Replacing Zywall 2 Plus with... what?

[fullroast]

I have an Zywall 2 Plus that I am thinking of replacing. It has served me well, but is end of life with Zyxel. Last firmware update was from March 2011.

This is for home use. I currently have a cable modem going to the Zywall 2 Plus. Everything else is behind it, including a Netgear WNDR3800 used as an access point. The way the house is wired, it is easier to have the wireless as an access point, centrally located. Otherwise, I might just use the WNDR3800 functions.

I do not really need that sophisticated of a gateway to the internet. I am interested in good security and some flexibility, but I never used the Zywall 2 Plus to its full potential. I have pretty good networking skills, but I don't need feel the need to apply them at home for fun.

Any suggestions on a good replacement for the Zywall 2 Plus?

 

[Trip]

I was going to say, if you're on the ZyXel train already (as I am) and you have the skills, why not just spring for a USG40? A tad pricey but it keeps the integrated security piece and it'll smoke most consumer stuff support-wise (at least that's been my experience). Else, there's the ubiquiti edgerouter lite for $100. Or if you're really on the cheap, put Tomato (shibby, or AdvancedTomato) on a WNDR3500Lv2 for $50 with wifi off as your wired router... I've done countless numbers of those and for simple home gateways, they're a no-brainer. No dual-core CPUs or ARM architecture needed for just a simple home network.

Hopefully some of that helps.

 

[fullroast]

I'll have to admit that the AdvancedTomato route looks interesting. I like ZyXel and looked briefly at the USG40, but it is overkill for my home needs and keeping up the license after the first year is expensive for what I need. I am still looking for a low maintenance, drop in solution, but I am going to look at the AdvancedTomato some more. Thanks!

 

[Trip]

Hi again. The Zyxels can function perfectly well without the licenses; in fact, you can purchase the "-NB" variants and they'll still do a decent job of preventing common intrusion. I honestly like them simply for their stability and support, so much so that I try and steer my residential clients towards them over the "fancy" betaware consumer stuff as much as possible.

On the Tomato front, just be careful with the latest gear, as the ARM architectures (newest Netgears, Asus, etc.) are not yet stable. The older Broadcom-based models (WNDR3500Lv2) are rock-solid, however, especially used in a wired-only role. AdvancedTomato, as you can see, is just a GUI wrapper on shibby's TomatoUSB, but it does make for a nicer user experience compared to the default UI.