• V20: 3CX Re-engineered. Get V20 for increased security, better call management, a new admin console and Windows softphone. Learn More.

Router Suggestions

Status
Not open for further replies.

isitus

Joined
Apr 30, 2008
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
I'm currently using m0n0wall, which has worked great with another Ipbx solution. Unfortunately the NATing on the monowall is changing the ports on the public IP, and I have not found a convenient way to fix this.
I'm looking for suggestions for a new inexpensive router that works great with the 3CX ipbx.
 
Pretty much any linksys we have found to work well....
 
Linksys and NetGear are both in your inexpensive category. I've had better luck with Netgear being more reliable but both work just fine.

Depending on where you are located and what your ISP provides, those can be good too. I have SMC with my cable and Netopia for DSL. Never had issues with those either.
 
I have tested a few routers with 3CX, here's how I liked each of them.

Linksys WRT54G:
Worked perfectly with 3CX, but I don't like the web interface and I didn't found any static DHCP Server options on it, that bugged me for routing the ports to the 3CX Server. I got around by using another static DHCP Server.

D-Link DI524 & D-Link DI624:
I like the Web Interface a lot, there's static DHCP Server with a nice routing table, but it doesn't work that well with 3CX. By default, the router is in symetric NAT mode, wich will give problems with VoIP calls.

GNet IP104: (GNet is now Gentek)
This is by far the router I liked the most even if it's the only one wich is not wireless. 3CX works perfectly with this router and it's so easy to set-up.

I would suggest you to get a Linksys tough, there's so many models out there that you will find one to suit your needs for sure.
 
demonofsteel said:
I have tested a few routers with 3CX, here's how I liked each of them.

Linksys WRT54G:
Worked perfectly with 3CX, but I don't like the web interface and I didn't found any static DHCP Server options on it, that bugged me for routing the ports to the 3CX Server. I got around by using another static DHCP Server.

Have you even hear about DD-WRT. If you are lucky and you own a suitable version of WRT , with dd-wrt you will do much MORE things ...
 
I've never heard of it before, but I've just done my searches on it and I think it's amazing. I will probably try it out soon, I'll just have to take the WRT54G (mine is compatible according to http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices) out of storage room. I think that makes the choice for a Linksys much more easy to do. Thanks a lot for the info!
 
I can confirm that the Linksys WRTG is a great device and works well with 3CX. In fact i believe that LInksys engineers have paid special attention to VOIp and SIP, and that it will work with any IP PBX.
 
I know Sonicwall works. No problems there. This particular person wanted something inexpensive. Any router will work if you have port forwarding features. The real question is how reliable is the router. Can it handle large amounts of traffic without chocking. Linksys not really, SonicWall no problem.


mattlandis said:
Hello,

Shouldn't there be a more SMB grade firewall supported? Sonicwall, Firebox or something?

Matt
 
I have a D-Link DSL-500B acting as my router. This router works fine, allowing me to do calls to extensions outside my LAN and from extensions outside my LAN to inside. I'm still on the testing phase of 3CX, so I have not tested it with VoIP providers, but I think everything should be ok. The configuration of the D-Link router was pretty simple and only took me some 2 or 3 minutes.

In some days I'll test the 3CX system on a server behind an IBM Proventia MX1004, which is a SMB firewall/router and will let you know the results. However, I don't think there should be any surprises provided that you open/forward all the necessary ports.
 
How about Cisco 850/870 series? I am using an 871 with advanced IP IOS for QoS. Solid dependale if a little dearer than the Netgear/Dlink/Linksys suggested. Draytek also do a fine range of routers and about 95% of my Cisco features (and some that it doesn't) at less than 1/2 the money!
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. I purchased a Linksys WRT54GS ($29.99 at Staples.) It has cleared up all of my SIP trunk issues. Currently I have 9 working 3cx extensions, and about 20 other devices connected to this router without any issues. I was originally concerned with these devices being consumer grade, but it has been up for a week now without any problems. Thanks again.
 
I am a bit late here :( I was going to warn against lower end Linksys routers because they do not cope well with heavy traffic (at least the earlier models).

Though your set up does not sound too much of a load , you might be in luck.
 
