Edgerouter x vs lite vs Netgear R7000 vs Asus 86U

[pbc]

So have had a trusty old Netgear r7000 router for around 5 years now (whenever they first came out). I use EAP 225v3's for wireless AP's throughout my home, so only using the routing functionality of the Netgear.

Recently had been having some issues with OpenVPN which I thought may be a Netgear R7000 issue, and purchased an Asus 86u that was on sale at $179 from CAD$269. Turns out, it wasn't the router but a setting that didn't work anymore with my mobile provider (needed to change to TCP instead of using UDP).

I don't see much gain in the 86U as a router vs the r7000, wireless speeds are equal (or, well, fluctuate equally from 200mbps to 900mbps depending on the day, time, etc).

What I'm wondering is, is there any point in keeping the 86U over the r7000 if I don't use the wireless functionality? Or maybe returning the 86U for the Edgerouter x or Lite if that would provide more stable usage? I don't think the Edgerouters have OpenVPN server functionality built in, so would probably have to augment with an external PC or Rasp PI I guess.

 

[RMerlin]

What I'm wondering is, is there any point in keeping the 86U over the r7000 if I don't use the wireless functionality?

Wifi-wise, high end 802.11ac routers will pretty much give you all very similar performance. The difference lies in the rest of the router. The AC86U will give you AiProtection and Adaptive QoS that aren't available on the R7000. It also has a much better CPU, which will greatly enhance performance if running a VPN endpoint on your router, or sharing a USB drive from it. The RT-AC86U CPU would be able to give you close to three times the OpenVPN performance of the R7000.

 

[Datalink]

@pbc I'm assuming that's your post in the Rogers forum. If so, keep in mind, the modem's four ethernet ports are all active when the modem is in Bridge mode. Two of the ports will supply both IPV4 and IPV6 addresses, the remaining two should only supply IPV6 addresses. Don't know if there's a pecking order to that, first port, first serve, or port numbers in order when all ports are filled?

To run two ports with the modem in Bridge mode, connect the second router and power it up, then reboot the modem. Pull the power off of the modem, wait 10 to 15 seconds and plug it back in. After the modem reboots, both routers should have their own independent IPV4 and IPV6 addresses. Both networks are independent of each other.

If that doesn't work, disconnect one router, and reboot the modem. After the reboot, ensure that the connected router has its IPV4 and IPV6 WAN address and can access the internet, then unplug that router from the modem and connect the other router. Reboot the modem once again, and after the reboot, same skit, check the connected router for WAN addresses and internet access. Then plug both into the modem and reboot the modem. This time around both routers should have their own IPV4 and IPV6 WAN addresses. Normally you don't have to go thru this. The first modem reboot usually works, but, sometimes it won't for some reason.

So, if you have any requirement to run two networks, one thru conventional internet access, and one thru a VPN, you can do this with both routers running.

 

[pbc]

Yes, that was my post. Ended up returning the 86u. Only use openvpn for the cameras so don't need the additional performance.

Not in a rush and I'm sure with the new router tech around the corner these will continue to come down in price.

Was more curious as to whether an Edgerouter Lite or x would provide signficifantly more performance than the other two. Would augment OpenVPN with a raspberry Pi or something like that if so.

 

[Trip]

If you're satisfied with 50-100Mb/s or less of throughput over OpenVPN at any given moment, then you can ignore the rest of this post and buy most likely any consumer all-in-one with a clock speed of 1.5+Ghz or higher.

However, if you're looking for hundreds of Mb/s or more, then you're going to want a higher-clock MIPS platform, like a UBNT ER-4, or for even more power, x86, such as a Protectli embedded i3 or i5 unit off Amazon, running pfSense or Untangle. Then add in whatever AP(s) you need, and you're good.

Just some perspective for you, depending on whatever amount of throughput you're ultimately looking to achieve.

 

[pbc]

If you're satisfied with 50-100Mb/s or less of throughput over OpenVPN at any given moment, then you can ignore the rest of this post and buy most likely any consumer all-in-one with a clock speed of 1.5+Ghz or higher.

However, if you're looking for hundreds of Mb/s or more, then you're going to want a higher-clock MIPS platform, like a UBNT ER-4, or for even more power, x86, such as a Protectli embedded i3 or i5 unit off Amazon, running pfSense or Untangle. Then add in whatever AP(s) you need, and you're good.

Just some perspective for you, depending on whatever amount of throughput you're ultimately looking to achieve.

Does the ER-4 have built in OpenVPN capability?

 

[wistlo]

Does the ER-4 have built in OpenVPN capability?

Yes, all Edgerouters down to the ER-X support OpenVPN via the command line.

With the OpenVPN's HOWTO documentation and examples on the Ubiquiti forums, it's not too difficult to set up. Unlike consumer routers, you can add as many servers and clients as you need (I have two clients and one server running on an Edgerouter-X, which has less memory and storage than all the others). The ER-X delivers on my 150 down/10 up connection. The 10 Mbs speed upstream is far below what the ER-X can handle. If I elect to get gigabit service, I will probably upgrade to the ER-4.

 

[umarmung]

Yes, all Edgerouters down to the ER-X support OpenVPN via the command line.

With the OpenVPN's HOWTO documentation and examples on the Ubiquiti forums, it's not too difficult to set up. Unlike consumer routers, you can add as many servers and clients as you need (I have two clients and one server running on an Edgerouter-X, which has less memory and storage than all the others). The ER-X delivers on my 150 down/10 up connection. The 10 Mbs speed upstream is far below what the ER-X can handle. If I elect to get gigabit service, I will probably upgrade to the ER-4.

You do not get 150 down with OpenVPN on an Edgerouter ER-X.

 

[kvic]

Since the old Edgerouter FW team's departure two years ago, the new team has progressed very little over the last two years.

ubnt fanboys don't like to hear it but new users might want a second thought. Nevertheless, if choices are limited to those in the subject title, Edgerouters are still one mile ahead of the competition.