Need advice on new router and/or access point

[grat_master]

Hi,

I have been reading here since the last week but could not find a definitive answer to my questions.

Right now I have a Netgear WNDR3800 n600. The wifi coverage is worst than the worst you can think of so I want to upgrade. I came to 3 different ways to do it :

- I buy a tp-link eap245v3 for 100$cad and connect it to my actual router, then switch router to wired ony.
- I buy a tp-link eap245v3 for 100$cad and buy a newer wired only router. Which one ?
- I buy a new aio router. Which one ?

So first thing, I need to know which is the best way of doing it. Second, I need to buy the correct hardware.

I live in a 1000sqft apartment, I have 400/50 cable internet, I live alone, I download large files, I stream everything from multiple spot at the same time, I transfer a few files here and there, budget is under 200$, I'm in Canada. I don't actually use any of the newer router features such as VPN but it could interest me in the near future. I also would like to have something that does not need to be tweaked every week, something more plug and play. Still, I am a computer programmer and work with a network guy so I know my way around networking.

I saw Asus RT-AC86U, Synology AC2600, Netgear R7800 and a few tp-link. They all have in common that they are next to impossible to find in Canada at a good price. Yep, as always, we never get the good stuff.

Please let me know what you networking gurus think ! Thanks

 

[Val D.]

I live in a 1000sqft apartment

You don't need anything more than a good AIO router.
I've seen RT-AC86U on sale for CAD200 in BestBuy, for example.

 

[grat_master]

What about the tp link ac2300?

 

[Val D.]

What about the tp link ac2300?

Has good reviews, uses newer BCM4365E radio, the price is right, may be a good option.
Firmware updates and support as well as 3rd party firmware availability may be limited though.

 

[grat_master]

Any other recommendations?

 

[Val D.]

Any other recommendations?

What is the ISP provided equipment? Modem only or a Modem/Router?

 

[netwrks]

For the all in one fans Ubiquiti's UDM just went GA: https://store.ui.com/products/unifi-dream-machine

 

[grat_master]

What is the ISP provided equipment? Modem only or a Modem/Router?

I have technicolor TC4400 if I recall correctly, which is a docsis 3.1 modem to match my 400Mbps.

I have a router provided too but I don't like it at all. Worst than the router I have right now. I'm not using it. I can't recall the brand. It's stored somewhere.

 

[grat_master]

For the all in one fans Ubiquiti's UDM just went GA: https://store.ui.com/products/unifi-dream-machine

That's over 500$ here, way too expensive. At that price point I'll do a pfsense computer and a tp link access point.

 

[Val D.]

I have a router provided too but I don't like it at all.

Your budget is very limiting. ASUS RT-AC86U is currently CAD230 in The Source. Sale ends Nov 7, 2019.

 

[grat_master]

Would you suggest that asus more than a r7800?

 

[Val D.]

Would you suggest that asus more than a r7800?

Both are excellent routers, but R7800 is harder find and the price is way above your budget.
As firmware options, especially VPN capabilities, I would definitely go with ASUS and Asuswrt-Merlin.

 

[grat_master]

Ok

I'll wait for black Friday and hope they discount it enough.

Thanks

 

[Trip]

Yep. For your environment, goals and budget, as Asus AC86U running the latest version of Merlin is probably the best bang for your buck.

 

[grat_master]

Yep. For your environment, goals and budget, as Asus AC86U running the latest version of Merlin is probably the best bang for your buck.

I was waiting on your reply actually. Not that I don't trust others opinion, but I saw a couple of your posts and always thought you knew what you are talking about. The same goes for Val D. too in fact.

You would suggest an AIO router vs an access point like a 245 v3 ? I can easily run a wire from the router to mount my AP in the center of my apartment. At first, I had in mind to buy the TP-Link AP and a router to match but didn't know which one.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Val D.]

access point like a 245 v3

Looks like you were really hoping someone to recommend you this specific AP, but its WiFi performance is actually lower than some AIO routers mentioned above. If you want this AP badly, just go and get it. It's only $100 after all and it's going to be a big improvement over router's built-in WiFi. Your traffic will be routed through your 2011 model router though, so don't expect to get stellar results. Compared to what you currently have - yes, compared to modern AIO AC routers - no.

