Am I asking too much from a soho router?

[nsafreak]

I'm beginning to wonder if I am putting too much of a load on my D-link DIR-615 router running ddwrt (v24-sp2). About once every couple of weeks give or take the router needs a reboot. Typically due to it no longer routing external traffic. While it's up it performs just fine but the reboots are annoying. Here's a basic description of what's on the network and what services I'm running:


Cable modem - Arris TM822 (Comcast service 50/10)
Router - D-link DIR-615 - dhcpd, dnsmasq, dyndns
Switch - Dell PowerConnect 5324 (layer 3 managed switch)
Server - hooked in to switch -Windows 2008 R2 - Natural Selection 2 16 slot server/Minecraft server (usually has at most 3-4 people on it)/TeamSpeak 3 server (max load I've seen on it was 12 people)
Desktop - hooked in to switch - Windows 7 Ultimate - Typical desktop applications/Some RDP sessions/Gaming/etc.
HTPC - hooked in to switch - Windows 7 Professional - Typical HTPC use playing MKVs and the like
XBox 360 - hooked in to the switch - Typical console use

PS3 - hooked in to the switch - Again, typical console use
Dish Network Hopper DVR - hooked in to the switch - Typically uses the internet just for on demand programming
Samsung S3 - wireless client - Typical phone usage
Nexus 7 - wireless client - Typical tablet usage


Since all of the internal traffic is being handled by the switch (at least it should be with the way I have it setup and since it is a Layer 3 switch) I would think the load would be reduced on the router. The router loads typically show between 60 - 80% most of the time, although I have seen it hit 90 - 100% a few times as well although not frequently. So in order to improve my network stability, well at least in terms of my router, what should I look into doing?:



1) Flash the router with a different firmware instead (Gargoyle, tomato, etc)?
2) Replace the router due to possibly flaky hardware?
3) Take more of the load off the router and have the Windows 2008 R2 server handle dyndns, DNS and DHCP duties?
4) Some other option I haven't thought of?


If I should replace the router what would you folks suggest? I had thought of pulling one of my Cisco 1821s from my lab rack and using it since my labs really only need 2 routers but upon doing some reading it looks like it wouldn't be able to handle all of the bandwidth I have available via WAN. I'm hoping that if I need to replace my router that I can just go ahead and go with a better consumer grade solution since I wouldn't think I would need a business oriented router.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Try replacing the power brick first.

 

[imagoon]

Can you clarify what you mean by "at least it should be with the way I have it setup and since it is a Layer 3 switch." Your setup doesn't seem to justify a layer 3 switch at first glance and depending on how you are doing your routing, you might be plugging your entire LANs load on the DLink.

 

[nsafreak]

I'll look into replacing the power brick, seems to be one a universal could easily replace. Little doubtful that it's the issue since it's always been hooked up to my APC UPS. Insofar as to how I have the switch setup I haven't done any heavy duty setup on it as of yet. I have just setup dynamic address tables in the router. I'm aware that my setup really doesn't justify a layer 3 switch but I needed to upgrade from my old 5 port 100baseT switch to a gigabit capable switch that could handle all of my wired clients (6 currently with plans to add more) and at the price of $25 it was pretty hard to resist even though it is overkill.

 

[imagoon]

I'll look into replacing the power brick, seems to be one a universal could easily replace. Little doubtful that it's the issue since it's always been hooked up to my APC UPS. Insofar as to how I have the switch setup I haven't done any heavy duty setup on it as of yet. I have just setup dynamic address tables in the router. I'm aware that my setup really doesn't justify a layer 3 switch but I needed to upgrade from my old 5 port 100baseT switch to a gigabit capable switch that could handle all of my wired clients (6 currently with plans to add more) and at the price of $25 it was pretty hard to resist even though it is overkill.

Alright, I was just checking. Are the loads you are seeing "cpu?" You likely don't need a business router but 50meg can push older ones. However the DIR615 should be able to do about 88mbps so with comcast the speed boost thing might be capping the router at times if you maxed the connection.

 

[nsafreak]

Yep the load I'm talking about is CPU. Max number of IP connections I've seen is around 200 - 220 ish and typical RAM utilization is around 60-65%.

 

[imagoon]

Something like the DIR-868L might work fine for you. It can almost do gigabit wan to lan. It also have a ton more CPU, RAM etc available to it than your current one.

 

[ccbadd]

I would try something other than DD-WRT. I know people love it, but it has never been stable enough for me to consider polished. I would run a version TomatoUSB with ONLY the features you will actually use, not every app possible.

 

[azazel1024]

I'll look into replacing the power brick, seems to be one a universal could easily replace. Little doubtful that it's the issue since it's always been hooked up to my APC UPS. Insofar as to how I have the switch setup I haven't done any heavy duty setup on it as of yet. I have just setup dynamic address tables in the router. I'm aware that my setup really doesn't justify a layer 3 switch but I needed to upgrade from my old 5 port 100baseT switch to a gigabit capable switch that could handle all of my wired clients (6 currently with plans to add more) and at the price of $25 it was pretty hard to resist even though it is overkill.

Except, keep in mind that old 5324 is a power hog. To me that is the falicy of so many people who pick up old Dell, HP and Cisco switches for dirt cheap. Sure, great features, but ones most users won't use. At best, most need a semi-managed switch and often just a dumb switch.

That 5324 is rated around 53w of power consumption. That's roughly 3-4x more power than a newer 24 port switch is going to use with a similar port setup. That means its likely burning $30-40 per year more electricity than a newer switch would use...even a used newer switch.

My 2 year old Trendnet TEG-160ws uses 9.3w with 4 ports active. About 12w with 8 ports active. It cost $60 shipped. My brand new (or it was when I bought it) TP-Link SG2216 was $139 new, on sale for $105, and uses 11.5w with 11 ports active. Typical load is 11 ports on the SG2216 and 4 ports on the TEG-160ws (but I have 17 networked devices/LAN drops, hence why I need a second 16 port switch). Even running a pair of switches, its vastly lower power consumption than an old Dell/Cisco/HP switch...and since I plan to use my current networking gear for probably at least 3-5 years...that's $100-200 power savings over my expected usable life (and maybe longer if I keep it in service beyond my expected use).

Just thought I'd offer that tip. If you don't NEED the L3 features, I'd suggest getting a new 16/24 port dumb switch as the cheapest and lowest power option, or if you need some basic management features, a semi-managed L2 is probably more than enough. Gently used Trendnet and DLink switches (and Netgear, but those tend to be a little more expensive) are pretty common on the fleabay for cheap prices. Or even get a brand new unit. Just check what are current or one hardware version back switches and just look for those.

You'd save the price in the electricity difference in probably just a couple of years, if not sooner if you get a nice price.

 

[imagoon]

We actually just pitched 22 of those 5324s. Besides the craziness of not using 48 port gear, it was something similar. Ignoring the PoE needs for the phone systems, the new 48port switches used about the same power as one 5324. Obviously the PoE side ate up all that power savings but at least it is used for IP phones rather than heating the server room.