what router?

[ik9000]

I'm after a router that achieves the following:

Allows me to allocate users' machines to different (sub?) networks with different policies applied to each. eg my own machines (3 of them) in one group, my flatmate#1 machine in another, my flatmate#2 machine in another, my guests in another, and my flatmate's guests in yet another, with different WiFi networks and/or passwords for each group.

Allows me to allocate bandwidth and usage caps to different users.

Filters IPs and urls (more than the poxy 10 on my current router) and preferably which has a robust firewall and web content filter built in.

Accessible logs of individual user web traffic + urls visited

The router will ideally do wireless N and handle dual bands 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz simultaneously and be good for 100Mbps+ internet connection.

Anyone know of something that will achieve this? I'd looked at the Draytek Vigor 2850VN but it has a few flaws (can't do simultaneous dual band, and it may only have a USB1.1 connection like the 2830VN though I can't find confirmation anywhere). It also costs a packet which I could do with avoiding at the moment.

(I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to networks and stuff so go easy on me - I just want something where I can control what my flatmates and their less than desireable guests are doing on my internet connection - I seem to be getting repeatedly throttled and they deny they're doing anything.)

[Pancake]

You also might want to consider http://www.untangle.com/

Just build a cheapy PC and install that on it, its free for home users and you can install loads of useful apps to it

[ik9000]

Nope sorry after an all-in-one solution. A PC web server would be downstream of the router and allow someone to pull out the cable and connect to the router directly bypassing any pfsense or similar running on the PC. Plus it presumably slows things down unless you make quite a decent machine to handle 4 simultaneous users at once.

[ChaosSystem]

Look at the Draytek Routers, it should be able to do most of what you require, but I think the only way to group people is to vlan.

[ik9000]

Vlan?

[scaryjim]

A PC web server would be downstream of the router and allow someone to pull out the cable and connect to the router directly bypassing any pfsense or similar running on the PC.

If you don't mind running XP you can get internal ADSL modems which would prevent this from happening. A cheapo XP box + internal DSL modem will be a lot cheaper than any dedicated router with all that functionality, as you're going to be looking at industrial/enterprise-grade routers rather than consumer ones...

*edit* harder to find internal modems now, but of course a USB modem would do the same job...

[abaxas]

OP admitted noob-ness but requires some serious kit for his wishlist.

Not sure this is going to be possible or supportable.

[DDY]

I've recently stumbled across Gargoyle, it's a router OS which seems to do everything listed in the OP.

It shouldn't be too difficult to install and setup, best of all it runs on pretty much anything that can run OpenWRT.

[scaryjim]

True that.

Of course, another explanation suggests itself - individually they're all doing "nothing", but collectively it adds up. Assuming you're on a contended connection you could well find that having 3 or 4 people using an already contended connection - even if they're literally just surfing the web - is enough tomake things feel like they're grinding.

And one last question - you describe these people as flatmates, so I'm assuming you're renting a shared house and contributing jointly to bills - in which case I have to wonder why you think you've got the right to monitor and control their bandwidth on a connection that they also pay for?

Ultimately, if it really bothers you you could stop paying for/using the household broadband and get a 3G dongle instead...?

[ik9000]

because I pay the lions share - they're just students and I basically subsidise things so I get high speed cable LAN internet. When they're away for the holidays everything is fine. It's the same net connection I used to run with two previous flatmates, one a heavy IT user and we never had a problem. Now with just one of the new students home by the time I get back in the evening we're throttled and I get less than 3MB downloads on a 50MB connection when I'm the only one in the house. The problem started when one student had his brother to stay for a week and gave him the wifi passwords hence my desire to be able to a) have guests on a different network and b) be able to see what such "guests" are doing. As I'm legally responsible for the usage of the net connection which is in my name I don't see why it is inappropriate for me to want to be able to check this.

The Draytek 2850VN does indeed seem to offer all of the items above, but with a few flaws as I mentioned but I wondered whether there are cheaper alternatives. As I said, I'm a networking noob and I have no idea what half the technical jargon on manufacturer's spec lists means.

[abaxas]

Just set your wireless to be 1 or 2mbits/sec max.

Job done.

[shaithis]

Now with just one of the new students home by the time I get back in the evening we're throttled and I get less than 3MB downloads on a 50MB connection when I'm the only one in the house.

Perhaps the solution is not a different router?

[ik9000]

perhaps but I can't kick them off entirely. They do need a net connection for uni work etc. Nor can I reduce the wifi speed - I need to use it too.

[shaithis]

I was referring to your choice of ISP.

What's the point of a 50mb connection when it's throttled to 3MB whenever you try and use it?

[Biscuit]

because the 2-3Mb one (not sure if you can actually still get it?) still throttles after a certain amount of usage.. and that throttle is completely unusable.

I don't really understand why everyone is grilling him so much about wanting to control his internet traffic.

[ik9000]

50Mb/s internet was giving me 45Mb/s cable and 35Mb/s wireless with 3 people in the house for 1.5 years no problem.

New tenants moved in last summer. Things were more intermittent but since November when his brother came to stay we've had net speeds regularly being slashed to 0.7Mb/s to 3Mb/s. When he goes away for the w/e I'm back at 30+ Mb/s on wifi.

The problem is not (solely) the net connection here.