Help with router choice for small office

Hi,

We have a small office with a few PCs hooked up. I have been charged with getting a new router as the Netgear 834GT we have seems to be dying, but sadly I don't really know what the hell I'm doing! At the moment everything seems to be hooked up to a Netgear GS724T switch.

I assume my best option is to get a separate modem (or bridged device) and wireless router rather than a combo? If so what would be good options for a small office environment? I was considering the Cisco E3000 as it seems to be tomato-capable. Is that a good bet? If so, what DSL modem would be best to go with it?

Or would I just be better off with a Billion 7800N or something?

Ok I've searched through the forum a little more and it seems the BT 2700HGV 2Wire is a good option in bridge mode if I want a separate modem and router.

I guess the only thing then to decide is whether to go that route or just to get an all-in-one device in the 7800N.

I don't really know where that Gigabit switch comes into it though, and if that means I only need a simpler router? :confused:

Golden rule - keep it as simple as possible.

The first quesiton is what does the router need to do?
The current 834GT is a dsl modem, router/firewall and wifi AP.
It would appear you need a simple replacement router to NAT everyone for outbound internet access.

Do you need any specific inbound access? - is there a server hosting email etc?
Do you need a wireless network?
One advantage to a seperate wireless router or AP may be locaiton i.e. do you need to put it in the middle of the office and not where the DSL phone line is?
Otherwise I would avoid using spereate model and router - there are 2 things to go wrong, the setup is more complex etc.
You also state you don't know what you are doing - yet consider a router that can be flashed with tomato. Do you really need any of these features?
My experience would be they are more prone to faults and need to have someone local with in depth knowledge - you don't want to playing around with a business setup - it just needs to work.

The Billion range of routers yyou mention are extremely reliable and do offer some advance features such as Qos if you need it.
the 7800 would be a simple replacement of the current netgear.

Matt

I assume my best option is to get a separate modem (or bridged device) and wireless router rather than a combo?

sounds like a recipe for complexity. If 4 ports isn't enough then plug the router into a switch.

You haven't listed any special requirements, if there's a lot of LAN traffic then a separate switch might make sense anyway.

Thanks guys.

I mentioned tomato as I have it on my router at home and find it intuitive and useful. Whether that necessarily makes it good for the office though I don't know...

I am only really getting involved in this as the guy who normally deals with our IT stuff is away!

To answer some of m55boy's questions:

- Yes there is a server hosting email and so on - an HP Proliant ML330 G6 if that helps!
- Yes we'd need wi-fi. I think they have some 'things' dotted around the place to get wi-fi in the external units outside the main building too (really showing my knowledge here!)
- Location of the router doesn't really matter I don't think
- As mentioned, complexity isn't necessarily a problem as we would normally have a specialist handling all this. That said, reliability is the main thing we'd be looking for.

By the sounds of the Billion 7800N is the way to go then...

Combined router/modem for most small places (under 20 people) is best, and then a seperate switch for the LAN. Gigabit is only really needed if you have large files on a local server.

How is the DG834GT dying? There might be a problem that is nothing to do with the router, e.g. unreliable ADSL line, or people attacking the router, the mail server load might be flooding the device.

The things for wi-fi are probably wireless access points, or wireless bridges to link the buildings up.

Important if you normally have a specialist, then it is worth consulting them, as you may have things in place you are not aware of.

Hi Foxrocks!

My name is Carie from the Cisco Small Business Group and I'm here to help businesses who need recommendations on their network needs. I went through the thread exchange and I agree with them that it is best for you to keep the set-up simple -- I suggest you get a separate device for routing and switching. By the way, how many users/devices do you have in your network? Let me know the other requirements you need for the set-up and I'd be glad to suggest products that can meet your business requirements. Check this link to view our Small Business Routing and Switching Page: http://csc0.ly/6018RTao

Feel free to reach out to me for further assistance!

Thanks,

Carie Vito
Cisco Small Business Group

Hi Carie Vito,
It's nice to see manufacturers here - but it's worth registering with TBB so people can start to trust you

Just got an account for TBB.Thanks for reminding me!