Best router for startup company

[Paul2344]

Hi Guys,

I am looking for advice on a WiFi router in a start up company (software).

I have moved into a larger office and need to sort out our coms, for everything i am on a very low as possible budget (no sales).

we are 11 at the moment using a mix between Ethernet (6) / WiFi (5).

I was originally looking to buy a good Mikrotrek 10 port switch but due to funds i was looking at getting a good WifI router then in a few months get the Mikrotrek switch and use the same WiFi router for the access point.

-> Can live with 4 Ethernet Ports (Gigabit) if no 8 ports in budget
-> Wirelsss AC - We have a few AC devices
-> VPN Server / Client for remote access
-> Firewall / Monitoring / QOS

I was looking at:

ASUS RT-AC66U
ASUS RT-AC68U
ASUS RT-AC1200G+

Also was not sure which was the best between the AC1200G+ and the AC 66U or even the AC68U

Any other better routers which are a better fit please let me know.

Thanks in advance!

 

[System Error Message]

Depends on your needs and available skill.
I think you mean mikrotik?

Incase you didnt know, the port numbers on a mikrotik router dont matter because the router is just a gateway and you arent using it for inter routing in LAN for high bandwidth applications. Choosing a router like mikrotik with too many ports seem to be a rookie mistake for many. Pick a mikrotik router based on your needs, for example the mikrotik hex will support gigabit speeds using hardware NAT but if you need QoS the speed drops down quite a lot. When i pick my routerboards, i pick it for the internals and that it has the ports i need (such as SFP) but not on the number of ports i need. Choosing based on port number is terrible because the RB1100AH variants dont have the best config compared to the higher end CCRs that have all CPU connected ports rather than an internal switch which results in much better performance.

I know from experience because the office i use and the company i work for is a startup. Their router (tp link) hangs twice a day which is very inconvenient for us programmers who constantly use the internet. So getting a good router should be a priority, then do you get your shiny asus router .

Once you have a rock solid router you can cheap out by getting the ASUS AC66U or ubiquiti AC AP that costs below $100 too just for wifi.

Port numbers dont really matter on a router. A clear example would be the RB1100AHx2, RB1100AHx4 and the CCR1009. The CCR1009 has less ports over the RB1100AH variants, costs more but is many many times better, simply connect a managed switch if you need more bandwidth between router and switch (pretty rare if router is just a gateway) and use bonding.

 

[sfx2000]

I'm also at a startup - our lab is running our HW on dedicated MPLS links (10GB from XO).

For the general office work - supporting Developers and the rest of the staff - recently moved to a lanner appliance (similar to Netgate's SG line, which makes sense since ADI was the OD for both) running pfSense... and we host our VPN on the same unit with L2TP/IPSec.

http://www.lannerinc.com/products/x...iew=article&id=1819:nca-1210&catid=26:desktop

For WiFi - two Ruckus Wave 1 802.11ac access points, forget the model offhand... they're sufficient as we're about 6,000 sq ft on a single level. The Ruckus are nice as they do provide VLAN support for guest networking (using pfSense captive portal)

For switching, it's an older Netgear 16 port managed ProSafe switch.

For business use, stay away from consumer gear - they're fine for home use, but tend to fall over under serious load with 50 plus users..