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Re: Questions before buying XR500

Naxterra
Apprentice

Questions before buying XR500

Hello

 

I moving to a new flat and I will have 900mbit symmetrical internet speed. Internet connection will be provided via ethernet cable and I won't have access to ISPs main router below apartment. I can use whatever router/switch I want, there won't be any issues.

 

My query is;

I have 3 smartphones, 2 laptops, 1 desktop PC, 1 PS4, 1 smart TV and Steam Link. Only desktop PC will be connected to router via CAT7 cable, others will be wireless, maybe, just maybe if I can manage it, I will connect Steam Link and PS4 via CAT7 cable but not sure yet due to cable management issues. My flat has 3 rooms and total area is 52 m2.

 

I am checking Reddit, Lifewire, Tom's Hardware, Asus and Netgear forums and Amazon reviews and still I am unsure about what to buy. I have Nighthawk X10, Nighthawk XR500, ASUS GT-AC5300 and Linksys WRT32X in my mind. I want to get full speed of my internet connection without interruption. Also my main usages will be online gaming, 4K video watching and lots of downloads.

 

Which could be right choice for me?

 

 

Model: XR500| Nighthawk Pro Gaming Router
Message 1 of 66

Accepted Solutions
Netduma-Fraser
NetDuma Partner

Re: Questions before buying XR500

Please keep it civil. We're here to give Naxterra advice on what router to purchase.

Hi Naxterra, I also work for Netduma (creators of DumaOS). If you did end up purchasing the XR500 I would also very likely be the one giving you technical support on the forums should you need it.

Out of the options you listed the XR500 as far as I am aware is the only one that has actually built an entire router operating system from scratch. That means we are able to develop new features very quickly. We have a massive roadmap in front of us and we haven't even hit the tip of the iceberg yet.

As others have said the XR500 can handle all your devices no problem! Regarding NAT for PS4, UPnP, Port Forwarding or putting it in the DMZ will open the console's NAT.

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Message 7 of 66

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Netduma_Jack
NetDuma Partner

Re: Questions before buying XR500

All those models have great WiFi so from a hardware side of things you can’t go too wrong.

But on software - the XR500 is miles ahead of the others because of DumaOS. It has many unique features, such as the Geo-Filter which will guarantee nearby servers when you play on your PS4. It also has the best QoS which prevents local devices from causing congestion. There are many other features too - check out YouTube for a review. Here is one that was posted yesterday: https://youtu.be/tb4HjaKStuw

Disclaimer: I work for the developers of DumaOS so please take the time to read others opinion e.g. Amazon reviews or journalists review.
Message 2 of 66
BIG_DOG
Luminary

Re: Questions before buying XR500

Hi.

 

I have the XR500 and it will handle anything you throw at it (connection wise) so no need to worry about it being able to handle your demands.......I have the Linksys WRT3200acm which has just been rebranded as the 32X (on your list) and to be fair although it is a fantastic router their software leaves a lot to be desired and their firmware updates are few and far between. So I flashed my own custom firmware onto it in order to get it to do what I wanted.

 

You wont go wrong with the XR500 and theres a strong community supporting it especially at netduma's main forum at http://forum.netduma.com/

 

 

 

B.D

 

 

Model: XR500| Nighthawk Pro Gaming Router
Message 3 of 66
BIG_DOG
Luminary

Re: Questions before buying XR500

Why do you even comment on posts regarding this router when all you do is either slate it or say how great the edgerouter is or just copy other's quotes when you do not even own this model?

Message 4 of 66
BIG_DOG
Luminary

Re: Questions before buying XR500

You are not worth a further comment!

Message 5 of 66
Naxterra
Apprentice

Re: Questions before buying XR500

I don't want to use two devices. Just one router, capable of handling and distributing 900mbit symmetrical connection to all of my devices without speed loss and minimal lag. My phones will be slower at least desktop PC, laptops and PS4 should get full speed.

 

Considering price I am gonna pay, I want it to be stable and usable for many years. Like Asus's router has too many negative reviews on Amazon. People are saying it is losing 2.4Ghz wifi connection too often and even with new firmwares it is not solved. For XR500 I am seeing issues with NAT and PS4 on DumaOS forums. Nighthawk X10 seems very good but it needs periodically restart and UI is not good. 

 

There are mesh devices too but I have no idea how they are.

 

 

Edit. If possible I want to connect my WD My Book Duo into router and make it available in my network.

Model: XR500| Nighthawk Pro Gaming Router
Message 6 of 66
Netduma-Fraser
NetDuma Partner

Re: Questions before buying XR500

Please keep it civil. We're here to give Naxterra advice on what router to purchase.

Hi Naxterra, I also work for Netduma (creators of DumaOS). If you did end up purchasing the XR500 I would also very likely be the one giving you technical support on the forums should you need it.

Out of the options you listed the XR500 as far as I am aware is the only one that has actually built an entire router operating system from scratch. That means we are able to develop new features very quickly. We have a massive roadmap in front of us and we haven't even hit the tip of the iceberg yet.

As others have said the XR500 can handle all your devices no problem! Regarding NAT for PS4, UPnP, Port Forwarding or putting it in the DMZ will open the console's NAT.
Message 7 of 66
Naxterra
Apprentice

Re: Questions before buying XR500

That is very good to hear then. I will use 15 m CAT7 cable directly from ISP ethernet connection point to router. Will it be okay for it or shall I try to make it shorter?

 

One more thing then. How will it perform compared to X10?

