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Ask HN: Please recommend a router without need for a cloud account

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Re: Ask HN: Please recommend a router without need for a cloud account

#151

Post by dehrmann »

dredmorbius wrote: post #9

Any system capable of running OpenWRT. https://openwrt.org/supported_devices You might find / inquire about specific devices at the OpenWRT subreddit: https://old.reddit.com/r/openwrt/ The Turris Omnia is priced above your preferred range, but is effectively a small server and has excellent capabilities. It runs a specifically-tuned and live-upgradable version of OpenWRT: https://www.turris.com/en/omnia/overview/

I usually get a Mikrotik device when I'm going to use OpenWRT. Hardware support tends to be pretty good.

Re: Ask HN: Please recommend a router without need for a cloud account

#152

Post by LargoLasskhyfv »

ramphastidae wrote: post #74
dredmorbius wrote: post #9

Any system capable of running OpenWRT. https://openwrt.org/supported_devices You might find / inquire about specific devices at the OpenWRT subreddit: https://old.reddit.com/r/openwrt/ The Turris Omnia is priced above your preferred range, but is effectively a small server and has excellent capabilities. It runs a specifically-tuned and live-upgradable version of OpenWRT: https://www.turris.com/en/omnia/overview/

IMHO, skip OpenWRT. It is much more difficult to get working correctly than HN likes to admit. There’s a non-trivial chance you will spend hours and hours reflashing your router and reading forum posts until you eventually brick it. It’s just like Raspberry Pis. Theoretically the right choice but practically speaking a huge time sink and poor, unstable experience that is best left to hobbiest tinkering or networking…

If you manage to brick your router by messing with OpenWRT, you're maybe better of with the factory default 'for dummies' interface. Most cheap plastics have something like 'recovery' built in. It's like rescue 'BIOS' becoming active after a while, or via some reset button push code, where it is accessible on a default IP, and reflashable via browser. This seems to be the case since at about 10 years? What sometimes is lacking, is the documentation about the specifics of factory defaults for different devices and revisions thereof.

I never felt the 'instability', at least not when I limited myself to the basics a thing like that should do, and not trying to turn it into a server for all sorts of things.

(Edit: Though you can also do that, if you know what you are doing. That's the advantage of things like these!)

Depending on which hardware/SOC you have, DD-Wrt may be a better option.

Re: Ask HN: Please recommend a router without need for a cloud account

#153

Post by salmo »

I messed with OpenWRT on consumer gear for years. I hated the hardware. So many had "all the features" (802.11 coolest, gigabit NICs), but didn't have enough actual compute power/memory to get the performance out of them, or the NICs were "gigabit". OpenWRT works, but turned into a hobby in itself and I just don't have the patience for that anymore.

Since 2017 I've run pfSense and love it. Originally started on a fanless x86 machine with good NICs (until it eventually committed suicide), and now run an actual NetGate appliance. The appliance is even nicer to me, since FreeBSD/ARM isn't a likely drive-by target for a 0-day.

No cloud. Real OS, good feature set, regular updates, great performance.

Unfortunately I haven't found an access point I love without cloud accounts. Running Uniquiti APs now. I do like that they hand off devices between each other well, push IoT to 2.4Ghz and real stuff to 5GHz, etc. I'd never run their router exposed to the internet, but.. yeah.

Re: Ask HN: Please recommend a router without need for a cloud account

#154

Post by winrid »

yrui wrote: post #57

I am very happy with the ThinkPenguin mini router. https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/free-software-wireles... It uses LibreCMC--a really well supported Libre branch of OpenWRT. https://librecmc.org/faq.html Everything just works, and there are regular updates patching vulnerabilities.

If they had a 1gbps version, I'd buy it.

Re: Ask HN: Please recommend a router without need for a cloud account

#155

Post by emdog4 »

Linksys WRT3200ACM is what i recommend. supports openwrt. my 3200 is at my parents being used as an AP only. their router is a Cisco 1921 with zone based firewall and some poe 3750 switches.

