Re: [gentoo-user] To all IPv6-slackers among the Gentoo community

[Mick]

On Wednesday, 27 November 2019 01:51:44 GMT Dale wrote:
> Rich Freeman wrote:
> > On Tue, Nov 26, 2019 at 8:10 PM Dale <rdalek1967@×××××.com> wrote:
> >> I went to Newegg.  Hey, I buy stuff there sometimes.  Anyway, I've
> >> looked at several routers and none of them mention IPv6 that I can
> >> find.  I even skimmed the reviews and can't find a mention of it.  Is
> >> there some secret way to know when IPv6 is supported?  Is it called
> >> something else maybe?

It is called the OEM's website where technical specs are provided for each 
model.

It is also called Wikipedia.  There may be a page where all models of a 
particular manufacturer are listed in some table, explaining their 
functionality.

There are also webpages with reviews - but careful with those.  Most are 
nothing more than a shill for Amazon or some such shop, rather than an honest 
technical appraisal.  Sometimes youtube may have an unwrapping video, or demo 
of configuring a particular router - if you are interested to know what they 
look like in more detail.

There are specialist websites like:

https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/

as well as open source firmware projects like OpenWRT/DD-WRT etc., with useful 
blogs and forums to peruse, along with reports for suitable hardware.

Online shops are the last place to visit, *after* you have concluded which 
router is best for you, to see if you can afford the price.  Their websites 
may have incorrect technical information, out of date specifications and 
irrelevant (annoying) marketing speak to attract consumers.  Many are just 
box-shifters and wouldn't be able to tell you what's in the box you ordered 
anyway: "errm ... whatever they're shipping from China these days".  o_O


> > IMO there are three reasonable approaches you can take towards getting
> > a router you won't curse yourself for buying a year from now:
> >
> > 1.  DIY.  PC or other general-purpose computing hardware with multiple
> > NICs.  There are SBCs that work well for this.  You can run pfsense or
> > some other router-oriented distro/software/wrappers.  Or you can just
> > roll your own with netfilter and such.  Max flexibility, but also max
> > fuss.  Unless you use a SBC you'll also be paying a price in
> > electricity.  Don't underestimate how much you pay for any x86-based
> > system that runs 24x7 - especially anything old you have lying around.
>
> I remember how my old rig pulled power.  It pulled like 400 watts or so
> idle.  Of course, it was lacking in power so when compiling, there
> wasn't a lot of difference really.  In the winter, I rarely needed a
> heater.  Its constant heat output kept this bedroom comfy.  No real need
> for a heater.  It's one reason I want to avoid this option.  Mostly, I
> want something I'll get many years of service from and everything work
> well, wired or wireless now that I have a cell phone and printer that
> needs it.  My current router pulls like 10 watts or something.
> Considering I run electric heat and such, it's a rounding error for me.
> Heck, my main puter is too.  It pulls like 180 watts which includes
> everything, modem, router, monitor and the rig itself.
>
> The positive part tho for option 1, if another port is needed, just add
> a network card and it's done.  With DHCP and friends, it will likely
> just work.  That's something you can't do with a store bought router.
> Whatever it comes with, that's what you got.  I've never needed more
> than the 4 most come with tho.  My puter uses one, printer another and
> cell phone.  I guess I have one left still.

Every additional network card (PCI or USB) will also incur additional cost and 
soon you could run out of MoBo slots.  It makes more sense to buy a dedicated 
switch instead, with as many ports as you think you will need to use in the 
future.  Old routers can also be used as dumb switches, after you disable 
their DNS/DHCP/PPP, etc.  The world is moving towards high speed wireless 
connectivity anyway, so more and more devices will not need a physical switch 
port or ethernet cables to gain access to the network.


> > 2.  OpenWRT/DD-WRT/etc.  Again it is a bit fussy but generally way
> > less so than going pure DIY unless you're running pfsense or some
> > other appliance-oriented distro.  If you go this route then definitely
> > check for recommendations on hardware that is known to work WELL.
> > Some stuff technically works but can be very prone to having to play
> > around with JTAG and such if you make the slightest mistake.  You'll
> > probably spend an extra $20 on hardware you won't regret buying - do
> > it.

