Wireless Router and Switch Advice

[PCEddie 21]

Hello All,

 

Within the next couple of weeks I will move into my town home and need some advise/suggestions on a wireless router and switch. My ISP will be Time Warner and will be using their 50/5 internet package. I will not be using Time Warner's wireless router as it will not suit my network needs. In the future, I plan on wiring the town home hence advise and suggestions on a switch.

 

Below are some specs I am looking for in a wireless router.

 

gigabit network ports

 

wireless n dual band

 

wireless guest access

 

VPN

 

ability to monitor network traffic

 

ability to create virtual networks

 

 

Below are some specs I am looking for in a gigabit switch.

 

at least 16 ports

 

ability to add another gigabit switch

 

ability to create virtual networks

 

ability to monitor and route network traffic

 

I have done some research and discovered the below wireless router and switch.

 

 

Wireless Router - Cisco RV220W Wireless Network Security Firewall Wired and Wireless Connectivity for Small Office

 

Switch - Cisco SG200-26 24 - 10/100/1000 ports Gigabit Ethernet Smart Switch, 2 Combo Mini GBIC Ports

 

 

As far a budget, I would like to stay within the $500 to $700 for a wireless router and switch.

 

Thanks for any suggestions.

[kcormier 2]

For that kind of budget I would think you could have anything you want

 

Personally, I use a Trendnet TEG-160WS for my switch and offers great value for money - if you wait/hunt around, have seen it for sub $100 (e.g., Dell sales),

It does have all the other features you need (exact details/requirements may vary) and is a great managed/prosumer option.

 

On the router front, I personally would not opt for anything that does not support third-party firmware (i.e., Tomato/OpenWRT).

A consumer-level router (e.g., RT-N16) with third-party firmware will rival/surpass much pricier options on most/all fronts.

 

Am not sure you're really getting any extra value for dishing out 2-3x the price - but, hey, I could be wrong.

 

I believe a good, solid gigabit infrastructure can be had for much less money and the savings could be used for stuff to make use of that infrastructure.

Edited March 29, 2012 by kcormier

[pcdoc 114]

Also consider the Dlink or netgear switches. I would not buy an Asus router if where me and the link the kcormier put is not a dual band. Stick with the same two brands for dual band stuff. Also keep in mind that Time Warner's corporate policy is they have to use there equipment for wide band service and will not install it any other way. In order to use you own stuff you will have to put their router in bridge mode and kill the built in wireless to turn into a standard modem. Just did that a month ago and they are adamant about it. It is easy to bypass but just keep in mind.

[jmwills 284]

Get a good consumer grade router and load DD-WRT then spend the money on the switch.

[kcormier 2]

...I would not buy an Asus router if where me and the link the kcormier put is not a dual band....

 

Thanks for the clarification pcdoc - I should have indicated this was not a dual-band router.

I meant it more as an example of a good router that can be made even better with third-party firmware.

 

If you peruse this forum, you'll find lots of discussion regarding best/worst platforms for these firmwares.

When last examined (few months ago), the RT-N16 was the defacto king router for Tomato. Things may have changed.

 

I'm also in the market for replacing my aging Linksys WRT54GL/Tomato - it just cannot push Blu-ray rips although it valiantly tries and excels at everything else

 

Am hoping to upgrade in-general and (hopefully) solve the blu-ray streaming - otherwise I'll have to breakdown and run some wired drops.

 

The hobbyist in me wants to build a custom, small-form factor pfsense build (as seen in these forums) but the economics of the single-board computers and radio kits are a total 3x to 4x price cost over a good consumer router. We'll see.

[jmwills 284]

If you use the router at the perimeter of the network and then use a good quality switch for the internal traffic, this will solve that issue.. I understand your desire for wireless, but for BD rips, can you really expect a wireless router to do that?

[kcormier 2]

Am hoping to kill two birds with one stone but I also believe it's only a matter of time before it's hole-cutting and drywall patching time

 

I did run (drape it across the rooms and downstairs) a long Ethernet cable betwwen my switch to the SageTV client and it played the BD rip perfectly.

 

My current wireless plays recorded/Netflix HD content just fine but I do realize full 1080p rip is an entirely different matter...

[ikon 438]

I personally do not consider router Ethernet ports to be equivalent to switch Ethernet ports, unless you go very expensive. I'm not familiar with that Cisco gear, but I agree with jmwills that you should put the router at the edge of the network and put a real switch at the core. If you do that you can also remove the GigE requirement from the router (not that many N routers come with only 10/100 anyway), but it would not be a checklist item any more).

 

IMHO, you should bite the bullet and homerun hardwire everything. In fact, I would run at least 2 drops to every location.

[pcdoc 114]

Thanks for the clarification pcdoc - I should have indicated this was not a dual-band router.

I meant it more as an example of a good router that can be made even better with third-party firmware.

 

If you peruse this forum, you'll find lots of discussion regarding best/worst platforms for these firmwares.

When last examined (few months ago), the RT-N16 was the defacto king router for Tomato. Things may have changed.

 

I'm also in the market for replacing my aging Linksys WRT54GL/Tomato - it just cannot push Blu-ray rips although it valiantly tries and excels at everything else

 

Am hoping to upgrade in-general and (hopefully) solve the blu-ray streaming - otherwise I'll have to breakdown and run some wired drops.

 

The hobbyist in me wants to build a custom, small-form factor pfsense build (as seen in these forums) but the economics of the single-board computers and radio kits are a total 3x to 4x price cost over a good consumer router. We'll see.

 

I ended up using untangle and will never look back. The extra security, antivirus, and flexibility is awesome. No UpNp but very easy to setup and get going and have been extremely happy with it. I think the total price was around $300. I used an atom board and a Silverstone SG05 and an extra laptop drive I had kicking around

[ikon 438]

I ended up using untangle and will never look back. The extra security, antivirus, and flexibility is awesome. No UpNp but very easy to setup and get going and have been extremely happy with it. I think the total price was around $300. I used an atom board and a Silverstone SG05 and an extra laptop drive I had kicking around

 

Gotta love UT. The 19" rack paradigm is very cool.