VPN you'll have to run on the devices, if they support VPN clients. Network wide VPN won't work. Newer features like network wide ad-blocking and DNS security you can run on a Pi-Hole, if you want to... The thing is you'll need to spend more money on your network every single time you need something. And it's going to be far from plug-and-play with different functions scattered between different devices. You can get all of the above in one AIO router, just for a little more money than your budget.

 

[grat_master]

No no I don't want it badly. What I had in mind after reading a lot here and on other forums is that ubiquiti ap are the holy grail of wifi. I thought of going that way with a tp link because it's cheaper and supposedly better. I just didn't know which router to pair it with.

That said, I will really enjoy a more KISS setup, plug and play, don't need to mess with it. I spend my days coding and fixing things, when I get home I just want it to work.

I'll look for the asus 86u. Thanks again.

 

[Trip]

@grat_master - Thanks for the compliment. I probably should have expanded my initial reply to include what I'll include now:

Unless you've got a really oblong floor plan and/or lots of room-isolating interference, I would think a single broadcast location should be enough. Maybe a second radio location (with each placed at the extreme opposite ends of your apartment), but only if you're experiencing coverage gaps now, and even so, two or more APs too close together in such a small floor plan could cause more issues than they might solve. So, single-cell is most likely the best choice.

With your other general feature requirements, I don't really see a glaring reason why a decent enough AIO wouldn't satisfy, at least for the near-term future. I would also think that by now, there should be at least some sub-version of Merlin that would run rock-solidly enough on pretty much every supported Asus model.

If you do just like the idea of going to business-grade gear outright, and/or a ceiling-mounted AP, you could certainly go that route for similar cost, and probably give yourself a more stable wired core, at the very least. In that case, I'd probably suggest a Ubiquiti ER-X ($60 USD), with one of its switch ports wired to a single gigabit PoE injector ($30-40 USD) powering an EAP245v3 ($100 USD). But this will definitely be a more involved setup versus an AIO. On the flip side, if you ever did need to add coverage, the APs would be purpose-built for it and fairly easily scaled out (even though Asus has AiMesh, it's more of a bolt-on feature than a from-the-ground-up product such as UniFi or Omada).

Bottom line, I don't really think you can go wrong either way. The AIO has its strength in simplicity. The multi-part setup in flexibility, expandability and (possibly) reliability. But both are respectable choices.

 

[grat_master]

@grat_master - Thanks for the compliment. I probably should have expanded my initial reply to include what I'll include now:

Unless you've got a really oblong floor plan and/or lots of room-isolating interference, I would think a single broadcast location should be enough. Maybe a second radio location (with each placed at the extreme opposite ends of your apartment), but only if you're experiencing coverage gaps now, and even so, two or more APs too close together in such a small floor plan could cause more issues than they might solve. So, single-cell is most likely the best choice.

With your other general feature requirements, I don't really see a glaring reason why a decent enough AIO wouldn't satisfy, at least for the near-term future. I would also think that by now, there should be at least some sub-version of Merlin that would run rock-solidly enough on pretty much every supported Asus model.

If you do just like the idea of going to business-grade gear outright, and/or a ceiling-mounted AP, you could certainly go that route for similar cost, and probably give yourself a more stable wired core, at the very least. In that case, I'd probably suggest a Ubiquiti ER-X ($60 USD), with one of its switch ports wired to a single gigabit PoE injector ($30-40 USD) powering an EAP245v3 ($100 USD). But this will definitely be a more involved setup versus an AIO. On the flip side, if you ever did need to add coverage, the APs would be purpose-built for it and fairly easily scaled out (even though Asus has AiMesh, it's more of a bolt-on feature than a from-the-ground-up product such as UniFi or Omada).

Bottom line, I don't really think you can go wrong either way. The AIO has its strength in simplicity. The multi-part setup in flexibility, expandability and (possibly) reliability. But both are respectable choices.

Thank you very much for indepth explanation ! I'll check the black friday deals for an AIO router then. I have other things to do in my life than messing with a network.

Thanks again !

 

[Trip]

You're welcome, and sounds good!