New Router or Convert Old Computer?

[AOD_Suisfonia]

Recently I was talking with a friend of mine about the network problems I was having at home, he mentioned that due to the number of devices actively connected to my network (18 in total) it is overwhelming my router (which is meant for gaming, and also apparently NOT meant to deal with a lot of devices, according to their support team)

I was thinking of possibly taking my old computer and converting it into a router, problem is that I don't know what OS to put on it nor even *how* to do this process. The other other was to purchase a business level router (something like TL-R605, which was recommended to me)

But I want to know what others think is the better option, naturally my old gaming computer would have potentially better hardware (due to it having a better CPU and even ram). I don't want to junk the old system since I do feel it can be used for *something* so does anyone have any advice? :<

To give an idea of what the old system has, here are its rough specs:

CPU: i9-14900KF
Ram: 62 Gbs
GPU: 2080 (Probably not needed)

[AOD_Weakness]

The computer you have picked out is 10x the overkill needed for setting up as a router. You could get away with a sub $100 PC off of Ebay (like this one) with pfSense as the OS. Unfortunately, to do this right you would also need a wireless access point wired into the PC for WiFi Access for about $80-$150 depending on needs/wants.

Also consider 18 devices is not a whole lot of load on a router unless you have a lower grade router doing the work. I don't know the specifics of your network setup or problems you're having but I've never had issues that pointed to load on my router even during family get togethers where 30+ people are using my wifi with all of my normal devices in the home. The routing function itself isn't a huge resource hog and lower end/older routers can have issues but it's usually more wifi bandwidth problems. There also could be entirely different reasons for problems not related to teh router itself but it would take some troubleshooting to figure out the problem and correct it.

If you're having Wifi bandwidth issues the simplest solution might be to add a wired access point to your current router to off-load the bandwidth issues. I'd be glad to help with figuring out how to best setup your network if you want.

[AOD_Suisfonia]

I would appreciate the help, right now when it comes to wifi the majority of it as my security camera's (I have six, all of them are running off the wifi. They were originally wired, but for some reason the quality of the picture wasn't very good with the Ethernet cables, at least when compared to the old system which used BNC. Amcrest, the company I use for my security system, wasn't very helpful in figuring out why the camera's were having issues with both. I did get a wifi extender with the hopes that maybe that would help with the problem, but it didn't :(

[AOD_Weakness]

Are the cameras going offline and is this the main or only issue? What model cameras do you have? I might be worth it to look up what wifi protocols they use and determine if they are working well with your router. Some security cams have issues with newer routers that use the same network name for 2.4 and 5G causing them to fall offline. I'm not sure yet if this is the issue but something to look into.

Do you have an old router that we could use to troubleshoot? Are you also able to run ethernet to a different more central location compared to your router? An old router could be turned into an access point and wired to your main router to create a new seperate wifi netowrk for just your cameras. Hopefully the seperate router can also be setup to only use 2.4 or 5G, depending on what your cameras need.

I'm kind of shooting in the dark without more info but looking forward to figuring out the next steps.

[AOD_Suisfonia]

So there are two issues:

The biggest one is the live feed which is slow and choppy, this is more common during weather and less so during the calm but can still be noticeable. Second issue is that when the camera's lose signal, they usually say that they can't find the network host. As for the camera's that I use, all five of them are wireless - I tried to use a wired feed but the results were the same as if they were wireless. Four are Amcrest 5Mp Ultra HD Mini Outdoors (IP5M-1190W) and the other one is the Amcrest Smarthome 4mp Wifi Outdoor Security Camera (ASH47-W) all five use the 2.4 ghz range of the wifi.

Also, no I don't have an older router that I can use to test this - mostly since it was so old that I had to junk it when I got this current one.

What is annoying about this is that the old camera system I have - which I still have four of them hooked up due to the problems with this new system - run as smooth as silk (they also use BNC instead of Wifi or Ethernet) which is what I am trying to get with these guys. I've tried to match the settings as close as possible but there are some settings that same to ... hard coded I guess? Meaning they can't be modified.

[AOD_Weakness]

The lag and disconnects may be two separate issues. When the cameras disconnect does the internet for the rest of the house stay working fine? Do your 2.4 and 5G networks having different names? If not, is it possible to change the 5G name to something else so we can isolate the cameras to stay on 2.4 by themselves, or at least with a lower amount of devices on that band.

As for the lag issue, have your tried switching the video codec to 265 instead of the default of 264? I read a few forums posts that stated the 265 eliminated lag and choppyness for them.

