Looking for a nice router

[ssc456]

Can I ask why you need to spend $400 on a router?

Most standard broadband routers can cope with 10 connections or so without too much difficulty? The speed / bandwidth for your home is surely ultimately determined by your phone line and not the quality of your router?

Sure not a lot of routers have more than 5+ ports but a 10 port switch is pocket changed compared to $400

 

[setishock]

Newegg.com - TP-LINK TL-WR1043ND Wireless N Gigabit Router Up to 300Mbps/ USB port x1/ Detachable Antenna x3/ IP QoS/ QSS Button

Less than $100.00usd.

 

[larss]

Hello,
Forget about TP-Link, Netgear, D-Link (most of all D-Link, utter crap in my book). Go with a Asus RT N-66u. You could also go with a Cisco if you like all that "management in the cloud" stuff they are now marketing, and you really really want to stick to the default operating sistem and not get OpenWRT or DD-WRT.
Another option would be to get something like this: PC Engines alix2d13 product file (PC Engines Alix 2d13 board), install pfSense unto it, and enjoy a real router (i mean besides packet filtering: routing, AF scaning, mesh, VPNs, load ballancing and failover multi-wan, reporting tools, squid and all sorts of goodies).
Believe it or not, the last option is not only the best, but also the easiest to implement and upgrade.

 

[setishock]

Anjen, Why go a more expensive route with the ASUS? And why go a complicated route with open source hardware and software? Most people that come here are looking for a simple answer to a simple question.

 

[BK_123]

Anjen, Why go a more expensive route with the ASUS? And why go a complicated route with open source hardware and software? Most people that come here are looking for a simple answer to a simple question.

Exactly Seti, You would only be looking for a more complicated and expensive router if you we're doing it for a big company or kinda small business or place that needs or wants wifi access for other things..

 

[larss]

Exactly Seti, You would only be looking for a more complicated and expensive router if you we're doing it for a big company or kinda small business or place that needs or wants wifi access for other things..

I've got a budget of about $400 for this.

1 Alix2D13, 1 interior enclosure, 1 CF card, 1 Atheros based N-card, 2 pigtail + 2 antenas and a18V traff go for way less.
PC Engines ALIX2D13 Full Wireless N Kit Same as ALIX2D3 | eBay
vs.
Newegg.com - ASUS RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router, DD-WRT Open Source support, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, IEEE 802.3/3u/3ab
Is it still that much more expensive?

QoS, gigabit, and VPN support. If there is something that offers more advanced traffic support than QoS can do (such as blocking torrent traffic or whatever) that'd be a plus.

pfSense has the best QoS around. It also has Layer7 filtering for blocking stuff like torrents. Alix comes w/ gigabit Ethernet. Saving the VPN for last. To get VPN working under OpenWRT is a pain in the a**. Never got IPSEC to work under OpenWRT. To get PPTP, OpenVPN, IPSEC, SSL VPN under pfSense...well...u just install it. Certificates are generated just adding users, also you can join a domain....etc.

Not saying that OpenWRT is bad. No way. I use Barrier Breaker at home on an RT-N16. Just saying, just because something is different and it MIGHT seem more complex, that doesn't mean it's also more complicated.