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Recommend some good aftermarket wireless routers / APs to work with Home UTM

Scoobmaster

My trusty old Asus RT-N13U wireless router (running in AP mode) is starting to show its age and hiccup often and I want to replace it with one that will support AC.  Those of us that run Sophos UTMs at home are in a unique position in that we don't need robust firewall/routing/filtering in our wireless routers as the UTM can perform all those tasks.  I don't need the Sophos APs for home and don't want to spend a lot on a fancy wireless router whose features I won't even use (since as I mentioned, my UTM does my routing, DHCP, firewall, filtering, etc...)  Searching for access points, I find that they seem to cost as much (or more) as high-end wireless routers (maybe because they are targeted at enterprise instead of home users?).  

Can some of you recommend a good stable budget-friendly AC capable consumer router/AP that works well with the Sophos UTM as a simple access point?  I am a network professional, so dumping stock firmware and installing open source (tomato, DD-WRT) if need be doesn't scare me.

Thanks in advance.



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  • I have had a similar inquiry. I don't want to purchase a nighthawk because my UTM does most of the heavy work. I ended up going with an AP50 from ebay about a year and a half ago. They aren't too expensive, but they aren't AC either. Ubiquity AP's require a server to control them, along with most AP's so that's not ideal.

    At this point, my best recommendation is probably just to go with a Nighthawk wireless router and only use the wireless portion of it. You can get the R7000 or R7500 for a reasonable price, similar costs to a standalone access point. Used R7000 are going for around $150 on Amazon or ebay.

    DD-WRT and tomato don't scare me much either. The R7000 should support both options.

    --------------------
    Private: 1 Mini ITX (EMB-CV1), Atom D2550 1.86 GHz Dual Core CPU, 8GB RAM, UTM 9.3 Home License, AP100
    Business: 2 UTM320 in HA (Active/Passive), Full Guard, 7 AP50's, 1 AP100

  • Well, 3rd party APs and wireless routers don't work with the UTM wireless controls, so any will do. Just go pick up any Asus or Linksys home wireless router. Just as long as you have the capability to run it in bridged or AP mode, you'll be good to go.

    To be blunt, it's a bit silly to waste the money on a single Sophos APs for home use.  For this purpose, you'll get more features and better range (using 3rd party firmware usually, by boosting the power to the antenna past regulatory standards), at a much lower cost, with a longer warranty. 

    __________________
    ACE v8/SCA v9.3

    ...still have a v5 install disk in a box somewhere.

    http://xkcd.com
    http://www.tedgoff.com/mb
    http://www.projectcartoon.com/cartoon/1
  • I use the Ubiquiti APs on my home network. The new AC models don't need a PC running their controller software, they can be configured from a smart phone. And even then, the more advanced features are worth running the controller on a PC or Server. You can also just run the software, make changes, and then close it.

    The performance and price can not be beaten. Look at the new UAP-AC-LR and UAP-AC-Lite.
  • The Sophos AP50 has a 2dbi antenna, connector rp-sma. You can pickup a used AP-50 on EBay.

    On EBay you can also get a 3rd party antenna with a higher dbi (dual band) which in theory will give you a larger range. The only unknown factor is the power draw at the connector.

    Look for EBay seller Wifi Expert

    Ask the guy about which antenna he recommends.
  • I'm using the Asus RT-AC87U and Asus RT-AC68U with 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz AC dual as WLAN AP only. Both work very well and fast (AC devices provided). DD-WRT is an option too for the vlan support but i didn't need it. Had a Trendnet TEW 753DAP and TEW-653AP (like old Sophos AP) before but under heavy load they lost the WLan signal very often.
  • I'm no networking genius and some of these other guys may know better than I, but I've been using a TP-Link Archer C7 v2. DD-WRT is well supported on that particular model, it supports AC and can be had for under $100. If you pick up a used one I'm sure it would be even cheaper.
  • Thanks for the suggestions everyone. With the Black Friday sales on the horizon, I am sure I will be able to grab something for a pretty good price (and I have lots of choices and options thanks to your replies)
  • Have a look at XClaim Wireless as an alternative. I'd definitely recommend the Ubuquity line of APs. Can't beat their price and feature set.
    http://www.xclaimwireless.com/
  • Hey, I'm in the market to upgrade my wireless, since my Linksys wireless router is going on the fritz. I was thinking of purchasing the AP 55, so I can manage the APs through the UTM home console. But I'm intrigued by Ubiquiti AP, can anyone provide feedback on the pro/cons of which one would be a better choice? I'm really interested in this, and need help making a decision.

    Thanks,
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