Router & Network Suggestions / Questions

[g8rfn2]

Yes, that's exactly what I want... To waste as much money as possible so I can have a "BSD" and see big numbers on a speedtest. That's exactly the point of this entire thread. Thank you for your intelligent insight.




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[AK1]

Araknis 300 was an excellent choice a few years ago.

We almost exclusively install the Araknis 310 gigabit models today. And the price / performance remains excellent.

While we loved Mikrotiks and used them for years, they are more of a hobbyist's or networking geek's passion. They are simply not accessible in terms of the knowledge required to be very proficient. The 310 is an excellent router and super accessible for those homeowners who want access.

Yes, you need much better Wifi coverage and replacing and increasing the number of WAPs would be a given. The usual culprits: Unifi, Araknis, Ruckus....

[ekohn00]

4 hours ago, Home Theater Advisors said:

BTW, I have a 4 person household with 2 teenagers, one who games constantly.  I have a 100mbps pipe (with gigabit infrastructure).   We have no issues.  Everything works great with simultaneous gaming, Zoom meetings and classes, downloading files, etc.  

Having no issues doesn’t mean it cant be better.  
Biiiig difference between that 100mb and a 1g connection.   I’m in a similar place as the original poster - I do a lot of file transfers/work online.  Going from 150mb to 1g was dirt cheap - and the results show with far-far less wait times. 

[Home Theater Advisors]

Sounds like new router is the way to go. Others here have given great advice on product selection. Best of luck!


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[Home Theater Advisors]

Having no issues doesn’t mean it cant be better.  
Biiiig difference between that 100mb and a 1g connection.   I’m in a similar place as the original poster - I do a lot of file transfers/work online.  Going from 150mb to 1g was dirt cheap - and the results show with far-far less wait times. 

Wish it was dirt cheap. I know I’d have a bit less lag and over better performance with a faster connection, but my ISP hasn’t been looking too cheap to upgrade. Although I probably haven’t looked in a year or so. Might be a good time to see what kind of deals are out there.


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[g8rfn2]

1 hour ago, ekohn00 said:

Having no issues doesn’t mean it cant be better.  
Biiiig difference between that 100mb and a 1g connection.   I’m in a similar place as the original poster - I do a lot of file transfers/work online.  Going from 150mb to 1g was dirt cheap - and the results show with far-far less wait times. 

INDEED! I work in video games... and, on any given day in this "work from home" world, we are now needing to sync our entire projects 2-3 times per day on an avg day, or 5 or 6 times on a busy day. Each time, the download is somewhere between 1.5-2.5GB of data and assets that need to re-sync. On Tuesdays and Fridays, we get the latest builds which are somewhere in the 12-15GB range. This was the original reason of why I initially started looking for all the lost bandwidth I was experiencing. 

ADD all of that to a family of five including 3 boys age 16, 15, and 11 and my old connection didn't stand a chance. For $72 bucks a month when 300 was 55, it is a no brainer. 

1 hour ago, AK1 said:

Araknis 300 was an excellent choice a few years ago.

We almost exclusively install the Araknis 310 gigabit models today. And the price / performance remains excellent.

While we loved Mikrotiks and used them for years, they are more of a hobbyist's or networking geek's passion. They are simply not accessible in terms of the knowledge required to be very proficient. The 310 is an excellent router and super accessible for those homeowners who want access.

Yes, you need much better Wifi coverage and replacing and increasing the number of WAPs would be a given. The usual culprits: Unifi, Araknis, Ruckus....

Right or wrong... this entire experience has left a pretty bad taste in my mouth with Araknis in general. So, I'm leaning towards a UDM Pro and 3 or 4 nanoHDs. Again, the cost difference vs the pro model is negligible and helps future proof me (for now, at least).

I do appreciate everyone's guidance and thoughts. Most of it was very helpful!

Cheers!

[AK1]

19 minutes ago, g8rfn2 said:

INDEED! I work in video games... and, on any given day in this "work from home" world, we are now needing to sync our entire projects 2-3 times per day on an avg day, or 5 or 6 times on a busy day. Each time, the download is somewhere between 1.5-2.5GB of data and assets that need to re-sync. On Tuesdays and Fridays, we get the latest builds which are somewhere in the 12-15GB range. This was the original reason of why I initially started looking for all the lost bandwidth I was experiencing. 

ADD all of that to a family of five including 3 boys age 16, 15, and 11 and my old connection didn't stand a chance. For $72 bucks a month when 300 was 55, it is a no brainer. 

