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First published: December 12, 2005
Last updated: June 28, 2015
Retail "Wireless Router" =
Router + Switch + Access Point
(3-in-1)
ISP-provided "Router" =
"Modem" + Router + Switch + Access Point
(4-in-1)
| Class |
Price Range |
Examples |
| Travel |
$20~$50 |
Zyxel, TP-Link |
| Home |
$40~$125 |
WBR, Arris
DG860 |
| SOHO |
$75~$195 |
E2500, DIR-655, DIR-624 (2002) |
| Hobbyist |
$150~$500 |
D-Link, Netgear, Linksys |
| SMB | $150~ $500 | Ubiquiti |
| Commercial |
$500~$1200 |
Custom, Meraki, D-Link,
Zyxel, TP-Link, Cisco |
| Enterprise |
$1000~$2500 |
Cisco, Dlink, HP |
| Carrier |
$2000~$4000 |
Cisco
12000, Kentrox, Belair |
Access points
Dlink DWL-8610AP
Why consumer routers are inadequate?
(SUMMARY)
- grossly inadequate in-bound access support
- weak on advanced security features
- lacking fine granularity on settings
- severely limited manageability (not designed with IT in mind)
- filmsy construction & electrical robustness
- lacking/poorly implemented: VPN & Proxy Server, real DMZ
- no audit trail, poor logging
- quickly EOL, lack attentive firmware updates
But might still be needed for businesses as supplement
- it's a cost-effective way to add wifi APs (multiple) to the LAN
- as primary perimeter router for SOHO environment, the
simplicity + low costs out-weighs the shortcoming, especially when
picking a model that's relatively high on IT-friendliness
- as auxiliary routers, they can be repurposed quickly, for
a myriad of scenarios
Disadvantages of
Consumer-Grade Routers
(DETAILS)
- performance
- underpowered CPU, fairly low throughput
- insufficient storage (DRAM & flash)
- limited entires in all tables
- limited # of streams
- admin pages lag severely, extreme data compression
- less secure
- patch frequency
- patch coverage, availability
- EOL period
- poor reliability (electronic operations)
- combining certain features tend to crash
- some "advanced" features tend to be buggy-at-best
- the slightest setting change triggers reboot
- overheating is common under heavy load
- less durable(physical/electrical damage)
- underengineering: component specs
- physical construction
- inadequate ventilation
- not IT-friendly
- inconsistency
- proprietary terminology (on a whim, dumbed down, hyped)
- layers of wizards
- lacking crucial features
- less flexibility in all areas
- CLI SSH interface
- logging options & capabilities
- expandability red/orange/blue/green zones
- proxy, VPN, IPS/IDS
Advantages
of
Consumer-Grade Routers
- lower price
- less bulky
- less electricity consumption (and heat generation)
SEE ALSO
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