Hi there,

Which router brand would you recommend for residential applications? We will then place the internet providers router/modem into bridge mode.

Should it have wireless eventhough we are supplying waps?

Thanks!

I use Mikrotik, though I believe many on this site use Araknis and Ubiquiti.

Generally, it is a best practice for the router to do nothing but route. In other words, you separate out the router from the switches and access points (i.e. no WiFi on the router.) On very small jobs, an all in one device may suffice.

Draytek 3900

This

I prefer Araknis but have used Luxul's all-in-one products (with good results) on small jobs. I had a Mikrotik on my bench a few years ago but just couldn't invest enough time yet to feel confident setting it up or having other techs work with it. Mikrotik is a great product if you get over the learning curve or can attend one of the training classes.

Exactly. It is the router on a stick model. You want a switch(managed is always preferred) to the be the core of your network and distribute your WiFi as well as everything else from there. Distributed WiFi will give you more control and coverage.


Shameless plug for using Araknis but a lot of our competitors make great products as well. At the end of the day it is all about picking a networking solution that you feel the most comfortable and confident installing. You want your networking products to be easy to install, perform at a level needed for this industry, and be easily serviceable when it comes to updates or troubleshooting. Once you pick that brand do your best to stick to it.

Happy to discuss Araknis/Networking more if you want to PM me.

Routers= Mikrotik

Switches= Araknis, UBNT Edgeswitch, UBNT Unifi switch

WAPs= Ruckus, Meraki, Unifi

Just curious what you like about Mikrotik Routers vs say Ubiquiti or Araknis? Isn't it easier to have a solution that gives you a central dashboard to view Waps like Unifi?

Since URC started their partnership with Luxul, we have been using Luxul.  We used Pakedge before that.  Luxul has been rock solid for us and is very easy to configure.

Mainly because they are solid products, price is unheard of and I can do just about anything needed with them. I also have some stock configs that I can load into any of the routers and be up and running in minutes.

As for dashboards, they're cute and all, but not a necessity. If I use Unifi waps, then I put in a cloud key to view things and get remote access. If I use Ruckus, then I look at the ZoneDirector or Master Unleashed Wap for info. If I'm having a routing problem or similar, then I can look at the Tik and use the plethora of tools that are built-in to them to find my problem.

Either way, all my networks have a vpn, so I can troubleshoot anything really.

Unifi and others are kind of plug and pray, if you ask me. They push out so many damn updates and versions, you never know what you're going to get when they are plugged in. Plus, I've seen many of these devices literally bring the network to a hault because of bad firmware or the like.

Hope it helps. I personally don't believe that the Tik learning curve is that bad at all. Just about anything you need to do with them is either already posted in their wiki with steps or the CLI ready to be copy and pasted or there are Youtube videos on how to do it. Once you get the hang of them, you'll understand what I'm referring to.

Mikrotik Routers, Luxul Switches, Ruckus WAPS.

that analytics with the ubiquiti stuff still blows my mind. Its crazy the kind of info it gives you thru the web portal about network usage, etc.

Hey if it has additional tools to help diagnose issues on a network ‘nuff said.

If you are new to this...I would say Ubiquiti (buy direct off their website) or Araknis if you are a dealer. Ubiquiti is great. Very solid. Only drawback is their tech support is pretty much email only. Takes some time to get support but their stuff is very easy to setup and is very solid and plays well with just about everything. I like it alot. Araknis is also very good. Only drawback to Araknis from my experience is that their routers do not like larger sonos systems. I have had to remove a few of their routers with systems that have a lot of sonos equipment and use the ISP gateway as the router to make it work. This was also under agreement with thier tech support. The Access points still worked fine with the ISP gateways. The tech support for Araknis is great and you cant beat that! Also having ovrc with Araknis is another feature that is tough to beat. It's kind of a toss up between the two for me. I lean towards Araknis because of the ovrc and the easy access to good support.

Good Luck.

How large? Are we talking the max of 32 SONOS units or something smaller?