EdgeRouter Lite - i need help, or another router recommendation

[L&LD]

Just wanted to provide an update. My network is pretty much cleaned up now. I would have liked to connect the TV's directly and in one case i might in the future but the other case that is not possible anymore. But it does look much better now and everything seems to be running quite stable.

View attachment 16906

I still haven't figured out IPv6 on the ERL3 but it is not a priority right now. Currently i am wondering what else i can do to optimize my network. Here the options considered:

1. Activate jumbo-frames: don't know if it is going to do anything in terms of performance as i read different things. Happy to hear insights from the forum.

2. As i don't see any other use for Eth2 on the ERL3, i thought about bonding Eth1 and Eth2 to have a dual 1Gb connection to the switch. Don't know that will do anything but i figure if you can have 2 Gbps going into the switch, why not although i only have a 200mbps connection so i have no clue if it would make any difference?

3. Add a small rack -NAS to host my Plex collection. Currently, my Plex collection is hosted by both my ReadyNAS and my Plex Server but i would like to have all of them in one place. Secondly, i also use the Plex server to run a virtualbox with Ubuntu 18.04LTS on which i have installed UNMS. Works like a charm but as i said, i would rather have these things seperate.

Any thoughts?

Do you have a usable and stable running network? Don't change a thing.

This is the goal, you've won!

Thanks for the update.

 

[coxhaus]

I think Jumbo frames is more trouble than it worth. If most of your traffic is internet based don't use it. If most of your traffic is LAN based and you use large files all the time then I might think about it.

 

[sfx2000]

1. Activate jumbo-frames: don't know if it is going to do anything in terms of performance as i read different things. Happy to hear insights from the forum.

Looks good...

With GBE, jumbo frames do help, and things will fall back if they don't work - it's call MTU Discovery, and it's automagically done on the source/sink path...

2. As i don't see any other use for Eth2 on the ERL3, i thought about bonding Eth1 and Eth2 to have a dual 1Gb connection to the switch. Don't know that will do anything but i figure if you can have 2 Gbps going into the switch, why not although i only have a 200mbps connection so i have no clue if it would make any difference?

Not really - you'll have twice the capacity at the same speed, but I'm not seeing where you would be capped out here in any event - stick with what you have now.

 

[v4npro]

I'm looking to buy a new router too. I currently have the erlite-3 with gigabit internet and debating between er-4 or mikrotik RM4011iGS. I'm leaning towards the mikrotik just because of the extra ports.

 

[coxhaus]

I wouldn't worry about ports just use a big switch.

 

[v4npro]

I wouldn't worry about ports just use a big switch.

Yeah I understand that, it's just an extra cost. Besides the ports, you prefer the ER-4 then?

 

[coxhaus]

I like and run Cisco small business routers, switches and wireless.

I have never used either Ubiquiti or mikrotik but from what I have seen and read I would prefer Ubiquiti. It will configure more like what I am accustom to. I think you will find Ubiquiti will have better wireless also.

 

[v4npro]

I like and run Cisco small business routers, switches and wireless.

I have never used either Ubiquiti or mikrotik but from what I have seen and read I would prefer Ubiquiti. It will configure more like what I am accustom to. I think you will find Ubiquiti will have better wireless also.

Thanks for the input. I do already have AC-PRO access point too. So I'll probably get the ER-4 then.

 

[coxhaus]

I think the ER-4, ER-8, and ER-12 have the same CPU. So yea don't pay extra for more ports.

 

[netwrks]

Before you click the buy button, know what you are buying.. The ER4/6p/8 are routers with routed ports only.. The ER12 ports 0-7 are switched; ports 8-12 are routed ports.

 

[v4npro]

Got it, thanks!

 

[coxhaus]

You don't want to use routed ports. Use a separate big switch.

 

[bearmetal]

and i set up a DHCP server in the ER with a range from 50-150

How did you do this? I temporarily gave up and created a manual static IP to admin a fresh new setup, instead of setting it to DHCP. I will likely need DHCP enabled soon because I will have a double-NAT.

I have since updated the ports manually by moving access to the admin through the web GUI to port eth1.

The other thing I am wondering is, if my main modem is set to "pass through" to my EdgeRouter, then can my EdgeRouter do both DHCP routing and still do the firewall? I got it for the purpose of being a firewall.

 

[ddaenen1]

I would actually recommend to have the ER doing the DHCP and firewall together. I actually did that through the wizard when you do an initial setup. Sorry i don't know the specifics anymore as this was 5 years ago and i have moved on in the mean time. Initially to Mikrotik as i found the ERL-3 not very user friendly but eventually to pfSense which is where i still am right now and not planning to change any time soon.

 

[bearmetal]

I would actually recommend to have the ER doing the DHCP and firewall together.

Thank you for letting me know this can be done! I was fretting that I would have to choose between the two

I will look around for resources to walk me through the GUI, as I'm new

 

[coxhaus]

If you want firewall only you don't need DHCP you just need 1 input IP and 1 output IP. You would route all traffic in and out based on the number of networks you have. Of course you need firewall working on the device. I have never used an ER. This assumes you have another DHCP server somewhere else. I don't think you would want to run a network without DHCP. You could but it would be a lot of work keeping up with all the IPs.