I’m looking for a router that I can use for my wireless network, preferably a cheap one that I can configure as needed. However I would rather upgrade to a more expensive router than have performance issues so I’m checking for recommendations here first.
For starters I would like to keep the router price at or under $200 if possible.
I will need the ability to assign different dhcp servers to different vlan connections… one of these dhcp servers needs to be run from the router as well as one dns server. All other connections need to be routed to a networked dhcp server/dns provider, these other connections may have increased traffic due to local network requests but only need to be rerouted to another machine… not processed or submitted to the firewall. The router will also need to pass the internet connection through to another machine/gateway for network usage.
The router will only be used for distributing internet access… approx: 20Mb down and 2Mb up to wireless users. Connection throttling will occur at each individual AP… so is not needed at the router. I will have an expected 20-30 users from day to day with the possible max number of users nearing 300-400 at peak times two days a week.
I would prefer a decent dns/web cache to speed up the users experience as well as reduce congestion. I will also be making changes to all web portal requests at the router to force strict search (url search/rewrite)… Any additional security or protection for the users/network is a plus… the firewall is expected to be on at all times with several firewall rules… the exact number is unknown at this time as I have no experience with the RouterOS.