Wired router, what to get?

[semente]

Hi,

 

I wish to buy a wired router with 3 ports (laptop + endpoit + NAS) for my audio-only no internet/broadband network.

My budget is around £50 and I was considering the Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X but have read that it is difficult to set up.

Any suggestions?

 

I am currently looking at one of these two MiktoTik models:

https://mikrotik.com/product/RB750Gr3

https://mikrotik.com/product/hex_s

 

Thanks,

Ricardo

[The Computer Audiophile]

This will all come down to either your ability to set it up or hire someone to do it for you. 
 

Ubiquiti can be tough. 
 

I have a Mikrotik but don’t remember it being much simpler. 
 

If you want easy, you’ll need brands like Netgear and Asus etc...

[semente]

17 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

This will all come down to either your ability to set it up or hire someone to do it for you. 
 

Ubiquiti can be tough. 
 

I have a Mikrotik but don’t remember it being much simpler. 
 

If you want easy, you’ll need brands like Netgear and Asus etc...

 

I stream from a local NAS, upconvert to DSD256 with HQPlayer and then feed a Cubox (endpoint NAA).

With my current Tenda mesh wi-fi and Vodafone router I am getting dropouts.

 

Do you think that I should be looking at higher performance routers?

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 minutes ago, semente said:

 

I stream from a local NAS, upconvert to DSD256 with HQPlayer and then feed a Cubox (endpoint NAA).

With my current Tenda mesh wi-fi and Vodafone router I am getting dropouts.

 

Do you think that I should be looking at higher performance routers?

Tough question. To a certain extent, you can't go wrong with better network performance. Everything is network now days in one form or another. 

 

Your router can play little to no part in streaming via HQP if you use a switch. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

I have an Asus ZenWiFi AC (CT8) mesh system coming in for review.

[semente]

Just now, The Computer Audiophile said:

Tough question. To a certain extent, you can't go wrong with better network performance. Everything is network now days in one form or another. 

 

Your router can play little to no part in streaming via HQP if you use a switch. 

 

I have an old entry level Netgear switch around here somewhere, it's a white plastic box and does Gigabit.

 

Should I try connecting NAS, laptop and NUC to the switch and this one to the router?

[The Computer Audiophile]

Just now, semente said:

 

I have an old entry level Netgear switch around here somewhere, it's a white plastic box and does Gigabit.

 

Should I try connecting NAS, laptop and NUC to the switch and this one to the router?

Technically, this will keep the traffic on the switch and have little to do with your router. I would do it. 

[semente]

Just now, The Computer Audiophile said:

Technically, this will keep the traffic on the switch and have little to do with your router. I would do it. 

 

Thanks, I'll give it a go.

[The Computer Audiophile]

9 minutes ago, semente said:

 

Thanks, I'll give it a go.

You can't beat the price :~)

[semente]

On 2/10/2021 at 3:36 PM, The Computer Audiophile said:

Technically, this will keep the traffic on the switch and have little to do with your router. I would do it. 

 

I've spent a bit of time troubleshooting dropouts.

One of the offending agents was the entry line Synology DS115j, another a Cat5 cable which came with the internet provider's router.

The Netgear GS205 switch also caused dropouts even though it's supposed to do Gigabit...

 

Looks like I have been too tight. Time to go shopping.

 

Can I use either the Ubiquiti or the MiktoTik as router/switch or should I also get a dedicated switch?

[The Computer Audiophile]

3 minutes ago, semente said:

 

I've spent a bit of time troubleshooting dropouts.

One of the offending agents was the entry line Synology DS115j, another a Cat5 cable which came with the internet provider's router.

The Netgear GS205 switch also caused dropouts even though it's supposed to do Gigabit...

 

Looks like I have been too tight. Time to go shopping.

 

Can I use either the Ubiquiti or the MiktoTik as router/switch or should I also get a dedicated switch?

 

That Netgear switch is a really good one surprisingly. I can't believe it's causing dropouts. Seems like there's an issue somewhere else. 

 

That Cubox has a very weak Ethernet chip that maxes out at 400Mbps and can easily be saturated by HQPlayer if your network doesn't support flow control. 

[semente]

13 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

 

That Netgear switch is a really good one surprisingly. I can't believe it's causing dropouts. Seems like there's an issue somewhere else. 

 

That Cubox has a very weak Ethernet chip that maxes out at 400Mbps and can easily be saturated by HQPlayer if your network doesn't support flow control. 

 

But if I connect the MacBook Pro and the Cubox to the old BT router I don't get any dropouts and it's only got one 1000 base-t port, the others are 100 base-t.

Maybe I should replace the Cubox too...

[The Computer Audiophile]

7 minutes ago, semente said:

 

But if I connect the MacBook Pro and the Cubox to the old BT router I don't get any dropouts and it's only got one 1000 base-t port, the others are 100 base-t.

Maybe I should replace the Cubox too...

Here's the thing, the old BT router is probably garbage and won't hit top speed and saturate your Cubox. In a way, it's so bad, it's good. 100 Mb ports will definitely keep your Cubox from getting saturated. 

 

Depending on what you use the Cubox for, you would likely replace it with something that can handle full Gigabit speed without an issue. A Raspberry Pi 4 or something from Sonore could work 

 

 

[semente]

Ended up getting a Linksys LRT214.

Not sure I've set it up correctly (there are too many options) but the files are playing faultlessly now.

 

I tried adding the Netgear GS205 switch to the network but I'm getting lots of dropouts...

 

Is there a reason to use an external switch or can I stick to the Linksys'?

[The Computer Audiophile]

42 minutes ago, semente said:

Ended up getting a Linksys LRT214.

Not sure I've set it up correctly (there are too many options) but the files are playing faultlessly now.

 

I tried adding the Netgear GS205 switch to the network but I'm getting lots of dropouts...

 

Is there a reason to use an external switch or can I stick to the Linksys'?

You can stick to whatever works :~)

[davide256]

2 hours ago, semente said:

Ended up getting a Linksys LRT214.

Not sure I've set it up correctly (there are too many options) but the files are playing faultlessly now.

 

I tried adding the Netgear GS205 switch to the network but I'm getting lots of dropouts...

 

Is there a reason to use an external switch or can I stick to the Linksys'?

An external switch is a good idea for your audio networked gear if you have family and experience competition for bandwidth

due to video streaming. Having it all on the switch keeps your local audio  traffic unaffected, streaming services it can't help.

Refurbished Cisco Catalyst is a safe bet, just make sure to get the console cable in case seller didn't reset it to default values.

[semente]

20 minutes ago, davide256 said:

An external switch is a good idea for your audio networked gear if you have family and experience competition for bandwidth

due to video streaming. Having it all on the switch keeps your local audio  traffic unaffected, streaming services it can't help.

Refurbished Cisco Catalyst is a safe bet, just make sure to get the console cable in case seller didn't reset it to default values.

 

Thanks.

I have a wired audio-only no internet/broadband network so I guess I can do without the switch.