Maybe if one doesn't actually understand networking nomenclature or interop, sure.
After owning a few EdgeRouter X models I can safely say that the whole lineup a was half baked proof of concept at best. Ubiquiti used two different chipsets in the EdgeRouter lineup, both had data corruption issues with hardware acceleration that Ubiquiti couldn't fix… because they simply cobbled together some open source projects and called it a product. One ran so hot that they'd reliably cook themselves. Because EdgeOS was Vyatta based, it used an end-of-lifed version of Debian (maybe this was eventually remedied?). The PoE models provide non-standard passive PoE, if memory serves the initial batch had PoE enabled by default on some ports = fries unsuspecting devices.
Have to agree. I've tried multiple times to replace my. edison FiOS router with different Edgerouters and none of them have been able to compare to the Gigabit speeds I get with the Verizon router. I'm not even using wifi, just want a simple router with a firewall and port forwarding that can compare to my $12/mo one from Verizon. I troubleshooted each for a eeek tweaking hardware acceleration and other knobs, but they couldn't keep up. I think people don't compare and test and just assume it's just as good, but it isn't.
Weird. I got sustained symmetric gigabit speed out of an EdgeRouter Lite when it was loaded with a basic firewall and some port forwarding. At the time I purchased it, the thing cost about ten months of your ISP-provided equipment rental.
Maybe the later EdgeRouters are total trash, but the ERL could (and did) totally handle what you're describing.
They're cheap and nasty, but they mostly worked.