wired router, build or buy? and what do I miss out on?

[db9]

As I mess around configuring my home network I am also thinking of future proofing as well. With this in mind I am thinking that a 'newer' router may be needed as ISP speeds go up (currently I'm on 100/10, but 250 & 1G is available) my Asus 16 is I believe only capable to 100 (I think) Since I don't use it for WiFi I had thought of purchasing a newer router or building something (partly to learn and have more ultimate control with firmware updates instead of waiting for patches from the manufacture or obsolescence. I will note that this is not the case of Merlin builds as it is well maintained). In this regard my Asus is using a Merlin fork currently and in the past I have used Tomato for a number of years on various pieces of hardware.

I have seen forum posts about pfSense (or some other open source build) using a homebrew or Qotom hardware, I also read about the hEX box from Mikrotik and RouterOS.
The cost of a MikroTik is sure appealing (however in Canada the $$ is still getting towards the $100 mark)

The basic question is what do I gain or give up by going with Qotom build (and varous open source builds) or the hEX unit and RouterOS? or in the end its all the same just a different package?

My requirements are not particularly demanding so I will not be using 'all' the available features - OpenVPN( maybe at some point), VLAN, 1G ports - I have a number of items on the LAN including streaming devices, QNAP server, WiFi clients (laptops), PC workstation, smart phones and game consoles.

Thanks for reading

 

[MichaelCG]

Budget and admin effort are the biggest differences. You determine those, then look at performance requirements that fit in the budget and go from there.

If you are cringing on a $100 router budget...your options will be limited when you start talking about devices that can handle 1G Internet. I am running a $50 desktop with a $25 Gig card in it using pfSense. It does my FW, OpenVPN, proxy filters, and routes at 900+ Mbps just fine. It would be even faster and more power efficient if I purchased a newer system...but that takes time and money which I don't currently have spare of either.

 

[db9]

Time I have (somewhat), money is spent wisely
I'm not cringing at the $100 amount as much as wondering at that price level with the hEX what am I losing. What specifications would I need to compare to make an educated perchase?