+1

Trying to save a few pennies could result in being lumbered with suboptimal 
hardware.


> That's what I'm wanting as a option.  I may just use the firmware that
> comes with the thing for a good while.  Later on tho, if needed, I may
> switch to Openwrt or some other option that may work better.  It's a
> option I'd like to have if possible.

This is generally a good option because OEMs hardly ever bother upgrading 
their initial firmware these days.  They're more interested to ship the next 
model, or the same model in a shinier box.  As a result loads of routers are 
running around the world with actively exploited vulnerabilities.  At least 
with OpenWRT and friends you have a live opensource project actively trying to 
keep on top of the latest SNAFU.


> > 3.  Something commercial that isn't terrible.  There are various
> > options, but everybody always points to Ubiquiti and I'm mostly happy
> > with them.  If you want something that is more gui-based I'd go with
> > their Unifi line.  I'd avoid Amplifi as it is more consumer-oriented
> > and you'll end up being frustrated with it.  EdgeOS is getting closer
> > to something like OpenWRT - it runs linux and you can get a shell and
> > mess around with the CLI.  However, while the EdgeOS routing options
> > are great they aren't so good with WiFi and EdgeOS and Unifi don't
> > interoperate all that well (not impossible, but they don't really talk
> > to each other so you have to maintain two configs).  I also really
> > dislike that the EdgeOS management software is only supplied as a
> > docker image, which is a pain if you're not using docker (one of these
> > days I'll have to get it working with my bridge interface as it always
> > tries to create its own and ends up having no physical network
> > access).  The Unifi controller software is packaged for a couple of
> > distros which makes it much more flexible to deploy (and you can use
> > it on docker if you wish).
> >
> > Personally I'm running EdgeOS on my router and Unifi on everything
> > else.  If I could go back I might have gone with Unifi on the gateway
> > but it does bug me that it is so much more expensive and does the same
> > thing.  If I had it then end-to-end VLAN/etc would be much more
> > practical, though I'd need a pile of managed switches to make it work
> > well.
> >
> > I've run all three options at various points.  Unless your needs are
> > special I think there is value in just going with #3.  It just runs
> > itself for the most part, and if you want multiple access points or
> > anything like that the network basically runs itself.  I just plug in
> > new hardware and then on the controller software it shows up, and one
> > click provisions it which configures it to fit in with all my global
> > settings.
>
> This is why I might buy one compatible with Openwrt but wait until the
> wireless stuff gets sorted out.  Like I said above, I'd like it as a
> option so finding one that Openwrt supports should increase my odds if
> they get everything working nicely later on.  I still remember the old
> USB days when it was new.  It was buggy and stuff didn't work right
> every time.  After a while tho, they got most the kinks worked out.  I
> think Openwrt and others will do the same.  It may take a bit but maybe
> by the time I'm ready to try it, it will be awesomeness.
>
> I just want to avoid replacing my current router with a router that also
> doesn't have IPv6 support and has limited options later on.  Even google
> isn't helping me much on that.

Look at my suggestions above on how to investigate the availability of IPv6 or 
other desired functionality of candidate routers.

Something I hadn't mentioned, merely because I don't know if it will work with 
your old router, is to hack the hardware itself.  Replacing the flash disk and 
RAM with larger components may land you a more capable device for no/little 
extra cost.  Just use one of the RAM modules you have lying around in your 
spares bin and hope the chipset is capable of booting and utilising it.  Some 
SoCs are crippled by design, having a max RAM capacity they will initialise 
hardcoded in their boot code.  They may not see or use more RAM and may even 
refuse to boot with it.  Nevertheless, it could be an interesting project for 
a rainy day, on a router which is on its way out anyway:

http://neophob.com/2006/01/wrt54g-ram-upgrade/

-- 
Regards,

Mick