Need Router. QoS and VPN needed

[copekyle]

So I purchased a Netgear R6200 v1 about a year and a half ago before I knew my real network needs. Now that I'm a little more knowledgeable about my home network, I know I need something with more than 480Mhz. (it can be clocked to 533 but even at 480Mhz, I get a reboot about once a day with ddwrt kong version)

My network isn't too terribly complex. Comcast 60Mbps down and 10Mbps up. I host a plex media server for my parents/brother/sisters. So at any given time I could be needing all of my 10Mbps up. I also have home automation and 3 wireless camera's on the network. I also use the wireless for low priority devices (thermostat, cell phones, laptop) The issue with my network is torrenting. I need QoS in order to automatically throttle my torrents (download/upload) when the network demands it. This has proved to be too much for my little R6200.

I'd like to also set up my network to use a VPN service but with the current router, I haven't had the horsepower to attempt it. My main requirement is DD-WRT support and enough processing power to run my network at full speed.

I'm leaning towards a NetGear R7000 but I'm trying to stay around the $100 price point. Can anyone give me any additional buying advice? Just don't want to make another mistake like I did with the R6200.

Edit:
I might also add that I use a Motorola SB6141 for my modem and 3 X Netgear 8-port Gigabit switches for the cat5e runs through out my house.

Full Network look:
3 network connected tvs
2 gaming consoles
2 rokus
3 PC's
1 veralite (home automation)
3 wifi cell phones
2 wifi tablets
2 stereo receivers
3 wifi cams
1 wifi thermostat
1 network controlled sprinkler system

All of these items could be using the network at one time. (it's crazy to actually count devices on a network)

 

[Cerb]

Honestly, considering that needs only tend to grow, I'd set the current router up as an AP only, and then make a PC firewall for all the non-wireless traffic. With all new parts, it won't be $100, though. But, a retail router that will handle your needs, especially including VPN offloading, is unlikely to be so low in cost, either.

 

[copekyle]

Honestly, considering that needs only tend to grow, I'd set the current router up as an AP only, and then make a PC firewall for all the non-wireless traffic. With all new parts, it won't be $100, though. But, a retail router that will handle your needs, especially including VPN offloading, is unlikely to be so low in cost, either.

I've got a spare PC just gathering dust. If I set my current router as AP only, then what device would I use for network routing? Excuse the stupid question if I'm missing something. Networking is not my strong point.

 

[Cerb]

Ah, a project, then!

For the most part, your router just hands traffic off to the cablemodem. A PC firewall can replace all the functionality of your router. Technically, wireless, too, but that tends to have less than ideal support (because dedicated routers and APs are cheap). One NIC gets to be the WAN, the other gets to be the LAN.

For a sho 'nuff firewall, there's pfSense. If you want to get something running, though, ClearOS and Zentyal are good Linux distros for the job, that are not hard to set up, with good documentation and community support. They both include the kitchen sink, but work well just as firewalls, and support most common types of VPNs either straight out of the box, or with relative ease.

 

[copekyle]

I did not even realize using a PC as a router was a possibility... You have just opened up an entire new project for me. Time to start some research.

 

[inachu]

I did not even realize using a PC as a router was a possibility... You have just opened up an entire new project for me. Time to start some research.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_router_and_firewall_distributions

 

[Cerb]

I did not even realize using a PC as a router was a possibility... You have just opened up an entire new project for me. Time to start some research.

Your retail router is basically a little computer with two wired network interfaces, a wired switch to give you 4-8 ports, and a wireless network interface. It's just all packed in a tiny box, with most of the functionality built into a single purpose-built chip, and the CPU is very weak (part of it being cheap). Though they can handle many concurrent connections, the latency piles up, and they tend to choke on VPNs, if you set VPNs up through the router.

High-end home routers can perform a lot better, but they cost it, too.