Right or wrong... this entire experience has left a pretty bad taste in my mouth with Araknis in general. So, I'm leaning towards a UDM Pro and 3 or 4 nanoHDs. Again, the cost difference vs the pro model is negligible and helps future proof me (for now, at least).

I do appreciate everyone's guidance and thoughts. Most of it was very helpful!

Cheers!

To be fair, I don't see how outgrowing a router that was a good choice a few years ago and is now simply out of date for your needs is a "pretty bad taste".

And let me be the first to sound the warning of CAVEAT EMPTOR. Unifi networking equipment is on the Control4 DO NOT USE list for VERY good reasons: in many installations, but by no means all, it causes significant device outages, communication issues and high levels of frustration. There are many, many threads on this already. In a nutshell, the routing / switching / gateway equipment (but not the WAPs in isolation) can cause serious havoc with certain Control4 devices.

[g8rfn2]

Did i not just say right or wrong? I am certainly entitled to my own opinion having paid a PRETTY penny for this system just over 2 years ago. So, here's mine:

The DAY that router was installed... it was already nearing the end of it's usefulness. Gigabit had been flourishing in my area WELL over a year before that. So, it may have been a "good choice" at the time for my dealer who used SnapAV products almost exclusively in my house, but in a network full of other FULLY gigabit capable devices it was out of place from the moment it was first powered on. That's not opinion... that's just fact. And again, with the word "gigabit" in the product name itself... I never even thought to question it. Now, whether all that is fairly pointed to Araknis to blame? Of course it's not. But, that's my perogative as the end consumer. But, it's not just the router... Judging by many other threads on the topic, their WAPs are crap in comparsion to so many others. So, why would I want to stick with that? 

The Ubiquiti debate seems never ending, for sure. But, i like the idea of managing everything with a consistent interface and REALLY like the idea of even pulling my cameras into the mix at some point as well. Our clunky IC Realtime / ICDDNS system is clunky, antiquated, and annoying as well. But as i said... I am leaning. I've got some more research to do before I make any purchases. But, certainly you are smart enough to realize WHY Control4 would be a slightly biased resource as to who and what all of their consumers should and shouldn't use? Perhaps for the same reason their dealers like to sell and recommend $napAV product$ almo$t exclusively???

[AK1]

10 minutes ago, g8rfn2 said:

Did i not just say right or wrong? I am certainly entitled to my own opinion having paid a PRETTY penny for this system just over 2 years ago. So, here's mine:

The DAY that router was installed... it was already nearing the end of it's usefulness. Gigabit had been flourishing in my area WELL over a year before that. So, it may have been a "good choice" at the time for my dealer who used SnapAV products almost exclusively in my house, but in a network full of other FULLY gigabit capable devices it was out of place from the moment it was first powered on. That's not opinion... that's just fact. And again, with the word "gigabit" in the product name itself... I never even thought to question it. Now, whether all that is fairly pointed to Araknis to blame? Of course it's not. But, that's my perogative as the end consumer. But, it's not just the router... Judging by many other threads on the topic, their WAPs are crap in comparsion to so many others. So, why would I want to stick with that? 

The Ubiquiti debate seems never ending, for sure. But, i like the idea of managing everything with a consistent interface and REALLY like the idea of even pulling my cameras into the mix at some point as well. Our clunky IC Realtime / ICDDNS system is clunky, antiquated, and annoying as well. But as i said... I am leaning. I've got some more research to do before I make any purchases. But, certainly you are smart enough to realize WHY Control4 would be a slightly biased resource as to who and what all of their consumers should and shouldn't use? Perhaps for the same reason their dealers like to sell and recommend $napAV product$ almo$t exclusively???

You did say "right or wrong". I am simply saying it's wrong and that router was likely a  circa $340 line item in your invoice, barely "pretty".

There is absolutely zero bias against Unifi / Ubiquiti - the DO NOT USE list does not brook any favourites. I know from extensive first hand experience and having been paid consulting fees to work on these problems far in excess of the cost of the Unifi equipment that these problems exist in many but not all cases. Don't shoot the messenger, you have been counselled accordingly -).

[g8rfn2]

You're making my point in your own ignorance. Thanks. A $340 dollar router that ended up being the deadweight anchor of an ENTIRE system that cost nearly 100 times that. it was never right for the job. 

 

 

[AK1]

Just now, g8rfn2 said:

You're making my point in your own ignorance. Thanks. A $340 dollar router that ended up being the deadweight anchor of an ENTIRE system that cost nearly 100 times that. it was never right for the job. 

