Time to go consumer?

[keylimesoda]

A couple years ago I moved from a DGL-4500 to pfsense running on an old Core 2 Duo laptop.

I've been pleased with the throughput and QOS of the pfsense, simultaneously managing multiple netflix streams, bittorrent, VPN, browsing, online gaming, and so on without a hiccup. I feel like I'm getting full value from my 50MB internet connection.

However, the management of the pfsense is starting to be a pain. UPnP, content/ad filtering, parental controls, ZeroConf each turn into afternoon projects, rather than simple configurations.

Is there a consumer class router (or software) that can stably manage all my bandwidth and connection requirements while providing better consumer-class features? I don't need wireless, as it's already handled by a dlink DAP-2553 over POE.

 

[coxhaus]

I think your request is a tall order but I have been there with you. A number of years ago I ran Smoothwall for a couple of years. I got very tired of patching the software. I decided to go back to a router for convenience. The problem with a router is they do not offer enough protection for your network. I then added Untangle in bridge mode behind a router for that extra protection which a network needs. I have been running Untangle for about 3 years and I have not performed maintenance once nor have I had to reinstall it. You might take a look at Untangle. It will run as a router. It does have a lot of bells and whistles but whether it has all the ones you need only you can figure that out.
I choose to not run Untangle as a router because I like to run it behind a router.

 

[Jesse B]

You may want to consider adding in a UTM in bridge mode as suggested, which will allow you to have all the features a consumer-grade router wouldn't support. Untangle is pretty popular, but there's plenty of alternatives.

Your setup would be something as follows:

Modem -> Router -> UTM -> Switch

 

[keylimesoda]

I get that adding a UTM would give me content filtering and parental control, but I'll still be fighting pfsense on ZeroConf and UPnP. Not to mention my pfsense is currently running on baremetal which means I'd either need another box or switch to a VM architecture.

Sadly, it sounds like a UTM would just add more complexity.

EDIT: Holy Shnikies! Untangle is a money pit. $25/month just for bandwidth QOS?

 

[Jesse B]

I get that adding a UTM would give me content filtering and parental control, but I'll still be fighting pfsense on ZeroConf and UPnP. Not to mention my pfsense is currently running on baremetal which means I'd either need another box or switch to a VM architecture.

Sadly, it sounds like a UTM would just add more complexity.

I meant replace your pfSense unit with a consumer grade router. You can then set up an Untangle box, which once set up, takes little to no intervention. This way you wouldn't have anything to maintain, except perhaps the odd upgrade. Set it and forget it.

 

[keylimesoda]

I meant replace your pfSense unit with a consumer grade router. You can then set up an Untangle box, which once set up, takes little to no intervention. This way you wouldn't have anything to maintain, except perhaps the odd upgrade. Set it and forget it.

Gotcha. My guess is that if I go with a modern consumer router, it'll have the features that I care about (easy UPnP, content filtering, parental controls, ZeroConf, etc.), so I wouldn't need a UTM at that point.

My primary concern is if a consumer router can keep up with my my (moderately?) heavy usage patterns. The last one I tried (DGL-4500) could not keep up with usage, especially with QOS enabled.

 

[Jesse B]

You may want to consider looking at a Mikrotic or Ubiquiti ER-Lite. They're a bit more complex than consumer-grade routers, but once they're set up they've very stable and perform very well without intervention. The ER-Lite was reviewed here, and I have one personally.

 

[coxhaus]

If you run Untangle Lite it is free for home use. Just run it behind a consumer router. Remember there is no software patching to be done. Untangle takes care of the upgrades behind the scenes at night.

 

[keylimesoda]

You may want to consider looking at a Mikrotic or Ubiquiti ER-Lite. They're a bit more complex than consumer-grade routers, but once they're set up they've very stable and perform very well without intervention. The ER-Lite was reviewed here, and I have one personally.

Do Mikrotic or ER-Lite have consumer grade features?

I'm looking for commercial-class routing ability with consumer-class ease-of-use and features.

 

[Jesse B]

Do Mikrotic or ER-Lite have consumer grade features?

I'm looking for commercial-class routing ability with consumer-class ease-of-use and features.

I can't speak for Mikrotik, as I've never used one. As far as the ER-Lite goes, there is a web-GUI for all basic functionality. You can also upload configuration files. There is a basic configuration file posted in one of the articles here.

If you read the review, its routing performance is excellent. Anything you NEED is configurable via the web-GUI, and all the other nice features can be set using the command line.