What’s not to love about wireless network printers? The flexibility to place them where they are needed, rather than where there’s a network jack nearby, is great. Plop them on a desk or table, plug them in, join the Wi-Fi network and you’re in business.

The majority of wireless network printers on the market today run a type of Wi-Fi known as 802.11n aka Wi-Fi 4. By now, many people and businesses have replaced their gen 4 Wi-Fi router combo or access points with the much faster Wi-Fi 5, or current Wi-Fi 6 gear. Many of us have also upgraded our phones, tablets, televisions, laptops, and consoles to models that run the newer standards.

It is tempting to dismiss a printer’s network speed as irrelevant. “Who cares if my printer is slow? It’s not like I’m streaming Netflix to it.” If we only needed to consider was how fast your print job or scan finished, this sentiment would be spot on. Here’s the thing, wireless networks have a couple of limitations that many people are unaware of.

One of the lesser known shortcomings is that wireless networks are half-duplex. The devices connected to them can only transmit or receive data. They can’t do both at the same time like most wired network gear can. The speed data is able to move about on a wireless connection is effectively cut in half right off the bat.

The other little known issue with wireless networking is that a radio generally performs at the speed of its slowest connected device. In our case, the printer. This is true even when the Wi-Fi 4 device is idle (not printing). In other words, if your new Macbook and your printer are connected to the same access point your M2 is stuck in slow lane behind ole’ inky.

There are a few possibilities for workarounds. The first is the easiest. Do you really need a printer anymore? Unplug it and see how life goes. Seriously, not printing is better for your bank account, the planet, and your blood pressure.

If going paperless isn’t an option, ask yourself a simple question, “Does the printer really need to be wireless?” Can you switch to using the printer via USB or a network cable? When considering this question, keep in mind how often you use the printer. Plugging in a USB cable once a month isn’t that inconvenient, but doing it several times a day sure would be.

Assuming you need to print wirelessly, there are still a few more options. The least technical of which is to purchase a printer that supports Wi-Fi 5. They can be very difficult to find, but Canon and HP currently offer models that feature 802.11ac. Others are likely to come to market. Check out the Canon Pixma G4270, or the HP Deskjet 2755e.

If your current printer does not see or will not connect to your Wi-Fi, the older 802.11 b/g/n is probably disabled. You can enable Wi-Fi 4 on wireless networks because backwards compatibility is a requirement of each new version of the 802.11 standard (to date). Typically turning it on is done by logging on to your Wi-Fi controller/router and accessing the wireless configuration menu. Doing so will introduce the slow down.

The final option requires network engineering skills. Isolate the printer(s) and other 802.11b/g/n devices to a single radio, access point, or access point group that is configured to run the older standard. Creating an SSID on the same radio you run 802.11ac on is not sufficient, the access point(s) will still run at 802.11n speeds on both SSIDs. VLANs have the same problem unless your AP has multiple radios that you can pin the Wi-Fi 4 network to.

Best of luck on your journey to wireless printing happiness.

Sing it with me everyone, “orange-white, orange, green-white, blue, blue-white, green, brown-white, brown”. I like the “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” tune, but use whatever suits your fancy. The point is to be able to easily remember the order that you arrange the individual strands of a Cat5 cable in.

If you have read Part 1 of this series you already know that we need to run some cables between the switches placed throughout our home. We don’t want to drill holes that are large enough to pass cables with the ends already on them. It would be a lot of work to deal with holes that big. So we’ll learn to put the ends on after we run each cable through a much smaller hole, barley larger than the cable itself.

If you’re new to network cabling, the best place to start is to make a few patch cables. That is what we call the cables that run from your switch to your devices (computers, consoles, access points, etc.). I suggest making four 10 foot long cables and four 20 footers as well. Before you go hunting for your tape measure to figure out how long ten feet is, look closely at your cable. It has a bunch of writing on it and one of the numbers is how many feet of cable you’ve pulled from the roll. Now go grab your crimpers, ends, a pair of scissors, needle nose pliers, and your glasses if you need them.

