Ask Slashdot: Enterprise Level Network Devices For Home Use? 241
First time accepted submitter osho741 writes "I was wondering if anyone has enterprise level networking devices set up at home? I seem to go through at least 1 wireless consumer grade router a year or so. I can never seem to find one that last very long under just normal use. I thought maybe I would have better luck throwing together a network using used enterprise equipment. Has anyone done this? What would you recommend for a network that maxes out at 30mbps downstream from the ISP and an internal network that should be able to stream 1080p movies to 3 or 4 devices from a media server? Any thoughts and or suggestions are welcome."
Routerboard (Score:2, Interesting)
http://routerboard.com/RB2011UAS-2HnD-IN
Been using this one for almost a year, with no issues. Plenty of bells and whistles for the home business/power user.
What's killing them? (Score:2, Interesting)
Even the cheapest routers I have last much longer than a year. What are you doing to your routers that you kill one every year?
Re:UPS (Score:5, Interesting)
Agreed, given the repeated failures here, the power supply might be less than wonderful.
It's also worth remembering that "enterprise" equipment is often more about the management features (which no home user is ever likely to need) than the hardware itself. Sometimes the low-end business gear actually turns out to be worse than decent consumer kit. For example, we bought a bunch of Cisco's small business branded equipment for a small office once, paying a premium for it but expecting that the quality and support would be better than some disappointing consumer grade equipment it was replacing. In fact, the NAS turned out to be a rebadged device from another vendor that Cisco never really supported properly, the wireless access point turned out to have buggy firmware that would just drop connections, and so on. It's a mistake we'll never make again.
Enterprise routers? (Score:4, Interesting)
30mbps downstream from the ISP and an internal network that should be able to stream 1080p movies to 3 or 4 devices from a media server?
Most enterprises implement a dual product solution. They install a dedicated router and a wireless access point. So get ready to spend $500+ on your solution. The linksys/netgear/asus products are meant to be all in one devices.
If you're looking for an all in one router then look at the Cisco 800 series routers. However, most of the models provide features you do not need like hardware based VPN or QoS, features you most likely do not need for providing you family with access to hulu/youtube etc..
However, I've got an Asus RT-A66U (or Best Buy's name: RT-A66R, same router different name). Easily handles 50Mb down and has 4 GigE ports for LAN traffic. Great range and decent price. Sure the top gets warm/hot but that's because it uses the top metal cover as a large heat sink. I don't put other gear on top of it nor hold it, so it's not a problem. Has solid reviews on Newegg as well.
If you're breaking so many devices you might want to figure out why you're breaking them. Dirty power? Dirty location? (Got a cat/dog?). Don't say "I'm downloading too much..." There's people out there with ancient linksys W54GL's out there and it's not like those were made with "Enterprise Grade Components"
Re:Apple Airport (Score:4, Interesting)
My complaint with the Airport is the awful management interface, and extremely limited options. Our office unit has been quite reliable over the past 3-4 years though for wifi. The management limitations just force us to put it in the DMZ and VPN into the LAN, which reduces speeds somewhat.
For a home router for a /.er though, I would think the Asus RT66NU would be a pretty good pick: you can install DD-WRT-derived (I think) firmware and get Transmission, OpenVPN, SSH access, etc. It is also 12V, so easy enough to hook up a small battery/power supply/regulator and avoid a UPS. It isn't perfect, but I doubt I would ever go with an Airport again unless I had the same compatibility problems I experienced with my old MacBook Pro.