Hi all,
Looking for some advice on getting a new FTTN Modem router.
Having a lot of issues with my Nighthawk D7000 (on to my 2nd replacement unit)
I'm with Aussie Broadband and they have suggested a reason for my speed fluctuations, could be my router.
My house is mostly wired with Cat6, all of my bandwidth hogging devices (gaming PC, smart TVs, NAS) are all wired.
For this reason, I don't feel as though I need a flash wifi router with all of the bells and whistles.
I mainly use wifi for smartphones, a couple of smart switches and my retic controller.
Aussie have suggested I get a Broadcom Chipset modem router, and I have found it difficult to filter the usual sites for this specification.
I have pretty good sync rates as a general rule, and am achieving high 90's MBps download.
I have a gigabit switch for all of my wired devices, so I don't need a massive amount of LAN ports on the router.
Does anyone have any recommendations on a modem router that will suit my needs?
Thanks in advance.
FTTN Modem Routers
Comments
The first one had issues authenticating devices on the 2.4 GHz band (as did hundreds of people https://community.netgear.com/t5/DSL-Modems-Routers/Nighthaw…)
Was returned on RMA
Replacement unit had a mac address issue which meant I couldn't even get it online
The current one (D7000V2)just seems to drop connection willy nilly, needs reboots every few days and I have an open case with ABB about a month old for download speed fluctuations.
ABB have been amazing, they have suggested swapping the modem out to see if that fixes my fluctuations.
I have had it up to my neck with the Nighthawk and their ludicrous RMA/Support, therefore I am going to replace my router.
We're not a fan of Netgear. They used to be the go-to brand back in days of RT314. Nowadays they're no more than overpriced cheaply made plastic widgets.
Wifi is a dangerous archaic technology that has been superseded by a fixed wired connection so you've made the right choice in that regards although you still have WIFI enabled for smartphone use. Have you tried disabling wifi altogether on the router and see if that impacts on performance? Wireless also requires much more hardware grunt to implement than wired thus can hog the hardware resources of your router when it is active.
My issue is that the speed fluctuations are intermittent.
That would require me turning the wifi off for prolonged time in the hope I caught the fault.
In any case, I just want to replace the router, I'd prefer to get rid of the nighthawk, then if the fault persists I can push it back to ABB.
The speed fluctuations aren't so bad that it's really bothering me, I'm just trying to get what I pay for.Then grab a telstra tehnicolor 799vac for $20 from GUmtree, ebay or sometimes under $5 from your local tip buyback shop. Does everything you want and is rock solid in the stability department.
Grab a telstra modem off gumtree for free or very cheap.
The VoIP is locked down to Telstra, and the interfaces are dumbed down, but otherwise they're quality units all with Broadcom chipsets sold ridiculously cheap cause Telstra post them out to existing customers for free in freshly NBN activated neighborhoods.This might help narrow some routers for you
https://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/fttn_registered_modem_routerI would personally get a modem and bridge it and get a Ubiqitui EdgeRouter X or Lite with a Unifi AP, separating it all to isolate any issues. Had good experiences with them in the IT world.
try one of these
https://www.msy.com.au/modem-modem-router/13952-asus-dsl-ac6…
They are rock solid and well supported by regular firmware updates.
They can be part of a mesh network if you have a larger house.
It seems like a conspiracy. No matter where you look to buy they are $269.The DSL-AC68U has a MediaTek chipset, whereas NBN recommend using Broadcom chipsets for compatibility.
The ASUS page says nothing about Mediatek.
https://www.asus.com/au/Networking/DSLAC68U/
It mentions Broadcom twice, but only in relation to the wireless.
Can you please explain the Mediatek part?
Not being a smartarse, I just don't knowStrange they don't list the chipset of the modem component on the specifications page.
But you're right, it's Broadcom for the wireless, but MediaTek for the modem chipset. My understanding is that MediaTek chipsets are great for shorter distances to the Node (or Exchange if you're stuck on ADSL), while Broadcom is best for longer distances.
In regards to performance on FTTN NBN, I couldn't tell you from experience. Only what I've read from a few threads on Whirlpool.
@tabz: Yeah wow that's nuts, I've just googled "DSL-AC68U mediatek"
and found heaps of stuff relating to the Mediatek being the modem chipset.
How bizarre they aren't upfront with it.I'll have to keep looking, might just try a $5 gumtree special telstra modem for now.
I just have to figure out how to bridge one if need be :/@giftcardinspector: There's probably a few things you can try first before replacing the modem router. ABB's suggestion on replacing it with a Broadcom chipset modem is probably irrelevant as the D7000 already has a Broadcom chipset.
Is the speed issues just on all wired connections too? or just the wifi?
If it's just the wifi, you can probably try to test if interference is the issue by specifying a wifi channel instead of leaving it on the default "Auto" setting. If you're running a Windows machine, you can download the free/lite version of inSSIDer to see if there's any channels that have less "noise".
If the speed issues affect all connected devices (wired and wireless), then try disabling "Traffic Meter" in your modem as I've read that this has solved speed issues for some users.
@tabz: The speed fluctuation is picked up when I do speed tests on my PC which is wired.
I don't notice the fluctuations so much, I am just trying to ensure I get what I pay for.
I don't want to be paying for 100/40 when I can only achieve it 50% of the time.
Note, speed tests are done at varying intervals through the day so the issue is not peak/offpeak times.
I'll have a look into Traffic Meter, I feel as though that is a setting in my router.
My other reason is I just am so annoyed with this POS nighthawk that I just want to replace it.I'm going to try a telstra one that someone is flogging on gumtree ($5), just to see if that has the basic functions I require, then upgrade at a later date to get better wifi coverage, if need be.
Could you please provide more information?