There are other routers in the dream series, such as the UDM Pro, UDM Pro SE, etc. . . but those would be a overkill on a 1Gb service, and they don't have built-in WiFi, so you'd end up needing 2 access points, instead of one.

Most of the more affordable prosumer routers are wired-only. The EdgeRouter-X, TP-Link ER605, and the TrendNet TWG-431BR are affordable, but will cap out around 925-940Mb, give-or-take.

What's going to help with multiple smart home devices isn't so much the router, but the WiFi source that they are connected to.

The so-called high-density access points will probably have the biggest impact on your performance.

The TP-Link EAP620HD (1Gb LAN port) or TP-Link EAP660HD (2.5Gb LAN port) can supposedly handle a ton of clients.

Unifi also has some access points branded as "HD".

The Ubiquiti access points have their own hand-off process, and don't require a controller for them to function adequately. I think that Aruba Instant On access points function similarly.

There are some advanced features that would require either a hardware or software controller, but for basic use - you don't need either.

(Though you do have to install and run their software controller for the initial setup of the access points. After that, you can close it down, and only need to run it to check for firmware updates, or make changes to the access points.)

I believe the dream routers come with their network suite built in, so you're probably good there. I will point out that, if you're using the "Dream Router" (UDR) -- the cylindrical router -- it does cap out at 700Mb routed speeds. . . so if you're planning on 1Gb speeds from your ISP. . . the UDR won't handle those speeds.

Before purchasing a POE switch, you'll need to figure out how many devices will ultimately ending up needing POE power, and you'll need to figure out how much POE power you'll need, by adding up the anticipated wattage of each device.

Now, to obfuscate things even more with some hypotheticals. . .

So, let's say you have 3 access points, and the manufacturer's datasheet says they are 12 watts each. Perhaps you end up with 6 POE cameras, that claim to need 5 watts each. You'd need a switch that can supply at least 66 watts of POE power, and has at least 9 POE ports, in addition to an uplink port to connect to your network, and possibly a port for your NVR.

POE ports typically come in multiples of 4, and switches can either be exclusively POE, or a mix of POE and non-POE ports. You'll find various combinations out in the wild, and with varying POE budgets.

Once you exceed 8 POE ports on a single switch, many will have cooling fans, so you may need to take noise into consideration when selecting a switch.

You'll also find that switches with more than 8 POE ports will either be fully POE, or half-and-half.

In our example above, we need 9 POE ports. Since they're usually in multiples of 4, that would indicate a switch with 12 POE ports. But, there aren't alot of 12-port POE switches out in the wild, so you'd either end up with a 24-port switch where half of the ports are POE, or a 16 port switch with full POE.

My first thought would be a 16-port full POE switch. That would cover the 9 devices in the example, plus an uplink port, a port for an NVR, and would leave 5 ports available for expansion. In the example, we were at 66 watts, so something like a TP-Link TL-SG116P, which has a 120 watt budget would certainly meet those needs, and have some extra available power if you add cameras or other POE devices. Yes, it will have a fan.

Don't want noisy fans? If you're not going to expand past 6 cameras and 3 access points from the example, then get an 8-port POE switch with at least a 40w budget, plug in your cameras, your NVR, and an uplink cable to your router or main network switch. Then get a separate 5-port POE switch with at least a 40w budget, and use that strictly for your 3 access points. Enjoy your fan-free living. :-)

Other comments:

Try to avoid no-name brands. Brands that I'd trust, in no particular order: Ubiquiti (some are expensive, others surprisingly affordable). TP-Link. TrendNet. Zyxel.

Try to choose POE+ switches (802.3at), in case you end up with access point(s) that exceeds 15 watts.

I don't agree with the "paying a premium for wireless backhaul" argument.

Here's why:

Many of the integrated mesh systems have a relatively inexpensive price-per-unit when purchased in 2 and 3-packs - often lower than individual access points.

Many of the integrated mesh systems often come with various bells-and-whistles that access points don't offer out-of-the-box. Content filtering, activity monitoring, control features, etc. Granted, some functionality may be subscription based, but they are nonetheless available.

Yes, you can accomplish some of it with additional hardware or software, but again, that is either adding to costs or complexity.

If you have multiple access points, you may discover that in order to have seamless roaming, you need to either purchase a separate hardware access point controller, or perhaps have a computer running 24/7 for the software version. This is true for the TP-Link EAP series access points, and possibly others. Integrated mesh systems have that functionality built right in.

Unless you're using table-top access points, then chances are you'll need a POE injector to power the access points (which aren't always included), or a separate POE switch -- yet another added expense.

And, on top of all of that, you'll need a separate router to use ordinary access points.

