The right router for my needs and setup?

[chris6647]

Hello everybody! (and sorry for the wall of text)

I’m quite new around these parts, and new to this whole world of more serious routing

I’ve got a plan, and I’ve been browsing around the web for the past week or so, trying to see if it’s possible, and what sort of equipment I’d need.
What I wanna do is:

*Use an old computer as NAS server, serving files, automatically backing up our computers and fetching stuff from the internet, streaming music and 1080p movies throughout my LAN and Wifi network.
*Share the printer through the router.
*I want to be able to access this home network safely through some encrypted VPN connection (I’m wondering if it’s reasonable to expect being able view the movies remotely? I know it all depends on the connection too though)

Right now I have 50/50 mbit/s internet connection but that might change soon to something lower. (Same with the wifi-range requirements, right now it has to reach very far and through thick walls if possible, but later on the range won’t be quite as much of a concern)

Since I want to stream HD content throughout my network, I expect I’d need it all to be 1000mb/s instead of just 100mb/s. And since I want to be able to access it all through VPN, I’ve been thinking that getting something supported by dd-wrt definitely would be the best option, so all the routers I’ve been looking at, I’ve been trying to look at with that in mind.

What would typically be connected to this network will be: my main desktop(mainly via lan), 2 laptops(mainly via wifi), 2 android phones(wifi only), and the NAS server(wired lan) (which will prolly be with freenas).

I’m not quite sure how much of our equipment supports 5ghz wifi, but I believe it’s only 1 of the laptops and one of the phones, so we’d need 2.4ghz and I know that everything we got supports b/g/n-networks.

The routers I’ve been looking at are the:

*Asus RT-N56U, which unfortunately doesn’t have dd-wrt support (though I read that it’s being worked on). Supposedly the stock firmware on this is very unstable and not very good. If dd-wrt had supported this, I would very likely have bought it.

*Cisco E4200, which basically just looks like it’s not quite as good as the Asus, however it supports dd-wrt. The thing is that it’s more expensive than the Asus, which makes it harder for me to pick this. Worse hardware for more money? I’m not so sure…

Besides these two I feel like I’ve been looking at all the routers topping the chars on this awesome site, but these are the ones I’ve ended up with considering the most. Right now, since I don’t know any better, I’m just sitting around, waiting for the Asus to be supported by dd-wrt. But I would love it if you guys could tell me otherwise/better!

I also read, at one point, that a better thing to do, might be to split it all up and purchase several different devices. Such as a decent router, gigabit switch and another thing for wifi. But I got all dizzy when trying to research this, so stopped, and thought perhaps somebody smart here could tell me if this is true, and if so, where to look for what.

I’ve got a d-link dir-655 right now, but even though it’s supposed to be a great router, it limits my connection, and I’m unable to reach the speeds I can when using other gear(just what’s supplied by my ISP). Perhaps I could use this as the wifi thingie mentioned before?

So, am I on the right track? Should I consider other routers? Are my choices any good, and should I just wait for the dd-wrt support on n56u? I heard that another newer asus router(RT-N66U), with another chipset or whatever it’s called, which is more likely to be supported by dd-wrt immediately is coming out next month or so. Should I wait for that one?

Sorry for the wall of text, but I feel like all the information here is necessary, if I should have any hope of good solid help, advice and guidance. So thanks a lot for reading all this, and I’m looking forward to your reply!

BTW, I can’t afford to pay more than 200 usd for the router.

 

[RogerSC]

Having had both the Linksys and the Asus, I don't know that I agree that the Asus is "better". I couldn't make my peace with the Asus firmware, and as you say, there is no dd-wrt firmware for it yet (ever?). The Linksys, on the other hand has been stable and has worked well for me for several months now. Good wireless range, I found it to be as good, if not better, than the Asus wireless range. And the E4200 has guest internet access, the Asus doesn't. For me, that's very useful. I have 2 wired desktops (one of which is used on my work VPN 3 days a week), an iPhone, a couple of laptops, a Verizon Network Extender with 3G (WPS), and a desktop and Roku box connected via MOCA. And when my kids visit, they have their laptops and smart phones as well. It all works well.

You can get a refurbished E4200 for about $120 in the Cisco online store.

The only caveat that I'm aware of for the E4200 is that the current firmware has apparently broken the router's media server functionality (which I don't use anyways), but there is new firmware due out soon that should fix this. Despite this problem, I feel that Linksys does a much better job with their firmware than Asus does in terms of it being functional and stable. And if you don't like the Linksys firmware, there is dd-wrt (and tomato, too) for it.

 

[chris6647]

I read on their(dd-wrt) forums that they had had a unit donated to them, and i seem to recall having read that they were working on it, but while trying to find it again to post here, i cant. So i'll give it another go after posting a reply

Afaik about all the firmware, which to my knowledge would include the guest internet, it wouldnt matter if both units had dd-wrt on it. And looking on the charts on this site, i'd say the Asus looks like the clear winner in hardware. So if only they were both supported by dd-wrt...

About a refurbished unit, well im not quite sure if its possible to get that from Cisco, seeing as i'm from Denmark, but i'll be sure to research it!

