Router suggestions for home use

[jason_walker_6z]

Hey everyone. I know this has been asked in the past, but I'm curious if there is any new advice out there for selecting a router to work with the Ruckus Unleashed R510. I purchased a new home and this system was part of the build, so that's great... but the tech that set it up said I'd still need to use my previous router (Netgear Orbi) for NAT. What I don't like is using these mesh routers and having a separate wireless signal that I'm essentially not going to be using since I'll connect everything to the Ruckus wifi.

I'm looking for a wired router that I can connect to my cable modem that will provide NAT for the Ruckus. Any suggestions? I'm looking for something that is fast, but doesn't need to be overkill... looking at TP-Link or Ubiquiti options on Amazon.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. It seems pointless to use a $300 mesh router system only to disable the radio.

[michael_brado]

Did you know...?  If you use your R510 AP in Standalone/Solo AP mode, you can configure
your AP to be a two port router?  It's pretty slick, as you let one Eth port be your ISP WAN
inbound, and the other Eth to your local LAN (untagged), so a switch (PoE or otherwise) and
any wired devices you want on your network.  Then you create an internal network (NAT) for
your wireless clients, and specify this when you define your WLAN/SSIDs on 2.4g/5g radios.

Have a read through the 104.0 Solo AP User Guide for more detail.  You may need to switch
your firmware if you don't have Solo code today.

https://support.ruckuswireless.com/documents/1137-zoneflex-indoor-ap-104-0-user-guide
https://support.ruckuswireless.com/software/996-zoneflex-r510-indoor-ap-104-0-0-0-1347-ga-software-r...
 

[jason_walker_6z]

Thanks for the info, Michael. I will definitely give it a read. I wasn't armed with all the info since the builder installed the system and I was just going off what the installer told me was needed for it to function correctly.

[michael_brado]

Hi Jason,

   That was the first idea that came to my mind, how cool it was that we could turn
our APs into ISP routers too with the Solo AP code.  If you do buy a "router" with
DHCP/NAT, port forwarding, and all the other bells and whistles, think about using
your AP in Unleashed mode.  You could add another R510 someday, get them to
talk on the LAN, and then move one where it could mesh back and extend your
coverage.  You can flash your AP with any flavor of code, if you do a factory default
and set them up directly connected to a laptop/PC.  Here is the R510 Unleashed
link for your reference. 

https://support.ruckuswireless.com/software/1547-ruckus-unleashed-ap-200-5-10-0-291-ga-refresh3-soft...

[jason_walker_6z]

Much appreciated, Michael.

[michael_grant_6]

Throughout is limited to 100mbps when you use the AP in DHCP mode.