Best DD-WRT Router Hardware

Sin_Chase · 7 May 2012 at 17:11

Been reading around online and the Cisco/Linksys E4200 gets a good write up as a DD-WRT base. Articles are a little dated at Feb 2012 though, has much changed since then?

What opinions do other people have?

Currently use a Netgear DGN2200 which has not been the best of routers and has all of a sudden started rebooting itself non-stop.

Sin_Chase · 7 May 2012 at 18:40

Asus RT-N16 seems like a favoured base also - Anyone here using that?

Edit - Scrap the N16, no DSL modem.

Edit 2 - Hmm, perhaps back to the drawing board on this one - DD-WRT support on routers with integrated DSL modems is slim to none.

Sin_Chase · 7 May 2012 at 20:08

If I was going to go the separate DSL Modem + Router route I would probably just build a Linux Router/Firewall myself running something like pfsense - Was a route I would rather avoid though.

Seems there is no decent all-in-one package that was a working QoS implementation and an SSH Daemon.

Edit - My DGN2200 extended with modfs does it but....it's becoming rather flaky now.

Sin_Chase · 7 May 2012 at 21:22

lixxus said:
best router for dd-wrt would be alix pc engine board.
they support two wireless cards(mini-pci).
I am actually using one as a hardware firewall and AP using pfsense

I have a few spare from my wireless project. If you are interest let me know, otherwise they will end up on fleabay

Looks interesting.

Couple of questions:

What model is it?
What do you use as a DSL modem?
Do you implement any QoS?
Better to use a seperate AP through a switch or use an on-board one?
What speed is the ethernet? (I assume 100Mbit as opposed to Gigabit?)

Cheers

Sin_Chase · 7 May 2012 at 21:31

Shame it's only 100Mbps.

Whatever I go for needs to be future proof for fibre that rolls out here in the next few years. 1Gigabit to the home has been on trial for a few years and I anticipate the full roll out will be =>100Mbps.

Sin_Chase · 7 May 2012 at 21:46

KIA said:
You'll be waiting for a while unless you're lucky enough to be in an FTTP area.

I live in Jersey.

Fibre is being rolled out to premises over the next 2-3 years.

Sin_Chase · 7 May 2012 at 21:56

http://www.jtglobal.com/Jersey/Personal/JT-Fibre/Fibre-Tariffs/Tariff-details/

The usage cap sucks. But hopefully it will be wholesaled to our other ISPs (as DSL is now) who do not have caps on thier products.

But anyway - That's a 1Gbit/100Mbit service right there....so a router with interfaces that can handle it would be nice, even if I am still on DSL now

Sin_Chase · 7 May 2012 at 22:16

Jetway have some awesome mini-ITX boards, in aprticular the Jetway JNC9KDL-2700.

Dual Gigibit LAN. might have to check one of these out.

Sin_Chase · 8 May 2012 at 11:49

Yeah this is a back to the drawing board affair.

Even an Atom ITX is insufficient for 1Gigabit WAN-to-LAN routing, pfSense recommends 3Ghz at LEAST and enterprise grade NICs.

Going to look into some Socket 1155 Intel ITX boards and PCI-E NICs. Cross posted in Server/Enterprise also as it's likely this kind of WAN-to-LAN throughput is more commonly found in such environment. http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18401293

Was recommended a RouterBoard RB2011L-IN elsewhere which ahs a claimed ~950Mbps throughput but I have no experience with RouterOS and it's flexibility.