So, now that the price issue has been debunked. . .

There are some reasons you might choose access points over an integrated mesh-based system. . .

Pro-sumer access points (such as Ubiquiti/Unifi) can be very stable. They can run for months on end without requiring a restart to fix connectivity issues. You won't find that in consumer-grade equipment.

If your access points are powered by a POE switch, then on the rare occasion that there is a connectivity issue, you just power-cycle the POE switch, and the access points will re-start. With a mesh system, you'd end up running from room-to-room to power-cycle each device manually.

Pro-sumer access points tend to be better at handling large numbers of wireless clients, so if you have alot of wireless IoT or smart-home devices, you'll probably see more stability with them than you would with a consumer-grade integrated mesh system.

Integrated mesh systems use one of the units as a router. Some makes/models only offer 1Gb ports, so if you buy one of those units, you may be be locked in to 1GB speeds across your system.

In order to use all of the mesh system's integrated features, it will need to act as the primary router for your network. For most folks, this isn't a big deal, but there are scenarios where this isn't practical. Dual WAN (ISP) usage being one of them. If you bypass the routing functions of your integrated mesh system, it will essentially disable all of the bells-and-whistles that the system offers.

Phew. With all of that said. . .

Ubiquiti makes good stuff. Once you configure it, it is usually "set it, and forget it". I log into my Unifi access points via the free software console app every 4 to 6 months to check for firmware updates, but that's about it.

I hear good things about TP-Link access points. If you have more than one access point, and need seamless roaming, you'll either need a hardware-based controller, or a PC running 24/7 with their controller app. However, they do offer the ER7212PC router, which has a built-in POE switch and access point controller, so it's a good pairing, at least up to 1Gb ISP speeds. TP-Link is generally more affordable than Ubiquiti, but I think the Ubiquiti platform is more stable.

Who is the carrier?

I've noticed that many manufacturer's documentation and datasheets have been annoyingly incomplete the last several years, and it seems to getting worse. Missing specifications such as port capabilities, and POE requirements to name a few. I did see several references online that mentioned either multiple, or three multi-gig ports with regards to this router, which I assume to mean the 10GB and 2.5Gb ports.

One additional negative (to the already numerous comments against CCA) is the general frailty of the cable itself.

It is fairly easy to break one of the conductors inside the cable, if it gets kinked/snagged while pulling the cable. Copper is much more forgiving.

Also, for those who foolishly crimped plugs onto the ends of the cables, they probably learned fairly quickly that the terminations failed at a higher than normal rate compared to copper cables. I suspect that the aluminum, being more brittle than copper, is probably cracking inside the connector either during the crimping process, or due to strain on the cable at the connector.

Refer to the user manual as seen here: https://motorolacable.com/documents/MG7550-UserManual-revB.pdf

(Page 42)

Log into your router, and visit the Wireless / Basic tabs for the 5Ghz band. Check your channel width settings.

If it is at 20Mhz, try bumping it up to 40, and testing your speeds again.

If it is at 40, try 80.

(This assumes that your PC is using the 5Ghz band.)

You can also try this on the 2.4Ghz band, though it's not recommended to go beyond 40Ghz on 2.4Ghz, especially if you're in an area with tons of neighboring Wifi routers.

Some comments and caveats:

Post-back with the model numbers of your current Comcast device, as well as the device that you connect to for your dish internet, so we can make additional recommendations.

Most of the pro-sumer routers that support load-balancing and fail-over are wired-only routers, so if you went that route, you'd need to configure your existing WiFi router to operate as an access point.

This could get interesting if you rely on an integrated mesh system, such as Orbi, eero, Deco, or similar mesh systems.

If you only use a single WiFi router in your home, then the easiest solution I can think of would be to pick up a Synology RT6600AX router. It has WiFi, load-balancing, failover, and a bunch of other features.

If your Comcast device is a modem/router combo, now would be the time to replace it with an ordinary cable modem, since you don't want multiple routing devices in this type of setup.

I've had decent performance with Zyxel switches. I have 3 at home, and one in the office. The GS1100-24E can be found on Amazon for about $65.

You don't have link-lights showing in that photo.

Unplug all of the cables from the switch, and power-cycle the switch.

Then, try plugging just ONE of the cables into the switch, and see if any of the link lights come on -- being sure to note that they may take a second or two before they light up.

No joy? Unplug that cable, and try another one.

If none of your cables end up turning on your link lights, then your switch is most likely dead.

Try the other switch, and see if you get the same results.

Gotcha.

Your CATV/Telco/Fiber services will probably hit your building near your meter I would imagine, so you'll need cabling from there to wherever your various network cables terminate.