Help replacing ISP provided modem/router

[Tech9]

Slow down. When I get back home I’ll explain some of the differences, it’s not black and white… in case Search is not working because the matter was discussed already. The OP will decide what to do after.

 

[Suttonchrs]

Thanks all .. appreciate the feedback. I didn't expect my post to generate such colourful debate. I should've mentioned that back in 2020 I did use Omada APs for a few months, but changed ISPs and stopped using them. I'm actually thinking that I may be able to use them again in a future Omada setup (they're EAP245s) if I pickup an Omada gateway.

 

[microchip]

I said I have nothing else to say, but for OP I'll make an exception. Think about how you'd expect or like your future network to be. You said currently ~85 devices. That's a lot for a home network. If you think/plan to expand in the future (most likely), take that into account. Build a network that can take the load (since you have a lot of devices). Regardless of what other ASUS fanboys say, such routers are not suited for so many devices. Ubiquiti, MikroTik or even Cisco can do such a load. Business or professional APs like the Omada's or from Ubiquiti do not have that limitation. Don't get scared by the words "business" or "professional". They don't cost that much (often are even cheaper than AIO solutions) unless you go enterprise or higher. I have deployed Omada APs in a few middle-large businesses and so far have not had a single issue with them. These just work. It is not always about who supports how much, but who has the least downtime and maintenance. I know you're in a home environment but there's no reason why you'd do with a less solution that may cost more and may cause you more issues down the road (who knows?).

If you decide to go ASUS, I have no problem with that. If you decide to go something else, same. What I have a problem with is people coming in and going "get an ASUS! problem solved" in almost every thread asking for advice on how to design/setup a network that will last. As I said, ASUS is not the solution to every query, but some don't get it...

 

[kuchkovsky]

What I have a problem with is people coming in and going "get an ASUS! problem solved" in almost every thread

They do this for a reason. With other consumer brands, you usually get either less stability or fewer features (often both). And consumer-grade equipment is what 90% of people actually need. You don’t need to be a fanboy to understand that.

I have nothing against professional gear like Ubiquiti or Cisco. But you need to understand that these devices aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution either. Right now, you’re acting more like a hater than a professional.

 

[kuchkovsky]

I’m also potentially interested in UniFi - not because ASUS is “reboot and reset” or any of that nonsense, but because of UniFi’s Apple-like philosophy, which I find interesting. Right now, I see a few potential issues compared to my current ASUS setup, and I’m curious whether I can get the same features from UniFi:
1. Support for LTE in a dual-WAN setup, as I mentioned earlier, without needing to overpay for a full-blown LTE router. It seems there’s no way to connect a simple USB dongle.
2. The ability to fully disconnect a specific device from the internet when switching to the secondary WAN, and reconnect it automatically when switching back to the primary WAN. This is really easy to manage on Merlin.
3. Email notifications when switching WANs, so I know if there’s an issue with my main ISP.
4. 4x4 support across 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and ideally 6GHz bands.
5. High-performance WireGuard, capable of over ~500 Mbps while using VPN on the router.
6. NAT mappings for the WireGuard client, so I can access one service on a local device via 10.0.0.2:1000, another service on a different device via 10.0.0.2:1001, and so on.
7. DoH support (specifically NextDNS, in my case).
8. Full IPv6 support (I’ve heard there might be some issues with this on UniFi).
9. 2.5 Gbps ports for both WAN and LAN, plus a good built-in switch with at least 6 ports.
10. No internal fans.
11. Ability to automatically turn off LEDs at night, and turn them back on in the morning.

 

[Tech9]

I'm actually thinking that I may be able to use them again in a future Omada setup (they're EAP245s) if I pickup an Omada gateway.

Very good AC Wave 2 APs, I would reuse them. They also come with PoE adapters if I remember correctly. Gateway ER605 or ER7206, a Switch with the number of needed ports (Gigabit for low cost, doesn't have to be Omada compatible), Controller OC200. Restore the Omada setup, but what you need to know - SMB systems don't have WPS support since it's a security issue. If you have IoTs relying on WPS and you change the SSIDs/passwords - you have to have a home router with WPS support as a workaround.

