Posted: Thu May 24, 2018 14:24 Post subject: What are the differences between 1200 & 1900 versions?
What is the current status/value/reliability of the different versions of the wrt1200AC & the wrt1900's? (running dd-wrt of course).
I've been figuring that they might still be a good bet for my use, since many/most of the new wrt series problems were WiFi related. ?
As I posted in "General Questions", I am updating my secure router stack with newer/faster secure routers. I was planning to use the TP-Link 4300's that I already have to replace my good old wrt54GL's, but they don't have very much flash ram. So now I am considering getting 1200 or 1900's instead. Since I've only been tracking the builds for my 3200, I am not sure which 1200 & 1900 versions would be the best for this application.
These will only be doing only wired ethernet - NO WiFi at all. Have found some 1200's on Ebay, but most are ACv1. How does that compare with the ACv2?
For the 1900's there are a number more versions, AC, ACS, ACSv2, ACv2. How do they compare to each other and with the 1200's. And they're selling for more than the 1200's. Not sure they offer any advantage for my use over the 1200's, though.
I am primarily looking for the horsepower that they offer; well along with reliability = no random rebooting, etc. Want to have a really good thruput Lan to Wan; while possibly running a vpn and to be able to have a decently large block list firewall. Speed-wise, I can get 1.4 Gbs if I change ISPs. Currently with Comcast, I use 150Mbs & can get =250 max for another 25-40 bucks/month. Testing by others here shows that a 3200 can reach VPN speeds well above the Comcast 250 and approach or exceed 50-60% of the 940gig of some FIOS installations provide.
So far, I have found and bought one 1200ACv2 from Ebay. (it arrives maybe Friday. I am finding mostly 1200v1, and a variety of 1900 builds but they are most costly $80-$110. Want to pay <$55 incl shipping.
Sam _________________ multi-tier router stack
wrt 3200's for speed & cpu power, NG R6300v2's for WiFi AP's,
wrt 1200v2 for one of my secure subnets.
wrt54GLs for ad'l 3rd tier machines.
Joined: 27 Apr 2016 Posts: 112 Location: Down down .... under
Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 1:03 Post subject: Re: What are the differences between 1200 & 1900 version
d0ug wrote:
As far as 1.4gbps internet, that all just sounds like a marketing scam. There is no SOHO router with faster than a gigabit port, so you'll never be able to take advantage of that. Even if you plugged your PC straight into the modem you are limited by the gigabit ethernet.
If you actually wanted to make use of that 1.4gbps internet you would probably need to start looking towards the enterprise router lines to find something with a 10gbps port.
Unless you find a router that does link aggregation, no need really for a 10gbps port when you could just combine a few gigabit ports. I recall reading somewhere that some of the Netgear routers can do this. Not sure if DD-WRT supports it though. _________________ Linksys WRT1900ACv2 - My new go to build: DD-WRT v3.0-r44048 std (08/02/20) - STABLE
My WRT1900ACv2 has now been serving me for more than 5years Most reliable router I have ever owned!
Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 2:02 Post subject: Re: What are the differences between 1200 & 1900 version
doniNZ74 wrote:
d0ug wrote:
As far as 1.4gbps internet, that all just sounds like a marketing scam. There is no SOHO router with faster than a gigabit port, so you'll never be able to take advantage of that. Even if you plugged your PC straight into the modem you are limited by the gigabit ethernet.
If you actually wanted to make use of that 1.4gbps internet you would probably need to start looking towards the enterprise router lines to find something with a 10gbps port.
Unless you find a router that does link aggregation, no need really for a 10gbps port when you could just combine a few gigabit ports. I recall reading somewhere that some of the Netgear routers can do this. Not sure if DD-WRT supports it though.
Agreed the 1.4 # ref FIOS is most likely bragging about something that doesn't exist in a workable fashion for us "regular" users. I'd taken it as more of a statement of the claimed capability of their FIOS hardware.
Though I'd suspect that like doniNZ74 suggests a setup like multi-router / multi-wan of some sort might be able to get one there without too much of a problem. That would give a high total thruput but not a super thruput for any one machine.