Using a lower end Linksys router, you could still use QoS. If it's not available on your router model, you could still install DD-WRT firmware on your Linksys router like 'arpa' reported, because it supports QoS.

I confirm that having DD-WRT firmware works wonderful when using 3CX or anything else. I installed it on my Linksys WRT54G V6 and it works much better than the default firmware when having to handle with high traffic.
 
I tried 3CX under ipcop and smoothwall, both works well.

For over-the-counter routers, well, I guess Linksys would be my first choice (perhaps I am biased, being Linksys Certified)
My next choice would be Dlink and Belkin.

If I use the this ready made routers, I would definitely LOCK OUT wifi to a few users.

I am still not sure why I never liked Netgear... hehe :roll:
 
I am looking at either getting the WRT54G because of whats written here or the WRT54GC (because it's setup is listed in the faqs). I want a really safe installation - no nasty surprises !

In this thread it is mentioned that the lower end Linksys routers may not cope well with heavy traffic. In terms of concurrent calls, what would be heavy traffic ?

Does anyone know whether 3CX have endorsed dd-wrt ?

Thanks
 
If the router is only used for voip traffic, then does one even need to worry about qos ?

I don't really understand all this, but if it is saying that the wrt54g can only handle about 3 voip concurrent calls then I am surprised given that a voip call is probably only about 80k max. Three calls in my opinion is light useage and I was hoping to acheive more like 10 -16 concurrent calls (depending on the dsl line).
 
I am using Netopia R910's for my installation and seem to be working better than my low-end Sonicwall(Both a SOHO3 and TZ-180. No issues what so ever with port forwarding. As far as 3cx is concerned it has a direct shot to the net. They are not "cheap" but can be had on eBay for about 100 bucks and worth it. They are geared more for small business but I even use them in my home for due to their stability.
 
Hi isitus,

monowall is changing the ports on the public IP, and I have not found a convenient way to fix this.

One of my old Routers did this. I found that it had SIP-ALG in its feature set and it was defaulted to "on". With SIP-ALG "on" it did some dodgy things including changing Ports on the public IP. I am not familiar with mOnOwall. May be just check it doesn't have a SIP-ALG option which is turned "on". If so, try turning it "off" and see what happens. (If so, you will need to ensure you have a STUN server configured in 3CX if you haven't done so already. Without SIP-ALG, my understanding is a STUN will be necessary.)

Cheers
thenua
 
I've been using a couple WRT54G routers with DD-WRT loads, for a few years. I've had no problems with them, upgraded a number of times as new versions of DD-WRT releases came out. the DD-WRT load gives the router a number of features that you don't find on the stock routers. There are, of course, a number of versions (and makes) that are compatible with the DD-WRT software loads, some are faster, some aren't. There is a current version sold by Linksys with a Linux load that is compatible with DD-WRT (for those that can't be bothered trying to find an old router), it's the WRT54GL.
 
A router with QoS is a must, and it must be properly configured :) Really, a must, definately, positively, most desireably, a must.

My personal experiences with consumer grade routers is that the cheapo ones fail, really across several brands, and the nicer models generally run along just fine. I've been putting DLink DIR330's in remote locations because its got a fairly large amount of memory and a fast processor for something that can be had around $100 "consumer grade VPN router". The VPN part is a nice option to have if needed in the future.

For main locations I want more than just a router with NAT and a basic firewall, but not a big price tag.

My experiences so far:

Untangle - Great in every regard except SIP. Just had bad call quality with it.
IPCop - Liked it, for some reason, 3cx didn't. Something about "symetric NAT" vs "full cone" and I couldn't get the built in proxy to work correctly with the remote locations.
Smoothwall - seemed lacking in features out of the box.
Endian - So far so good, NOT using the SIP proxy (that caused problems) AM using the spam filtering.

Going to be trying "Astaro" as it seems to specifically support SIP SERVER behind it, and load balancing.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Get 3CX - Absolutely Free!

Link up your team and customers Phone System Live Chat Video Conferencing

Hosted or Self-managed. Up to 10 users free forever. No credit card. Try risk free.

3CX
A 3CX Account with that email already exists. You will be redirected to the Customer Portal to sign in or reset your password if you've forgotten it.