Use the cutter on your crimpers to cut your length of cable. Notice that inside the plastic sheath there are several other cables that match the colors in our song. There’s also some string peeking out. It’s that string that we want to get to. Take your scissors and snip a little bit of the outer covering so that you can grab a hold of the string. I use needle nose pliers for this. Pull the string down through the outer sheath a couple of inches. Just like slicing cheese with a wire cutter isn’t it? Use your scissors to cut away the outer covering that you’ve peeled back.

Once you’ve exposed the interior cables we’ll need to arrange them for our ends. There are four pairs of strands twisted around each other. Hold the end of the cable just under the end of the cut you made in your non-dominant hand. Then use your dominant hand to untwist and straighten each individual wire. Just like undoing bread ties right? Pinch your thumb and forefinger together tightly and run each strand through the vise to straighten them.

Arrange your strands in the order of song, then grip them just above the outside cover. Make sure they are still in order and squeezed tightly together. Cust the strands in a straight even line so that approximately a half inch of strands are left. Do not let go of the strands, keep them pinched together tightly. With your other hand, pick up an end and orient its opening toward the strands with the clip facing down. Slide the strands into end.

Watch closely and you should see each strand slide into its own channel inside the end. Be sure they stay in their proper order. If they get out of order you may find it easier to pull more of the sheath away and start over. Once the cables are in their channels push the cable as tight as you are able into the end. Now keep the assembly held together with your non-dominant hand and pick up your crimpers with the other.

Slide your cable assembly into the crimpers. Some of these tools have multiple slots for different types of ends. You’re looking for the one labeled RJ-45, or network. Press the entire assembly into the crimper as hard as you can with your non-dominant hand and squeeze the crimpers closed with your dominant. On top of each channel is a small golden connector. The crimpers push each connector down into the strand underneath it. Look at the blunt end of your cable and you should be able to see if all connectors have been pushed down evenly. If not, cut the end off and start over.

Congratulations, you’ve managed to attach one cable end, only fifteen more to go! This is one of those things that gets much faster with practice. By the time you’ve finished the first four cables you’ll be much faster. If you learn better by watching than reading, search YouTube, there are a lot of videos showing this process.

If you have a cable tester, read its instructions and test each cable that you make. Most of them are two parts, you insert each end into a part and then press the on button. If you do not have a tester, plug one end of your cable into a switch and the other end into your laptop/desktop you should see orange and green “link” lights on both devices.

Stay tuned for the next article in the series. We’ll tackle running cables between the switches throughout your home.

The future demands that a reliable high-speed network be available in your home. Video conferencing, cloud computing, work from home, and on-line entertainment have shifted from secondary services we all had, to necessities we can’t live without. The days when you could plop the Modem/Router/Wi-Fi combo unit that your ISP gave you behind the TV and call it good, are gone.

This series will guide you through deploying a small scale version of the network technology that is used in many businesses. Don’t worry, today’s software driven equipment makes the learning curve much shallower than it used to be. If you are handy with basic tools and can follow directions you should be able to achieve success. This guide is based around Ubiquiti’s Unifi platform because that is what I personally use. The design, concepts, and basic instructions should work for any brand of SDN equipment.

Software Defined Network equipment is produced by multiple manufactures; Aruba, Meraki, Fortinet, and Ubiquiti are some of the more popular brands. Regardless of whose equipment you choose to work with, the components are basically the same. There is a controller of some sort that is the brains, switches that connect the cabled pieces, access points for wireless devices, and a network edge device to control your interaction with the Internet. These devices work together to from a network that operates as a single dynamic structure that is able to change to fit your needs.

After you have chosen who’s equipment you want to work with, the next step is determining how many of each component you will need. The first piece of equipment is the controller. Most of the manufactures offer multiple ways to obtain a controller. Ubiquiti offers it’s controller as a piece of software that you can run on your computer, as a dedicated piece of hardware known as a Cloud Key, and as part of an all in one device named The Dream Machine. The software is the most economical option, but the Dream Machine is the simplest to setup. Depending on the size of your home and number of devices it may be all that you need. The other manufacturers have similar offerings.

