WiFi 6 router with SMBv1 support and High Availability

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Wasmachineman_NL

Wasmachineman_NL

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I'm getting real ****ing tired of my internet going down at random times lately and i'm starting to suspect it's the Netgear R7000 in the cupboard. What's out there that:
  • supports SMBv1 so I can access it from Windows 98 computers and newer
  • Has WiFi 5/11ac or WiFi 6/11ax support
  • High Availability so I don't beat a hole in my bedroom wall out of anger that my goddamn 'net went down for the fifth time today
  • Optional Mesh support in case I get complaints that the internet on the 2nd floor or in the garden is slow as hell or nonexistent
  • A torrent client that isn't borderline unusable like the one in DD-WRT would be very nice but not necessary, I have a OptiPlex 3040 for things like that in the first place lol
  • High USB performance is also something I value very much as I use network shares quite extensively (copying 3DMark Vantage with 15mb/s is really pissing me off!)
  • Hardmode: more than four Gbit LAN ports
The ASUS RT-AX68U looks great on paper, but does it support SMBv1 and doesn't shit itself at the slightest hitch?

EDIT: It seems accessing a share crashes my router for some bizarre reason.
 
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unmesh

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Apr 17, 2017
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If you're up for it, I would recommend breaking up your search into two: a wired router/firewall and one or more WiFi6 APs.

I'm using a small industrial x86 PC running pfSense and have TP-Link APs but there are lots of good choices recommended by others on this site.
 
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Wasmachineman_NL

Wasmachineman_NL

Wittgenstein the Supercomputer FTW!
Aug 7, 2019
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unmesh said:
If you're up for it, I would recommend breaking up your search into two: a wired router/firewall and one or more WiFi6 APs.

I'm using a small industrial x86 PC running pfSense and have TP-Link APs but there are lots of good choices recommended by others on this site.
Click to expand...
APs is a good idea, might need to look more into that. What PC are you using?
 
R

RTM

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Jan 26, 2014
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It seems to me that you have conflicting requirements.
  1. You want fairly recent wifi (especially wifi 6)
  2. You want SMB1 which is generally considered vulnerable and have been removed widely (and *should* be gone in most recent hardware)
    1. I believe if you find a router that supports this, it will likely have firmware issues (because they didn't care enough about it to fix stupid vulnerabilities)
  3. You want stability
I am not saying that you can't find a device that works for what you want, but you may want to consider that there is a reason why it is so difficult to find what you are looking for.

While I agree with @unmesh that separating wifi from routing is a good idea, I think a more pressing need is to separate the SMB1 stuff onto a separate device. Frankly I think you should let the router do routing (if push comes to shove also wifi) and let something else deal with the other things.

Why not use the Optiplex to do SMB1 and Torrent stuff?
 
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Evan

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Jan 6, 2016
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Wasmachineman_NL said:
But it's got a Intel C2000 CPU so it's got the timer bug.
Click to expand...
Which may or may not die some time in the future. If you have it an it’s not a critical role just let it run but be prepared it won’t work one day as any single system really.

Let’s just say while a lot of people have had them die I have replaced heaps prior to death and not bothered replacing some in different vendors systems. So far though touch wood have never seen this failure myself so while it’s ‘common’ it’s not assured your system will fall over. Also certain workloads like in the Cisco ASA devices used to kill them apparently but had a lot so ASA’s replaced that were a few years only and yes to even have any of those fail.
 
BoredSysadmin

BoredSysadmin

Not affiliated with Maxell
Mar 2, 2019
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unmesh said:
I'm using a Lanner with a Rangeley CPU though I also have a HP T730 thin client with an add on NIC that I've set up to be a backup.
Click to expand...
I'd also add that Dell Wyze 5070 Extended client. It's based on J50005 CPU and you could easily add m.2 SATA (it doesn't support NVMe) SSD, expand the memory, and add almost any pci-e nic
The CPU was shown to run Wireguard VPN on VyOS at near gig speeds. I have a large surplus of these boxes at my work, so I got mine for free, but you could get one off eBay for not much money (depends on the seller's greed) - check previous sales.

I'd also swap pfSense for opnSense - which is a fork from pfSense, but better.
 
nickf1227

nickf1227

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Sep 23, 2015
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Complaining that file shares suck on a consumer WiFi router when you have a small form factor dell already is confusing. Use the Dell you already have as a Nas?

Also SMBv1 is deprecated for a reason. You just said Windows 98 and WiFi 6 in the same sentence....
 
