neofateCaveat Depascor Premium Member join:2003-11-11 Birmingham, AL
1 recommendation |
neofate
Premium Member
2016-Aug-29 5:12 am
Best Router for Gigapower 1000/1000As the title states,.. What is the best router to run with Gigapower Gigabit service? I know it may be varied , so just list the ones that 'work' properly with the configuration - and any that have Greater than 1Gbps port(s) -- That are under $500 if they exist.
Secondly, I've heard both ways,.. But does ATT Gigapower allow authentication from a third party user owned router or does it have to go secondary to their own? |
|
1 recommendation |
A lot of people use pfSense but I run a Mikrotik CCR-1009 for the router and a TP-Link TL-SG2008 to do the VLAN switching as it has a CLI. Yes the Mikrotik can route > 1 Gbps. |
|
ss911der Premium Member join:2000-09-05 Fort Lauderdale, FL 1 edit
1 recommendation |
to neofate
I use an Asus RT-AC88U behind their Pace 5268AC gateway. My wired speed test: » www.speedtest.net/my-res ··· 88480705 |
|
1 edit
1 recommendation |
to neofate
I am using my Asus RT-AC88U with their NVG599 and it works fine. |
|
mackey Premium Member join:2007-08-20
2 recommendations |
to neofate
said by neofate:But does ATT Gigapower allow authentication from a third party user owned router or does it have to go secondary to their own? You must use their router. There is a kludged "IP Passthrough" mode to allow you to put your own router behind it though. |
|
1 recommendation |
Anon236d0 to neofate
Anon
2016-Aug-29 2:33 pm
to neofate
Do you want to run a VPN to keep T from spying on your Internet traffic (aka "Internet Preferences") If so, you will want to run a router that supports floating point in hardware for data encryption. Most router in a box solutions (Asus, Netgear, Linksys, etc.) do not and your Internet speed will suffer badly.
I currently run my Pace 5286AC in pass-thru mode and let my Asus RT-AC68P (basement) do the heavy lifting with an RT-N66U in wired AP mode for the upstairs bedrooms. The '68 worked fine with a PIA VPN, but it was very slow so I run the VPN on my main workstation for now. T gets to see some of my traffic, but not the really important stuff.
At some point, I will build a pfSense firewall with a nice Intel or AMD cpu and encrypt everything. |
|
1 recommendation |
to MeximusPrime
hmm. I just got the gigapower service installed today. they are sending me an NVG599 tomorrow and I currently have the Asus RT-N66U. it is struggling right now, do you think the Asus RT-AC88U (or rt-3100) will perform better for me? |
|
ss911der Premium Member join:2000-09-05 Fort Lauderdale, FL
1 recommendation |
ss911der
Premium Member
2016-Aug-29 6:45 pm
Well the N66U is definitely going to be weak on the wireless side. Even with my AC88U, I don't see transfers over wireless much faster than 50 MB/s using a AC1900 wireless adapter in a desktop PC. If you are trying wired, see what kind of transfer speeds you get to AT&T's gateway. Also, try different speed test locations from speedtest.net. Some can't push the limits it seems. |
|
2 edits
3 recommendations |
to neofate
The best way to get max speed out of the connection would be to just use the AT&T router. Even with the IP Passthrough, the AT&T device will still do it's own processing for it's NAT table.
The question is why you want your own router. It's not going to give you performance, QoS would mean more processing on each packet and no performance gain, and buffers clear fast enough over a gigabit link anyways. If you want to configure DHCP settings yourself, you might consider a switch that can drop the DHCP responses of the AT&T router and use your own DHCP server -- I use a Cisco SG300-10 switch to handle all the DHCP and use a span port for traffic monitoring, but it was more expensive than some routers. Any wireless router can be used as a simple access point without the routing functions.