Thanks alot for your reply and information!

edit:
Had a look around ciscos website, and when i tried to search their inventory for denmark and the e4200, i had no luck

edit2:
Actually found the place where an admin said they were working on supporting the RT-n56U:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=624015#624015

 

[thiggins]

100 Mbps is fine for HD streaming, unless you are trying to run 3 or more streams.

There is no wireless technology that is going to give you flawless 1080p HD streaming beyond one room or perhaps one wall away.

Running a VPN connection is going to reduce your throughput. So I wouldn't plan on remote HD streaming.

Look into the media serving capabilities of QNAP and Synology NASes. They might work via HTTPs connections, which would give you your encryption.

Why would you care about remote streaming with encryption anyway? It's not really something you have to worry about someone else evesdropping on.

 

[chris6647]

Might be streaming two hd movies at once, but that's prolly gonna be it.
Hopefully i'd be able to tweak cache settings, or transcode the movie on the fly to get good 1080p hd stream 1 wall away. If it can do that, it'll prolly be good (2 walls sometimes would be awesome though it if was possible )

I just figured that setting up a VPN would be the easiest and most efficient way of remotely accessing the NAS, its files, and streams, but yeah i suppose that if it works with https and then the logins, it would be great. Wasn't aware that VPN connections would slow me down by alot, really.

Regarding why i would care about remote streaming with encryption, i just always feel like its better to be safe than sorry, and if a friend wanted to watch one of my movies once in a while, i'd be able to let him, without worrying at all.

 

[stevech]

Might be streaming two hd movies at once, but that's prolly gonna be it..

One HD stream is iff'y on an ideal WiFi link. Two? Well, not so much.

 

[GregN]

Encryption will always slow you down, CPU cycle(s) needed for every byte. The degree of slow down is a measure of your CPU muscle.

Have you considered putting together your own router? Have an old laptop laying around?

 

[chris6647]

Encryption will always slow you down, CPU cycle(s) needed for every byte. The degree of slow down is a measure of your CPU muscle.

Have you considered putting together your own router? Have an old laptop laying around?

I do actually. Did consider it at one point, but it seemed complicated, and for some reason i didnt trust it, but thats prolly just cus the concept is new to me but perhaps i should research that some

 

[chris6647]

So i actually ended up building my own router/gateway/server with ClearOS, and it works great!

What i need now is a good and stable way to broadcast some wifi out to my phones and laptops.

What would be the best thing to do? Get a wifi access point?(if so, which can you recommend?) get a wifi router and just turn off dhcp, and make it into a switch/wifi ap(even though i already got myself a netgear gigabit 8port switch). Research the possibilities of buying a wifi card to my ClearOS server to make it broadcast wifi?

Thanks in advance

 

[GregN]

So i actually ended up building my own router/gateway/server with ClearOS, and it works great!

What i need now is a good and stable way to broadcast some wifi out to my phones and laptops.

What would be the best thing to do? Get a wifi access point?(if so, which can you recommend?) get a wifi router and just turn off dhcp, and make it into a switch/wifi ap(even though i already got myself a netgear gigabit 8port switch). Research the possibilities of buying a wifi card to my ClearOS server to make it broadcast wifi?

Thanks in advance

Excellent, Congrats!

When I built my router (pfSense), I went with an Access Point and an old router (old router is the most recommended solution, probably because it is cheap and easy, and who doesn't have an old router around collecting dust?)

The access point was for guest wireless, the router for existing internal use, for guests I went with a TEW-637AP (NewEgg has it at 4 Eggs @ 399 some reviews, and recommendations here)

I take it you didn't go with a laptop. How many interfaces are you running off of the ClearOS box? 2 or 3?

I don't know about ClearOS, but FreeBSD and some of the other Linux distros will support Atheros chip set for integrated wireless support. Other folks have used the Asus Card, or brew your own.

I recommend using an access point, as others have pointed out the cards tend to have their antennas blocked by the machine and usu. face the wall, not very good placement. APs are much more flexible (read you can put it up higher)

 

[chris6647]

I do have a d-link dir-655 lying around, which im not using. But thats cus i feel like it doesnt work as it should, being really slow and the interface screwing around with me, sometimes not letting me connect at all.... But i guess i should look into it, and try to flash some newer firmware and test it out properly

If i can get it to work better, it could become my wifi, and i do have a very old wifi ap lying around which i could also use for guests or 2.4ghz only network.

I made an old computer by putting together the best parts i had lying around. The motherboard has two gigabit LAN ports, so yeah, i guess that would put me at two interfaces

I actually had a feeling that it would be better to use something other than the clearos box for the wifi broadcasting. So basically if i cant get the dir-655 to work, i ought to go buy a router which has pwnage wifi throughput and then just turn off the firewall and dhcp, making it a regular wifi switch.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[GregN]

That's what I did with my D-Link DGL-4500, the router the pfSense box replaced. The Trendnet AP is a nice box and cheaper than buying a full on router, if you are buying something.

The nice thing about 3 interfaces on a DIY router is that you can provide protected guest wireless, limit bandwidth, and make sure no one is poking around internally.

 

[chris6647]

The nice thing about 3 interfaces on a DIY router is that you can provide protected guest wireless, limit bandwidth, and make sure no one is poking around internally.

Thats actually a really good idea, will look into that if i should need a guest wifi!