Also, check your firmware to see if the cameras are up to date. I tried to look at change logs to see if there was any mention of lag issues but they only post the change log of the latest update and they didn't include much info either way.

[AOD_Suisfonia]

Yea, internet still works in the house. Also, with the router I have right now, I don't see any means of setting it up so that the 2.4 and 5g have different names, they seem to use the same name. The only one that I can modify to have separate names is the Extender I have for the camera's in my backyard, that was already set so that the 2.4 and 5ghz ranges had separate names (and those camera's will only connect to the 2.4, they don't see the 5)

Looking at the camera's settings, they also show as already being at 264. Firmware seems to be up to date.

[AOD_Weakness]

So there are two issues:

The biggest one is the live feed which is slow and choppy, this is more common during weather and less so during the calm but can still be noticeable

This sounds concerning as it makes it seem like your video is initiated by servers outside your home. That in it itself isn't an issue but if you have your cameras set to a high bitrate 1080p or 4k video your upload would play a part in it. It may be a good idea to run a speed test and compare upload speeds between fair and bad weather to make sure there isn't a line issue outside.

Also, with the router I have right now, I don't see any means of setting it up so that the 2.4 and 5g have different names, they seem to use the same name.

This is concern I have. What model router do you have? I found posts stating some Eeros routers have been having issues with 2.4 disconnecting devices since a firmware update some time ago. This is an issue I've seen with multiple manufacturer's routers that use the same name for 2.4 and 5Ghz. ( I work at an ISP and used to do service calls. This type of issue would pop up pretty frequently when these types of router first came out. I'm hoping these issue have been resolved by now with firmware updates but I've since changed positions and do not have the contact with customers I used to).

Something we could try is to change the name of the wifi on the main router and set all of the cameras to use the 2.4 from the extender to eliminate the main router being the issue. Also, Is the extender located where there is still sufficient wifi signal from the main router? Use a wifi analyzer app on your phone (if possible) to see if signal at the extender location is at least -75dbm. Close to -90dbm and your extender is relaying garbage signal and won't help much.

Looking at the camera's settings, they also show as already being at 264. Firmware seems to be up to date.

This setting should be changed to 265 to see if there's any improvement.

[AOD_Suisfonia]

For the router I use a GT-AX11000

Also, the Extender is centrally located. It has a strong signal to all of my wifi camera's including the one furthest from the house, only one wifi camera isn't on it so I will flip it over. As for the camera with the choppy feed, that one is wired (Cat 6 cable) did you want me to go ahead and switch that one over to wifi as well just to see if its the cable?

I did do a speed test awhile back and well, we don't get the speeds that my ISP advertised (or that we are paying for) and the two times we complained we were told it was due to the traffic in our area being pretty high and so its the reason our speeds are lower than advertised (I personally feel that's an excuse, but I don't know enough about the internet and such to really say)

So testing the dbms:

wifi Router is -50 (alternates between -50 and -55 depending on where I am in the house. Note, it doesn't show up *at all* once I go outside and to my furthest wifi camera, which is not connected to the routers wifi thingy)
Now, the extender is much different; it's dbm is between -30 and -38. -38 is where the furthest wifi camera that I have outside.

Also, sorry it took so long to reply; been adapting to my new position at work x_x

[AOD_Suisfonia]

So I tried to edit, and apparently slammed into the five minute timer (rawr!) the choppiness is on all cameras and I have no idea how to check if they are communicating with a server somewhere. They shouldn't be, but is there anyway I can possibly find out?

[AOD_Weakness]

For the router I use a GT-AX11000

So that is a monster of a router and you should not have to worry about bandwidth or CPU issues, I'd assume. It's probably a good idea to check for firmware updates in case there was a fix of some sort for connection type issues but I wouldn't be surprised if not. Having said that, I had an issue with my TV disconnecting from 5G after a year of working just fine so I didn't think to check for a firmware fix. Sure enough, there was a firmware update shortly after my issue showed up and I finally had the issue fixed after looking in other places for months.

As for the camera with the choppy feed, that one is wired (Cat 6 cable) did you want me to go ahead and switch that one over to wifi as well just to see if its the cable?

If it's not a big problem to switch it, I would try this. There was a post on their forums where a wired connection was causing problems for them and instantly fixed once they switched it to wifi. Doesn't make sense to me that it would be better than being hard wired but maybe their network code is bad...

