Just joined - time for new router

woodyuk · Nov 27, 2013, 12:18:51

Hello Idnetters!

I have just signed up for an iDNET account, after finally leaving BeThere. Really hope the reviews etc follow up in reality!

So on to my question. I have an old Draytek 2820 router, which I have been looking to replace.

I was wondering what people think is basically the best these days. Price not really important.

Asus seems to be winning all the main awards at the moment for their routers.

Features I would like

a) Wireless 2.4 and 5gz on separate SSID. Currently have Draytek as 2.4g and Apple Airport Express as N so would prefer on one device.
b) I use the monitoring tools on my draytek for data bandwidth, which IP is soaking up the network! etc
c) I would like the ability for the router to connect to a VPN service, so AppleTV etc could be in the US :-)
d) Client VPN would be nice so I can login to my network from home

Should I just buy the new Draytek 2860 ?

Thanks in advance

Simon · Nov 27, 2013, 12:23:20

Welcome to the forums, and to IDNet!

I'll leave it to the more techy folks to answer your question, but just for the record, I have a Billion 7800N, and have had no trouble with it.

zappaDPJ · Nov 27, 2013, 12:33:33

sobranie · Nov 27, 2013, 12:49:28

Asus RT N66U seems to fit the bill. Have been using it for some months now and no problems whatsoever.

Gary · Nov 27, 2013, 13:55:43

With 802.111ac near ratification I would go for a router tha supports that, otherwise as new devices come put that support that new standard which will replace 802.11.n you may get left behind. The Asus RT-AC66U as mentioned is a great device, although its speeds have been eclipsed by the Netgear R7000 Nighthawk. Tbh I would say the R7000 is overkill, personally I use a Netgear R6300v2 802.11ac router, 450Mbps over 2.4Ghz and in theory a maximum of 1300Mbps over 5Ghz using 802.ac. The D-Link DIR-868L is also worth a look at as is The Linksys EA4500.

The newer routers also offer great range with beamforming which also helps legacy products be pinpointed and given the best signal and they all have IPV6 support, and great flexibility. The Billion 7800N is a great router but its no longer up with the latests standards, and its worth trying to be current and paying a little more and having a router that will stay relevant for a good few years rather than one that's already out of date and which you may need to change in a year or two.

I would say the Asus RT-AC66U or something like the R6300v2 (not the v1 which is now out of date) are both great routers, I have used the R6300v2 and its got great range, a 800Mhz dual core CPU, 128 Flash and 256Mb ram and two separate lots of skyworks 3x3 aerials with amplifiers for the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands. Avoid AC 1900 routers as they area bit of a gimmick like 3D TV's.

Each person will back their own brand but tbh with the routers mentioned you could not go wrong

Baz · Nov 27, 2013, 15:45:58

Welcome Woody.

Im not an expert either but I use a Netgear DGND3700v2.Has not let me down,still good now.I had some excellent advice from Gary before buying this one and I see he's already posted about your question....he knows his stuff

I didnt actually know that Asus did routers so thanks for that....and see,Gary knows about them too

Hope you get sorted any way and call back soon.....its good here

woodyuk · Nov 28, 2013, 10:51:41

Hello!

Thank you for all your comments, clearly a great and friendly community here!

Having done a little more research it looks like the Asus unit I was talking about is a Router and not a DSL Router. I have read that some people have just bought an ADSL modem (Draytek 120), and then connected these together . Or is it better to get a DSL Router ? The Asus one seems pretty old model.

I don't think I will get the Draytek 2890 as it's not AC so either need to find the best DSL Router / Wifi or modem + Asus

Finally, I have added the "priority traffic" option for my ADSL2+ connection, is it worth it at £10 a month ? Sadly I cannot get FTTC as although I live in London my phone line is connected directly to the exchange :-(

Cheers

Paul

MisterW · Nov 28, 2013, 11:26:20

Asus do have a combined ADSL modem/router the DSL-N66U https://www.asus.com/Networking/DSLN66U/
It's not wireless ac though.

Gary · Nov 28, 2013, 12:59:56

Quote from: MisterW on Nov 28, 2013, 11:26:20
Asus do have a combined ADSL modem/router the DSL-N66U https://www.asus.com/Networking/DSLN66U/
It's not wireless ac though.

It gets good reviews, I tend to think separate modem Router combos work better, you can take your router down and loose ppp not sync though which is good. .

