Router for home use

themagiconethemagicone Member Posts: 674
Really isn't a certification question but thought I'd ask anyway. I'm just tired of SOHO routers. After having 3 linksys brick on me from heavy use, I tried an Engenius that was suppose to be a lot better. Well it bricked today under stress. I've heard good things about the 800 Series ISR's from Cisco. What I need for sure is gigabit wan and gigabit ethernet (I will be upgrading to 100+/20 soon).

Does anyone have any recommendations on the 800 series? Or I might even spring for a 1941W. If I have to spend $1300-$1500 I'm fine with that. I just want something that will not bend with load and drop my connection.
Courses Completed at WGU: JIT2, LYT2, TFT2, SJT2, BFC2, TGT2, FXT2
Courses Required For Me To Graduate WGU in MS: IT Network Managment: MCT2, LZT2, MBT1, MDT2, MNT2
CU Done this term: 16 Total CU Done: 19
Currently working on: Nothing Graduation Goal: 5/2013

Comments

  • SteveThingSteveThing Member Posts: 42 ■■□□□□□□□□
    What kind of traffic are we talking about (internally and externally)?

    As much as I've enjoyed my 877W, I was always annoyed that the switch modules were so limited in functionality (2 VLANs, no layer 3 support, etc) and were only FastEthernet. Gigabit is nice, but it is expensive.

    There's also the consideration of your WAN link. Is it DSL, broadband, Verizon FiOS (real tricky one here)? Will you need more than LAN links?

    Personally, if I had $1500 to spend on my home network, I would get an 800 series router and trunk it to a gigabit switch and slap a cheap WiFi AP on my switch as well. Then again, having it all together in a 1900 series b/g/n router with 8 gigabit ports would make it much more compact. Problem is, you won't find a 1941W for less than $3k I think.
    CompTIA: Net+, Sec+
    Aruba: ACMA, ACMP
    Air Force:
    2E251, 3D152, Fiber Installation Expert, Certified Cryptographic Network Professional, and a couple hundred useless certs on nothing important in real life (aka, Tree Killing+)
  • themagiconethemagicone Member Posts: 674
    *NEW SEALED* CISCO1941W-A/K9 Cisco 1941-W IS Router | eBay

    $1239

    Then I would just need a gigabit HWIC. I have comcast now on the 50/10 but I'm going to switch to 100/20. My one roommate is always VPN'ing into numerous projects (work, his server farm in KS, etc), then there is 4 more adults that use the internet heavily. Just seems the SOHO router collapse after only a few months.
    Courses Completed at WGU: JIT2, LYT2, TFT2, SJT2, BFC2, TGT2, FXT2
    Courses Required For Me To Graduate WGU in MS: IT Network Managment: MCT2, LZT2, MBT1, MDT2, MNT2
    CU Done this term: 16 Total CU Done: 19
    Currently working on: Nothing Graduation Goal: 5/2013
  • alxxalxx Member Posts: 755
    Made sure its not a fault on your line blowing the routers ?
    Not getting spikes ?


    Other problem with some soho routers is poor cooling especially some older Linksys(and not so old)
    Make a case cut out, install a fan and the old wrt54g's lasted for years.

    Haven't been sticking them somewhere with poor or no airflow ?
    Goals CCNA by dec 2013, CCNP by end of 2014
  • luisYmeluisYme Member Posts: 23 ■□□□□□□□□□
    hi-
    a good inexpensive alternative is to buy a cisco 3550 emi for both routing and switching. you can practice all layer 2, stp, port-security, etc. topics as well as run routing protocols.

    hope this helps!icon_cheers.gif
  • alxxalxx Member Posts: 755
    luisYme wrote: »
    hi-
    a good inexpensive alternative is to buy a cisco 3550 emi for both routing and switching. you can practice all layer 2, stp, port-security, etc. topics as well as run routing protocols.

    hope this helps!icon_cheers.gif

    It appears he already has CCNA and CCNA security icon_wink.gif
    and 3350's can't act as a modem
    Goals CCNA by dec 2013, CCNP by end of 2014
  • alan2308alan2308 Member Posts: 1,854 ■■■■■■■■□□
    alxx wrote: »
    It appears he already has CCNA and CCNA security icon_wink.gif
    and 3350's can't act as a modem

    It also can't do NAT, which is probably a deal killer for a home router.
  • terryferaterryfera Member Posts: 71 ■■■□□□□□□□
    What about going with an old PC and something like Vyatta, pfsense, Astaro, clearos? It would probably give you the performance and reliability you're looking for. Throw an AP on a switch further down and you're set.
  • ZachBZachB Member Posts: 37 ■■□□□□□□□□
    I had an 881W I used briefly for home use. It had serious issues with the wireless AP though (random reboots multiple times daily) so I sent it back to the e-bay seller. I did like it though, however, the radio wasn't the strongest. I get much better signal everywhere with the latest Apple airport extreme (yea, I know, nowhere in the same league). I am seriously considering getting an 891W though so I have the 5ghz option.
    Currently working on:
    CISSP
    MSFT 70-417
    CCNA
  • PC509PC509 Member Posts: 804 ■■■■■■□□□□
    terryfera wrote: »
    What about going with an old PC and something like Vyatta, pfsense, Astaro, clearos? It would probably give you the performance and reliability you're looking for. Throw an AP on a switch further down and you're set.

    I have to agree with this. pfSense is an EXCELLENT firewall/router OS. Throw it on a PC with Gb NIC's and you are set. Great QoS, VERY stable, lots of features. Sure, it won't get you through the CCNA, but it is a great alternative for a home router.
  • SteveThingSteveThing Member Posts: 42 ■■□□□□□□□□
    The cost of an HWIC and a 4/8-port ESW is gonna push you over your budget a bit. I didn't realize the 1900 series dropped in price... or maybe I was confusing them with the 2900 series.

    In any event, my 877W has been outstanding for WiFi. The only issues I've had with it are DSL specific, and no blame to the device (Verizon tech-support fails).

    I currently use pfSense for my VPNs and firewall. You can buy dedicated hardware that is recommended by pfSense for a lot cheaper than the 1900. Although if your cable modem is taking a crap....

    Have you tried checking the signal levels on your modem (it usually has a 192.168.100.0/24 network setup) or requesting the ISP to re-push the firmware?
    CompTIA: Net+, Sec+
    Aruba: ACMA, ACMP
    Air Force:
    2E251, 3D152, Fiber Installation Expert, Certified Cryptographic Network Professional, and a couple hundred useless certs on nothing important in real life (aka, Tree Killing+)
Sign In or Register to comment.