In order to determine how many switches and access points you’ll need, you first need to plan the layout, or topology, for your home. Many people are under the impression that a cable should be run from each location to a central point where the switch is located. Running cables through finished walls is difficult, so the “Home Run” topology can be challenging.

For most residences, an easier option is to use multiple switches placed in key locations and to link them together with a cable between each. The linked switches form a contiguous network that operates in the same manner as large single switch. The cables can be run on the outside of your home, by drilling small holes though walls. Don’t worry, the holes are small. You’ll use wall plates to hide them on the interior and silicone to seal them. They can be hidden under eaves or along siding gaps. In some cases you may be able to use existing holes from your air conditioner, cable TV, or electricity services.

A good rule of thumb is to place one switch and one access point on each floor of the home. I happen to have a lot of networked devices with my line of work so I run two switches and access points on the main floor of my home and one additional pair in the downstairs office. The switches are capable of power over ethernet (PoE) which means that the access points only need a network cable, no power plugs, or cords are required.

Below is a comprehensive list of the equipment and resources that you will need to install a network in your place of residence. You can order all of it on Amazon. The links are for Ubiquiti equipment, but again any brand should work. The next article in this series will cover making and running the cables throughout your home.

• Starting from Scratch – I recommend the Unifi Dream Machine. It has the controller, a wireless access point, a USG firewall, and a 4-port switch built-in to a single unit. It can act as the starting point for a more expansive network. For small residences, it will be the only equipment you need.
• Controller – If the Dream Machine (or Ubiquiti products in general) isn’t your preferred option, You will need the controller that matches your equipment.
• Firewall / Router – You will need the firewall that matches your equipment. In the case of the Unifi platform this is a USG.
• Switches – You will need the appropriate number of PoE switches for your home. One per floor is a good place to start. In the Unifi line of products I recommend the 8 Port 60 watt PoE switch.
• Access Points – One access point per floor. In the Unifi line of products I recommend the AC Lite version.
• Network Cable – Cat-5e cable is recommended, purchasing it in bulk at your local hardware or electronics store can be less expensive than ordering it due to weight. Measure or estimate the distances between your switches and add 25% to the total.
• Network Cable Crimpers / Tool Kit – Crimpers are a type of plier that squeezes the network cable ends on to the cables. If you don’t own a pair already, it is more economical to purchase them as part of a kit that include the tool, a wire stripper, and cable tester.
• RJ-45 Cable Ends (if not included with tool kit)
• Network Cable Tester (Optional) – you can also test cables well enough for home use by plugging one end into a switch and the other into a device. Link lights, indicate the cable is “good enough”.
• Drill – A standard cordless or electric drill
• Drill Bit – A 3/8-Inch by 18-Inch drill bit, preferably with an eye.
• Pass-through wall plates – equal to the number of switches you will be installing
• Cable Clips – to attach the outdoor cable runs to the walls of your home
• Hammer
• Screw Driver
• Scissors
• A metal coat hanger or stiff piece of wire at least two feet in length
• A ball of twine or other sturdy string
• Duct Tape or other strong tape

I’m an early adopter of most technology. I’ve been running IPv6 (dual stack) since the day my ISP (Comcast) made it available and learning how it works as I go. It has changed drastically from the early days with new protocols like DHCP6 being added to overcome challenges. Most of my devices now prefer IPv6. I vote we get rid of the v and just call them IP4 and IP6 who agrees?

The Problem:

I’ve seen plenty of posts in forums about people struggling to get this working, especially on Android devices. I like to help people with tech, so this article is all about how to make this work. Here’s the deal, Android’s makers have decided not to support DHCPv6 which is how a lot of routers are configured to hand out addresses for IPv6 networks. You can read about that here if the reasoning matters to you; https://www.techrepublic.com/article/androids-lack-of-dhcpv6-support-poses-security-and-ipv6-deployment-issues/

This decision actually causes a lot of trouble if you have IPv6 turned on but not configured correctly. Some of the most common symptoms are slow or failed web page loading, Facebook comments not loading, the Youtube app is slow, etc. If you’re on a mobile phone you can turn Wi-Fi off and everything will work over LTE just fine. In a nutshell, the issue is that you’re trying to go to web services that are IPv6 enabled but your device isn’t using it correctly. You end up having to wait until IPv6 times out and falls back to IPv4 before everything works. This can take a long time.

