Help me choose a new router

[zaxcom]

I am getting Google Fiber next week and my old RT-AC3200 router just does not have the throughput to pass the full fiber speeds I am paying for. So its time for a new one. We are not gamers, so no need for a super high end gaming router. I do have 27 devices on my network. Several computers, smart TV's, streaming boxes, security cameras and other devices. None of my current devices support wifi 6 but if I am getting a new router it seems like I should get that for future growth.

So which ASUS router will pass Googles 940mb speed but not set me back $500?

Would love to hear your thoughts! Thx

 

[Maverick009]

The RT-AC3200 theoretically should be able to handle the 940Mb speed you would get as it has a 1Gb WAN port and the LAN ports are 1Gb, however as devices are also added to the device, the bandwidth may have to be divided if for instance multiple devices are accessing that bandwidth at once. That router is still a decent router, as I have the RT-AC3100 version with minor differences.

Now going to a more powerful router, does net you a faster processor that can coupe with the extra load from those devices, and when it comes to WIFI, has better handling. The network card and ports can also sometimes be slightly higher end variants, but that is also part of what separates the more expensive routers from the less expensive ones. Yes most of them get classified as gaming routers, and part of that is due to extra features for controlling traffic, and making the gaming experience better, but you also get a device that can handle a larger volume of devices simultaneously with ease and last longer. Even if you go with a higher end router, there may be other factors also involved that can keep you from achieving the full bandwidth of the network.

One last option may to build a custom router running something like OpnSense or PfSense and have more flexibility in the long run and use hardware that can achieve that speed and then some. Options are wide and available. Just a decision of what price you are looking to cap at and how you want to achieve that optimal performance.

 

[Tech9]

So which ASUS router will pass Googles 940mb speed but not set me back $500?

Yours, for free. Disable all QoS and TrendMicro. You don't need QoS, AiProtection usability is questionable. You have 900+ Mbps WAN-LAN.

 

[zaxcom]

Some good ideas there. Really want to keep the cost at $200 or less. I guess I will see how the old 3200 works and if it cant handle the load I will look for something a bit more powerful

 

[zaxcom]

The few old reviews I found of this router that did LAN-WAN, WAN-LAN tests showed it capping out in the 700's with occasional peaks around 900. I run it now with everything off, I don't trust TrendMicro. I do run NTP Merlin and Diversion.

 

[Maverick009]

The few old reviews I found of this router that did LAN-WAN, WAN-LAN tests showed it capping out in the 700's with occasional peaks around 900. I run it now with everything off, I don't trust TrendMicro. I do run NTP Merlin and Diversion.

The TrendMicro functionality in it is not really bad. Before I did my custom router running OpnSense, I had some features enabled and TrendMicro hardware security in the router was pretty decent and something I can recommend, but also can take away from the bandwidth as @Tech9 mentioned and why recommended to turn off the extras. On the other hand you get more of a plane jane router and not what you paid for any longer. What you saw with peak bandwidth of around 700 on average and the occasional 900 bump is with the features all left on by default.

Also 2 other things to keep in mind, is if any version of QOS is on, you could also see lower bandwidth numbers, QOS is evenly distributing the bandwidth and/or set to provide majority bandwidth to the prioritized device/app/etc. The other mention is also the LAN port on the device at the other end of the network could also be limiting bandwidth based on hardware/chipset/OS/etc. Just two more things to take into account.

 

[zaxcom]

Plain Jane is fine. QOS not needed. I try to run a very secure network with as much tracking blocked as possible with Diversion and Ublock. The idea of having every site I go to have to pass muster with Trend Micro first just seems counter intuitive.

 

[Tech9]

Before I did my custom router running OpnSense

I would recommend firewall appliance over any home router, but they are not very user-friendly. pfSense user here.

 

[bbunge]

RT-AX86U (if you can find one)

 

[Maverick009]

I would recommend firewall appliance over any home router, but they are not very user-friendly. pfSense user here.

I am right there. I am was back and forth between PfSense and OpnSense and after some updates and seeing where they were going, I completely stuck with OpnSense and have not looked back. Have the main part of my Network in a Rack mounted cabinet.

 

[Maverick009]

Plain Jane is fine. QOS not needed. I try to run a very secure network with as much tracking blocked as possible with Diversion and Ublock. The idea of having every site I go to have to pass muster with Trend Micro first just seems counter intuitive.

Trend Micro is not phoning home or anything, and ASUS built it as a hardware and firmware combo, so it works hand in hand with the Router. I am thinking you are also not looking at having a router that has all it's features and defenses down. Sometimes the hardware is better then the software. The biggest issue you ever have to worry about is support especially with how the vendor responds to patching vulnerabilities up. ASUS has had ups and downs, but ultimately has done better then nearly all the other consumer router brands and has a failsafe recovery mode for worse case scenarios too.

 

[Tech9]

Have the main part of my Network in a Rack mounted cabinet.

I had a home lab, 200lbs hardware. Have no time to play with it anymore. Using 2lbs Netgate SG-5100 now.

 

[Maverick009]

I had a home lab, 200lbs hardware. Have no time to play with it anymore. Using 2lbs Netgate SG-5100 now.

For me it is just a small network cabinet housed in a closet. I have a custom NAS/Gaming Multimedia Server running Windows Server 2019, 24 Port Gigabit Managed Switch, The custom built OpnSense Firewall Router, MultiGig Netgear CM1000 Cable Modem, HDHomeRun Prime3, and Asus GT-AX11000 Wireless Router housed in the rack as the main components up and running. I also have a old HP Laptop with decent enough specs that I am repurposing as a Ubuntu Server in the rack. I probably plan on adding a 2.5G/5G/10G MultiGig Switch at some point but still waiting for prices to be a little better. Sounds like you had a lot going on for testing at once point lol.

 

[Tech9]

Sounds like you had a lot going on for testing at once point lol.

It's an addiction and when there is no cost attached things go bad. I run electronics recycling business and networking gear comes in in metric tons. When another business opportunity become available I had to take actions to stop the addiction. It wasn't easy. Now I only do some electronics repairs as a hobby and throw things back for recycling when my "how it's made" curiosity is satisfied. I can't re-sell successfully repaired units.