Suggestions for a broadband modem/router with Virtual LANs and WebContent filtering

For some reasons my Vigor 2800VG has decided that I should not access
a number of sites, including the BBC, Google, and several others, and
I cannot figure out why. I have been experiencing some network
problems for a month or so, and I have pretty much decided that
perhaps the router is broken.

This leaves me with the problem to replace it.

I have a few essential requirements and I would really appreciate some
advice and recommendations:

1) I must be able to partition the network into mutually inaccessible
virtual LANs (VLAN).
The Internet connection is shared by a family LAN and a work LAN and
never should the twain meet.

2) Since the family LAN is used by children, I must have a
subscription based web content filter. The Vigor 2800 uses SurfControl
any provider would work.

3) Wireless

4) VoIP would be a bonus

Any idea, suggestions, comments would be most welcome.

Lorenz

PS Money _is_ an issue

In news:(E-Mail Removed),
[Lnz] <(E-Mail Removed)> typed, for some strange, unexplained reason:
: For some reasons my Vigor 2800VG has decided that I should not access
: a number of sites, including the BBC, Google, and several others, and
: I cannot figure out why. I have been experiencing some network
: problems for a month or so, and I have pretty much decided that
: perhaps the router is broken.
:
: This leaves me with the problem to replace it.
:
: I have a few essential requirements and I would really appreciate some
: advice and recommendations:
:
: 1) I must be able to partition the network into mutually inaccessible
: virtual LANs (VLAN).
: The Internet connection is shared by a family LAN and a work LAN and
: never should the twain meet.
:
: 2) Since the family LAN is used by children, I must have a
: subscription based web content filter. The Vigor 2800 uses SurfControl
: any provider would work.
:
: 3) Wireless
:
: 4) VoIP would be a bonus
:
: Any idea, suggestions, comments would be most welcome.
:
: Lorenz
:
: PS Money _is_ an issue

The AVM Fritz!Box range should do most of what you want I think. I use the
7170 (WLAN, 4 RJ45 ports, 3 analogue VoIP phone ports, 1 ISDN phone port,
USB host port.) Latest firmware supports VPN also.

Available from various places but I got mine here:
http://www.voipon.co.uk/avm-fritzbox...170-p-560.html

I also wrote a review on that site here (although I must point out I am
just a customer and have no connection with this company):
http://www.voipon.co.uk/avm-fritzbox...?reviews_id=10

Hope this helps

Ivor

"[Lnz]" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> For some reasons my Vigor 2800VG has decided that I should not access
> a number of sites, including the BBC, Google, and several others, and
> I cannot figure out why. I have been experiencing some network
> problems for a month or so, and I have pretty much decided that
> perhaps the router is broken.
>
[snip]

The fact that your particular router may be broken is not necessarily a
reason to get another make, it is only a reason to replace the router you
have - unless that is you think that there is a design problem with the
Vigor 2800VG such that all similar products will also fail to access the
sites you mention

Can I suggest:

1) You borrow a similar router and check it's ability to see your chosen
sites; (Don't try installing your current configuration - it may be that
which is faulty!)

2) You take your router to another ADSL-equipped location , configure it for
the appropriate PPP username & password, and find out whether your access to
specific sites is blocked.

--
Graham J

[Lnz] wrote:
> For some reasons my Vigor 2800VG has decided that I should not access
> a number of sites, including the BBC, Google, and several others, and
> I cannot figure out why. I have been experiencing some network
> problems for a month or so, and I have pretty much decided that
> perhaps the router is broken.
>

Try dropping TCP packet (MTU) size on all machines sub 1400 bytes.


> This leaves me with the problem to replace it.
>
> I have a few essential requirements and I would really appreciate some
> advice and recommendations:
>
> 1) I must be able to partition the network into mutually inaccessible
> virtual LANs (VLAN).

Depends on how inaccessible you mean. Realistically this means running
twin IP addresses on the router, as it has to span 'both lans'


> The Internet connection is shared by a family LAN and a work LAN and
> never should the twain meet.
>
> 2) Since the family LAN is used by children, I must have a
> subscription based web content filter. The Vigor 2800 uses SurfControl
> any provider would work.
>
> 3) Wireless
>
well thats just ruined any sepration you might have done.

> 4) VoIP would be a bonus
>
> Any idea, suggestions, comments would be most welcome.
>
> Lorenz
>
> PS Money _is_ an issue
The world is as full of exepensive problems as it is with people who
want cheap solutions.


