Router Suggestions

[js1974]

Hey all,

I'm in the process of upgrading equipment currently using a N600 router that I always felt was lacking on the throughput but could never really bother myself to test it then after finding this site I see it's about 1/3 of the throughput of some of the routers available and that gave me the go ahead to swap routers.

Now I have some issues based on the amount of equipment and ports. I'm looking for the best throughput both ways LAN/WAN or Wireless.

Right now I have (2) iMacs, (1) PC, (1) PC Server, (1) PS3, (1) Apple TV, (1) TV and (1) Work Bench.

Previously I tried to use wifi for my Server/Apple TV/PS3/TV which to say the least was a failure and not worth the frustration. First thought was it's wireless go back to a wired connection and be done with it.

Turns out my 3700 v3 N600 has some of the worst Wired and Wireless throughput out there. So my question is HD Media through Kodi/Apple TV/PS3/TV is it worth it to shoot for the stars for a Wireless Router with great throughput or just upgrade routers and buy a switch to chain with the router and stick with a Wired setup?

If the suggestion is Wireless or Wired I'd love to hear any Router suggestions to satisfy my needs as my previous purchases have been less than adequate and have basically been a waste of money.

 

[fistv]

House and network layout has a lot of influence on your questions. Personally for me, WAN > a wired GB router >, good GB switch, good wired end point wall jack/locations and access points to cover the whole house.

 

[js1974]

It's 100% centralized in one room. The opposite side of the house is covered using a PoE setup so it doesn't really come into play at all.

Biggest issue is I'm start to really get into outlet overload I have so many items which is why I had considered dropping the switch and either getting a 8 port router or taking better advantage of wifi.

Even in the same room using wifi on my PS3/TV the connectivity chokes and a lot of the time slows to a crawl where I have to just go back to Wired or spend time looking at a buffer.

 

[thiggins]

Ethernet is always preferable to wireless for reliability and bandwidth.

 

[fistv]

I hear that on the outlet overload. On my entertainment center with TV, Replaytv, BRplayer, PS, HTPC, marantz av receiver, cable box, LED bar light for the shelving area, chargers for the portables, iphone, motox, nexus I bought a 12 outlet power strip with the ground plugs facing the side and mounted it in the back. I bought 3 of those 'as on TV' outlets where they plug into the wall outlet and the sockets are on the side and rotate giving me 6 outlets for my dresser, both nite stands. On my work bench I just mounted a 6 foot power strip hard wired into an outlet that I never used anyway, blocked by the workbench and that has 12 plugs as well.
For my network wall rack I mounted a 1000 ups on the wall below it, my wrt1900ac, GB switch and the cable modem/phone box plug into that on the battery backup outlets and my laser printer plugs into one of the three grounded non battery outlets.

 

[Scooterit]

Cisco RV180 Router
Netgear ProSafe GS109T 8 Port Gigabit switch
Ubiquity Unifi AP

The disco RV180 works very well as long as you dont' want to do any "special" stuff. Simply set and forget. The "set" is slow but you rarely have to access it again.

I have a bunch of these RV180 deployed and they just keep working. Together with a Pro quality Gigabit Switch I am always pleasantly surprised how fast and "snappy" the network is. Even after a year of installation without further maintenance, reboots or other work...

I realize that the 8 port switch is one port short for all the devices you listed. Unless you keep the laptop on Wifi. You can put the server on one of the ports of the router. Witch will give you some more options to manage access ;-)

Hope this helps,

Rogier

 

[Trip]

If all you need on the LAN side is simple unmanaged switching and only a single WAN, then I personally wouldn't let wall wart constraints limit your shopping list. Buying routers on switch port count can get pointlessly pricey, as most anything beyond a built-in 4-port begins moving into multi-wan or UTM stuff, which, while there are many excellent ones, are just not worth it for the ports alone. Example -- for a Cisco RV, you'd probably want the RV325, but not worth it when you can grab a 16-port GigE unmanaged switch for $70 or less. And we still haven't addressed wifi yet...

That said, there are devices out there which could fit the bill (the Mikrotik CRS125-24G-1S-2HnD-IN being one of them) but in this context they'd be more a pricey single point of failure/replacement if just one part of the unit needs replacing for whatever reason. Much better to piece out your setup -- I think you'll thank yourself in the long run when you go to upgrade to the next wifi standard, add even more ports, etc.

Regarding outlet overload, I've found condensing the number endpoint plugs (higher density surge protectors, AC-to-multi-USB chargers, etc.) to be much more effective than limiting my networking infrastructure, which when properly planned should usually be much lower in device count, comparatively.

Hope those points help!

 

[Razor512]

For your setup, it will be best to focus on wired for all of your PC's (basically anything that you will use beyond streaming videos).

Since you have a number of devices, as others have recommended, an unmanaged gigabit switch will work well. (I have tried some expensive and cheap ones and for general network use, they all easily allow for over 950Mbit/s so it is really hard to go wrong (unless you need some very specific functions that are uncommon in low cost consumer equipment). For wireless, a router like the netgear r6200 makes a good low cost router, especially considering the performance you get from it. (if you will be using the wifi where the signal will hit the -75 dBm range, then consider keeping your current router (the 3700 offers better WAN throughput than most consumer level internet connections, and LAN to LAN performance is pretty much full gigabit speeds though poor placement of low gain antennas (essentially a couple traces on the main PCB to act as antennas, and relatively low transmit power, causes a pretty quick throughput drop-off as you go further from the router.)

If the layout of the house puts lots of distance and walls between the router and the wireless clients, then you may be better served by buying 2 or more access points or older N routers which can be placed closer to the wifi clients.

 

[watson45]

House and network layout has a lot of influence on your questions. Personally for me, WAN > a wired GB router >, good GB switch, good wired end point wall jack/locations and access points to cover the whole house.


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