A lot of posts out there on the intertubes say to disable IPv6; the trouble is you really can’t. IPv6 is baked in to your devices now, you can’t just turn it off. At best, you can block it at your firewall or stop it at your network card, but that won’t stop all of the problems because a lot of the apps you use (even the OS itself) expects IPv6 to be there. Not to mention, the whole world is going to IPv6 right now. Turning it off is the equivalent of saying you want to go back to the horse and buggy until they get those car things figured out.

The Solution:

Router manufacturers have started including or updating firmware to allow an RA mode (Router Advertisement) of “Assisted” meaning it will use SLAAC and DHCP6 in parallel. This gives you the best of both worlds, and is what we need to do so your Android devices can use IPv6 on your network. SLAAC is a process that allows the device to pick its own IPv6 address from a range of addresses provided by your ISP vs. being assigned one from your personal router (DHCP6).

The following information and instructions are based on Whatyouknow.com’s lab which consists of a Comcast Xfinity modem in bridge mode connected to a Pfsense 2.4.2 firewall. The terminology and locations may be a little different for your case, but Bing or Google should be able to help you figure out the exact settings for your equipment.

First, you need to know what prefix delegation your ISP is passing out. Sometimes you can retrieve this info from your cable modem’s admin page, generally under connection status (usually the admin page will be https://10.0.0.1 or https:// 192.168.0.1). If you can’t access your cable modem then try looking it up (Google, Xfinity Prefix Delegation). If you can’t find it on-line then try:

• Plug an IPv6 capable computer (must be turned on in your network settings) straight into your cable modem.
• Open PowerShell and type Get-IPNetAddress (on Linux or Mac use Terminal to run ifconfig)
• Find your IPv6 Address and look for the PrefixLength field
• • 

Now that you have the prefix delegation, logon to your firewall and configure your WAN interface to use DHCP6 (for Comcast), and set the Prefix Delegation size to 64. You can probably leave all the other settings alone. Here’s what it should look like in PFSense.

Now we need to configure the LAN interface to get is IPv6 address from your ISP connection. Go to Interfaces, LAN, select Track interface in the IPv6 drop down, then select WAN for the interface to track.

After you have saved and applied these changes, you should be able to go to your dashboard (connection status page if you’re not using PFsense) and see IPv6 addresses listed for both your WAN and LAN interfaces. If you don’t, try rebooting your cable modem and your firewall. If you still don’t see them, then you missed a step in the setup. Start Over.

Now for the Android Magic sauce: we need to configure the distribution of IPv6 to other devices on your network. As I mentioned before, Android is expecting a SLAAC address assignment, depending on the rest of your network equipment it may eventually get one in the current configuration, but setting your RA to “Assisted” will help it along.

Go to Services, DHCPv6 Server & RA and check the box to enable DHCPv6, save and apply. You shouldn’t need to change any other settings.

Now click on the Router Advertisement tab and in the Router Mode dropdown select Assisted RA. This is the magic sauce that will help your Android devices use IPv6 effectively. After you save and apply these settings, I highly recommend that your restart your cable modem and router.

Still Not Working?

While adjusting the settings on our lab equipment to get the screenshots for this article, I noticed something peculiar. I could setup the firewall just as I’ve described above and my Android device still wouldn’t use IPv6. I was still getting the time-out problem when connected to the lab’s WiFi. Our production system was working just fine with these same settings.

I dug into the logs and found that IPv6 wasn’t binding correctly to the LAN interface even though the status page showed that it had an address. I had just upgraded to 2.4.2 to write this article on the latest version and I suspect something got corrupted during the upgrade process. I looked on the PFsense Bug tracker and found a few other posts that matched what I was seeing.

