I need to replace my aged Dreytek but I am moving to a separate modem + separate router setup and I wonder what is best of breed available for ADSL2+ modem available? Price is not an issue.
Any advice/experience related would be appreciated.
Thanks
Cris
I've had one of these for years and it is tock solid. Best modem/ router I've ever owned. Unfortunately it doesn't fit in with the OP's question.
Hi, does other Billion modem come with wifi ????
Errr… from what I have seen in the reviews it is a modem/route/wireless
in my configuration the router part is done by a specialized PC and the wireless by a couple of access points.
I was looking for a ADSL 2+ modem ONLY to put in front of this other gear.
I COULD probably put this in bridge mode but isn't it a waste/overkill?
But you don't care about price?
I am not worried about the price… but I want a modem ONLY.
I suggest asking your ISP what they would recommend as different modems use different chipsets. Identifying a good match with your ISP's DSLAM is key and I would go as far as say the most important consideration.
In the end the modem is a fairly basic device and there aren't many choices out there when looking for a modem only device. More than likely you'll be setting some modem/router in bridged mode.
Why not just configure your Draytek in bridged mode if it's working ok.
As ernwinsie said Billions are good but can have some chipset incompatibility issues - nothing that can't be configured around but some people get a bit tetchy when they see a drop in line connection speed. In the end it's throughput that counts though…
Thank you for your suggestions.
As my ISP is Telstra they say "buy our internet gateway". They do not even know what Annex M is..
I do not get very good speed with the Draytech, it is about 6 years old and maybe some of the capacitors inside are getting a bit dry.
To quote somebody on WP http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2043690
Trendchip modems sync more aggressively on downstream with less tolerance for adverse conditions which is why they are only suggested for good, short lines. On medium to long lines a Trendchip modem may dropout often and provide worse performance than a Broadcom modem.
Trendchip make no DSLAMs while a large portion of deployed DSLAMs use Broadcom chips.
The Billion 7800 series strike a good compromise because they use Broadcom modems but have a savable feature to reduce SNR so you can increase/decrease sync and this will decrease/increase reliability in the process.
If you're very far from an exchange (more than 1.2KM) buy a Broadcom based modem. The Billion 7800 NXL series is good.
If you want a Modem ONLY Im aware there is a Draytek Vigor 120, a very bare bones and basic modem. This gives you a single ethernet port for you to connect your devices to but I'm unsure as to what chipset it uses… could be Broadcom or could be Infineon. I think it is a better choice still to get a TPLINK TD-W8960N which is broadcom based, and its also very affordable.
Centrecom sells it at $39 on sale
http://www.centrecom.com.au/tp-link-td-w8960n-300mbps-wirele…
My personal favourite is Billion. Billion is cheap, reliable, versatile and has incredibly good support and an excellent feature set. They're very active on the Whirlpool forums answering users' questions and resolving issues. After owning one for a while I can't believe people still go out and spend five times as much on a Netgear that doesn't come close in features or reliability.
Draytek are a little dearer but offer a few more specialised features if you're putting a few servers behind it, such as more VPN and port forwarding options. And FritzBox are quite good too and have a lot of specialised options for IPTV, VOIP, etc.
I would be reluctant to use anything less. Netgear and DLink are flaky, Belkin is overpriced garbage, and TPLink are actually quite good quality but haven't got enough features or options to be useful.
Oh, and since Scrimshaw mentioned it, I should warn you the TPLINK TD-W8960N (and apparently all the current TPLinks) won't work on Optus DSL networks for some reason - apparently Optus use an authentication method that the TPLink modems don't support.
Good info although I believe OP is looking for a modem not a router
"the TPLINK TD-W8960N (and apparently all the current TPLinks) won't work on Optus DSL networks for some reason - apparently Optus use an authentication method that the TPLink modems don't support"
… I have not encountered this, and doubt that is true for the following reasons:
(a) Exetel supply Optus ADSL2+ in metropolitan areas and, via their hardware store (which they seem to have recently discontinued), they supplied TPlink modem/routers to customers;
(b) in particular we were supplied with a TPlink 8951ND and it works perfectly with Exetel/Optus ADSL2+
I would, however, make a comment that I find TPlink modems - every one I have so far set up - to have defective firmware. If you do as I do and go straight into logging into the modem via a browser at 192.168.x.x and set up from first principles, this generally is impossible with TPlinks. You can set all the settings you want, and some will be remembered but many will be immediately forgotten or will not survive a modem reboot. This is the only brand of modem I know which resists being set up this way, and I have come close to returning a couple of them as being defective.
However, if you give in and do it the dumb way using the Windows program supplied by TPlink on the TPlink setup CD, which does not give access to all the settings, then a TPlink modem can be made to work and adjustments can be made afterwards, as long as you are not too ambitious, using the browser method.
This is just frustratingly bad software, and everyone should boycott such rubbish until TPlink fix their firmware.
I bought one of these about 1 year ago to use with an Apple Airport Time Capsule. It was cheap and has worked great. I like you wanted a basic modem and this was the best I could find.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&p…
Hope this helps.
For modem in bridge mode then try dlink dsl-526b or tplink td-8817.
I have customers with both and they are very capable for modem only deployment.
I find that Dlink modems age badly, and a higher proportion of them than other brands deteriorate after a couple of years. If they went out like a blown light bulb it wouldn't be so bad, but they tend to become slow, flakey and unreliable as they age and can absorb a lot of wasted time and effort in diagnosing the problem. I never buy Dlink for this reason.
Echoing a comment from WalterPPK above, Belkin are just rubbish. They have a high dead-on-arrival rate, a high infant mortality rate, and frequently do not hold an ADSL2+ connection reliably at the distances Aussie suburban residences are located from exchanges.
I have a pile of dead Belkin gear, some of which I bought myself and most of which I have removed from customers on replacement by something else. Modem problems are really poisonous. You can waste a lot of time trying to sort them out.
I don't even bother claiming under warranty for Belkin because I'll never waste my time installing another Belkin.
Agree with your comments about Belkin.
I'd go with another Draytek like this one at PCCG. A single ADSL2+ link and a single ethernet port.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&c…
I'll vouch for this model. Used for 12 months on Annex M and worked flawlessly.
Billion 7800N