Getting along without a keyboard

How weird. One feels there ought to be a simple snitch to switch that behaviour off, somewhere on the router Or that if you use static address outsoide the DHCP range that should work too

Well, yes and no..

Its all a bit Putin-like in its centralised state control...:-)

Are you *that* strapped for cash?

I am using Asus routers now which, by default, run a version of OpenWrt called AsusWrt. However, even better, is asuswrt-merlin which is easy to install instead of Asuswrt and gives you all sorts of customisation if you want.

Not all Asus routers can run Asuswrt-Merlin but there's a fair number that can and many of them are available at very reasonable prices secondhand on eBay or from such as CEX.

The user interface GUI is really nice (though quite complex because there is so much that can be configured). My previous routers were Draytek Vigor which have a pretty good reputation but I really find the Asus ones much better in all sorts of ways.

AP isolation should stop any device talking to any other on the local network, only allowing access to the internet, which is what happens on my guest network at home.

With the problem router devices on 2.4GHz can see others on 2.4GHz and wired, devices on 5GHz can see others on 5GHz and wired. Wired devices can see everything.

I suspect if I can get through 2 levels of cluelessness support at the management company, I could get whatever setting that is responsible changed. But it took six months for them to replace the last router which was continually rebooting, although didn't suffer from the semi-isolation.

---druck

No, but I am a skinflint 8-) At the time there weren't any known problems with the router, it was just to have a spare which I didn't urgently need. The prices for even simple new routers seemed rather high, being during the initial Covid ruckus, and the features baffling to a Luddite.

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska

High praise. Which Draytek router BTW? I had one a few years ago but it was strangely broken and I eventually had to return it and as it was out of production I just got a refund. I went with a fairly awful Mikrotik until I got around to building my own from a PC Engines APU2 board.

I really like how Draytek puts a simulation of their web interface online. Nothing like seeing it yourself, even if you can't really do anything in the simulation.

I have a Mikrotik HAPLITE TC as Wifi access point. Awful user interface, Nothing on it worked except by cribbing something off the net, I got it to work as a wifi access point!

Very cheap tho

Once I had incanted the right magic spell, it has been rock solid.

My draytek is one with two voip phone sockets in.

As the UK is moving away from everything except VOIP for landline phones, that would be handy, except the ISPs are reselling BTs proprietary s*it and the old free SIPGATE doesn't like 'free' any more.

Vigor 2762Vac

System Up Time: 2398:28:36

They are getting on for $200 now I think

I didn't know they did that!

You're stuck with USB network adapters if you use a Pi 4. With a CM4, there are carrier boards that route the built-in Ethernet to one port and connect a second port over PCIe. This is the one I use:

I used Draytek routers until a year or so ago but now I'm 100% with Asus routers running asuswrt-merlin. It's another (much better) world.

Given that few of us have internet connections over 100Mbps, that hardly seems an issue

I'll second that. Great WiFi strength, powerful multi-core CPUs and lots of RAM, unlike some other makes.

I've picked up my last couple from e-bay, as ASUS routers are popular with gamers, and they must absolutely have the latest model to save

My original 10 year old RT-AC68U is still going strong, now used as a WiFi relay for the Pi's in the shed at the bottom of the garden - it gives 5GHz connection where the Pi's struggle with 2.4GHz.

All very useful stuff, when you work out what it all does!

It's also got good monitoring faculties, and all my remote Pi's are connected via it's built-in VPN.

---druck

I suspect faster connections aren't nearly as uncommon as you think. My downstream speed at home is 300 Mbps, and it's far from the fastest service that Cox offers.

In any case, if you're currently shopping for router hardware, I'd think a bit of future-proofing would be prudent.

I've had gigabit FTTH for a few years now - and I'm in rural Ireland. I use an old PC running FreeBSD as a router/firewall, I've never liked commercial routers, using a proper OS is so much easier.

I picked the 'economy' package at 40/10 Mps

Its more than good enough for me

What I like is the reliability of FTTP. Not the raw speed

Wow the only options on offer here are 500/50 or 1000/100 with the price increment for 1000/100 being minimal.

There are plenty of midspeed packages so switching from cable/VDSL to fibre lets the ISPs sell you slow fibre for the same as VDSL etc.

I have a 20/130Mbps cable package. My road was fibred and the same package was £17/month cheaper on fibre than cable. I could get moved to fibre and eventually move to 900/900Mbps. I moaned and moaned at the cable provider (Virgin) and they price matched the cable to stop me leaving. I didn't have to change anything which suits a lazy sod like me.

I bet your linux updates dont download any faster though...

You mean you passed up an opportunity to leave Virgin and save money? Everyone I know who was on Virgin cable is now on something else.

It won't take long until most ISPs will want to get rid of the double infrastructure VDSL/Fibre, it may happen soon that you will have to switch to Fibre or end up with no phone/internet connectivity at all.

-jw-

Fearing the same, I asked my DSL provider what the foreseeable threats to my service might be. The answer was "squirrels".

bob prohaska