I installed an App named IPv6 and More from the play store on my device and sure enough, I wasn’t getting an IPv6 address at all. I was able to correct this by disabling DHCPv6 (uncheck the box), and turning off IPv6 on both WAN and LAN interfaces. I then rebooted and performed the steps above again and bingo, IPv6 was working. I’m not sure if this is an actual bug or just a glitch for a few of us but if you’re having trouble you might try it. You can also use Putty to connect via SSH (assuming you haven’t turned it off) and pick option 4 from the admin menu to reset everything in the Firewall back to defaults. A word of warning, it does what it says, the IP addresses of your interfaces will be set back to defaults, all of your rules and routes will be gone, all of your preferences and add-on packages will be removed. Make sure you’re in for setting everything up from scratch before going nuclear. Making a backup of your configuration before engaging this option would be a very good idea.

Once you think everything is working open a browser on your Android device and head over to http://test-ipv6.com/ you’ll be able to tell in just a few seconds if everything is up and running.

Update 5/01/18

Since writing this article I have discovered that my Wi-Fi access point’s bandwidth must be set to 40 MHz for IPv6 to function on my Android devices. If the bandwidth is set to 20 MHz or Auto the Android device will obtain an IPv6 address but will be unable to utilize it. I have tested this with ASUS, Linksys, and Ubiquity access points. As of yet, I do not have a satisfactory explanation for the situation

If you’ve read Part 1 of this series you’ll know that I don’t advocate for investing in upgrading your Wi-Fi until you’ve addressed the cable network that feeds it. There’s no point in spending hundreds to get Gigabit wireless when your cabled network only runs at 100mb/s, your router is too slow to keep collisions and congestion at a minimum, and your ISP only provides 10mb/s. In my opinion, your money and time is better spent on upgrading the core infrastructure of your network first.

Once you’ve gotten your cabled network up to spec you’ll probably want to address your wireless network. In my home, wireless devices far outnumber the cabled ones. All of my family members have tablets, smartphones, portable game systems, and they all connect to Wi-Fi. At last count there were 51 devices logged on to my SSID. That’s more than a lot of small businesses. You’d think they would all be lagging like crazy, but that isn’t the case. In this article we’ll talk about how I’m able to do that.

The secret is in understanding how wireless network signals are broadcast. They leave the antenna in your wireless router like ripples through a pond. The antenna on your device only picks up a fraction of the waves being transmitted. Think about a toy boat floating in those pond ripples; only a small fraction of the waves actually touch the boat. Now think about something in between your toy boat and the source of the ripples an even smaller fraction of the waves will hit your boat. This is the more or less the same thing that happens to Wi-Fi in your home or office. The fewer Wi-Fi waves that hit your device, the less data those waves can transfer to and from it. This translates into lagging connections, slow web pages, and a bad experience.  Just like those waves in a pond, the further you get away from the rock that made them, the smaller and weaker they become.

So what do we do? There are quite a few things you can do to increase the amount of signal waves that reach your device. One of the most important is to place your Wi-Fi access point in an optimum position. The ceiling is a great place if it’s an option for you but generally the higher, the better. Remove as many obstructions as possible; walls, furniture, and other electronic devices all degrade the signal as it travels through space. Sources of magnetic interference like microwave ovens are notorious for disrupting wireless access. Contrary to popular belief, setting your Wi-Fi access point right next to your device does not result in a better signal. Again, picture those ripples in the pond, there’s always a blank space or eye right around where the rock hit, right?  You need your devices to be 4 or 5 feet away at a minimum.

If you have a large area to cover with Wi-Fi or if your neighborhood is crowded with a lot of signals (there are 17 networks in range of my home) you’ll want to tune your system. Usually, this involves logging on to the console with your web browser and accessing the available menus. You can adjust the channel your Wi-Fi uses (there are 14) and pick the least crowded; most systems will show you how many networks are on each channel. You can also adjust the amount of power pumped into the radio on some devices. Google will be your friend here. Basically just ask the question and read the anwser.