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Wasmachineman_NL

Wasmachineman_NL

Wittgenstein the Supercomputer FTW!
Aug 7, 2019
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nickf1227 said:
Complaining that file shares suck on a consumer WiFi router when you have a small form factor dell already is confusing. Use the Dell you already have as a Nas?

Also SMBv1 is deprecated for a reason. You just said Windows 98 and WiFi 6 in the same sentence....
Click to expand...
The R7000's network shares work just fine with Windows 98.

Not using the Dell as a NAS is more of a practical issue, i'm already rather constrained on sockets in the cupboard as is.
 
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Stephan

Stephan

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Apr 21, 2017
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Once you fixed your router, have you considered fixing the anger bit as well? ;-) I can recommended switching out part of your daily fluid intake to a suitable mineral water in analogy to this https://archive.is/np0hW And after a month, see how things go. I dare not recommend stuff like rot13(yvguvhz bebgngr 5zt), always talk to your doctor first. But I figure before you hurt yourself real bad punching holes into walls out of anger for effectively nothing, giving a small tip unasked shall not hurt.
 
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elvisimprsntr

Active Member
May 9, 2021
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I'm not sure where to begin...

  • Wifi router in a cupboard
    • WiFi multi-path inside the cupboard and potential trapped heat. Try relocating router to minimize multi-path and heat.
  • Windows 98 and SMBv1
    • Both deprecated. Upgrade or install Linux on clients.
  • Using a consumer router to serve a USB connected SMB share
  • Using a consumer firewall
  • Insufficient space and outlets for kit
    • Consider relocating kit to a more suitable location to allow for better ventilation, eliminate multi-path, more outlets, room to expand kit.
 
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nickf1227

nickf1227

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Wasmachineman_NL said:
The R7000's network shares work just fine with Windows 98.

Not using the Dell as a NAS is more of a practical issue, i'm already rather constrained on sockets in the cupboard as is.
Click to expand...
I can run Windows 98 on my desktop. Why don't we do that too?

Security concerns...
 
Wasmachineman_NL

Wasmachineman_NL

Wittgenstein the Supercomputer FTW!
Aug 7, 2019
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Why do people keep suggesting to install a newer OS? Do you even know what hardware I am running 98 or XP on?

As for relocating the router: not a option, the modem is also in the cupboard/fuse box.
 
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elvisimprsntr

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May 9, 2021
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Wasmachineman_NL said:
Why do people keep suggesting to install a newer OS? Do you even know what hardware I am running 98 or XP on?
As for relocating the router: not a option, the modem is also in the cupboard/fuse box.
Click to expand...
You are still running both 98 and XP? Might be time to repurpose/recycle that old kit.

You seem to have already punched holes in the walls to run new cables and improve ventilation.
 
nickf1227

nickf1227

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Sep 23, 2015
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Wasmachineman_NL said:
Why do people keep suggesting to install a newer OS? Do you even know what hardware I am running 98 or XP on?

As for relocating the router: not a option, the modem is also in the cupboard/fuse box.
Click to expand...
Because you are not understanding why myself and some of the other posters here believe your use case to not make sense. You should not be running Windows 98 and XP for any purpose other than a bit of old-school gaming or some other legacy purpose. Even then, you should not have them on any network, least of all the same network as all of your production computers. It is a security risk.

I have a rack filled with servers in a closet next to my electrical panel. I'm not sure I understand why you cant figure out how to put an SFF PC there. If you want files you can access on your computers that are legacy, you should access them on a different legacy PC...not on your WiFi router...

Also, you don't even need to spend any money and buy anything, the stability problems you are having are related to the share portion of your router. No doubt, you are having problems because its trying to support a deprecated protocol on a device intended for an entirely different purpose (as in routing)...

Just because you CAN do something does not mean you SHOULD do something....
 
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Wasmachineman_NL

Wasmachineman_NL

Wittgenstein the Supercomputer FTW!
Aug 7, 2019
1,880
620
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elvisimprsntr said:
You are still running both 98 and XP? Might be time to repurpose/recycle that old kit.

You seem to have already punched holes in the walls to run new cables and improve ventilation.
Click to expand...
lolno, that's just a metaphor for me getting rather pissed at shit not working, something I can't stand.

Repurpose that old stuff? Not happening, most of my Precision collection runs XP and can't run anything newer.

As for the 98 systems: it's mostly for installing and then selling them, using SMB shares is very useful for that purpose as 98 has no USB support from the factory.

re SFF PC: while I can fit the OptiPlex just fine in the fuse box, a lack of safe sockets that don't use extenders like these:

is holding me back. Fiber junction box, modem, router, and a MagCharger use up all the sockets. Although I have been considering moving the MagCharger elsewhere in the house, that should free up a socket.
 
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