 

[Tech9]

I’m also potentially interested in UniFi

You are hijacking the thread with your requirements. The answer to most of your questions is Yes (with 1:1 match, better, similar or entirely different solution), but you have to rethink few items first and we can discuss details and available options in another thread:

- Cheap, SMB options are more expensive in general
- The understanding of what good Wi-Fi actually means
- Hacking the system in order to get extra features
- Security risk related features allowed in home routers

The only 1:1 match to your RT-BE88U with Asuswrt-Merlin is another RT-BE88U with Asuswrt-Merlin. Everything else you go with will have differences. Think about switching from Android to iOS or vice versa. If you like iOS and Apple products - UniFi is the closest equivalent in networking. When things make sense they happen automatically in background. When things don't make sense the option won't be available, etc.

I often recommend AIO routers including Asus. There is no one solution fits all indeed, but when I see 85+ clients and most of them IoT - stay away from consumer products. They have limits of supported clients per radio. It's about active clients most of the time, but issues with inactive clients are common. Better do it once properly and forget about it.

 

[Tech9]

3. Email notifications when switching WANs

Sorry, couldn't resist. This is a perfect example of "don't know anything better". Nothing personal, happens quite often on SNB Forums.

 

[kuchkovsky]

You are hijacking the thread with your requirements.

At least it's still more related to the original topic (comparing different routers) than 80% of the messages in the thread that exist only because some person can't stand ASUS

The only 1:1 match to your RT-BE88U with Asuswrt-Merlin is another RT-BE88U with Asuswrt-Merlin.

I'm not looking for the exact match but rather for an option that includes everything I need in ASUS and maybe even more. ASUS was a clear upgrade in every aspect compared to cheap Chinese routers like TP-Link, for example.

Think about switching from Android to iOS or vice versa.

I switched from Android to iOS in 2019. Why not sooner? Because the early iOS versions were too basic and restrictive for me. There wasn't even a built-in file manager. I decided to switch when iOS became good enough to suit my needs and even better. For example, I don't need to run a local VPN-based ad blocker like AdGuard for Android because Safari has a native Content Blocking API, and it's a clear win for me. So I'm curious if the current state of UniFi is rather similar to old iOS versions or new ones.

Anyway, I didn't provide my list of requirements because I think UniFi is bad, but because I'm not sure if it does have all these features available without ugly workarounds.

P.S. I suddenly realized that ASUS is Android compared to UniFi, but ASUS is iOS compared to MikroTik

 

[Tech9]

only because some person can't stand ASUS

This was a response to another person stating their own hardware choices are among the best. This sounds like "my car is the best I ever had", basically saying nothing. A home router with 100 features and replaced firmware is NOT what most people on the consumer market would want. The best router for most is the one they bring home, plug in and it starts working close to the way it says on the box. I can guarantee you there are way more Eero, Nest, Deco sets out there than your RT-XX88U (Pro). Your custom firmware on top puts your choices in under 1% users category.

 

[kuchkovsky]

This sounds like "my car is the best I ever had", basically saying nothing.

Still a better argument than post #3 - a childish scream "No, not ASUS!" with zero arguments, and all the following posts from the same person that expressed hatred and nothing more. That was what I was referring to, not your posts, which are usually pragmatic and well-argued.

A home router with 100 features and replaced firmware is NOT what most people on the consumer market would want.

Agree. Most people think that a router is a thing that shares Wi-Fi. They buy cheap Chinese junk for $30-50 and then blame their ISPs when that thing starts dropping connections and capping bandwidth. I have witnessed this a million times.

I can't blame people for that. It's normal - not wanting to spend their lives learning all possible nerdy tech stuff, where networking is just one of many topics.

But if that's what we define as "the best"... well, then everyone around there should throw out all their quality gear, especially the professional one, and go for the Chinese junk. I don't think it's a good idea.

The best router for most is the one they bring home, plug in and it starts working close to the way it says on the box.

It works the same way for ASUS. The only difference is that it really works that way and provides more features out of the box than other consumer brands. For a long time, I was using the stock firmware and switched to Merlin because of the native support for NextDNS DoH and a few useful features for my home server setup.

 

[thiggins]

@kuchkovsky @microchip One week timeout for you both. I’ll clean up the thread later