With a high performance router behind the AT&T router, you are unlikely to see any performance reduction, but I would seriously consider if you need a separate router. If you want more advanced firewall features for example, although the NVG599 I had for a while had a pretty decent firewall. PFSense has a full featured firewall, and there are numerous guides on configuring linux as a firewall/router. Something like the Ubiquiti Edge Router Lite is also an option. It is a high performance router that would work, and you can run your old wireless router/s as wireless access points or switches behind it. |
|
neofateCaveat Depascor Premium Member join:2003-11-11 Birmingham, AL
1 recommendation |
neofate
Premium Member
2016-Aug-30 7:38 am
Good post.
I am not looking to boost performance over the ATT router -- there is no boosting performance 'behind' something to be honest.. the bottleneck will exist if there is any degradation in performance. I'm assuming ATT would supply a capable router of the full provision.
NICS will be 1Gbps thus the connection max will be limited from the start a tiny bit (in a variety of 1GbE equip) --
Basically I enjoy some options in configuring all that I have going on which I won't delve into.
I used an older computer and built a Pfsense router years ago.. it worked fairly well but I moved back to a standard router with some third party firmware not too long after that -- can't remember precisely why, maybe just for space and not to eat electricity more than necessary -- ( I realize it doesn't have to be high power).
Anyhow,.. I like a powerful router for 'home' use for about a dozen devices give or take.. With abilities to easily handle QoS.. manually not the 'auto' based on type of device, or percentage based etc.
A decent example of capabilities would be Shibby's version of Tomato -- It's not as overdone as DD-WRT and has a few functions I enjoy that, believe it or not, aren't available with DD.. The layout is easy to utilize as well.
I have a few things that I 'miss' if they aren't present -- ie: Ability to monitor traffic from all devices to IP level.. being able to grab obvious bandwidth usage, with graphs, and such but also sites visited, some packet inspection of search words -- just the type of thing as the shibby build of tomato has -- USB function for printers, nas, memory, cell, etc .
I'd just assume get a 68u or 88 from Asus, and may go that route.. but on my current asus router Tomato began to limit my speed -- on a Gbit router, it would keep a 135Mbps connection at 90-100Mbps (it would break 100Mbps and the links were Gbps so it wasn't a mismatch of 100 ) -- I couldn't pin it down to resolve so I switched the firmware on the router and while the functions are not even close to as useful the full speed returned.
I'm not trying to hide my data -- ie: Going with a hardware VPN or similar .. DHCP I would like control of,.. but if the passthrough plays 'well' with a router and ATT's handling of DHCP causes the router to lose some functionality/features and there isn't an easy workaround then that's no good.
Basically I'm just looking for ideas of what people are using for Gigapower now -- it's a very limited group of people with such connections and of those a small fraction that would be on a site like this -- So routers that handle internet at ~10x speed on average with functions/features as aforementioned reliably I'm interested in.
If I just wanted a stable connection at the best speeds possible the default ATT supplied router alone , of course, would be fine. I'm merely completely unfamiliar with the way it is going to work, what it will allow, what workarounds are needed with using hardware behind it and so on. Ideally being able to authenticate through a third party router and remove it from the equation would be best even for people who are just 'enthusiasts' if you will.
Anyhow,.. router suggestions and what you specifically use with a Gbit pipe -- especially if you are using third party firmware in the DD-WRT, Merlin, Tomato etc I'm interested in your experience/reliability/stability/ - and what was necessary to essentially have the supplied router act , as much, like a bridge as possible? --
Is there anything that comes up short with what I have in mind.. an Asus 68u? IE: Need to bump to 88u or a different brand/model entirely.
Thanks |
|
1 recommendation |
to Wallaby32psn
I would definitely upgrade but please go out and do some research on specs before you buy. Those particular models which really are the same except on 88u you get 8 Lan ports instead of 4 on the 3100. |
|
MeximusPrime 1 edit
2 recommendations |
to neofate
I have used the Asus 68p and 88u with Gigapower and like the ability to control certain things. I have always been wary of devices that do both the modem/router functions.
