Are routers actually bad? (Today's Techquickie)
Are routers actually bad? (Today's Techquickie)
Idk about getting a speed increase compared to a consumer router but I will say pfSense has been MUCH more reliable than any normal consumer router I've seen. Also if you do stuff like with VPNs they are usually unusably slow from my experience on normal routers (not to mention they usually don't support protocols like IKEv2/Wireguard). I decided to jump into pfSense after getting annoyed that the routers we have don't expose options or just do things in a stupid way compared to how they could be done. One of the things that bugs me is how most routers handle setting DNS via DHCP. I use a PiHole so it's nice to see each device's requests for troubleshooting/finding things that should be blocked, but on conumser routers specifying a DNS for the DHCP server usually doesn't pass that address to the client, it just passes the routers IP and the router forwards requests to the IP specified. This means in PiHole all the requests come from the router not individual devices (unless you manually went to each device and added PiHole as the DNS server. (yes, I know you can use PiHole as a DHCP server but I didn't want to do this). AFAIK there is no reason why they don't just push the DNS IP you give, pfSense does it and it works fine... Also the ability to have proper firewall rules is awesome, it allows you to do awesome things like sending certain IPs/MACs over a VPN or creating a site-to-site VPN and allowing devices to communicate as if it is one big LAN. I highly recommend pfSense for anyone who wants to experiment with this kind of stuff, I had 0 experience with it when I started but it's really not that hard to pick up and understand, especially for simple setups.
It's still puzzling how it manages to handle more traffic despite VLAN tagging and PPPoE being active. These settings are moving us into more specialized areas. Don't evaluate a consumer router based solely on the features you use; most people don't require those specific options. You're overlooking the overall cost—case, power supply, storage, access points, and switches—that add up to similar functionality in all-in-one devices.
We recently purchased four smart appliances that connect to the internet. I had to link the café range to our network because certain functions require WiFi. The other devices won’t connect since I don’t need remote control of washers or dryers in our condo. The dishwasher automatically starts after dinner, and I don’t require internet access for that either. Last night I updated the range software, which took around 20 minutes to download and install. Now I can use the oven for air frying!
When I mentioned niche feature, I was talking about VLAN tagging. However, it seems the CPU limitation wasn't the main factor restricting your speed. The routers in the video are equipped with quad-core processors running at 1.8GHz, offering a much stronger setup than what you have. This means performance could be around 20 times better. Additionally, many tasks aren't even handled by the CPU. The devices featured use the BCM49408 processor, which includes hardware support for NAT and a dedicated chip for wireless functions. This means NAT operations don’t run on the main processor, except possibly under certain conditions. Wireless processing is also isolated from the CPU. Home routers are built specifically for their intended tasks and generally perform well. Much of what you see in this video doesn't apply to the majority of users. The concern about a "bad" CPU is irrelevant for home routers since they require minimal processing power, and performance issues usually arise only when advanced features are activated.
I've been using this setup for a long time. I noticed speeds slowed down during extended downloads. I installed fans on both my cable modem and router, which prevented further drops. I also added internal heat sinks and powered the fans from the device adapters—just soldered leads to the board, with a connector in case a fan needs replacing. I found several images online: even my current Ubiquiti Amplifi Alien router has a built-in fan, and adding another one lowered temperatures by 20-25 degrees. Overall, across all modifications, airflow through these components makes a noticeable difference.
This post seems to misunderstand a lot of things. I’ve seen many cases where users experience slow speeds because their routers become overloaded! This isn’t just about WiFi issues—router overloads can really hurt performance, especially when PPP is used. I stopped using consumer routers years ago because they’re so prone to getting bogged down. Now I’m more selective; I only use VPNs, policy routing, and multiple WANs after gaining experience. Tools like pfBlockerNG help block unwanted IP addresses, adding a layer of security. Region locking is useful for securing connections to hosted services. Many people still rely on routers without realizing they’re not secure, which is risky. Modern routers often have basic features but lack advanced options like QoS and policy routing. Hardware offloading helps speed things up, though it can limit more complex functions. A lot of users still have older models that don’t support these features. Switching from DSL to FTTP or cable upgrades can make a big difference. Setting up an old PC as a router might be a cost-effective and lasting alternative to constantly buying new devices.
Generally this occurs on the modem/ONT, keeping your router from needing to be aware unless everything is combined into one unit—a situation that seldom happens. ONT using SFP modules isn’t typical (though it may become more common), DSL modems for PC connections are rare and there aren’t many adapters that let a cable link directly to a PC. Of course, these components are usually found in consumer routers, which handle much of the processing otherwise. Even with an x86 router, you often need a consumer router in bridge mode to manage these tasks—usually the ISP’s device provides that solution.