Routers.

TFT-A9

TFT-A9

55 tons of Lyran fun
kiwifarms.net
Joined
Sep 7, 2019
So my fairly elderly router finally ate shit and I've got a positively geriatric one filling in until I can find a new one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg and isn't complete garbage. I'm already sifting through pages of shillery for this, that and the other but I figured "what the hell, I'll ask someone who might cut the shit and tell me something useful", which for some reason prompted me to ask here. This will end well.

Main considerations are reasonably priced (I'm not spending 350 bucks for a GAYMUR ROUTER fuck off PCMag), good throughput, decent wireless range and the ability to fuck with custom firmware if I feel like it. Suggestions? Comments? Commiseration? Insults?
 
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You're not giving us the whole picture here. What is your internet speed? Do you plan on upgrading your speed or sticking with it for a while? Do you use a modem/router or do you have a stand alone modem? Is it DOCSIS 3.1 or 3.0?
 
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Whenever you get a new router, be sure to take it apart and glue some heatsinks to the chips. Routers don't come with heatsinks for their processors so they just run at 80c all day, this is the real reason you get router & modem crashes and it's probably the cause of your router crapping out. Electronics do not simply age over time, they fatigue from ongoing heat. I'm not talking about Noctua heatsinks either, I'm talking about the copper blocks of metal you find on motherboards.
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In fact, most technical appliances simply do not have any heatsinks, including oldschool vidya consoles which used crap heat-spreader plates to remove heat from a CPU. This practice ended after the N64 and PS1 era. I've actually heard stories of people's Playstations spontaneously catching fire from prolonged use. Since these heatsinks are pretty small, it'd be a wise idea to smear some liquid metal between the underside of the heatsink and the chip it's meant for, then seal them together so the liquid metal can't escape onto the circuit board. This'll probably add like 20 years to your router. You'll probably want to smear some electrical tape on the surrounding solder and circuits just to be safe though.
 
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You can't install custom firmware on them, but I highly recommend Peplink routers.
They actually get long-term support and firmware patches from the manufacturer, unlike gamer toys, and they have a very wide selection of features.
The ability to create isolated VLANs that won't route to the rest of your network is worth the price of admission on its own.

I use the Surf SOHO Mk3 with an external modem. The only downside is the small number of LAN ports.
 
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I just use the modem/router combo my benevolent erverlords at Comcast have provided. It works great and I had 3 computers connected to it and played a coop online vidya without many hiccups. I don't think I've used an actual router for the last 5 years. For all the money I give Comcast, their equipment better be good.
 
A Cardboard Box said:
You're not giving us the whole picture here. What is your internet speed? Do you plan on upgrading your speed or sticking with it for a while? Do you use a modem/router or do you have a stand alone modem? Is it DOCSIS 3.1 or 3.0?
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Cable, about 45Mbps downstream, 11Mbps upstream, 20ms ping (despite what my cable company claims to be giving me - it's pretty much always been well below what they promised and I ain't giving them any more money, they've treated me like absolute shit). I am hoping to get the local fiber provider to wire this apartment building eventually, but not counting on it. If that happens the fiber provider is promising gigabit downstream speeds and pretty much zero latency. Modem is standalone and DOCSIS 3.0.
 
Reverend said:
1. How much can you afford to spend.
2. What type and how many devices are you connecting to your wifi router.

1 and 2 give us the ability to guide you.

I bought this one and it's future proof enough for me for at least the next 3-5 years:

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That actually looks like a solid investment going forward, especially if things line up with the fiber provider. Debating whether to start pricing around now or wait and see if something like Cyber Monday brings down the price on something like that.
 
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I’d recommend the ASUS AX3000. It’s sub-200 dollars, powerful, and will allow you to slap AsusWRT-Merlin on it if you choose.

I didn’t do fuck all with custom firmware except use the ability one to SSH and set up some firewall rules because all router user interfaces for doing so are terribly inefficient.

I’ve scrapped that router as I’ve moved, and went with a Netgear Orbi mesh solution in its place. I like it so far. Speeds are stable, the router and satellites don’t seem to overheat, and was very easy to set up. No custom firmware support that I know of, but that’s OK.
 
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Homoerotic Cougar-kun said:
Cable, about 45Mbps downstream, 11Mbps upstream, 20ms ping (despite what my cable company claims to be giving me - it's pretty much always been well below what they promised and I ain't giving them any more money, they've treated me like absolute shit). I am hoping to get the local fiber provider to wire this apartment building eventually, but not counting on it. If that happens the fiber provider is promising gigabit downstream speeds and pretty much zero latency. Modem is standalone and DOCSIS 3.0.
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Lmao just buy a shitty $30 router. Unironically spending more than the cheapest thing is just going to be a waste. Upgrade when you go to fiber. You'll need a new modem when you do, DOCSIS 3.1. Make sure that you go with someone that allows you to have your own modem.
 
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Demonslayer1776 said:

Cisco NCS Single-Chassis System NCS-6008-SYS-S

Shop for the Cisco NCS Single-Chassis System NCS-6008-SYS-S and other Routers / Gateways / Firewalls at EliteWarehouse.com
www.elitewarehouse.com www.elitewarehouse.com
I think this should meet your needs
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All jokes aside, you can get a new Cisco small business router with gigabit ports for under $300, it includes VPN to remote into your small business/home network as well. I think it is incredibly convenient.

MarvinTheParanoidAndroid said:
In fact, most technical appliances simply do not have any heatsinks, including oldschool vidya consoles which used crap heat-spreader plates to remove heat from a CPU. This practice ended after the N64 and PS1 era.
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Heat spreaders!? They were using passively cooled plastic packages. Plastic doesn't conduct heat very well unless it's on fire.
 
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