I did do a speed test awhile back and well, we don't get the speeds that my ISP advertised (or that we are paying for) and the two times we complained we were told it was due to the traffic in our area being pretty high and so its the reason our speeds are lower than advertised (I personally feel that's an excuse, but I don't know enough about the internet and such to really say)

That is definitely a cop out. I don't know what company you go through but mine would escalate if a customer called in more than 2 times in a month for any reason. If you have 500 down but only getting 400, I probably wouldn't worry about it. If you have 100 and it dips down to 20, there is a problem.

So testing the dbms:

wifi Router is -50 (alternates between -50 and -55 depending on where I am in the house. Note, it doesn't show up *at all* once I go outside and to my furthest wifi camera, which is not connected to the routers wifi thingy)
Now, the extender is much different; it's dbm is between -30 and -38. -38 is where the furthest wifi camera that I have outside.

Signals look good. Wifi not showing up outside could be for a dozen reasons but not much to worry about if the extender has it covered. (or is this the one camera that is wired becasue of no wifi?)

Also, sorry it took so long to reply; been adapting to my new position at work x_x

No worries, life happens. Congrats on the new position!

the choppiness is on all cameras and I have no idea how to check if they are communicating with a server somewhere. They shouldn't be, but is there anyway I can possibly find out?

If you aren't recording onto SD Cards inside the cameras themselves it safe to assume you are pulling video from their servers. This is where your uploade speeds would matter but you haven't mentioned any other issues with internet in the house so I assume you have more than enough upload speeds leaving the house. I'm not familiar with their system but I didn't see very many people complaining about problems like this so I would imagine it's a specific issue to your home.

[AOD_Suisfonia]

So tried to update the firmware on the router, it is constantly failing in that after the update I'm noticing that websites are being blocked off. I know its related to the AI Protection, but unsure what I can do to fix it. I have to keep reverting back to the old version (Asuswrt-Merlin) rather than the more official version.

I also noticed something else, with the NVR it has a maximum bandwith of 80 mbph, and have read that I'd need to use something that has a much higher bandwith.

Also, I'm recording to the onboard hard-drive (a 4tb drive)

Last, but not least, all camera's are now in wireless minus the only camera I have that runs off POE (the one monitoring my weather vane, it has no wifi function)

Kind of wondering if perhaps replacing the NVR with the one that has a 380 mbph bandwith would work?

[AOD_Weakness]

What firmware version are you running? Seeing as it's WRT firmware on your router makes a big difference when looking for changes ( I was looking at the official firmware from asus' website. On the wrt site there was an update on 10/17/23 that updated the wifi driver on the router. I don't know if your verison is older than that but the newest one is from 1/20/24. I would update to that since you are already running WRT.

The changelog shows:

388.2_4 (17-Aug-2023) - NOTE: This release is only for the GT-AXE11000.

- UPDATED: Critical Wireless driver update, Asus strongly
recommends updating.

If you have an NVR in the home you are recording video directly in the home and shouldn't have to worry about the lag we discussed initiating video from their servers. I'm not sure on the 80mbph setting though. There may be some documentation on their website specifiying how many cameras that can handle and at what resolutions.

Last, but not least, all camera's are now in wireless minus the only camera I have that runs off POE (the one monitoring my weather vane, it has no wifi function)

Are all of the camera's on the 2.4ghz network now and are they working any different? I'm not sure what you mean by this statement.

[AOD_Weakness]

Are all of the camera's on the 2.4ghz network now and are they working any different? I'm not sure what you mean by this statement.

It was too late to edit and I just caught that I stated this wrong. I was wondering of all the cameras that are on the 2.4ghz network (not the one on POE), are they working any better, worse, or no change?

[AOD_Suisfonia]

Currently on the router, I'm the firmware is 386.7_2 - seems to be the only one that is stable :(

Also, did some cable replacing after I found out that the cable that ran from my router to the switch that my NVR was connected to was a Cat 5. A person at my company gave me some cat 8 cable (he said they had plenty to spare given they had a big crate of the stuff) so I replaced most of the cat 4, 5, and 6 with cat 8 and noticed a difference with the security system. The camera's aren't cutting out at all now.

However, I do think that one of the reasons for this might be due to the cat 5 cable. When we were taking it down we noticed that the cable had been compromised (when we stapled it into the wall, apparently one of the stables went through the cable and we didn't notice) I guess the damage wasn't a problem for the old system but it was for the new one?

And yea, all cam's are now on 2.4ghz range. I'm still tinkering with the system though, and my network, since I still notice intermittent network losses every now and then.