Message 8 of 66
Netduma-Fraser
NetDuma Partner

Re: Questions before buying XR500

You should be absolutely fine with that length of ethernet cable & at CAT7 you should have optimal performance.

I have only briefly used the X10. Hardware wise it is an absolute beast but that is not all that is important when ensuring the best possible connection. With the XR500 I believe you have the best of hardware & software combined.
Message 9 of 66
Naxterra
Apprentice

Re: Questions before buying XR500

Alright then. I will order XR500 today. Let's see how it will work 🙂

 

Thanks for your support and help.

Message 10 of 66
Naxterra
Apprentice

Re: Questions before buying XR500

Well, I didn't use that before so I can't comment about its performance. So far I used routers and cable modem which were delivered by ISP but new one permits me to use my own. So I want something good

Message 11 of 66
Naxterra
Apprentice

Re: Questions before buying XR500

I won't have any modem. Main ISP router is below the apartment, possibly in a locked box. In my flat I have only one ethernet output to access internet.

Message 12 of 66
Naxterra
Apprentice

Re: Questions before buying XR500

At the moment flat has 300mbit tplink wifi router, not sure about model. It has two antennas and low wifi speed.

Message 13 of 66
Netduma-Fraser
NetDuma Partner

Re: Questions before buying XR500

If you're able to get an open NAT through the TP Link router you're currently using then you should be fine. In most cases like this NAT is the main issue when not being able to access the upstream hub
Message 14 of 66
Netduma-Fraser
NetDuma Partner

Re: Questions before buying XR500

As far as I can tell the unaccessible router is something that can't changed so it's all about making the best of the existing situation. Which as Naxterra mentioned he wants to replace his TP Link with a good router. As a custom router is already being used there should be no issue swapping it out with another router whether that be the XR500 or something different.
Message 15 of 66
Netduma-Fraser
NetDuma Partner

Re: Questions before buying XR500

Based on the use case of both high & low intensity bandwidth usage. I believe QoS & the Geo-Filter will provide the best possible connection. For example, a user on the Netduma posted just today that while: "all my streaming gear running and watching 2 4k movies and a 1080 60FPS stream and uploading 1080p 60fps to youtube" their ping was 13ms and their ping to the game was 14ms.
Message 16 of 66
Netduma-Fraser
NetDuma Partner

Re: Questions before buying XR500

Hi Case850,
This is the specific forum for the Nighthawk Pro Gaming Router (XR500), therefore the XR500 will be frequently recommended. Not just because of where the user is asking but because it combines the best in hardware and software. It can handle the most demanding tasks and still provide the best connection possible.

Naxterra mentioned in the first sentence of this topic that 'Internet connection will be provided via ethernet cable and I won't have access to ISPs main router below apartment.' so I was aware of that from the beginning.

It was also mentioned that Naxterra is receiving 300mbit from the tp-link wifi router. As he was unsure about the model. He gave a description instead 'It has two antennas and low wifi speed.'. A search for tp-link WiFi router gives only two routers that have two antennas. One can support 500mbps and the other only 300mbps which stands to reason it is most probable that the model is the TL-WR841N.

Ultimately I do believe I have an understanding of Naxterra's situation and specific usecase, therefore I think the XR500 is the solution.
Message 17 of 66
Naxterra
Apprentice

Re: Questions before buying XR500

Hello

 

Here is response from my ISP.

 

Korbank > switch > Ethernet cable to flat and then router. You need to look for a router with 1Gb Lan. No, if you have your router, we don't have any restictions, just you need to register your MAC in our system.

Model: XR500| Nighthawk Pro Gaming Router
Message 18 of 66
BIG_DOG
Luminary

Re: Questions before buying XR500

As Fraser said earlier, if you wish to buy the XR500 then it is more than suitable for your needs in that regard!

Message 19 of 66
Naxterra
Apprentice

Re: Questions before buying XR500

It seems so. I already ordered it, waiting for delivery now 🙂

Message 20 of 66
Netduma-Fraser
NetDuma Partner

Re: Questions before buying XR500

Great news then, the LAN & WAN ports are all Gigabit and you can find the MAC address on the underside of the router to provide them with it. We're sure you'll love it!
Message 21 of 66
BIG_DOG
Luminary

Re: Questions before buying XR500

Please also note you can find the netduma community at forum.netduma.com where there are extensive topincs and advice on this router!

Message 22 of 66
Naxterra
Apprentice

Re: Questions before buying XR500

Hello again.

My router just arrived and I did initial configuration but I encountered something unexpected with my setup. I was thinking that internet is provided via ethernet slot in a box above my door but it wasn't. It is provided by CAT5e cable directly to flat. Ethernet slots in the small box above door were to distribute connections to living room only. So I am in need of a good but small switch which will be useful for my new router. I thought about Netgear SX10 but it will be big to that box. (also it costs a lot)

 

I also asked ISP to change CAT5e cable to CAT7, still waiting for their reply.

 

Any suggestions? 

Model: XR500| Nighthawk Pro Gaming Router
Message 23 of 66
Netduma-Fraser
NetDuma Partner

Re: Questions before buying XR500

I'm not sure I understand, if you connect the XR500 to an available ethernet port then that should provide the XR500 with the Internet. Is that not the case?
Message 24 of 66
Naxterra
Apprentice

Re: Questions before buying XR500

Yes, it will work that way but provided cable is too small, like 25-30 cm long. That is why I want to put a small switch into that small box and connect my router to that switch.

Message 25 of 66
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