atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums What Router to use

The bar I do maintenance for was sick of paying Comcast so we switched to bonded DSL. Average speeds are 40m down and 2m up. Aside from the gateway defaulting itself once and losing all the pppoe credentials, service has been really solid. Saving over $200 a month isn't half bad either.

It really depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Better wireless range? Better security? Faster speeds?

I have found that ISP/telco provided "all-in-one" modem/router/gateways are low quality crap. They usually have low quality wireless radios, crappy built in antennas, and just overall aren't reliable. Plus, the user interfaces are rudimentary and locked down most of the time. My ISP is Atlantic Broadband and I specifically requested a basic modem only on my original new service order. I got an Arris DOCSIS 3.1 modem with two Ethernet ports. It does nothing more than serve as a media converter between Ethernet and coax to the CMTS, honestly.

My network consists of:

- Two Nortel Baystack 5520-24T-PWR managed PoE switches (one "core switch" upstairs and one in the crawl space)
- Fortinet Fortigate 60D router (DHCP/NAT/firewall/VPN)
- Lenovo ThinkServer (Windows Server 2016, network storage, active directory services, DNS, Plex Media server, Ubiquiti UniFi controller, Ubiquiti CCTV NVR)
- One Ubiquiti AirCam (IP CCTV)
- One Ubiquiti AP-AC-LR 802.11ac MIMO dual band access points (covers living room and kitchen)
- One Ubiquiti AP-AC 802.11.ac dual band access point (covers my bedroom, guest bedroom, and bathroom)
- One Ubiquiti AP-AC Outdoor 802.11ac MIMO dual band access point (covers side yard and driveway)

I don't really ever have problems. I can pull about 360Mbps average on wireless, and am always able to hit peak upload speed. I can stream video to the Chromecast from my laptop or phone without buffering and do other things on other devices simultaneously without the network even showing any remote signs of slowness or dropouts.

I do not use any VLANs or anything all that complicated. Everything runs on the 10.0.0.X/24 subnet.

I have nearly no neighboring access points due to the location of my house, so wireless interference is non existent. I'm running 80MHz bandwidth on 5GHz on the living room AP. I can freely use 2.4GHz channels 1, 6, and 11.

Of course, I am a huge network geek (and now a network engineer by profession) so this is overkill by most people's standards.

But it works.

I never would have figure that out from your post...🤣

Your final comment is the most important.

Scott has come a long way since he signed on almost a decade ago!

I like the Ubiquiti UniFi line of gear, especially in a home/home-office environment. Nearly enterprise grade without the price tag. Fairly easy to setup. All web driven (can also use an app on your phone). Get yourself a USG router, UniFi switch, and UAP-AC-PRO accesspoint. The AP would probably cover your garage and your home. (I drove by there a couple weeks back)

Agreed. I have a USG and 3 access points at my eye doctor's office and they just work!
My buddy has basically everything Ubiquiti makes on his network...NVRs, cameras, APs, switches...