VDSL router?

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mr_jon
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VDSL router?

Post by mr_jon »

Any recommendations for a dual-band VDSL router? We've used the BT Home Hub 6 for the last few years as I was a bit bored of messing with routers. However the wifi performance has now really dropped off. It frequently requires reboots and sometimes throws authentication errors. Wired performance is fine at ~80Mbps which is fine for our needs. We have 2 wired devices & 14 wireless. I'm due to renew the contract soon and will no doubt be offered the Smart Hub 2, but I understand from the BT rep that regular wifi range is actually worse than the older Hubs as they are set up for Mesh wifi (which I don't want to install).

People talk about TP-Link's being the go-to BT hub replacement but my impression of them, at least from a few years back, is that they are a bargain basement item?

Cheers!
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Mito Man
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Re: VDSL router?

Post by Mito Man »

I changed my parents one from Home Hub 5 to Smart Hub 2 and it's much better than the old one. Can't comment on speed as their internet is only 26mbps but if they send you one for free with your new contract I'd give it a try before spending money on something else.

A week before Christmas a tree fell on the phone line which BT said will take over a month to fix as they have to get planning to close the road to fit a new post so I ordered a TP Link MR200 which is a SIM router as well as a normal dual band router. It's a pretty impressive bit of kit and the whole house has 20mbps internet on a £25 giffgaff SIM plus it has a handy phone app.
How about not having a sig at all?
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scotta
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Re: VDSL router?

Post by scotta »

Ive got a couple of TP-Link Powerline ethernet wifi extenders. Id give them a go first before changing your router. £35 gets you a pair.


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scotta
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Re: VDSL router?

Post by scotta »

Also - Can you change the channel on your bt hub? you might be getting other routers nearby conflicting on the same channel.

https://www.metageek.com/training/resou ... -6-11.html

Read that and it explains it a bit further.
mr_jon
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Re: VDSL router?

Post by mr_jon »

Thanks, actually had the BT rep do all that for me remotely and it made no real difference. Tried with separated 5Ghz and automatic, again no difference. Yes, a lot of other BT hubs are in range.

I'll let BT sweat a bit longer up to contract end date and see what they offer. Currently they want £8 a month more for the exact same service (not even a new hub).
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DeskJockey
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Re: VDSL router?

Post by DeskJockey »

We're with Vodafone using one of their older routers. WiFi was awful, so I turned it off and replaced it with a mesh setup from Amplifi. Uses wireless for backhaul and sits directly in the plug, so relatively unobtrusive and very easy to install.

Worth a thought if you're not getting a new hub or don't want to use it.
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Ascender
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Re: VDSL router?

Post by Ascender »

DeskJockey wrote: Mon Jan 04, 2021 8:38 pm We're with Vodafone using one of their older routers. WiFi was awful, so I turned it off and replaced it with a mesh setup from Amplifi. Uses wireless for backhaul and sits directly in the plug, so relatively unobtrusive and very easy to install.

Worth a thought if you're not getting a new hub or don't want to use it.
I was going to suggest the same, if coverage is really poor because of your house layout/construction & placement if the router, you might be better off adding a mesh system like the BT WholeHome and turning wifi off on your router.
Cheers,

Mike.
NGRhodes
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Re: VDSL router?

Post by NGRhodes »

I use a Zyxel router as a modem, connected to my Asus router. I don't know of any vdsl router that is good at both being a modem and router.
zyxel vmg8924-b10a which I have has a high quality hardware analog filter internally, leading to exceptionally good quality connections. Updated version as the vmg8924-b10d (note the d on the end) and other newer Zyxel routers don't have this filter, they have newer chipsets but don't offer any new feature useful to our phone networks.

The old Openreach modems offer decent connection quality, but a bit long in the tooth, mine was more reliable than my HH6, might be worth trying if you can get one for £10.
mr_jon
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Re: VDSL router?

Post by mr_jon »

Thanks, I'm on the hunt for a solution now as I accepted an updated contract offer with BT for £28 a month with line rental, but no new hub. May do as you suggest and just use the HH6 as the modem - which it seems fine at.
simon_g
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Re: VDSL router?

Post by simon_g »

I use an old white Openreach VDSL modem (from back in the days before routers having them built in), a unifi Edgerouter X then a unifi wireless access point (UAP-AC-LR I think). The Edgerouter can be powered via PoE, and can passthrough to the access point so just a single power socket for both.

Nerdier but not hard to get set up and by far the most reliable home wifi I've had, way better than anything an ISP has given me. I intended to mount the AP on the ceiling and get one or two more for better coverage, but actually it's just sat on a shelf by the front door and covers the whole house absolutely fine.
NGRhodes
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Re: VDSL router?

Post by NGRhodes »

mr_jon wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 1:07 pm Thanks, I'm on the hunt for a solution now as I accepted an updated contract offer with BT for £28 a month with line rental, but no new hub. May do as you suggest and just use the HH6 as the modem - which it seems fine at.
Be careful, the HH6 does not have a proper modem mode, you have to setup a DMZ, turn off IPv6, ensure you have a separate IP address range and a few other bits that I can't remember, I gave up on it when BT pushed and automatic update and reset the ip addresses I was using (breaking things for a while).
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