Router recommendations

[SY3]

My current router (Netgear R7000) has been acting up lately.  It will randomly lock up needing a power cycle.  I can ping it but not get to it from a browser.  Factory resets and latest firmware have not helped.

Looking for recommendations on a new router.  Looked at the Pakedge RK-1 but wanted to get some input from the experts here first.    

[mallom]

We only use Ubiquiti with great success.

Good: ERLite 3 or USG
Better: ER4 or USG Pro 4

[3D - Benn]

USG Or draytek 

[-defunct-]

I recommend an RK-1, then Cisco, then Asus, then Araknis, then Ubiquiti in that order.

[LollerAgent]

I always use Mikrotik for routing, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you have experience.

[SY3]

21 minutes ago, mallom said:

We only use Ubiquiti with great success.

Good: ERLite 3 or USG
Better: ER4 or USG Pro 4

Thanks.  Thought Ubiquiti  was on the "not recommended" list.  My dealer has a used RK-1 that he's giving me a good deal on.  Just wondering if I should take him up on it.  

Current router locks up about once a week but always when I'm not home.  It's on a Wattbox so I could program it in a way to reboot the router but that's not a solution.

[mallom]

2 minutes ago, SY3 said:

Thanks.  Thought Ubiquiti  was on the "not recommended" list.  My dealer has a used RK-1 that he's giving me a good deal on.  Just wondering if I should take him up on it.  

Current router locks up about once a week but always when I'm not home.  It's on a Wattbox so I could program it in a way to reboot the router but that's not a solution.

If you are getting a good deal on it, go for it. 

[eggzlot]

17 minutes ago, SY3 said:

Thanks.  Thought Ubiquiti  was on the "not recommended" list.  My dealer has a used RK-1 that he's giving me a good deal on.  Just wondering if I should take him up on it.  

Current router locks up about once a week but always when I'm not home.  It's on a Wattbox so I could program it in a way to reboot the router but that's not a solution.

is your dealer going to support the network hardware - ie do the install, config, etc and do troubleshooting and updates down the line when required?  if so, get what they are used to using.  If he is just selling you hardware and you need to install/support then its ok to kick the tires on any brand and do as you please.

[lippavisual]

1 hour ago, LollerAgent said:

I always use Mikrotik for routing, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you have experience.

+ infinity

[ejn1]

10 hours ago, mallom said:

We only use Ubiquiti with great success.

Good: ERLite 3 or USG
Better: ER4 or USG Pro 4

Ditto,  I have both the USG and USG Pro 4 in two different systems and great.  I would recommend the ease of the Unifi line vs Edge Router line.   C4 wants to sell their own equipment but I havent had a single issue with Ubiquiti with C4.

[SY3]

Thanks for all the recommendations.  

Any comments on the Araknis routers?  300, 310, or 110?

[BraydonH]

USG here as well. its rock solid.

Unifi end-to-end if probably your best bet. The unifi platform is absolutely superb.

The pakedge stuff is alright too, I just dont like how every device is stand alone and nothing really works together in an ecosystem. With Unifi everyone is on one great easy to use platform.

[Cyknight]

2 minutes ago, BraydonH said:

I just dont like how every device is stand alone and nothing really works together in an ecosystem

Huh? You may want to have a closer look at how it works, because THAT particular statement is just plain incorrect. Pakedge allows setting all APs etc from the router (or online via BakPak, one of the easiest remote connection options), setting VLANs is all done from the router, unless you want to VLAN by port (in which case you set it up in the router, then assign which port on the switch is part of which VLAN via color coding).

Not to mention it's ability to monitor for almost anything Control4, and many other devices as well, and built in tools for Control4 controllers and more.

Pakedge offers an INCREDIBLY powerful tool for C4 systems.

Now, whether or not it's really needed, or worth the price, are completely different discussions.

If money is no concern (which it or course pretty much always is) Pakedge is a no-brainer for a Control4 system.

[Tokead]

I have a RK-1 and WK-1. I dont see how to set up the AP from the router. I did ask my dealer about BakPak, so I could monitor everything. The management agent on the router says it's registered, but he never confirmed nor gave me anything. With the WK-1, I set up BakPak, and an account. I can see the AP there under agents.

Any advise on how to take full advantage of the router and BakPak would be appreciated

[ejn1]

3 hours ago, Cyknight said:

Huh? You may want to have a closer look at how it works, because THAT particular statement is just plain incorrect. Pakedge allows setting all APs etc from the router (or online via BakPak, one of the easiest remote connection options), setting VLANs is all done from the router, unless you want to VLAN by port (in which case you set it up in the router, then assign which port on the switch is part of which VLAN via color coding).

