Getting ready to pull the trigger on a Andy setup, (nvr,cameras). I have an att modem and gather I need to get a router with vpn so I can access the nvr for viewing remotely on mobile and computer.
Very good points, and I also went the Asus route, mostly because I know it quite well (I have been a fan of open-source router firmware going way, way, back into the very early days of DD-WRT and the Linksys WRT-54G, but have been using Asus routers for at least 10 years, much of that due to the development of the "enhanced" Asus-WRT firmware of RMerlin.I went the Asus router route (pun intended).
Here are the pros:
Here are some cons:
- Regular security updates from Asus
- Streamlined installation and maintenance process
- Already baked into your router (no extra hardware or software)
- Free (comes with the router)
- Simple
To be fair part of the decision was already made for me. I've had a lot of trouble getting coverage in my house. So, I had already bought an Asus mesh network system. So, I had the capability to use the VPN functionality available with my existing setup. That being said, if I didn't already own the Asus router, knowing what I know now, I'd purchase it for the VPN functionality for the above reasons.
- AFAIK, you can't automatically have the router update. You have to log in either via computer or from your phone (though the app on the phone makes this dirt simple, you still have to remember to do this periodically).
- Not as secure, full-featured as a standalone unit or PC (This doesn't matter for my needs).