Question Upgrading my home WiFi - - - need inputs on WiFi router with VLAN tagging ?

[fcar1999ta]

My home has 4 gaming consoles, 3 gaming computers, work computers, 4K streaming devices, cameras, doorbells, refrigerators, ovens, etc.. all online. I am going to upgrade the WiFi to prepare for the eventual arrival of 8Gbps service from my fiber ISP. I know I don't need the speed, I want the low latency.

So, what is the best WiFi router available now that has VLAN tagging? I want to bypass the ISP's router.

Has mesh gotten any better? Would it be better to just use extenders?

 

[kanewolf]

My home has 4 gaming consoles, 3 gaming computers, work computers, 4K streaming devices, cameras, doorbells, refrigerators, ovens, etc.. all online. I am going to upgrade the WiFi to prepare for the eventual arrival of 8Gbps service from my fiber ISP. I know I don't need the speed, I want the low latency.

So, what is the best WiFi router available now that has VLAN tagging? I want to bypass the ISP's router.

Has mesh gotten any better? Would it be better to just use extenders?

Increasing the bandwidth won't change latency.
The higher end routers are typically wired only. Do you have ethernet cabling throughout your house ?
Multiple WIFI access points with a wired network back to a wired only router is what provides the best network for most people. Look at the Ubiquiti UniFI line of products.

 

[BFG-9000]

There is no consumer grade router that can rout at 8Gbps (not even with IPv6 which uses less CPU), so your best bet is using a PC full of 10GbE ports as a wired-only router, and adding all the access points (also each with at least one 10GbE port) you need for the wifi. It's easy as pie to configure VLAN tagging on any routing software intended for PCs.

Any 3x3 Wifi 7 or 8 device should be able to do justice to 8Gbps under ideal conditions (as in no interference, less than 10' away), but despite all the marketing speak, latency on Wifi just hasn't been a priority because it just doesn't produce gaudy numbers for the marketers to put on the box. The lowest latency Wifi is still from ath9k which was open enough to be used to develop the Make-Wifi-Fast project and that's only Wifi 4. None of the chipset makers open-sourced their drivers for Wifi 5 or newer, to prevent competitors from seeing how they do things.

Mesh doubles the latency because there are now two Wifi links in series instead of one if you use the 2nd radio as a wireless backhaul. If you wire them up as wired APs instead, then all that extra cost was just so you could manage all of the APs at once using the same interface. That may be useful for an organization managing hundreds of APs but is hardly needed if you only have two or three.

Extenders are always the last resort because not only do you get double the latency, you also get half the bandwidth because unlike with Mesh they receive and transmit using the same radio.

 

[fcar1999ta]

There is no consumer grade router that can rout at 8Gbps (not even with IPv6 which uses less CPU), so your best bet is using a PC full of 10GbE ports as a wired-only router, and adding all the access points (also each with at least one 10GbE port) you need for the wifi. It's easy as pie to configure VLAN tagging on any routing software intended for PCs.

Any 3x3 Wifi 7 or 8 device should be able to do justice to 8Gbps under ideal conditions (as in no interference, less than 10' away), but despite all the marketing speak, latency on Wifi just hasn't been a priority because it just doesn't produce gaudy numbers for the marketers to put on the box. The lowest latency Wifi is still from ath9k which was open enough to be used to develop the Make-Wifi-Fast project and that's only Wifi 4. None of the chipset makers open-sourced their drivers for Wifi 5 or newer, to prevent competitors from seeing how they do things.

Mesh doubles the latency because there are now two Wifi links in series instead of one if you use the 2nd radio as a wireless backhaul. If you wire them up as wired APs instead, then all that extra cost was just so you could manage all of the APs at once using the same interface. That may be useful for an organization managing hundreds of APs but is hardly needed if you only have two or three.

Extenders are always the last resort because not only do you get double the latency, you also get half the bandwidth because unlike with Mesh they receive and transmit using the same radio.

I figured mesh would add some latency, but I didn't expect double. I think I need to just revisit wiring the house

 

[bill001g]

What ISP do you plan to use. Most it is not as simple as just setting the vlan tag. There are other restrictions mostly to prevent people who do not pay for internet service from just hooking up equipment and getting internet for free.

Unless there is some kind of ONT the router will have a fiber wan port. These type of systems the ISP generally does not allow you to connect your own device because of the interference your device can cause to other users on the same fiber if you misconfigure it. They also seldom give out any information that would allow you to configure the GPON settings.

You are very likely going to have to keep the ISP router. If wifi is you main concern just turn off the wifi radios and use other wifi equipment.

As stated in the post above you do not want to use a mesh system of any kind.

I will leave my normal rant about why you don't "need" 8gbit for a later time.

 

[fcar1999ta]

What ISP do you plan to use. Most it is not as simple as just setting the vlan tag. There are other restrictions mostly to prevent people who do not pay for internet service from just hooking up equipment and getting internet for free.

Unless there is some kind of ONT the router will have a fiber wan port. These type of systems the ISP generally does not allow you to connect your own device because of the interference your device can cause to other users on the same fiber if you misconfigure it. They also seldom give out any information that would allow you to configure the GPON settings.

You are very likely going to have to keep the ISP router. If wifi is you main concern just turn off the wifi radios and use other wifi equipment.

As stated in the post above you do not want to use a mesh system of any kind.

I will leave my normal rant about why you don't "need" 8gbit for a later time.

It is Quantum (CenturyLink). There is an ONT. I am going to get CAT8, in conduit, ran from the ONT to where the router will be, then another conduit of CAT8 ran to where a switch will be so I can have a (almost) 40Gbps capable backbone. Since I am doing it, I want to do it once and never again.

I know I don't need the speed, but it is really damn nice to have when you do need it. Plus, I still maintain that and 8Gig pipe is going to have lower latency to the ISP than a 940Meg pipe. I have seen latency changes from switching from copper Ethernet to fiber Ethernet. Same protocol, just faster speed.