I just started playing around with this:
http://www.ubnt.com/edgemax#EdgeMAXhardware
For $99 you can get a really well built, wall mountable router with 3 interfaces, running a fork of Vyatta.
It even supports being an openvpn server! I installed one at a client, and it's been very, very stable.
I plan on replacing my pfsense box at home with one.
Getting an EdgeMAX may be ideal for some people. I can see someone who's generally happy with their router until they want to use an internal service (like PIAF) picking one of these up, and repurposing their router as an AP. That would be a great, low cost solution to their problem. Or someone like yourself that's accustomed to having a pfSense or similar device. And it's generally going to work very well!
But, the alternative is to get a newer, higher end router (one that supports an alternate firmware of your choice) that will last a long time for that same c-note. It really does come down to cost and ease of manageability. I run a tight ship at home. But, I'm in IT, so I tend to mess around a lot. I had, in days long past, set up tons of fun and interesting services at home; FreeNAS, a WHS Box for a while, Amahi, Zentyal. When I set them up, they are cool for a while, then I realise I just don't need them. Now I run what I need and that's it. I have one router and a second AP on the other side of the house. Both run TomatoUSB, and they do everything I could want them to (and I tend to ask quite a bit of my devices).
I'm not disagreeing with you entirely; I think the EdgeMAX routers are great. I think in some situations, they could be a perfect choice. Some people aren't comfortable hacking their router, or they may have just invested in a router that has great coverage and wireless abilities, but does not forward ports well and isn't hackable, or whatever. A single $100 investment could make a lot of sense to fix the problem for those people. When Hyksos recommended EdgeMAX, I loaded up a Vyatta router at our datacenter to play with. Very powerful box, no doubt, and I trust that an EdgeMAX Lite would be untaxed when handling SOHO network traffic. I would just implore a SOHO admin to decide if they want/need to have yet another networking device to maintain, and how much they are really getting for their dollar. I would love to have one to play with, but I am fairly sure I would end up taking it offline after getting my fill. I don't believe I would notice a performance difference on my home office network. The less the better on my network, and most SOHO users would benefit from similar mindsets. If I were in the situation described above, I would sell my router and get something like a refurb E4200 v1 or RT-N66U and "hack" it (they are really easy to hack, for those who don't know). I'd probably come out on top and get everything I need on a platform that's going to receive updates for a very long time through my third party firmware upgrade.
This is pretty much the same argument I make against recommending pfSense for a SOHO network just to run one service, like PIAF. The only difference is that this is a potentially good solution for some people, and the fact that it's an actual device with updates and software/hardware maintained and warrantied by Ubiquiti makes it a much better option (for most SOHO users) than setting up a pfSense or similar box. These types of devices are closing those gaps, and it's very interesting, especially so at it's price point.
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