Recommended SOHO all-in-one

[whitey]

I REALLY hate to do this or even recommend this but I don't have the time right now to convince my neighbor to do the full 'preferred stack' of broke out network devices as I typically suggest (dedicated pfSense router, dedicated 8 port procurve switch, and dedicated ubiquiti AP) so I come here to seek advise on a good-ish all-in-one network device to replace their less than performant current setup.

Any suggestions, I was gonna suggest to them a ubiquiti LR AP but then saw he is using a all-in-one linksys of some sort that he paid like $200 for (ouch) so he still is gonna need the router/switch functionality as well as the AP capability.

Any help/tips would be greatly appreciated. Again it pains me to do this but I just don't have the time to convince to spend the $ as it wil;l be worth it to them in the long run and talk him through a proper network setup right now and he is in a hurry. Last neighbor I did the proper stack for I have not heard a THING from for a year and 1/2...which is a GOOD thing. :-D

Hope this suggestion does not bite me in the arse.

 

[whitey]

Little more background, this device will serve a rather large house (nearly 5000 sq ft) so I need something that will be capable of good wifi performance through 3 levels of the house, right now he insists that it must go in his basement (demarc point and I dont thing they had cat5 wired through house...BOO) which I keep advising that is not the best place to plop this thing so I may have some legwork left yet.

 

[TuxDude]

I'd go with the slow migration from where he is, with the goal of a final destination of where you want him to be. Start off by adding the pfSense device to his current setup - disable the DHCP and any other un-needed services on his linksys and continue to use it as a 4-port switch + AP. Stick an unused Cat5 end into the WAN port and tell him not to use it. That gives you the flexibility to stick the router in the basement at the demarc point but move the AP to somewhere more convienient with a single Cat5 run. In my mind this solves the biggest issue, being the horrific security of those never-updated all-in-one routers.

Then in the future as growth requires or to solve any issues that come up, add more switches if he needs more ports, add more APs if he needs better coverage or just has too many devices for the cheap AP to keep up with. And of course as your adding additional components down the line you have opportunities to use the proper dedicated parts for each piece.

 

[T_Minus]

Obviously the easiest solution is to just aim some of your APs at his house and give him access

sry no help here!

 

[whitey]

Obviously the easiest solution is to just aim some of your APs at his house and give him access

sry no help here!

LOL, don't EVEN get me thinking about INSANE choices...I WILL DO IT!

He's in a neighborhood about 2-3 miles away and we COULD work out LOS issues or blast the airwaves, his internet is HORRIFIC and he has no other choice, cannot figure out for the life of me why they cannot get comcast over where he is.

 

[whitey]

Good ideas TuxDude, I like that school of thought.

 

[whitey]

DAMMIT, now I have to have the inner-struggle that is 'choosing an affordable but rock solid pfSense device' w/out sticker-shocking him.

Hey he's a lawyer right, shouldn't complain too much abt cost. If you can live in a 1/2 million+ house you can splurge $500 for the proper network setup right?

 

[jjoyceiv]

DAMMIT, now I have to have the inner-struggle that is 'choosing an affordable but rock solid pfSense device' w/out sticker-shocking him.

Hey he's a lawyer right, shouldn't complain too much abt cost. If you can live in a 1/2 million+ house you can splurge $500 for the proper network setup right?

A rock-solid pfSense device can run way under $500! Aside from the many good prebuilt options, I'd put together something like this:

Case: M350
Board: ASRock J1900D2Y
RAM: any 4gb DDR3L SODIMM or 2x2gb
Storage: this cheapo SSD or any cheapo SSD or a CF card and adapter
AC: whatever 2.5mm/5.5mm 19V AC adapter you're comfortable with

Total ~$270 with the CF card option, more if you want a better AC adapter - or less with spare parts to reuse. Significantly faster than pfSense's own branded options, but still silent/fanless/sans moving parts.

I've had a similar (DN2800MT board, CF card + adapter, extra Intel NIC) setup going strong for some 4-5 years now. Highly recommended.

 

[nickscott18]

Have you considered something along the lines of a Mikrotik Hap AC access point / router

 

[whitey]

I want a pfSense based router for sure, the ASRock board is just abt as much as an official pfSense SG-2200, thanks for the suggestion and it may have a bit more juice under the hood but I may just go w/ SG-2200 or a APU1/2 board. Had good luck w/ those in the past and certainly under $200 if you shop right w/ board, case, pwr supply.

The APU2's have 3 Intel at211 nics is what is appealing there. Just don't want to wait a week or two for it to ship across pond really :-(

 

[jjoyceiv]

I want a pfSense based router for sure, the ASRock board is just abt as much as an official pfSense SG-2200

Indeed it is. About twice as powerful, but for most homes you won't notice the difference. Plus it's good to support the project. I could build something faster/cheaper than the pfSense official box I'm planning to get, but for business use it's worth it.