Ubiquiti EdgeRouter? Lite Enterprise features at a SOHO price

[Lazybones]

I have been having a bit of a challenge with computer time and the kids lately and had to resort to blocking devices by time of day. However what I really wanted to do was to block YouTube and Netflix as blocking devices makes them useless for some other things that are internet enabled, including updates.

I had heard about the edge router before, but the latest update is what made me finally go out and purchase one. As of EdgeMax 1.8.0 the router can now construct firewall rules based on DPI application inspection.. Yes, you can block YouTube, Netflix or allow specific APPS in rules now. Same goes for QoS (however there might be performance issues with the QoS engine).

The router contains most features you would expect on an enterprise router, and actually is a little harder to setup, you need to know your NAT etc, however there are wizards to do some of it for you... Interestingly it also support UPNP making it a nice fit at home still, as that feature is often not even available on enterprise equipment for security reasons.

I only just ported over my current config from my Asus router (which is now running in just AP mode), so I don't have full feedback on it yet, however it is looking good so far. Another reason I wanted to give it a shot was stability... It is supposed to be rock solid, where as my Asus still needs a reboot from time to time.

[Tom]

Cool! Keep us updated

[Lazybones]

So day two and still generally pleases after making a few mistakes..

- Configuration difficulty is more like an enterprise device. I think Power User / those who understand firewall rules and NAT should be OK, it is more complex than your typical home router.
- There is a lot of advanced community stuff that can be configured purely with CLI
- There is really advanced stuff that can be achieved via scripting, it is based off of Vyatta (kernal / core) and Debian Squeeze (packages / tools) so there are some interesting things that can be done with cron and bash scripts like loading dynamic IP block lists.
- It will take more than month for sure to judge stability, I ran into one or two minor bugs in the web UI mostly about committing changes if you leave before they are done, very minor and easy to check.

Best source of info appears to be the official community forums https://community.ubnt.com/t5/EdgeMAX/bd-p/EdgeMAX

[Lazybones]

Sadly I have had some trouble with the DPI feature failing after about a week or two of up time.. Looking at the next beta notice it might be a memory leak that will soon be fixed.

Still seems to be faster are more stable that my previous router.