[lug] Seeking recommendations on router for SOHO

[Tkil]

>>>>> "Tkil" == Tkil <tkil at scrye.com> writes:

Tkil> The traditional answer [for a NAT/firewall/DHCP box] is to find
Tkil> an old pc, throw two network cards in it, and install a
Tkil> minimal/hardened linux distro on it.  Guaranteed to be the most
Tkil> flexible answer, if the most difficult to do initial setup with.

>>>>> "Bear" == Bear Giles <bgiles at coyotesong.com> writes:

Bear> It's also very un-green.  It takes a lot more power, and makes a
Bear> lot more noise, than an embedded system like a Linksys.

Good point, but it can be green in the sense of keeping a pc in use
when otherwise it might have to be disposed of.  You might also be
able to retrofit a much smaller power supply (e.g. 100W) if you know
you're never going to have a full complement of drives, etc.

Bear> Worse, it may be a safety risk.

Hm.  I guess I feel this is a pretty low risk, especially considering
that you could easily make a router box where the only moving part is
the power supply fan and the cd drive (make it otherwise diskless, or
use a slow-and-cool 5400 rpm drive ... or whatever castoffs you have).

With frequent checking (listening for degrading fan, making sure it
stays cool, etc) it shouldn't be a risk.  I've run multiple beige-box
PCs 24/7 for years.

Bear> Nothing has caused a fire yet, but it's a real possibility -
Bear> especially with the dog hair that finds its way into everything.

Easy solution, get rid of the dog.  :)

FWIW, my original experience with the all-in-one little boxes is when
I went to techamerica/radioshack.com/whatever-it-is-now (closed, I
think) to purchase some extra network cards to re-use an old pentium
166 in this configuration.  My dad had just gotten broadband, and my
brother wanted to use the connection too, so I just thought I'd throw
together a linux box.  When I saw that you could get the all-in-one
for not much more than the cost of a switch and two decent NICs, I
thought I'd give it a whirl, and was quite pleasantly surprised when
it Just Worked.  10 minutes, bang, it worked.  I was pretty damned
impressed.  (This was the Linksys model, I believe.)

So I got one for my new place, where I'm doing mostly client
activities behind a cable modem.  I'm using the Netgear RP114 here,
mostly because I've had good luck with other NetGear products
(although someone dissed their larger switches recently).  It also
came up in a few minutes, and has been quite stable ever since.  Of
course, I have it and the cable modem on a UPS, but that's just
paranoia setting in.

t.