looking for router as ISP CPE

[ldean]

Hello all, first post here.
I’m looking for some assistance in selecting an access point/router that can be used as a CPE device for installations in small businesses for a cable ISP.

Ideally, we would like to find a router that can do what we need, but if it turns out that we need a standalone AP instead, we are open to that as well.

We are searching for the following features:
-Multiple SSID support
-the ability to specify a different VLAN for each SSID
-the ability for the AP to establish a L2TP tunnel back to the ISP’s datacenter
-ability to bridge the VLANs from one or both SSIDs through the L2TP tunnel (DHCP for guest VLAN will come from a device in the ISP’s datacenter, as well as captive portal, payment gateway, traffic shaping, ad injection, etc).
-Hardware is under $100

Added bonus features we would like to see, but are not critical:
-Dual band radios
-AP support dynamic VLAN assignments from a radius server


I've looked at various different brands and models (openmesh, dd-wrt, mikrotik, engenius, tomato, ubiquiti, d-link, among others), and can't seem to find one that fits the bill. Ruckus APs are capable of what we need, but not at the price point we are looking for, and not as a router, just an AP. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[PrivateJoker]

Hello all, first post here.
I’m looking for some assistance in selecting an access point/router that can be used as a CPE device for installations in small businesses for a cable ISP.

Ideally, we would like to find a router that can do what we need, but if it turns out that we need a standalone AP instead, we are open to that as well.

We are searching for the following features:
-Multiple SSID support
-the ability to specify a different VLAN for each SSID
-the ability for the AP to establish a L2TP tunnel back to the ISP’s datacenter
-ability to bridge the VLANs from one or both SSIDs through the L2TP tunnel (DHCP for guest VLAN will come from a device in the ISP’s datacenter, as well as captive portal, payment gateway, traffic shaping, ad injection, etc).
-Hardware is under $100

Added bonus features we would like to see, but are not critical:
-Dual band radios
-AP support dynamic VLAN assignments from a radius server


I've looked at various different brands and models (openmesh, dd-wrt, mikrotik, engenius, tomato, ubiquiti, d-link, among others), and can't seem to find one that fits the bill. Ruckus APs are capable of what we need, but not at the price point we are looking for, and not as a router, just an AP. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.

Thanks in advance!!

I'm not sure if your 1st-4th and 5th bullet points can live harmoniously . Those are some pretty enterprise level requirements you're looking to fulfill at a price less than almost any router I've bought for my own home in the last 5 years.

A couple things come to mind, but I've never done captive portals with all the bells and whistles you're looking for. Check out www.chillispot.info, as well as Sputnik, they both make stuff that can run on consumer level equipment, and also http://www.engeniustech.com/ makes good lower priced enterprise stuff, IMHO, which at least at one time was able to run Sputnik.

You closed saying you had "checked out" a couple of the things I've mentioned, but maybe not hard enough. . .DD-WRT w/ Chillispot may work, or maybe with other add ons, I just don't know. I'm leaning towards Sputnik, I even see on their site that they promote using some Cisco/Linksys routers w/ DD-WRT & their software already on them.

hth

 

[onnoossendrijver]

What about the Mikrotik RB951G-2HnD or RB951Ui-2HnD ?

 

[ldean]

Thanks for the responses. Just to be clear, I'm not looking to do captive portal etc from the router itself. These functions will be provided by a separate system in the datacenter, which is already established and in place. What I need is just a way to get [some] wireless traffic back to the datacenter on a layer 2 level, not routed. I have tested dd-wrt and while it comes close, doesn't quite do it for me. The L2TP functionality is somewhat limited, and I don't have the ability to specify which SSID gets bridged through the L2TP tunnel and which gets put onto the local network.

I have looked into mikrotik as well, and thought it was the answer to our problems, but there are a few things holding me back from going that route:
-lack of FCC certification/compliance
-reports of considerable hardware unreliability and high failure rates
-configuration is fairly complex (not a huge deal, but ideally we want to get to the point where cable installers can easily set this up in the field)

I guess the search continues, or maybe I just need to start looking in a different direction and splitting the AP and router out into separate devices.

thanks for your suggestions, and if anyone else has any ideas I'd love to hear them! Thanks!!

 

[stevech]

use VLANs ???

 

[ldean]

use VLANs ???

What is your suggestion? As mentioned in my initial post, I am looking to use VLANs, that was not my question.