So what's a reputable router brand nowadays?
I've been noticing a lot of bad rap for TP-Link and Huawei lately. What are good alternatives then?
Or, since I have modest needs (ethernet is around 100Mbps; wifi should handle 2 simultaneous Zoom sessions well enough) and I like time-tested solutions: what's a somewhat older but sturdy router that is still worth buying today?
It runs a modified OpenWrt, TurrisOS, which is open source.
They're a bit on the pricey side, so "worth buying" from that perspective will be up to you.
Edit: Turns out there might be a 2022 version which would fit your bill (except the time tested part), but it's not launched yet. https://forum.turris.cz/t/turris-omnia-2022/15995/144 https://twitter.com/turris_cz/status/1448535213626200066
The Netgear R6220 has been pretty good to me (I have several), but I will not ever tell someone to just "get a Netgear router".
Secret is to check the openwrt database for compatibility before purchase, power up the router, confirm its not dead on arrival, then flash the openwrt firmware.
Best bit is the router config is just flat files - you can transfer them from old to new router and have it up and running in no time even if they are different models/brands.
Currently using a Asus AX88U with gigabit fiber. Great coverage throughout a two story house.
Currently using an ER-X with two Unifi APs.
Best thing about this level of hardware is uptime. Unlike many consumer/retail routers I've used previously, this thing has months/years of uptime at a time.
When something fails on my network, I can almost always assume the router is not involved in the problem.
I could see myself going for a OpenSense/PFSense custom build at some point for more power and even more options, but EdgeRouter hardware right now has enough configuration settings for me, but there is one configuration the ER-X doesn't have exactly enough power for- which is QoS.
Trying to QoS my 300mbps results in about a 1/3 speed reduction because it's pegging the CPU pretty hard. (QoS causes hardware-offloading to be turned off).
If it doesn't need WiFi built-in then the answer is simple. Buy a quality box from a decent indie e.g. Deciso[1]. Either run what it comes with (generally OPNsense), or install your own BSD-based OS and configure to your personal preferences.
If you're looking for an all-in-one with Wifi included, then maybe something from Microtik ? But I don't know really, I keep my Wifi seperate (HP Aruba make FANTASTIC WiFi boxes, not as cheap as the usual junk, but fantastically configurable to an extraordinary level of granularity and robust, you really DO get what you pay for).
I would not touch Ubiquiti with a barge pole. IMHO their day in the spotlight has passed. They have been in a spiral of decline for a while. See also the way they handled that whole security thing in recent history. Plus also Ubiquiti is "web-ui or bust", if you are a techie that likes control you might find that too limiting.
Yeah, most of them were accessible price-wise before the whole COVID-induced semiconductor shortage came along.
Now most vendors have hiked their prices and unfortunately HP went up too, 30-40% for some models.
But for home use, the lower (but not bottom !) end models should be fine. Just be sure to check the EOL sheets first because HP refreshed their line last year (I think) to reduce some of the duplication in the ranges so don't buy the EOL models.
This is correct.
(Although I can't vouch for it as I've never used it, my comments above were strictly related to the "full-fat" version of Aruba).
> It also doesn't require a controller.
Your implication that "full-fat" HP Aruba always requires an external controller is not correct.
All current "full-fat" APs can operate either controller-less or with controller (IIRC in North America you need to be careful what part number you order, outside North America they all ship controller-less out of the box).
Indeed, "full-fat" controller-less mode is very clever indeed. The APs run the controller on-board. When you have multiple APs they will form a cluster, and they will perform an election to determine master, failover is seamless.
You do have to spend some time turning off all the stuff that's exposed on the default wan interface though.
Be warned that the wifi onboard the CM4 is weak (like the usable range is only 9ish feet, or 3ish metres), but the CM4 does have a tiny connector to attach a better antenna (not included). There are also 2 USB3 ports, so some sort of better Linux-compatible wifi dongle could be attached there. OpenWRT makes it easy to graphically add such a new network device into a quickly-usable network interface.
The linux kernel version at present is 5.4, if you were wondering how recent the driver support would be. And remember, that's aarch64 drivers, not amd64.
The short answer is the line of routers from Peplink, including their low-end business router, the Pepwave Surf SOHO. The site's owner argues that big box routers put overmuch emphasis on speed at the cost to security; they build a fast router, he feels, but then neglect firmware security updates. I've owned the Surf SOHO since 2017 and have just upgraded to the Peplink Balance 20+ for a little more future-proofing. I can attest that their engineers are still updating the firmware.
I used to flash them with tomato before the fcc ruined that, now I flash them with merlin, very high quality.
They pretty well just work.
Currently running the AC86U
Just to clarify, I'm actually looking for a hybrid of access point and switch to replace my trashy Huawei router my ISP has provided. Apologies for not being so clear on what I meant by "router."
Edit: typo
Not only do they offer all the products I could need (Switches, AP's, Routers....) but their products are well positioned for the enthusiast...super configurable without the "enterprise" price tag.
Similar to MicroTik.
Also, with your TP-Link, your ISP has administrative access to log into your home LAN, and poke around. They might give themselves the right to do so in their TOS, or they might have hired a malicious employee, or suffer a security compromise.