[SGVLUG] Recommendations for > 100 MBbs routers

Sun Aug 21 00:02:50 PDT 2016

Okay I think I'm nearly sold on this.  Would have liked to have attended the BBQ today to ask questions in person but I'm out town right now. A few more questions:

1) what is the difference between the 3 port and the 5?  Is it just number of ports?  Any particular models I should consider?  I like the ability of being able to configure ports to be WAN or LAN on same or different networks.  

2) can I use my existing WiFi routers as APs or do the Wizards work only with their equipment?  What's this about a Unifi controller?

3) you mention possibly needing smart switches. Will it work with a TP-Link smart switch or only theirs?  I believe I need at least one more switch assuming I can use the ports on the dedicated router else I may need yet another.  

Claude

> On Aug 19, 2016, at 9:31 PM, Munjal Thakkar <m00njal at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Jess,
> 
> You are right as this unit is a router only, and is meant to be used with a switch, dumb or managed. However there are wizards included to auto config a Soho setup easily to allow eth0 to be wan and eth1 and eth2 a switch. Or you can manually configure all three ports for three different networks, etc.
> 
> The Er-x has the same wizard, which essentially makes it a really good router with built in switch, because it has a total of 5 ports.  Think of it as an off the shelf router without wireless at that point when you run the built in wizard. Then you add any access point of your choice and off you go.
> 
> Example I have in production:
> 100/50mbps FiOS connection in Santa Monica at a cafe.
> 
> Running an er-x with a regular UAP with 1 Poe injector powering both. Have a guest Network and 2 internal networks.
> 
> Area is about 3500sqft (open space) with business critical applications running on the internal wifi. This includes delivery tablets from Uber and GrubHub, and a VoIp and Fax ata also for delivery orders, PoS systems, and some wifi ip cameras. That's right, this business runs their voice services on the wifi setup by the UAP. No call quality issues. 
> 
> Now the guests, automatically firewalled off to internal network and manages About 35 -55 guests simultaneously with heavy traffic during peak hours. Lunch weekdays and breakfast weekends. This setup has never once had in issue in 18 months or a power cycle. CPU on router never even breaks 10-15 % .
> 
> If I haven't convinced you how much these devices kick ass, I don't know what will!
> 
> 
>> On Aug 19, 2016 21:21, "Jess Bermudes" <jbermudes at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Claude,
>> 
>> In case you're not familiar, the reason the EdgeRouter Lite have 3 ports is because the device is only a router. Each of those jacks is meant to represent a different network you're connecting together, but I think you can make them behave like a switch in the GUI if you dig around. You'll likely want hardware switches if you want to have more things plugged in, but then you might want to start doing more sophisticated things with your network in which case the dumb switches won't be enough and you'll want to start looking into things like managed switches, in which case your budget either has to expand or now those all-in-one router/switch combos off the shelf start looking tempting again.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Fri, Aug 19, 2016 at 8:54 PM, Munjal Thakkar <m00njal at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Claude, 
>>> 
>>> For your home use, the ER-X router is more than enough for your needs. It has more ports, has POE Pass through, and has been tested to do well with 400-500mbps WAN connections/throughput. 
>>> 
>>> The UAPs seem pricey, but honestly they are not for how they perform. Their performance and reliability matches that of competitor (*cough meraki*) APs that range $200 or more.
>>> 
>>> For your setup, I suggest a ER-X router, with just 1 UAP-AC access point. This way you have a router, and the UAP-AC comes with a PoE injector. That Single injector will power the ER-X router and the UAP through the pass through port, for minimal wiring, power supplies, and so that you can remote mount the UAP-AC wherever you need to in your house for best performance (it'll be fine). 
>>> 
>>> I didnt watch this full video, but I think he shows how you can connect what I am describing. That is WAN MODEM>POE INJECTOR> ERX ROUTER>UAP (via ethernet) 
>>> 
>>> I have this setup at home, but will take a picture later today. 
>>> 
>>> If you go to  this route, you'll have an enterprise router, that is consumer friendly, and also enterprise Wifi, that is consumer friendly, and all very budget friendly. The ER-X is $50-60 online and so you save there, and your UAP-AC is $85 or so. Total cost is less than $150.  
>>> 
>>> Didn't even mention the awesome Unifi Software (free) that is available to manage the UAP. 4 SSIDs, channel scan, and flexibility to really tweak performance gains. I'll gladly setup a sample Unifi Controller for you to poke around in if you'd like. Just let me know. (no I dont work for UBNT or even own their stock). 
>>> 
>>> Best, 
>>> Munjal 
>>> 
>>>> On Fri, Aug 19, 2016 at 8:22 PM, Claude Felizardo <cafelizardo at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Ok, after going over the various responses, I see what you guys were getting at.  It is annoying having to reconfigure an all-in-one every time you do an update either because of new WiFi features or in my case, I need a true gigabit router.  I did start out with individual components originally...
>>>> 
>>>> When I moved my old wifi router which I was using as an extender for the TWC internet from the living room to the wiring closet to test with the Giggle Fiber modem, I inadvertently caused the signal to drop in the kids bedrooms and my daughter managed to go through 1.5 GB of data in about a week on our shared mobile data plan before I noticed.  But now I have the all-in-one wifi/router back in the living room with no other devices connected to the giggle fiber feed.  I used a Wifi analyzer app and I was amazed how quickly the signal drops out around the house and my house isn't big at all.  Must be the walls and stuff.  I may have to get a beefier router with stronger radios...
>>>> 
>>>> So I'm looking at the ubiquity elite 3 but it only has 3 LAN ports and I think I may need at least 2 AP's. Wow, this stuff really looks cool but isn't this overkill for a single storey house under 2000'?  And the individual AP's aren't cheap and I'd still need to get PoE injectors.  So with at least 2 remote switches and a 3rd in the closet, I guess the 3-port router could work but I'd need to pick up 2 more gigabit switches.  Or else there's the EdgeRouter X?   Sheesh.  So you just install these AP's like wired smoke detectors in the ceiling wherever you need them?  Hmm...
>>>> 
>>>> Claude

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