BadMelonFarmer · Dec 17, 2013, 19:25:15

Quote from: woodyuk on Nov 28, 2013, 10:51:41
Hello!

Thank you for all your comments, clearly a great and friendly community here!

Having done a little more research it looks like the Asus unit I was talking about is a Router and not a DSL Router. I have read that some people have just bought an ADSL modem (Draytek 120), and then connected these together . Or is it better to get a DSL Router ? The Asus one seems pretty old model.

I don't think I will get the Draytek 2890 as it's not AC so either need to find the best DSL Router / Wifi or modem + Asus

Finally, I have added the "priority traffic" option for my ADSL2+ connection, is it worth it at £10 a month ? Sadly I cannot get FTTC as although I live in London my phone line is connected directly to the exchange :-(

Cheers

Paul

personally I would not bother with the Draytek 120, I had one for a while and it does not officially support IPv6 ... there is a beta firmware apparently that does, but that beta firmware has been beta for years.

The chipset in the 120 is not that reliable IMHO, it did not sync that high for me and was probably once of the most unreliable ADSL devices I have owned.

The last nail in the coffin for me was that you could not get a status webpage of what your connection was doing without breaking the internet connection, in my case I had it set up to bridge the connection using PPPoE from an Apple Time Capsule, it basically turned the PPPoE connection into a PPPoA connection, pretty cool ...BUT... once the PPPoE connection was established there was no practical way of checking your connection without disconnecting the PPPoE connection and considering it was very unreliable ... it drove me nuts.

I went for a Billion 7800N, then a 7800DXL and have been very happy with it, it's a bit overkill for what I really need.... but it has been very stable and the support it very good.

Gary · Dec 18, 2013, 09:20:30

The Draytec uses an infineon (think thats Laniq now) and its ine of short lines, infact it should sync at higher speeds than the Broadcom chipsets, but each line varies. It is plug in and go though. Using separate routers and modems means if one goes bad you don't have to replace the whole thing, also you can turn your router off or reboot it after firmware updates without affecting your sync as the modem is doing that part. Thats why Im somewhat bewilders why people want an all in one vDSL unit which risks DLM kicking in, when the separate modem is much easier yto deal with, plug and forget really.

TP link do a much cheaper modem here http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TD-8817-ADSL2-Ethernet-Router/dp/B003FZ3QSK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387357885&sr=8-1&keywords=TP+Link+Modem

If you plan to get fibre you will need a router with a wan port, better to as I mentioned before to future proof yourself. Personally I would grab the asus and the TP link Modem, or get an old Netgear router and switch it into bridge mode (make sure the model has this facility) from ebay for instance. I know the DGN2200 (v1 ) has this facility and should come very cheap.

BadMelonFarmer · Dec 19, 2013, 09:11:40

Quote from: Gary on Dec 18, 2013, 09:20:30
The Draytec uses an infineon (think thats Laniq now) and its ine of short lines, infact it should sync at higher speeds than the Broadcom chipsets, but each line varies. It is plug in and go though. Using separate routers and modems means if one goes bad you don't have to replace the whole thing, also you can turn your router off or reboot it after firmware updates without affecting your sync as the modem is doing that part. Thats why Im somewhat bewilders why people want an all in one vDSL unit which risks DLM kicking in, when the separate modem is much easier yto deal with, plug and forget really.

TP link do a much cheaper modem here http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TD-8817-ADSL2-Ethernet-Router/dp/B003FZ3QSK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387357885&sr=8-1&keywords=TP+Link+Modem

If you plan to get fibre you will need a router with a wan port, better to as I mentioned before to future proof yourself. Personally I would grab the asus and the TP link Modem, or get an old Netgear router and switch it into bridge mode (make sure the model has this facility) from ebay for instance. I know the DGN2200 (v1 ) has this facility and should come very cheap.

that TP-Link modem looks interesting, can you view the interface whilst the modem is in bridge mode? if so I think I might take a punt on it and maybe sell off the Billion if it works out to be as stable.

Edit:-

actually reading some info, there seems to be some comments about the TP link not being great for long lines.

I need something that is going to be stable with this line:-

SNR Margin (dB) 6.6
Attenuation (dB) 43.5
Output Power (dBm) 19.4
Rate (Kbps) 4704

Gary · Dec 19, 2013, 10:08:01

Quote from: BadMelonFarmer on Dec 19, 2013, 09:11:40
that TP-Link modem looks interesting, can you view the interface whilst the modem is in bridge mode? if so I think I might take a punt on it and maybe sell off the Billion if it works out to be as stable.

