internet router

[anotherone]

Condo has internet coming into a small cabinet in a bedroom which houses the cable modem. Also in the cabinet are 4 ethernet ports each going to the master bedroom, the family room, the loft and the dining room. He has a tp-link ac-1900 router in the loft. link: AC1900 High Power Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router

The problem is he'd like to use the other ports, so I suggested using a ubiquiti edge router in the box in the bedroom and connecting the ports to it. Link (UISP EdgeRouter X). And using the AC-1900 as an access point.

My questions : does this provide out of the box firewall protection , etc. like the AC-1900 wi-fi router?

And will a novice be able to configure it?

Is there a better way to go?

Thanks.

 

[bp2008]

Some details about the current setup are foggy. Is the cable modem in the bedroom cabinet its own router? How many ports does it have and what are they labled, and what is plugged into them?

I assume the Tp-Link Ac-1900 is only being used as a wifi access point?

Probably what you really need is a switch:

http://amzn.com/dp/B086384H7C

Anyway I would not recommend an EdgeRouter. Those are designed more for network professionals and the user interface is not quite as friendly as most other routers.

 

[The Automation Guy]

Just to clarify some networking terms.....

Cable Internet Modem - the device that sits between your network and the cable line coming into your house. It converts the cable connection into an ethernet and handles the communication with the cable company.
Router - every network (well 99% of them) need one and only one router. This is a device that acts as your DHCP server which issues IP addresses to devices asking for them on your network.
Firewall - a software that runs on a device that is designed to prevent unauthorized access on the network
Network Switch - a device with multiple ethernet ports on it which allows you to add more hardwired ethernet devices on the network
Wi-fi Access Point - a device that creates and manages your local wi-fi networks

In this example, you need one and only one cable modem, router, and firewall. You can have multiple switches and/or wi-fi access points however.

What makes it complicated is that many devices are multifunctional and have several of these items combined into one hardware unit. The TP Link AC-1900 can act as a router, firewall, switch, and wi-fi access point depending on how it is set up. The cable company's cable modem might only do that function, but it might also have a router, firewall, switch and wi-fi access point as well.

To answer your question, the Ubiquity Edge Router can act as a firewall, router, and switch. It cannot function as a cable modem or wi-fi access point.

 

[anotherone]

Thanks for clarification. The only thing is the bedroom cabinet is the cable modem. It has one port which the WI-FI router in the loft is connected to. There are no hardwire devices and only one Wifi router.

 

[The Automation Guy]

It sounds like the TP Link AC-1900 is currently acting as the network's router, firewall, switch, and wi-fi access point. He can absolutely connect the Ubiquity Edge Router to the cable modem and then connect the AC-1900 to the Ubiquity Edge Router by plugging it into one of the Edge's switch ports. He will just want to make sure that he accesses the AC-1900 settings and turns off the DHCP server and firewall (since the Edge will be handling those functions). It may have an "Wi-Fi Access Point Mode" that he can select that will change everything to the correct settings he would need to do this.

 

[anotherone]

Thanks! I'll probably have him order the edge router and i'll help him set it up after Christmas.