Your cheapset solutin is a second phone line and ADSL.

On Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:58:11 -0000, "Graham J"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>
>"[Lnz]" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>news:(E-Mail Removed).. .
>> For some reasons my Vigor 2800VG has decided that I should not access
>> a number of sites, including the BBC, Google, and several others, and
>> I cannot figure out why. I have been experiencing some network
>> problems for a month or so, and I have pretty much decided that
>> perhaps the router is broken.
>>
>[snip]
>
>The fact that your particular router may be broken is not necessarily a
>reason to get another make, it is only a reason to replace the router you
>have - unless that is you think that there is a design problem with the
>Vigor 2800VG such that all similar products will also fail to access the
>sites you mention

Well, they don't make the 2800VG anymore. I cannot buy a new one of
the same model. I must buy a new model.

>Can I suggest:
>
>1) You borrow a similar router and check it's ability to see your chosen
>sites; (Don't try installing your current configuration - it may be that
>which is faulty!)

First thing I did was to use a different router, which was able to
access all sites perfectly well.
I then connected the 2800VG and hard-reset the configuration to its
factory default and the problem persisted
This therefore led me to believe that the issue was not so much with
the configuration getting corrupted as to a hardware/firmware problem.
I then reflashed the firmware and confirmed that the same problem
persisted.

>2) You take your router to another ADSL-equipped location , configure it for
>the appropriate PPP username & password, and find out whether your access to
>specific sites is blocked.

? I can access the sites with a different router from here.

L

On Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:31:09 +0000, The Natural Philosopher <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>> 1) I must be able to partition the network into mutually inaccessible
>> virtual LANs (VLAN).
>
>Depends on how inaccessible you mean. Realistically this means running
>twin IP addresses on the router, as it has to span 'both lans'

One of the features of this particular model of router is that it can
set up different virtual LANs on the different ports. The router can
be set not to pass packets across ports. Sufficiently inaccessible for
my purposes.


>>
>> 3) Wireless
>>
>well thats just ruined any sepration you might have done.

Why? I can assign the wireless to any of the virtual LANs. I can even
create virtual wireless LANs accessible by specific MACs only or using
specific login credentials. Segment segregation is quite effective. I
suppose if one looks hard enough one might cross Virtual LANs, but
again, to my extent and purposes the way Draytek implements is
sufficient.

>The world is as full of exepensive problems as it is with people who
>want cheap solutions.

That's deep, man!

L.

"[Lnz]" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:58:11 -0000, "Graham J"
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>
>>"[Lnz]" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>>news:(E-Mail Removed). ..
>>> For some reasons my Vigor 2800VG has decided that I should not access
>>> a number of sites, including the BBC, Google, and several others, and
>>> I cannot figure out why. I have been experiencing some network
>>> problems for a month or so, and I have pretty much decided that
>>> perhaps the router is broken.
>>>
>>[snip]
>>
>>The fact that your particular router may be broken is not necessarily a
>>reason to get another make, it is only a reason to replace the router you
>>have - unless that is you think that there is a design problem with the
>>Vigor 2800VG such that all similar products will also fail to access the
>>sites you mention
>
> Well, they don't make the 2800VG anymore. I cannot buy a new one of
> the same model. I must buy a new model.
>
>>Can I suggest:
>>
>>1) You borrow a similar router and check it's ability to see your chosen
>>sites; (Don't try installing your current configuration - it may be that
>>which is faulty!)
>
> First thing I did was to use a different router, which was able to
> access all sites perfectly well.
> I then connected the 2800VG and hard-reset the configuration to its
> factory default and the problem persisted
> This therefore led me to believe that the issue was not so much with
> the configuration getting corrupted as to a hardware/firmware problem.
> I then reflashed the firmware and confirmed that the same problem
> persisted.

OK so your 2800VG is faulty. That's no reason to suppose that the
replacement model (probably a Vigor 2820Vn) would suffer from the same
fault.

>>2) You take your router to another ADSL-equipped location , configure it
>>for
>>the appropriate PPP username & password, and find out whether your access
>>to
>>specific sites is blocked.
>
> ? I can access the sites with a different router from here.

The second test would have been more relevant if the first test had failed,
since it would potentially have allowed you to exclude the ISP as a cause of
the problem.

--
Graham J