Router suggestions

I will also recommend uniquiti it's a big outlay initially but they have been flawless for me and joj can expand or upgrade bits at a time.

When my son was young, putting restrictions on the Internet would have been taken as a challenge. Rather than installing parental controls on the router, install a set of ethics in the kid.

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Ubiquiti AmpliFi. Love it. Rock solid.

Untangle + unifi APs here.

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Look into Synology. I have had the RT1900ac for 4 years or so and is rock solid. They regularly update the firmware. There is a newer model out now - RT2600ac I think it is. It can be used as a NAS and has the ability to plug in a cellular hotspot as backup.

If you're simply talking about porn filters and such, sure. But to me, "filtering" the internet is more about a security approach to home networking rather than a babysitter. Kids (hell, adults) can get into a ton of trouble on the internet with no malicious intent of their own. Blocking known malicious sites is a must, blocking things like porn, guns, drugs, gambling, etc. is a choice.

That said, there are also some free solutions such as OpenDNS that do a decent job if you want to keep it simple.

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My approach was to Ban Windows machines in my house, I didn't filter anything.

Nothing like Linux to break a heck of a lot of Windows oriented fly by downloads. LOL

Besides, my number of "Re-installs" dropped dramatically!

S.

You're the first person I've encountered that actually has used their WiFi product. I absolutely love their NAS boxes, but since I was alreay on Ubiquiti when the Synology stuff hit the shelves, I never considered them.

Not having used them, I don't actually have anything to base an opinion on...but I'd be very hard pressed to switch away from Ubiquiti! Good to hear they are decent though!

I am 100% agreement and we are. I certainly don’t want to go down the rabbit hole of parental practices here but I will say this... that parent meeting did it’s job to scare every parent. If reflect on things I did growing up I would be in a lot of trouble in today’s world with phones, texting, digital footprints/evidence. It’s absolutely gotten out of hand so I am just trying to prevent situations from happening.

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Setup open dns to filter porn out.

Then setup your dhcp scope to hand out the open dns addresses.

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Unifi just came out with a Wifi 6 / 802.11ax router. If you want to future proof.. there it is. AmpliFi ALIEN Router – Amplifi Wi-Fi

I always chuckle at those ads:
"2.4 GHz: 1148 Mbps, 5 GHz: 1733 Mbps (low band)/ 4804 Mbps (high band)"
and then:
"Gigabit Ethernet: (1) WAN, (4) LAN"

If you actually got max wireless throughput (which you obviously won't), how exactly would you get 7500+ Mbps through the 1000 Mbps WAN link, or the 4x1000 Mbps LAN ports for that matter (assuming it even supports link aggregation in the first place)? :wink:

Until multi-Gb LAN ports become more common there is little/no need for faster WiFi in consumer applications - even for internal (aka non-internet) use.

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It's a good point. I've been through this once and I'm on number two. I now use a TP-Link Deco M5. This isn't the be all, end all, make your geek friends jealous router, but it's a damn good router.

Mesh
Self-updates
Excellent parental controls (pause/resume internet, easy to use time schedules for detailed or simple, built-in Trend Micro protection, easy to read reports)
App is nicely designed
Now the limits for DHCP reservation are large enough (early limit was 16, but I think it's 64 now).
Reliable and excellent signal

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Upfront, I don't disagree with your statement that it doesn't make sense... However, technically, there is one application where it actually does have an impact.
WiFi is a shared "medium", meaning if you communicate Wifi to Wifi (don't go through LAN or WAN), you are technically sharing the maximum throughput. The higher the WiFi maximum throughput, the higher the communication between each client.

But, how often do we actually communicate Wifi to Wifi? Not that often, therefore in practice you are 100% correct.

Yes, that is quite true.

An actual example - on the wireless backhaul from AP 2 to AP 3 in my house I regularly get peak throughputs faster than my other AP 1 to AP 2 connection that is 1Gb hard wired.

So I guess there is always that. :slight_smile:

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I see a lot of good wireless router suggestions. Anyone have any for a WIRED router? With my network switch and cable modem in the basement I am debating about putting a wired router there then wireless points. Not guaranteed by any means as I have multiple spots where I have run 2 lines of Cat6.

My current method is cable modem, run of Cat6 to kitchen for router, run back to basement for network switch... Be nice to keep all the primary stuff in one spot but not necessary.

I use an unmanaged 24 port switch with my Deco M5, which like most of the mesh routers, the Deco M5 just has two ethernet ports, and one is needed for the WAN connection.

I have mesh wifi now, just the wifi hardware is getting a bit old (early AC). Plus my main network backbone is a 48port managed switch (gigabit and PoE)...

I do not NEED to replace anything yet but figured I would get opinions now while there was an active thread that is exactly the right idea.

My Edgerouter is configured just like you suggest....Cable modem, edgerouter then an unmanaged Gig-e switch and PoE injector off of which the Unifi APs hang.

I was using a MikroTik, but The EdgeRouter is friendlier to me. I've heard good things about the Ubiquiti USG as well.

S.

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Thanks! From all the Ubiquiti advocates here for wifi I figured they might not be bad for a wired one as well but did not open the EdgeMAX list. Oops.