have this expertise, but target the larger health-care providers, their rates are, in my view too high and they always try to sell me consultants instead of solutions.

And lastly, building a, not-so-very-expensive, IT-infrastructure which is compliant with all Dutch and European rules and regulations, is not that hard, and is something i really like to do... Giving this away to an IT-firm, small or large, will decrease my job-satisfaction!

 

[System Error Message]

IT firms know that. If any person can get away charging loads of money they will which disgusts me about many of these providers and firms. Healthcare and education require discounts, they buy in bulk so they should pay less than an enterprise.

If you are good with networking than you will like mikrotik and the new edgerouters. It is highly dependent on your speed and featureset.

 

[bernard038]

Hi @System Error Message
Going off-topic completely:
Firms 'specializing' in providing solutions of medical professionals (or governments, or lawyers for that matter) have this funny tradition of charging more for the same services. Buying exactly the same hardware from a specialized reseller would cost me at least 25 percent more than buying it from a non-specialized reseller....

Thanks for your plea for standard discounts for health care organisations! I am Dutch, so being cheap is part of the non-erasable part of my BIOS. But as with your family doctor, we aren't a non-profit (but we aren't only in it for the money, as they do, we think that smaller organisations are better and more flexible in providing outpatient-care than large organisations). So i guess generous discounts will not apply to us...

But for schools and tax-exempt non-profits ( such as this one) can get discounts for Microsoft, Google and other vendors. It surprises me sometimes that also visitors of this forum, working in these sectors aren't aware of this!

 

[sfx2000]

Since you're already used to being on the Cisco RV platform, it may just make sense to upgrade from the 320 to the 340. I would guess it's using another Cavium architecture, probably Octeon III, but I'm not sure. VPN speeds are advertised at 650 Mb/s for IPSec and 100 Mb/s for PPTP, which aren't too bad, assuming their advertised numbers actually hold true in real life...

I would tend to agree - if the RV320 checks all the required boxes except for throughput, then consider an upgrade to the next device in the same product family.

Take a close look at all requirements - and sometimes you'll find that the box you're painted into might not exist - or perhaps it does (esp. if one is a consultant).

Even within the same product - VPN solutions differ in performance, so maybe it's choosing a different configuration that still meets security needs -- some do better than others there.

 

[sfx2000]

Firms 'specializing' in providing solutions of medical professionals (or governments, or lawyers for that matter) have this funny tradition of charging more for the same services. Buying exactly the same hardware from a specialized reseller would cost me at least 25 percent more than buying it from a non-specialized reseller....

Depends on the power of negotiation - seriously... it does...

Not that much different than buying a car perhaps...

Thanks for your plea for standard discounts for health care organisations! I am Dutch, so being cheap is part of the non-erasable part of my BIOS. But as with your family doctor, we aren't a non-profit (but we aren't only in it for the money, as they do, we think that smaller organisations are better and more flexible in providing outpatient-care than large organisations). So i guess generous discounts will not apply to us...

Here in the US - it's mostly fraud, waste, and abuse that puts pressure on the real providers - and it's a real mess - good to know perhaps that our problem isn't as unique as everyone in the US says it is.

There's just too much money on the table - and greed is good...

There's a children's game we had in the US - plastic animals snatching marbles from the common - "Hungry Hungry Hippos"

Sad, but true...

But for schools and tax-exempt non-profits ( such as this one) can get discounts for Microsoft, Google and other vendors. It surprises me sometimes that also visitors of this forum, working in these sectors aren't aware of this!

Again - healthcare in the US is very broken at the moment...

 

[Samir]

Even though you would enjoy the build, I would attempt to just go up on the cisco line and see if that doesn't solve the problem for now. You can also build a monster pfsense box with untangle and upgrade the cisco whenever you want rather than being under the gun.