But I'm not expecting or even trying to get that 1.4gbs high speed anyway. I'm just looking to get hardware that will be able to keep my system at a higher speed when I'm running a VPN & firewall blocking for my individual LAN subnets. I'll probably never be wanting more that the 250 Mbs, but routers with more horsepower should be able to get me higher speeds. Thus while things will still be slowed down by the VPN etc, my speeds will not be slowed down to as slow a speed as less powerful routers would. And thus with the router stack that I'm putting together, I should still be able to get to my higher speed target in the 250 range with the subnet vpn etc running. Maybe even into a 450+ range when Comcast finally offers that at a decent price.
Ah ?future proof? well maybe?
thanks.
edited to clarify 05-25 _________________ multi-tier router stack
wrt 3200's for speed & cpu power, NG R6300v2's for WiFi AP's,
wrt 1200v2 for one of my secure subnets.
wrt54GLs for ad'l 3rd tier machines.
Last edited by Sam1789 on Fri May 25, 2018 20:15; edited 2 times in total
Thanks for that detail. I get that the v2's are better and that as time goes on the difference might get bigger.
On the 1900 vs 1200: the 1900 has 23% speed increase. Which might be nice, it's not a night and day difference. So what are the diffences between its various models ACSv2, ACv2?
thanks
Sam _________________ multi-tier router stack
wrt 3200's for speed & cpu power, NG R6300v2's for WiFi AP's,
wrt 1200v2 for one of my secure subnets.
wrt54GLs for ad'l 3rd tier machines.
Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 3:23 Post subject: Re: What are the differences between 1200 & 1900 version
d0ug wrote:
The only real difference between the 1200 and 1900 is the loss of two of the antennas on the 1200 which reduces theoretical maximum wireless bandwidth if you can take advantage of the MIMO
The 1200 and 1900 v2 hardware seems to be the sweet spot with DD-WRT right now. There are all kinds of posts about issues with the v1 of this hardware and the newer WRT3200 and WRT32x series.
How do the different models of the 1900 compare? ACSv2, ACv2 ?
It seems that there is enough of a difference between the v1 & v2 to go with the v2, even though I can get the 1200v1 for 25+ bucks or less than a 1200v2. But what about the 2 1900 v2 models? They seem to go for 80-130. And too many Ebay etc sellers don't list the full details let alone version #s for what they're selling.
Thanks,
Sam _________________ multi-tier router stack
wrt 3200's for speed & cpu power, NG R6300v2's for WiFi AP's,
wrt 1200v2 for one of my secure subnets.
wrt54GLs for ad'l 3rd tier machines.
Joined: 27 Apr 2016 Posts: 112 Location: Down down .... under
Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 3:37 Post subject: Re: What are the differences between 1200 & 1900 version
Sam1789 wrote:
But what about the 2 1900 v2 models? They seem to go for 80-130. And too many Ebay etc sellers don't list the full details let alone version #s for what they're selling.
Thanks,
Sam
WRT1900acv2 has 1.6 GHz or 1.3 GHz CPU and 512MB, WRT1900acv1 has 1.2 GHz and 256MB. I also think the v1 has a fan, whereas the v2 does not.
Most sellers on ebay dont know what they selling and if you ask them if its a v1 they won't know (its not labelled as v1 as far as I know and only became a v1 once the v2 came out). If it does not say v2, its a v1. Its very confusing, I have a WRT1900acv2 and it is marked as a WRT1900acv2 but it has the specs of the WRT1900ACS. Some WRT1900acv2 only have 1.3GHz processors. if you going to purchase one, try and get the WRT1900ACS or WRT1900AC_v2 (If you sure it is the 1.6GHz version) _________________ Linksys WRT1900ACv2 - My new go to build: DD-WRT v3.0-r44048 std (08/02/20) - STABLE
My WRT1900ACv2 has now been serving me for more than 5years Most reliable router I have ever owned!