My setup here is a Cisco ASA 5512x firewall, catalyst 3750GBe poe switch, WLAN2504 controller and several CAP3702 APs. this requires quite a bit of experience to setup, but works very well. the wlan controller and two APs will probably cost about $300. that alone could be used behind your ISP modem if desired. i’ve got gigabit fiber up/down from ATT and use their modem but pass thru the IP to my asa.

Re: Ask HN: Please recommend a router without need for a cloud account

#156

Post by kubik369 »

fundad wrote: post #95
kubik369 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have given up on trying to find a consumer all-in-one router/ap combo and just have a dedicated router and dedicated access points. You can simply block all the Internet traffic for your access points and you will have more options to pick from for the router part. I am now running on a NanoPi R2S with some TP-Link Omada access points and I didn't have to touch anything for almost two years since I decided on this…

I have dedicated APs but don’t have a nice router. I haven’t figured out if using APs for Wi-Fi and using my ISP’s router for routing loses me any speed. Does anyone think an additional NAT layer could improve performance? I imagine it’s features vs performance

It's not really features vs performance. I don't know where you are based, but here in Europe ISPs must (I think?) put the router into bridge mode upon your request, from which point you can use whatever you want and the box from ISP acts mostly as a modem/media converter. I was even able to cut out this part by using an SFP GPON module I found!

Regarding speeds, it depends on what you are working with. Basically anything can do 100Mbit, most basic consumer gear seems to top out at around ~300Mbit and if you want to go higher, you need more powerful ARM SBCs or x86 based routers.

Re: Ask HN: Please recommend a router without need for a cloud account

#157

Post by kubik369 »

ryantgtg wrote: post #87
kubik369 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have given up on trying to find a consumer all-in-one router/ap combo and just have a dedicated router and dedicated access points. You can simply block all the Internet traffic for your access points and you will have more options to pick from for the router part. I am now running on a NanoPi R2S with some TP-Link Omada access points and I didn't have to touch anything for almost two years since I decided on this…

I don’t know that much about APs. They have to be wired into your router? I have some nearly-dead spots in my house, and so I think I need APs. Not sure that I could send wires around the house. I use a buffalo airstation with dd-wrt.

It would be best to run wires with APs to those dead spots. If that is not possible, make it possible. If it is really not possible, then you have the option of powerline adapters or mesh networks, but those are a mostly inferior solution to running a cable and putting an AP there. I recommend not even thinking about repeaters if you are not desperate. Don't forget that the APs can be powered through PoE (Power over Ethernet) which relieves you from the need to have a power outlet at the spot you want to put your AP in.

Re: Ask HN: Please recommend a router without need for a cloud account

#158

Post by LargoLasskhyfv »

ramphastidae wrote: post #113
howdydoo wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nothing in life has a 100% success rate. But I think the fact that most people recommend OpenWrt, shows that most people don't have these crazy problems. Buy well-supported hardware, follow the directions carefully, and you'll be just fine.

Certainly. But I had a very difficult time. I purchased an ASUS router recommended by the OpenWRT website, followed directions but struggled for hours, and eventually bricked it only to find out later via searching forum posts that some routers with that model number are not supported if they were made in a specific year (of course, this was discovered via trial and error by other frustrated forum members, no one had…

Really irreversible, or could it be reflashed via so called 'JTAG-cable', and serial terminal, tftp, or maybe even https://www.flashrom.org/Flashrom (but then with other cables and plugs, because most likely directly writing into the chip without any intermediaries)?

Re: Ask HN: Please recommend a router without need for a cloud account

#159

Post by smcleod »

emdog4 wrote: post #155

Linksys WRT3200ACM is what i recommend. supports openwrt. my 3200 is at my parents being used as an AP only. their router is a Cisco 1921 with zone based firewall and some poe 3750 switches. My setup here is a Cisco ASA 5512x firewall, catalyst 3750GBe poe switch, WLAN2504 controller and several CAP3702 APs. this requires quite a bit of experience to setup, but works very well. the wlan controller and two APs will pr…

I second this, it's a very capable wifi AP and router that supports openWRT that flashes and installs without any issues (last I tried it about a year ago).
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