 

 

No ignorance here - just industry experience and a deep knowledge of networking. The router was an excellent choice several years ago and your dealer made the right call. The fact that it didn't cost much compared to your overall system is neither here nor there.. What router would you have chosen? I hear the Linksys WRT54G remains popular with hobbyists -).

[g8rfn2]

Sorry, on second thought... it's definitely more of a pompous / arrogance blend with perhaps a compensation complex. But, I'm just guessing at this point. 

[AK1]

I'm convinced you have no credentials to make the router analysis and likely not your puerile attempt at psychoanalysis -))).

I still don't understand in the pursuit of a solution you want to demonize me and your 2017 router.

The router was a fine choice in 2017. It's 2020 let's move on and for about $2,500 you can make all your woes disappear.  if you go Unifi routing and switching you run a good chance of exacerbating your woes. End of story. 

[msgreenf]

And a fine choice for the network bandwidth you had. If you had gig at the time then it wouldn't have been.

[ekohn00]

8 hours ago, AK1 said:

To be fair, I don't see how outgrowing a router that was a good choice a few years ago and is now simply out of date for your needs is a "pretty bad taste".

And let me be the first to sound the warning of CAVEAT EMPTOR. Unifi networking equipment is on the Control4 DO NOT USE list for VERY good reasons: in many installations, but by no means all, it causes significant device outages, communication issues and high levels of frustration. There are many, many threads on this already. In a nutshell, the routing / switching / gateway equipment (but not the WAPs in isolation) can cause serious havoc with certain Control4 devices.

He didn't outgrow a router....it was sized wrong to begin with, even for the lower BW. I'd agree that the dealer should have left a bad taste...

I've posted many times.....I've yet to see anyone with Unifi and C4 problems that keeping the network simple (No VLANs or advanced features that really aren't needed).

[ekohn00]

6 hours ago, AK1 said:

I'm convinced you have no credentials to make the router analysis and likely not your puerile attempt at psychoanalysis -))).

I still don't understand in the pursuit of a solution you want to demonize me and your 2017 router.

The router was a fine choice in 2017. It's 2020 let's move on and for about $2,500 you can make all your woes disappear.  if you go Unifi routing and switching you run a good chance of exacerbating your woes. End of story. 

Wow that's an incredibly anal and wrong statement on many levels. What makes you think your credentials are any better?

 

the router he got was rated at 492Mbps W2L and a measly 75Mbps for IPSec. He has a 300Mbps connection.

There's no specs on PPS, so actual throughput on the link based on traffic wouldn't be know, but for the most part the 492 is probably derived using large packets, which means under daily use the the router may not be able to move the number of packets he could generate - which basically means less than 492.....  Notice kids, games, small packets....  On top of that if the router has any features turned on (ie security, dhcp, nat, port forwarding, etc), you can almost guarantee the number of PPS keeps dropping.....

And basically he's working from home, so if he's running IPSEC on the box, he's obviously screwed.

 

 

[g8rfn2]

I'm convinced you have no credentials to make the router analysis and likely not your puerile attempt at psychoanalysis -))).
I still don't understand in the pursuit of a solution you want to demonize me and your 2017 router.
The router was a fine choice in 2017. It's 2020 let's move on and for about $2,500 you can make all your woes disappear.  if you go Unifi routing and switching you run a good chance of exacerbating your woes. End of story. 

I'm not demonizing anyone. You've done a fine job of that yourself. But similarly, I dont understand why you continue to argue with someone's OPINION and tell them they're wrong because they don't agree with your almighty decree's.

To be honest... Nothing about 2017 matters except that you CHALLENGED me about why I could possibly have a bad taste. All the rest of it was merely me trying to explain my reasoning to you. If you don't agree... Frankly, I don't care. My goal here is to help others by leaving them my findings and why I made the decisions I did. As a side benefit, they can also learn which dealers they should use on here and which they shouldn't.

The router is a problem, and so are the WAPs. Those are the facts. Your take is noted on the Ubiquiti gear. But, as others continually state here and in the sister thread (that is also still going), there are many examples of it working flawlessly for years. But... That is the difference between you and me. I won't tell you you're wrong or try to insinuate you're an idiot for having an OPINION that doesn't agree with mine. I also acknowledge that even you yourself said it's possible for it to work perfectly as well.

Finally, I'm sure you DO know much more about networking than I do. I would certainly hope so, given that this is your profession. Is that what you're longing to hear? But, that doesn't give you the right to belittle people. +3 points for you use of "puerile," though. It fits with your psychoanalysis perfectly. LOL






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