Fibre Router for Office

cookiedude

Posts: 160   +1
Hi all

We're about to get fibre connected to our office building and the installation team have told us they'll be running Cat 7 cables to each office so we need to source a compatible router. I didn't even know there was a Cat 7 until last week, so don't know what I need to get!

I've been looking at AC Wireless routers but I have no idea if Cat 7 is compatible with them. Does Cat 7 use the same terminals as Cat 5/5e/6? Will I be fine going for a standard router or do I require something more specific?

Thanks in advance

EDIT: Now looking for recommendations on suitable routers, see post 3 for details (y)
 
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Perfect, thanks :)

Do you have any recommendations for office routers? I've seen reviews for the Asus RT-AC68U and similar from other brands which state class leading WiFi, would something like this be suitable in an office environment, or should I look at more commercial brands like Draytek?

There will be up to 30 people connecting at any given time, around 20% will be on WiFi.

EDIT: I've changed the title of the post to reflect my new question :)
 
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Busines systems usually usually attempt to minimize the number of routers and maximize the number of switches. Why? Switches require zero configuration control and obey their upstream routers.

The backbone of the company LAN (ie all the interconnected routers) should be 100/1000 but from the switches to the stations 10/100 is all that is needed.

If you over implement end-2-end fiber, your salesman will take a nice vacation on your sales and the budget of the department will go in the trash.
 
Ok, but we will still need at least one router. So would this Asus be suitable??

We're in an office complex (converted warehouse) and the Landlord will be supplying us with fibre in the next week or two. As far as we've been told all we need is a router for them to plug Cat 7 cable into (our office LAN is connected across multiple switches). We've also been asked by the engineer installing the fibre if the router we're purchasing will have a built in firewall. I know this Asus does have one, but wondering if it will be sufficient for a small-medium business? We currently have a Draytek router which I believe has a pretty decent firewall built in, but I also have experience using a standalone firewall from Sonicwall. What's our best option?
 
Yes, there is always at lease one router with NAT and that's what allows multiple systems. You should also insist on a router with SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection).

Internal vs External firewall - - that's up to you - - find one that you like and feel that you can configure easily. The Router requires little administration, but you will find that you're into the firewall frequently to provide the support necessary. I like separation so working or maintaining one does not interfere with the other - - but that's just me.

The Sonicwall would do find, especially if it is already a known system.
 
Thanks Jobeard, The Asus does have SPI, so think we'll go for that short term and look at adding an external firewall should the need arise.
 
The centrally administered firewall is a GREAT option - - company policies (at least internet access policies) get implemented in one location and some hotshot doesn't / can't circumvent them. IMO, the central FW is mandatory.
 
I can suggest the ASUS RT-N66U. It gets USB connectivity, simultaneous dual band and all the facilities you would expect of a top-notch wireless router.
 
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