Edit:-

actually reading some info, there seems to be some comments about the TP link not being great for long lines.

I need something that is going to be stable with this line:-

SNR Margin (dB) 6.6
Attenuation (dB) 43.5
Output Power (dBm) 19.4
Rate (Kbps) 4704

Maybe a broadcom would be better, then. Since you are on adsl have a look at this The BillionBiPAC 7800DXL it has a built in modem and although not an AC router is dual band with great specs and a very good chipset.

http://www.broadbandbuyer.com/Shop/Specifications.asp?ProductID=15034

BadMelonFarmer · Dec 19, 2013, 10:17:45

Quote from: Gary on Dec 19, 2013, 10:08:01
Maybe a broadcom would be better, then. Since you are on adsl have a look at this The BillionBiPAC 7800DXL it has a built in modem and although not an AC router is dual band with great specs and a very good chipset.

http://www.broadbandbuyer.com/Shop/Specifications.asp?ProductID=15034

Thanks

That is the router I already have. .... also would not use broadband buyer again after a bad experience with them.

but that is a different story.

Moving to ADSL2+ on monday ... will see if i get any improvement in speed.

I took a punt and ordered a TP -Link at £14 it is worth a look and even if it is not great... it is always useful to have a spare router around for testing / troubleshooting my annual line issues (aluminium line grrrr) and the old speedtouch I use for testing does not support ADSL2+

Gary · Dec 19, 2013, 10:22:53

Quote from: BadMelonFarmer on Dec 19, 2013, 10:17:45
Thanks

That is the router I already have. .... also would not use broadband buyer again after a bad experience with them. but that is a different story.

Moving to ADSL2+ on monday ... will see if i get any improvement in speed.

I took a punt and ordered a TP -Link at £14 it is worth a look and even if it is not great... it is always useful to have a spare router around for testing / troubleshooting my annual line issues (aluminium line grrrr) and the old speedtouch I use for testing does not support ADSL2+

Tbh if the TP link works well grab the Asus, its a great router. Then again the Billion you have is as well. TBh I doubt you will get much more from your line and if wifi is good with that router you may as well keep it. I agree on Broadband buyer I dont use them, its just presented nicely but I buy from Amazon. I had the R6300v2 and a Draytec 120 and had no real issues, I wanted a descent router for fibre and now I have that the faster chipset in the R6300v2 helps. If you are on ADSL2+ then that Billion should serve you well tbh. If its not broken as they say

BadMelonFarmer · Dec 19, 2013, 10:32:16

Quote from: Gary on Dec 19, 2013, 10:22:53
Tbh if the TP link works well grab the Asus, its a great router. Then again the Billion you have is as well. TBh I doubt you will get much more from your line and if wifi is good with that router you may as well keep it. I agree on Broadband buyer I dont use them, its just presented nicely but I buy from Amazon. I had the R6300v2 and a Draytec 120 and had no real issues, I wanted a descent router for fibre and now I have that the faster chipset in the R6300v2 helps. If you are on ADSL2+ then that Billion should serve you well tbh. If its not broken as they say

Man I would love to have Fibre here .... my mobile broadband is 4 or 5 times faster here ... but too expensive to go to full time, I use it as a failover on the 7800DXL.

I don't use any of the wireless features on the 7800... i use an Apple TimeCapsule as my main WiFi networking .... which is why i would ideally like to use just a modem bridge mode setup. ... maybe in the next decade when I get fibre.

andrue · Jan 01, 2014, 14:36:11

I've just installed a billion 6800WXN. £90 from Amazon at the moment. The UI is a bit confusing but it's all working including IPv6.

Things to note: There's no 'Port Forwarding' - you have to go the route of 'Virtual Server'. It works in a similar way but I found that a bit confusing. You have to disable SPI on the firewall if you're using Virtual Server which seems a bit restrictive.

I'm not using the wifi facilities as I have a WAP instead.

Hopefully this fourth router will finally be the one to keep the record so far is:

NetGear WNR1000v3 - Doesn't support IPv6. Appeared to trigger a bi-monthly performance/latency issue with my FTTC.
TP Link WDR3600 - Supported IPv6 or IPv4 but not both at the same time. Inappropriately sold as 'IPv6 ready' in my opinion so I got my money back on it.
DLink 645 - Did everything I wanted but randomly locked up once or twice a month, more frequently if I used a VPN. Possibly throughput related.

The moral of this story is that finding a good router these days is not easy.