Not to mention it's ability to monitor for almost anything Control4, and many other devices as well, and built in tools for Control4 controllers and more.

Pakedge offers an INCREDIBLY powerful tool for C4 systems.

Now, whether or not it's really needed, or worth the price, are completely different discussions.

If money is no concern (which it or course pretty much always is) Pakedge is a no-brainer for a Control4 system.

Pakedge looks like nice stuff.  Can a homeowner 100% manage (eg not a reduced functionality) a complete Pakedge system with cloud based access via IOS/Android app without any involvement from a dealer?  Just curious.

[Cyknight]

2 hours ago, Tokead said:

I have a RK-1 and WK-1. I dont see how to set up the AP from the router.

I'd have to double check on that particular combination, in the end I usually manage things online in a manner of seconds. I've certainly done it with a WRK1 and APs though.

2 hours ago, ejn1 said:

Pakedge looks like nice stuff.  Can a homeowner 100% manage (eg not a reduced functionality) a complete Pakedge system with cloud based access via IOS/Android app without any involvement from a dealer?  Just curious.

We haven't been using them enough to be a 100% sure on all the details yet. In fact we're not even sure if it's the way to go yet (cost is undeniably on the higher side). Our previous WiFi option is now a non-option due to a change to a full subscription service (not a chance) so we're exploring new alternatives (including Pakedge and UBQT)

In and of itself, Pakedge is in no way locked to Control4 or Control4 dealers. You can certainly get the gear, create your own account and set it up. If that also allows the added controls for C4 systems I don't know.

I'm also not sure if you can have a device registered to more than one account, if not you might have to have a dealer create a limited use group in his own account (ie only access to your own system).

Again, I cannot claim particular expertise in Pakedge and all of it's pros and cons, at least not yet - I was merely pointing out that the idea that 'each device is standalone vs a complete system' is inaccurate.

[rea]

7 hours ago, SY3 said:

Thanks for all the recommendations.  

Any comments on the Araknis routers?  300, 310, or 110?

I have an Araknis router and two of their switches in my project and they've been rock-solid.

It'll be interesting to see whether SnapAV keeps Pakedge or Araknis around (or both?) if the acquisition goes through. 

[tekki70]

13 hours ago, SY3 said:

Thanks for all the recommendations.  

Any comments on the Araknis routers?  300, 310, or 110?

300 is rock solid and what I have used for sites and my own home for years, really my goto router  but discontinued now 

I would not recommend the 110 as the 110 series is really made for people with minimal devices on their network and not for home automation setups

the 310 series I have at home, while I am a big fan of araknis, I wont sell the 310 until all their bugs are worked out, currently I have one at home and been running it since its release but I have had several issues. I normally set my routers to reboot every sunday at 2 am, but this one I have to set to reboot every 3 days otherwise it locks up on me. internet just cuts out. I have been on with support several times, they have tried several different settings, but still it would lock up like clockwork every 2 to 3 days. I have 2 internet services, I have fios and I have optonline, didn't matter which service, what settings, etc.   

 

[SY3]

2 hours ago, tekki70 said:

300 is rock solid and what I have used for sites and my own home for years, really my goto router  but discontinued now 

I would not recommend the 110 as the 110 series is really made for people with minimal devices on their network and not for home automation setups

the 310 series I have at home, while I am a big fan of araknis, I wont sell the 310 until all their bugs are worked out, currently I have one at home and been running it since its release but I have had several issues. I normally set my routers to reboot every sunday at 2 am, but this one I have to set to reboot every 3 days otherwise it locks up on me. internet just cuts out. I have been on with support several times, they have tried several different settings, but still it would lock up like clockwork every 2 to 3 days. I have 2 internet services, I have fios and I have optonline, didn't matter which service, what settings, etc.   

 

Thank you for this.  I decided to go with the Araknis 300 for now.  I have several other SnapAV products and with OvrC, made sense. 

It will be interesting to see which router line stays after the merger.  I feel comfortable with the Araknis since its already part of the SnapAV family but we'll see.  

Thank you again for your suggestions.  Appreciate it.

[Gary Leeds UK]

Good Call 

[CTO]

I use Unifi for all network stuff...  Since switching from luxul to unifi, I rarely have network problems.  I find unifi so much more stable and have so many more options than luxul.  

[USMC_10]

Not sure why no recommendations for pfSense.  Have been using a pfSense router for a couple years and in terms of functionality, performance, and security (i.e. firewall), pfSense is about as good as it gets.  Unifi is right up there, but arguably not as customizable as a pfSense router.