If your wi-fi access point doesn’t have advanced options like upping the power, you may be able to replace it’s software with something that allows you to access those functions. DD-WRT and Tomato are two of the most popular firmware replacements. Both are far more advanced than what comes on stock devices and let you crank up the power. In certain cases, they even let you overclock (run faster than normal) the memory and CPU. Just be aware that this often leads to a shorter lifespan; more electricity equals more heat and that kills electronics faster. Once you gain access to the advanced options another thing to adjust is the channel width; a bigger number is better for Wi-Fi but will cause interference with things like bluetooth (they both use the same size waves).

That covers most of what you can do without spending money. If you’re willing to part with some cash to get a better experience, you can do a lot more. We’ll look at some options ranked from least expensive to most.

1. Upgrade your antennas. Contingent on the brand and type of Wi-Fi access point you own, it may be possible to upgrade your antennas. If your antenna is external and screws into your access point, you can replace it with something like this.
2. Replace your mediocre device with something more advanced. If you’re running the all-in-one Modem/Router/Wi-Fi device your cable company gave you, the experience you’re getting is the same as comparing a Toyota Camry with a Corvette. If you want to stay under the $200 price point I highly recommend the ASUS RT-3200.
3. If you’ve got the funds and want the Ferrari instead of the Vette; go mesh. Mesh networks use multiple access points, all sending the same signal to your devices. They can divide your devices up between themselves to split the load, over-ride rogue signals from other networks, hand off to each other as you move through a large space, and essentially make your Wi-Fi run like cables. If you work in a large office you’ll notice they have a lot of smoke detector looking things up on the ceiling, those are mesh Wi-Fi access points. You can cover an unlimited distance with them (whole towns even). Mesh is the ultimate Wi-Fi experience but it comes with a big price tag and requires some expert knowledge to get working.

Mesh Wi-Fi

If we take our ripples in the pond example, Mesh would be the equivalent of multiple people tossing rocks and causing ripples all over the place. The boat is bound to be saturated with them. In terms of wireless access that means plenty of signal to transfer data with, fewer dark spots, and the ability to cover your entire building or home. Until recently, mesh networks were the domain of corporate class equipment and priced out of range for homes and smaller businesses. Now that demand for better Wi-Fi has taken off, most manufacturers offer a mesh system. Google, ASUS, Linksys and some companies you’ve probably never heard of are all jumping in the mesh pool. PCMAG.com has an excellent comparison of the most popular models.

Personally, I use equipment made by Ubiquity. They were one of the first companies to make an affordable mesh system (I’m always an early adopter). They offer some features that other manufactures don’t; outdoor access points, roaming, guest wi-fi with banner support (think coffee shop or hotel), and their system is infinitely expandable. Their devices are POE (power over ethernet, means you don’t need an electrical outlet close by) and support wireless uplinking (they can talk to each other without cables). The software has had more time to mature than the competition and as a result offers more intuitive reporting, problem resolution, and control of specific wireless devices. The system is commercial class, but costs the same or less than some of the more popular residential solutions. If you’re in the market I highly recommend them. https://unifi-sdn.ubnt.com/

Today’s high-speed internet has become a utility that needs to be distributed throughout your home to countless devices. Not so long ago, this was relatively easy to accomplish. More or less, you only needed to connect the combo modem / router / firewall from your Internet provider to your computer(s) and the rest of the setup was automatic.

For many, this default installation still serves well. If you have a handful of mostly wireless systems that need basic Internet service, there’s not much reason to invest your time and money in to a customized solution. Those of us that have multiple gaming consoles, tablets, laptops, phones, robot vacuum cleaners, smart refrigerators, smart TVs, and smart cars could probably use a network with more performance, tuning, and features than the default method allows for.