Most sellers on ebay don't know what they selling and if you ask them if its a v1 they won't know (its not labelled as v1 as far as I know and only became a v1 once the v2 came out). If it does not say v2, its a v1. Its very confusing, I have a WRT1900acv2 and it is marked as a WRT1900acv2 but it has the specs of the WRT1900ACS. Some WRT1900acv2 only have 1.3GHz processors. if you going to purchase one, try and get the WRT1900ACS or WRT1900AC_v2 (If you sure it is the 1.6GHz version)
doniNZ74,
Thanks for your help with this. Yep I agree I find it confusing too.
& thanks for the Wikidev links. I'd used that site a fair while ago but hadn't remembered what its url was. Nice to have it again.
So it would seem that my best bet would be the 1900ACS, maybe a wrt1900ACv2, or the 1200ACv2.
And on questions about version info, I've been including the info on "what-where-if nothing" about the version # to help them determine what they are actually selling. and most seem surprised.?? Or maybe that's not all that surprising. ??
Thanks,
Sam _________________ multi-tier router stack
wrt 3200's for speed & cpu power, NG R6300v2's for WiFi AP's,
wrt 1200v2 for one of my secure subnets.
wrt54GLs for ad'l 3rd tier machines.
Project status: The first wrt for ny tier 2 arrived today. & I have all 4 NetGear r6300's in hand for my distributed WiFi APs. My 3200 is working fine with OpenVPN already for the front router. The TP-L 4300'S & my WRT54glS will be on the shelf as backups also. So I'm getting there.
Need to find a 2nd or 3rd wrt 1200ACv2 or 1900ACS@1.6 for tier 2. Then if I count one of the wrt tier 2 wrt's as a backup for the front router, I'll have all the pieces. And it'll be time to get dd-wrt onto them. & start learning about PBR & router firewall & blockers, etc.
I appreciate this help and also that which people sent thru PM.
Just for kicks can one get a 10Gbs switch to go after that "mythical" FIOS 1.4Gbs. well may also need a modem faster than my Arris SB6190? But Fios would, I guess, put their own modem inside the commercial interface box in my basement.
Ah the fun of it all
Thanks again,
Sam _________________ multi-tier router stack
wrt 3200's for speed & cpu power, NG R6300v2's for WiFi AP's,
wrt 1200v2 for one of my secure subnets.
wrt54GLs for ad'l 3rd tier machines.
Last edited by Sam1789 on Sat May 26, 2018 16:24; edited 1 time in total
Joined: 02 Aug 2017 Posts: 153 Location: Central Michigan
Posted: Sat May 26, 2018 10:57 Post subject:
Sam1789 wrote:
Just for kicks can one get a 10Gbs switch to go after that "mythical" FIOS 1.4Gbs. well may also need a modem faster than my Arris SB6190? But Fios would, I guess, put their own modem inside the commercial interface box in my basement.
Ah the fun of it all
Thanks again,
Sam
I had looked at the SB6190 last fall, but had read about so many latency issues with the puma chipset being buggy as all get up.
In fact I read somewhere that there was a class-action lawsuit over it, I also think thats why they went with Broadcom's BCM3390 chip set in the SB8200
Mark _________________ ISP: Charter
Modem: Netgear CM600
Router:(2) Asus RT-AC86U Merlin 384.5
Router: LinksysWRT3200Acm{RIP}
Router: Linksys EA8500 kongat r35030m (Vpn)
Router: Netgear X4S kongat r35965M
Vpn: IpVanish
Unbrick your 3200acm with usb to ttl cable: https://tinyurl.com/y9azvrkg
Just for kicks can one get a 10Gbs switch to go after that "mythical" FIOS 1.4Gbs. well may also need a modem faster than my Arris SB6190? But Fios would, I guess, put their own modem inside the commercial interface box in my basement.
No, Fios don’t use a modem, it uses an ONT (optical network terminal) so if you do switch you could send your modem to the recycle bin. The earlier ONT units were BPON and the latest and greatest are GPON like the one in my sig. All new installs get GPON regardless of the speed tier. If you are getting an indoor install you don't need the enclosure/case unless you want it. I opted out of the case, I could post an image of my install later or PM you with it if you like..
