Ok, so I’ve been dealing with Asus routers for a while but over the last few years I’ve been having issues with them either dropping WiFi bands (but still saying they’re broadcasting) or just straight stop working (but all lights are still lit properly). So I’m at the point of not trusting them for anything mission critical. (RT-AC86U, RT-N56U)
The household right now is 2 adults working from home with Google Meet and sheets being used a decent amount with hardwired computers. Most wifi clients are smarthome things and a few cell phones. Streaming is currently limited to one hardwired Chromecast. I currently have an external HD attached to my router that’s used as a semi-NAS to mostly backup phone photos. It then synchs to off-site.
At this moment I’m now looking for a modem, switch (managed vs unmanaged?), and I guess one AP. If needed I can try adding one of the Asus routers as a second hardwired AP. I think I need around 6 ports but wouldn’t be opposed to having space for 12. ISP is Spectrum and am considering gigabit but currently receiving 140Mbps down, 11 up on 5ghz wifi. I’m using ISP provided modem, then whatever router/switch I end up with. I don’t really understand the difference between managed and unmanaged switches and what I need.
Based on a previous post I found a parts list would look like this:
TP-Link ER605
Aruba Instant On Switch (1430 8port or 1830)
Aruba Instant On AP22
But I’m open to other suggestions for parts or brands etc. Thanks for all the help!
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If your home router is “dropping bands”, it is likely that the power adapter has weakened and can no longer deliver enough amps to the device to keep the radios operating properly, or not enough power to keep the CPU from losing bits and crashing (LEDs on, but not reliably functional).
I’d replace the power adapter with one that can deliver more amps. These adapters have to deal with every power transient and are often powered up for years. And they are often mediocre.
I’ve never thought about this really. I’ll look in to it but do you have any suggestions as to how to find a power adapter that fits the same barrel fitting as well as what amperage to go up to?
Do you think that using the router to attach the external HDD adds extra stress on the unit and makes it more likely to crash?
You have a couple options. The easiest is to buy an adjustable power adapter. They’re about $20 on Amazon. They come with a bunch of “barrel tips” so it is very likely you’ll have one that matches. I have one of these adjustables to test and validate devices when the power adapter is missing or suspect. Pretty handy.
Otherwise, you need to know the voltage, polarity, minimum amperage, and jack size. The first three are easy because they are almost always declared on the old brick or the device itself. You don’t have to match the amperage, but the new adapter needs to supply at least the amperage of the original. For example, if your old supply was 1000 mA, a 1.5 Amp supply is fine but a 500 mA supply will not provide adequate power.
The physical jacks: you get to learn what they are through experience. The most popular are 2.1mm in diameter and 5.5 mm in length, with 2.5 mm diameter being the 2nd most popular. But there are many others. Sometimes if you look for a replacement adapter for your device the specs will actually say. Otherwise you’ll need to measure your old one.
For the sake of convenience and troubleshooting go all in on one brand. Mix and match might save you cash now but waste time in the future.
Omada is well priced and solid hardware. As others have mentioned the ER605 might cap out. The ER7206 might work better in the long term.
Appreciate the insight. The parts list was just pulled from a random post with no prior knowledge on my part.
As long as you are planning on using the TP-Link ER605 for your router, you might as well stick with TP-Link Omada capable APs as well as the OC100 controller so you can manage everthing from 1 UI.
I personally have the Ubiquiti UDM and love the UniFi controller that is built into the device. Get some Ubiquiti APs that fit your needs and add a USW-Lite-8-PoE switch to power the APs and provide additional ports.
Check out r/Ubiquiti sub.
Thanks for letting me know how you went. Did you look at using Omada stuff before choosing Ubiquiti? Also how easy is config on Ubiquiti for someone that’s not really versed in anything networking.
I have actually looked at the Omada interface and it is similar to the UniFi one, but I like the UniFi setup much better. It’s not really that hard to learn if you’re willing to start slowly to understand what each component does. The initial setup is fairy simple out of the box. Additional features is where the learning curve is.
I would also recommend going with one of the SDNs (UniFi or Omada). You said “proper network” and the unified management goes a long way in doing making that happen. I can’t speak for Omada, but Ubiquiti continues to improve UniFi - I have been running one since 2019 and the last year has brought some really great improvements to it.