So you’ve decided it’s time to upgrade to a more advanced network. Where do you start? Believe it or not, your ISP did not send you cutting edge equipment. Like most for-profit corporations, the bottom line matters. They gave you the most cost-effective solution. High end providers like Google Fiber and Verizon FIOS tend to use better equipment; if you have this type of service consider leaving it alone. The rest of us poor souls are going to dive in to our network hardware to see what can be improved. A future post in this series will focus on Wi-Fi;  we are looking at the cabled equipment in this one. Nothing makes wireless slower than having a lethargic cabled network feeding it.

Computers talk to each other by exchanging digital letters we call packets. Each packet has address info, a body, and timing information.  There are essentially two types of packets flying around on your network. One type we call Layer 2 are like letters that are destined for a neighbor; you don’t need the post office because their house is just across the street. The other kind are called Layer 3 packets, they are intended for systems on other networks (like the Internet). These Layer 3 packets need help to get where they are going, they ask your router for directions. The speed at which your router is able to direct the packets has an impact on network performance. The more devices you have connected to your network, the faster you router needs to be.

One way to tell if your router is suffering from poor performance is to run a speed test form a system connected to it via cable. A slower than expected test result can be a symptom of congestion. Congestion, in this case, means that your router isn’t keeping up. There are of course other causes of poor performance. If you suspect something else is causing the slow down; try disconnecting everything connected to your network and then reconnect each item one at a time running a speed test after each. If a drastic slow down occurs after a particular device is tested, it may be the bottleneck.

You’ve decided to upgrade your router but how do you figure out what to get? Like all technical hardware, routers have specifications to help you understand their performance. Unfortunately, marketing guru’s know we’re looking for specs and jumble the pot with all kinds of jargon and made up specs that simply don’t matter. What does matter? It comes down to CPU speed, RAM, Storage, and the type of software they are utilizing. Most of the other specifications are either meaningless or equal across all routers.

The ASUS RT-AC66U’s is a relatively high performance residential unit that you can get at most brick and mortar electronics stores. It has a Broadcom BCM4706 CPU that runs at 600MHz, 128 megabytes of storage, 256 megabytes of RAM, and runs a Linux-based operating system. The fastest home router ASUS sells (RT-AC5300) uses a BMC4709 running at 1.4 GHz, has 128MB of storage, and 512MB of RAM. Nearly twice as powerful but also double the cost.

Routers don’t calculate your finances or play games and can get away with a slower CPU, but 600MHz is paltry ; the first Iphone was faster. 1.4 GHz is better but still slow compared to a decent smart phone. Don’t get me wrong, either of theses units are an improvement over the router your ISP gave you but I prefer another option.

I run router software on an old PC. Why? Currently I’ve got an Intel Dual Core 2.4 Ghz CPU, 4 gigabytes of RAM, and 256 gigabytes of storage. I bought the refurbished PC from my local electronics store for $99.00 which is less than a third of the cost you’ll pay for the RT-AC5300. The software I use is pfsence. It is a commercial class Router and Firewall package that is open source (aka free). Pfsence is just one of many choices; this wikipedia page has a list of the most popular options with links to the downloads and instructions.

What’s the catch? Why doesn’t everyone run a router this way if it is both less expensive and faster? The perception is that the combo units (WiFi and router in one) are easier to set up and use. This is true but high performance is rarely easy. If you’re willing to spend some time and effort you can set up a stand-alone router capable of crushing anything you could purchase at an electronics store. Every device connected to my home network reaches it’s max speed; there’s no congestion. My whole family is often on different devices watching video, playing on-line games, and surfing Facebook simultaneously. None of them lag.

If you’re not interested in setting up a PC router from scratch or purchasing new hardware you can still give your network a speed boost by replacing the software on your current device. The software your router shipped with can be replaced with something custom that takes full advantage of the hardware you have available. Two of the most popular firemware replacements are DD-WRT and Tomato. This wikipedia page lists most of the options and has links to their downloads and instructions.

I’m working on a guide for custom configuring pfsence but their web site has execellent documentation. DD-WRT and Tomato are very popular and have lots of bloggers that have covered their setup procedures. In the next article in this series we’ll take a look at how to speed up your WiFi.