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

[Dale]

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?
>>
> 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. 


> 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.


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. 


> 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. 

Thanks.

Dale

:-)  :-)