Best router and modem (or 2-1 combination) compatible with Optimum 300
April 21, 2021 7:49 PM Subscribe
I live in Brooklyn. I do not care for Optimum but it is the only option I have. I want my own gear. I am looking for something that will provide me with the relatively good security and help me learn about network configuration.
My budget is ballpark $300. Used gear strikes me as a bad idea in this context, but maybe I am wrong? My apartment is small. I want one thing that plugs into the wall rather than any of the mesh stuff. I probably want something with a USB port.
I do not know enough to right now to make the decision for myself. Is a built-in VPN a good thing? A lot of what I read is meaningless to me and I feel overwhelmed, so I am hoping someone will just tell me what to buy.
My goal is to learn about network configuration, but I feel overwhelmed without the proper gear. A good recommendation to that end (perhaps a user-friendly or well-designed option) would help me. I am not gamer and better speed would be appreciated, but security and durability (2 years+ lifespan so it pays for itself) are my priorities.
I would also like to know if there are inherent benefits or drawbacks to 2 in 1 units versus separate modem and router.
Can anyone make a suggestion?
Thanks as always
My budget is ballpark $300. Used gear strikes me as a bad idea in this context, but maybe I am wrong? My apartment is small. I want one thing that plugs into the wall rather than any of the mesh stuff. I probably want something with a USB port.
I do not know enough to right now to make the decision for myself. Is a built-in VPN a good thing? A lot of what I read is meaningless to me and I feel overwhelmed, so I am hoping someone will just tell me what to buy.
My goal is to learn about network configuration, but I feel overwhelmed without the proper gear. A good recommendation to that end (perhaps a user-friendly or well-designed option) would help me. I am not gamer and better speed would be appreciated, but security and durability (2 years+ lifespan so it pays for itself) are my priorities.
I would also like to know if there are inherent benefits or drawbacks to 2 in 1 units versus separate modem and router.
Can anyone make a suggestion?
Thanks as always
A "Mikrotik Routerboard" has pleased friends who want to replace their router. But you also mention plugging stuff into the wall, do you want to have your network extended over Powerline devices and not Wifi?
When it comes to imagining what's going on (or going wrong) in your network there's a layered model to think about each class of connectivity -- is it the physical connection? does the physical connection carry signal? are the signals the right format for our data? are the devices following protocol but sending messages to the wrong addresses? Thus tiering will help you ask the questions that are right at that tier to diagnose faults and to be confident your network is working as it should.
posted by k3ninho at 11:59 PM on April 21, 2021
When it comes to imagining what's going on (or going wrong) in your network there's a layered model to think about each class of connectivity -- is it the physical connection? does the physical connection carry signal? are the signals the right format for our data? are the devices following protocol but sending messages to the wrong addresses? Thus tiering will help you ask the questions that are right at that tier to diagnose faults and to be confident your network is working as it should.
posted by k3ninho at 11:59 PM on April 21, 2021
You want a separate modem and router. You'd need to check what cable modems are compatible with Optimum, and get one of them. (In theory, any DOCSIS-compatible modem ought to work, but it's a big "ought" when dealing with the US cable monopolies.) I would get a cheap one. I personally use Arris, but I don't use Optimum so I don't know if that really matters. Don't pay for wireless integration in the modem if you care at all about building out your own infrastructure.
Then I would buy a separate gateway/router—the Mikrotik Routerboard is a good suggestion if you want a lot of hands-on control over your network. You might also want to look at Unifi gear; if you don't mind existing entirely in their hardware ecosystem, the stuff works well with little manual configuration. (If you decide to go the Unifi route, the thing to get would be the Unifi Security Gateway.)
And then I'd buy a wireless access point. Specifically an AP, not an AP/router combo unit. (Although if you have a combo unit sitting around, you can usually turn off the gateway/router functionality and turn it into a dumb AP, but I wouldn't buy one on purpose.) TP Link has some cheap ones, like around $30 each. Or, if you want to live in Unifi-land, you just buy one of theirs and plug it into your Unifi PoE switch and let it do its thing.
posted by Kadin2048 at 12:20 PM on April 22, 2021
Then I would buy a separate gateway/router—the Mikrotik Routerboard is a good suggestion if you want a lot of hands-on control over your network. You might also want to look at Unifi gear; if you don't mind existing entirely in their hardware ecosystem, the stuff works well with little manual configuration. (If you decide to go the Unifi route, the thing to get would be the Unifi Security Gateway.)
And then I'd buy a wireless access point. Specifically an AP, not an AP/router combo unit. (Although if you have a combo unit sitting around, you can usually turn off the gateway/router functionality and turn it into a dumb AP, but I wouldn't buy one on purpose.) TP Link has some cheap ones, like around $30 each. Or, if you want to live in Unifi-land, you just buy one of theirs and plug it into your Unifi PoE switch and let it do its thing.
posted by Kadin2048 at 12:20 PM on April 22, 2021
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I'd recommend adding an 8 port switch between the router and the wifi- wired networking is nice when you can.
There are a number of caveats and discussion points I can get to, but I think you can do that config for close to your budget. The router should last for a long time (and is confirmed good up to 1gbit). I'm not thrilled with UniFi right now though. It's been flaky on recent firmware, in my complicated setup (ymmv).
posted by wotsac at 9:18 PM on April 21, 2021