Both routers are being used with the latest Merlin firmware which right now is 380.61. Firmware is rock solid and does everything I need. |
|
1 recommendation |
to MeximusPrime
what do you guys think about the newly released Best Buy exclusive Asus RT-AC1900P?
seems the same as the RT-AC68, except it has dual core 1.4ghz instead of the 1.0ghz |
|
1 recommendation |
I actually edited my response to you. My model is the 68P which I bought from best buy and it's a great router. It will do the job. |
|
neofateCaveat Depascor Premium Member join:2003-11-11 Birmingham, AL
1 recommendation |
to MeximusPrime
I intend to.. I have a few months at least before they will go live with Gigapower for me maybe half a year if they are super slow.. -- Which is why I started this thread.. To get some smaller list -- or even maybe 1-3 routers to research well..
On the firmwares you guys are using on the Asus 68 and 88 models -- Are you able to modify bandwidth limitations on up and down for any IP in network? How in depth is the traffic monitoring overall and especially per IP?
Currently with an ollld RT-N16 using tomato shibby -- It will pull websites visited and even some search terms on and ip by ip basis. This is important to 'me' as well. I have Merlin running on that thing now and it lacks the IP information on websites visited/small amount of search terms entered and so on.. for example.
Firmware does have different stabilities of course as I had tomato limiting me, as I mentioned, to 90-105 ish.. switched to merlin and got full 135Mbps for example. Sort of an odd 'small' limitation -- because otherwise I'd just be happy with Tomato on a 68 or 88 for example. Or maybe even DD-WRT variety if it pulls that sort of information/feature set despite being a bit 'cluttered' -- Merlin seems to be focused on stablity which is great while eliminating a huge chunk of features most don't use. Which is why I pose the feature related question. |
|
1 recommendation |
Anon9e081 to neofate
Anon
2016-Aug-31 2:46 am
to neofate
Try a Netgear nighthawk triband wireless AC wifi technology router it's 300 dollars it's available to buy at all Walmart and best buy stores... |
|
1 recommendation |
to Wallaby32psn
I bought a refurb RT-AC1900P with a 1 year warranty from Newegg. I'm running Merlin firmware on it and it has been rock solid. I did not see any performance bottlenecks based on comparing speedtest.net results with the Pace.
Be careful purchasing wireless routers as the latest models won't buy you anything if the devices don't support the newer protocols.. |
|
1 recommendation |
to MeximusPrime
What is your wireless speed with the AC88?
I purchased and am sending back an AC87 because it was barely any better than the 5268AC from AT&T. |
|
|
ss911der Premium Member join:2000-09-05 Fort Lauderdale, FL 2 edits
1 recommendation |
ss911der
Premium Member
2016-Sep-4 7:20 pm
I have a desktop connected at 1300 Mbps to the router, and a laptop at 866. Both have 802.11 AC wireless adapters. Doing large file transfers to wired computers comes out to be about ~50 MB/s. Keep in mind your wireless speeds to the router are only as good as the wireless adapters in your devices. My iPhone 6S Plus only gets around 270/220 despite being next to the router, a wireless limitation of the phone. |
|
neofateCaveat Depascor Premium Member join:2003-11-11 Birmingham, AL
1 recommendation |
neofate
Premium Member
2016-Sep-5 1:14 am
Thank you guys for all the information/help/advice! I encourage anyone to just list what they use -- and for the technical minded -- To explain why they are using what they are -- and how it operates (how they have it setup/why) behind the Gigapower/AT&T Modem -- ie: What features are you using from it, -- Did you put a third party firmware to replace the stock firmware (If so, which one?) etc.
This really helps, as when they are near finishing here I'll make my final decision (maybe prices will drop a little ) and order whatever it is that I think will fit best for what I want/need.
Also the beauty of forums like this is it helps anyone else with a similar question not just myself in this instance.
I appreciate the kindness, and willingness to share your setup and details, |
|
1 edit
2 recommendations |
I use a Cisco SG300-10 managed switch as the first device between the AT&T router and my network. All internet connected devices are located on the same VLAN as the AT&T router. The router, the switch, and the DNS servers are the only points of failure for many devices.
The switch has the ability to prevent unauthorized DHCP servers on the network by dropping DHCP responses from links that are not enabled for DHCP. Since it also has it's own DHCP server I leave all links, including the AT&T modem blocked, allowing the switch to provide DHCP with an in house DNS configuration, but still giving the AT&T router as the default gateway.
