Upgrade with a new router to serve many customers, replacing the Netgear r8000.
Upgrade with a new router to serve many customers, replacing the Netgear r8000.
Hello, I want to improve our wireless router setup. We’re using a Netgear R8000 (triband) that’s about six years old. There are roughly 60 wired devices and over 50 wireless ones. Each port connects to a switch in different parts of the house, which seems to cause issues. My wife often loses connections while on the phone (ring central), and we frequently have to reset everything to get things running smoothly. We have gigabit internet (reportedly up to 1200Mbps, though I haven’t seen that speed before) and all our switches support gigabit speeds. We rely heavily on data usage and also use network storage/backup. My budget is under $500. If you have any other suggestions or information that could help me choose the best option for us, please let me know! Thank you for your assistance! Tony
For these amounts I would seek a more polished solution. Drytek Vigor comes to mind, and I've discovered they deliver solid outcomes at reasonable prices. You can utilize the r8000 solely for Wi-Fi, possibly still maintaining its functionality. All network management on the primary router should remain handled by the main device.
Could replace with a UDM option and enjoy the flexibility to grow it later with additional access points.
This scenario involves business or enterprise requirements where standard consumer or prosumer routers are insufficient. Ubiquiti and Mikrotik are suitable starting points. You could use an old PC for installing pfSense or OPNsense. For more advanced setups, consider Cisco, Juniper, HPE, Aruba, etc., though these may exceed your budget. Additionally, you'll need expertise in network configuration and setup.
It seems you're considering using a few old PCs for PFSense. For multiple switches, you don't need more than two network connections on the PC—just connect each switch to one PC. Let me know if you need further clarification!
The PC should have at least two network connections—one for WAN and one for LAN. You'd link a switch to the LAN port and connect the rest of your local network to that switch. While pfSense can handle bridging and switching, it isn't the most efficient. I'm not certain about OPNsense, but I think it's similar.