Consider a dual WAN router for your home internet setup. Here are some suggestions to explore.
Consider a dual WAN router for your home internet setup. Here are some suggestions to explore.
I currently use a TP-Link multi-WAN router. I'm a bit worried about recent reports of security flaws and the fact that my device doesn't allow firmware updates, which is concerning! My setup includes: 5 people at home, three TVs, two TiVo units, an NVIDIA Shield Pro, an HTPC, three gaming PCs, an Xbox, around 60TB Synology NAS connected via Ethernet, five laptops, and over 20 other WiFi devices (mostly phones, tablets, unused Chromecasts, and a few smart switches). The NAS is linked to Synology CCTV, which uploads footage every few minutes in compressed 250MB videos using Synology Dropbox. For the WAN connections: WAN1 offers 1.3Gbps symmetric speeds, while WAN2 provides 1Gbps down and 200Mbps up via Virgin Media co-ax. I also have a Community Fibre UK connection that gives partial fibre access (up to 2.5Gbps) to a RJ45 box, but they removed the Linksys router per their advice. I've disabled all other WiFi devices except for a few essentials like the NAS sync and gaming PCs. My goal is to have some flexibility—like upgrading the fibre link later if needed—and ideally support load balancing or dynamic failover. I’m okay with internal network limits at 1Gbps per device, and it would be nice to keep the Dropbox sync on a wired port while gaming uses the fibre connection. Performance isn’t a priority for me, so these extra features aren’t essential. Thinking about switching to an Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Ultra, ideally under £200 (about $250). Any thoughts or questions?
I understand maintaining 2.5 Gb in my network requires careful planning. I switched to OPNsense and PFSense are viable alternatives, but I still need an AP for Wi-Fi. This approach eliminates the worry about missing updates, though it means a steeper learning curve compared to my usual router. My budget will be limited, though.
WiFi AP not a problem: I've already disabled the WiFi that comes with the ISP router and I have my own solution: Currently setup as 1x AP and 2x mesh nodes completely independent of the broadband WAN routing. Are you suggesting the OPNsense/pfSense software on some sort of mini PC or their hardware? OPNsense seems to start >€500 AND seems to be engineered around annual subscriptions. This is one scenario where I'm okay with subscriptions (regular updates are a good thing!), but this feels like a serious premium price for the hardware and then needing a subscription too? " pfSense+" Netgate 2100 seems to be the entry level for dual WAN ($349) and it seems there's no subscription for basic software updates (but $400pa for the business models!).... I'd put that as "viable" (without the subscription)..... it's now on the list, but I suspect there are a lot of other options that are better priced and/or won't cap me at 1Gbps for everything. At those sort of prices, it feels like I might be better of picking up a mini PC/router that's compatible with OpenWRT/DD-WRT/Tomato? I used to tinker around with those ROMs about 15 years ago, but the last devices I used on that were my WRT54GS until it ran out of space for the latest ROM and the WRT160NL until it was bottlenecking my broadband due to the CPU limitations.
They provide a free version of their software for both mini PCs. Many users opt for the multi-port setup, such as China or Amazon boxes with four ports.
You have an older ITX low-profile HTPC with an i5-3570K processor, 120GB SATA storage, and 8GB DDR3 RAM. You're considering installing GTX1050 graphics and using a low-profile multi-port NIC such as the RTL8125-based 4x2.5Gbps cards. The motherboard supports an x16 PCIe slot (likely four PCIe x16 slots), though it's unclear if it's Gen 3 or Gen 2. You plan to run Kali Linux or another distribution on this setup.
The software relies on BSD RealTek support, which isn't ideal. Reviews note issues with PFSense/OPNsense compatibility. I've managed to get a RealTek device working by using a community driver before deploying it with PFSense on a motherboard. For better reliability, it's suggested to choose Intel-based NICs instead. I recall seeing a reference to this earlier.
They typically install PFSense or OPNsense as the primary network management system.
I caught that, thanks! I avoided a close call there. Appreciate the advice! I’ll keep searching for it – just browsing Amazon for a 2.5Gbps dual/multi RJ45. I thought an Intel dual NIC might fit too. Edit: it looks like the whole budget option is just about the NIC itself. https://www.amazon.co.uk/StarTech-com-Qu...TWORK-CARD (£170/£230 depending on port count). Edit2: Instead of investing £240 in an old mini PC case, PSU, and CPU, I’m leaning toward a Glovary Firewall Mini PC. It has N100 chipset, DDR5 RAM, 8GB memory, 128GB SSD, and 4 x 2.5GbE ports. It’s a bit over the original budget but saves £100 compared to pfSense and half the cost of OPNsense hardware. Plus, it’s more adaptable for continuous use with low power draw. I’m also checking if 128GB storage will be sufficient.
The key decision came down to OPNSense versus PFSense. There seems to be a leaning toward non-networking users, though I'm not sure if that's a strong preference. I haven't really delved into tech lately—my last deep dive was around 25 years ago on a HalfLife server with an old Linux setup. I've experimented with different Ubuntu/Mint devices and Kali tools, but nothing too advanced. My last work with networking gear or firewall software was roughly between 2008 and 2010 using OpenWRT on a Cisco device.
I began with pfSense. Later they introduced some licensing issues, so I shifted my focus to OPNsense. The transition was smooth, with regular updates. I’m satisfied with the change. Mostly everything functions as intended after setting up the interfaces (defining WAN and LAN). Once that’s done, you can implement more advanced configurations using rules and similar features. There’s extensive documentation and video guides to support this process.