The switch also allows me to limit the egress bandwidth of the port the AT&T router is connected to. Since the switch keeps a very small queue, I get almost no bufferbloat when the upload is heavily used. I use a rate of 5200kbps on a 45/6 profile.
The primary DNS server is on a virtual machine, and all the computer names for the local domain are set there, but I also have a Raspberry Pi powered off the USB port on the AT&T router wired up as a secondary DNS. As long as the AT&T router is up, it should stay up too. |
|
Asus RT-AC88 Asus RT-AC68 ARRIS NVG599
2 recommendations |
to Anon6e36f
The wireless speeds are as follows all using 5ghz. These tests are usually not near 88u router which I have centrally located on 1.5 story house.
Laptop's - 350-450 down / 250-300 up Iphone 6's (not 6S) - 200-250 down / 150-200 up Ipad mini 4 - 350-400 down / 200-250 up Ipad mini 3 - 250-300 / 150-200 up Galaxy 5 - 250-300 down / 150-200 up |
|
2 recommendations |
to neofate
I use an Apple Airport Extreme 6th Gen behind their Pace 5268AC gateway on one end of the house on the 2nd floor. I have another Airport Extreme 6th Gen on the first floor at the other end of the house. They are joined by a MoCA 2.0 Bonded network and I'm getting about 650mbps across that network.
Just ran SpeedTest and get (these are pretty typical): iPhone 6s Plus ~ 303 down / 410 up (wireless) Dell Windows 7 laptop ~ 909 down / 940 up (wire) Mac Mini (2012) ~ 765 down / 938 up (wire)
I'm quite happy with this having moved from TWC getting about 100 down / 10 up |
|
DarkenMoon Premium Member join:2013-11-14 Silver Springs, NV
1 recommendation |
to neofate
Apparently an Asus RT-AC87 can't do gigabit speeds fully on the download side of the WAN? It appears to be a router bottleneck, since when I look at the statistics while doing a speedtest, both cores of the CPU sit at 100%. The upload doesn't seem affected, but it too sits at 100%.
|
|
|
Volidon
Member
2016-Sep-11 12:45 am
a |
|
Volidon
4 recommendations |
to DarkenMoon
said by DarkenMoon:Apparently an Asus RT-AC87 can't do gigabit speeds fully on the download side of the WAN? It appears to be a router bottleneck, since when I look at the statistics while doing a speedtest, both cores of the CPU sit at 100%. The upload doesn't seem affected, but it too sits at 100%.
Have the same router and it definitely can handle gigabit speeds as shown » www.speedtest.net/result ··· 5492.png I have it set to megabytes Try » www.speedtest.net/ |
|
DarkenMoon Premium Member join:2013-11-14 Silver Springs, NV
1 recommendation |
It still can't hit the same speeds that I can being directly connected to the 5268ac, weirdly enough the upload speed is fine, and so are pings. I can even hit close to gigabit speeds on 2 computers with LAN, but not on the WAN.
|
|
1 edit
1 recommendation |
Do you have another computer to test on? preferably a more powerful one than the one you tested on if not it's fine.
If you have another router or can get one to test with to see if that makes a difference. Could be a faulty router or misconfigured. Check if NAT Acceleration is set to auto to rule that out. Advanced Settings >> LAN >> Switch Control >> NAT Acceleration |
|
DarkenMoon Premium Member join:2013-11-14 Silver Springs, NV
1 recommendation |
Here is a speedtest from the same computer, just bypassing the router. The computer I am using to test should be more than powerful enough. It has a Intel Core i7 4790k @ 4.4Ghz, 16GB Ram, and a Asus Z97-AR motherboard with an I218-V onboard NIC. I'll have to see if I can find my old WNDR4000 (cause that's all I have), I know it supports gigabit WAN, but I doubt it can actually do it. NAT Acceleration is on, with it off I only get 250 - 300 Mbps up and down.
|
|
1 recommendation |
That's powerful enough then it sounds like something is wrong with the router itself. Check if NAT acceleration is enabled but I would start with another router first to rule that out. |
|