[Cyknight]

9 minutes ago, USMC_10 said:

Not sure why no recommendations for pfSense.  Have been using a pfSense router for a couple years and in terms of functionality, performance, and security (i.e. firewall), pfSense is about as good as it gets.  Unifi is right up there, but arguably not as customizable as a pfSense router.

Maybe because it isn't as good as it gets? At least for the world of C4

pfSense first and foremost is software, not hardware. The biggest issue is that there's too many variables, too many things that could be set wrong. It's just plain overkill.

Less is more sometimes

 

[BraydonH]

On 6/13/2019 at 3:48 PM, Cyknight said:

Huh? You may want to have a closer look at how it works, because THAT particular statement is just plain incorrect. Pakedge allows setting all APs etc from the router (or online via BakPak, one of the easiest remote connection options), setting VLANs is all done from the router, unless you want to VLAN by port (in which case you set it up in the router, then assign which port on the switch is part of which VLAN via color coding).

Not to mention it's ability to monitor for almost anything Control4, and many other devices as well, and built in tools for Control4 controllers and more.

Pakedge offers an INCREDIBLY powerful tool for C4 systems.

Now, whether or not it's really needed, or worth the price, are completely different discussions.

If money is no concern (which it or course pretty much always is) Pakedge is a no-brainer for a Control4 system.

Your talking about BakPak which sort of ties everything together. I still don't find it to be an integrated as a unifi system. BakPak seems like a sweet add-on to me, where as with Unifi running the software that ties everything together is essential.

For example If you log into a Pakedge WAP locally (192.168.1.XXX) it has no clue if your using a Pakedge router, or if there are other WAPs in the system. You just configure it stand alone then log into the next WAP and repeat the process. Yes with BakPak that may be different, but just logging into the device and configuring seems a bit old school. Same with the router. It would be awesome if when you rogged into the Pakedge Router it said You have 4 other Pakedge devices on the network. Heres an overview of them. Click here to go to those devices.

I definitely need to take a better look at BakPak, I will admit that. At my house I am running a RK1 Pakedge router, And 2 x (the brand new) WA-2200 WAPs. Even after PCNA I wasn't head over heels in love with the stuff, but now that I have been running it for 6 months it has grown on me quite a bit. The router has been very solid for me, and has been working great since the start. There are some things I'm not the biggest fan of (the interface, for example the DHCP reservation page and such) but aside from me nitpicking the interface it has been very stable. The new WA-2200 WAPs have been performing very good in my experience. I would say they perform as good (or maybe even better) than a UAP-AC-Pro. They are pretty small and compact. The design and aesthetics of them are much better then the WK1 WAPs.

I would say either one is a very good option. Pakedge RK1 with WA2200 WAPs and you will have an awesome network. Unifi USG with UAP-AC-Pro (or better) WAPs and you will also have an awesome network.

Just out of curiosity how do you like BakPak? Do you find it to be a game changer and a near essential item to have on any project that has Control4? When I briefly used BakPak through my PCNA course I didn't find much value out of it. I always just log into the device locally to make changes, and if something is wrong with Control4 I just log in with Composer and see whats going on. Curious to hear how you have been using BakPak. Do you just log into the device one time, set it up with BakPak then any time you need to make changes or adjustments you use Bakpak to do so? Is it safe to say you use BakPak more than you just log into the device locally?

Cheers

[CTO]

I never tried pfsense..  I had a full luxul system until it was just one problem after another. The dealer never had an answer other than swapping out equipment and charging more $$.   When I started testing speeds after changing my Comcast service from 250 to gigabit, I was barely getting 100mb/s on wifi.  Even taking everything off the network and only having 1 AP, it still barely gave me 100 mb/s.  I went round and round and couldn't ever get a solution. So I started looking into alternatives because I was getting frustrated.  Then I ordered a Unifi AP and tested the same way and instantly was getting about 450/500 mb/s.  then I added back the entire system and checked the unifi AP and again same speed.  So next day I ordered all new Unifi and took down 10 AP's and switched to Unifi.  Added controller / switches and now only have a few Luxul switches since they are rear ports but other than that, I've eliminated luxul..  My installers weren't too happy to see their equipment get thrown in the garbage, but I had enough..  Since switching to Unifi, I've not really had any networking issues.. where as I was calling the dealer almost every week with stuff going down.  So for now I'm sticking with this system since it works for me..  I looked into Pakedge, but I had already dropped a ton on luxul and ripped it out, so I didn't want to invest.  Since Switching, I've turned all my friends onto Unifi and now they all have full unifi systems.  I've probably now installed 10/15 friends with unifi.  Not only have I learned how to use the system from this, I've now started installing them at all my friends houses.. It has been a fun learning experience..