I had looked at the SB6190 last fall, but had read about so many latency issues with the puma chipset being buggy as all get up.
In fact I read somewhere that there was a class-action lawsuit over it, I also think thats why they went with Broadcom's BCM3390 chip set in the SB8200
Mark
Yep, I'm aware of those issues with the SB6190. And when that started to be talked about I'd check a site page which ran a detailed test. Fortunately, I seldom saw any slow down due to that PUMA effect on my system.
What I do see from my Comcast connection is more "unsolicited packets" than I'd like. That number per day changes and my router log shows routine & regular "probes" from various IP's including Russian IPs and from Russian telecom servers which are often obscured to look like they're from other sites. Plus our "friend" the Sechelles makes all too regular contributions. At 2.4 to 5 per minute, it's not that noticeable most of the time. Though still annoying. But when the numbers increases to the 5000 to 14000 and come in almost continuos groups, its effects get to be more than just annoying.
Comcast seems to ignore this entirely, despite the fact that I can correlate activity increases as precursors to a number of the major DDOS attacks like the big DYN attack. Since then, my "new" normal for "slow" days has climbed from the significantly from the pre DYN attack levels. _________________ multi-tier router stack
wrt 3200's for speed & cpu power, NG R6300v2's for WiFi AP's,
wrt 1200v2 for one of my secure subnets.
wrt54GLs for ad'l 3rd tier machines.
I had looked at the SB6190 last fall, but had read about so many latency issues with the puma chipset being buggy as all get up.
In fact I read somewhere that there was a class-action lawsuit over it, I also think thats why they went with Broadcom's BCM3390 chip set in the SB8200
Mark
Just a note. I kind of hate to have to get rid of my SB6190, since Comcast actually paid for my SB6190 after they literally blew up and bricked my previous modem. They had been even more sloppy than they usually are and forced an update on it with firmware for a different modem then the also forced a wrong configuration too. And somehow during all that what ever they did actually blew out my ssl for emails too.
It took a bit of work to get that straightened out, as one can imagine. The only way I got them to do anything was that their "high" level support inadvertently acknowledged that they had changed their handshake for updates and "no longer checked" the actual modem before they sent updates. And that even though all customer owned modems have to be registered with them before they will work at all on their systems.
fun isn't it. The SB6190's was going for just under $225 locally at the time.
edited to clarify. 05-27 _________________ multi-tier router stack
wrt 3200's for speed & cpu power, NG R6300v2's for WiFi AP's,
wrt 1200v2 for one of my secure subnets.
wrt54GLs for ad'l 3rd tier machines.
Last edited by Sam1789 on Sun May 27, 2018 4:50; edited 1 time in total
Joined: 02 Aug 2017 Posts: 153 Location: Central Michigan
Posted: Sat May 26, 2018 20:35 Post subject:
Hi Sam
As far as "unsolicited packets" goes I'm reading more and more about this, folks saying the same thing on different sites, and now with the VPNFilter Router malware out in the wild, its just one more thing we have to worry about until a fix is released, if ever for older routers! Link to FBI warning: https://www.ic3.gov/media/2018/180525.aspx
Yes I can relate, my ISP is Charter and when I upgraded my modem with the CM600 they had me chasing my tail with poor down and up speeds, until I reached a service rep that acknowledged that someone had not provisioned the modem correctly, but that was after two or three previous calls.
After I picked up the CM600 I never kept up on the SB6190 issues and if it was ever corrected with a firmware update, with it having 32x8 it looked promising until I dug into it a little deeper. _________________ ISP: Charter
Modem: Netgear CM600
Router:(2) Asus RT-AC86U Merlin 384.5
Router: LinksysWRT3200Acm{RIP}
Router: Linksys EA8500 kongat r35030m (Vpn)
Router: Netgear X4S kongat r35965M
Vpn: IpVanish
Unbrick your 3200acm with usb to ttl cable: https://tinyurl.com/y9azvrkg
