Specs for KCOM’s Future FTTP Broadband ISP Routers in Hull UK

The incumbent broadband ISP for Hull in East Yorkshire, KCOM, has confirmed to ISPreview.co.uk that they will launch two new routers from mid-September 2019 – the Technicolor DGA2231 and ZyXEL XMG3927-B. Both look to be very capable devices and are aimed at users of their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network.

Last October 2018 the MD of KCOM, Sean Royce, revealed that among other changes the provider also intended to launch a new “Super Router” for their customers in 2019 (here). The operator has now confirmed that new or upgrading subscribers can expect to receive one of two new devices from early autumn.

In the past we’ve seen KCOM supply pre-configured routers from various different manufacturers, although DrayTek and ZyXEL devices (e.g. ZyXEL VMG3925-B10B) have tended to be their main picks. The new devices follow that diversity of supply, albeit this time from Technicolor and ZyXEL, and both also support FTTC (VDSL2), G.fast and ADSL2+ connections as well as FTTP.

A Spokesperson for KCOM informed ISPreview.co.uk:

“Both routers will be provided as our FTTP options. For the following FTTP speeds: 30, 75, 200, 400 and 900Mbps. We have two additional models for our ADSL and VDSL customers. The launch of these two new routers complements our award-winning broadband (Best Consumer ISP 2019 – ISPA Awards) and sets us up for an exciting future roadmap.

They boast faster speeds, more reliable/better quality of service with band-steering, better device handling and home coverage.”

Interestingly both routers do have some big differences. For example, the Technicolor DGA2231 features two phone (FXS/ATA for VoIP) ports but the ZyXEL XMG3927-B has none. On the flip side the ZyXEL features 1 x USB3.0 port while the Technicolor has 2 x USB2.0 ports. The ZyXEL also offers a combined peak WiFi network speed of 2333Mbps (5GHz and 2.4GHz) but we couldn’t find a stated speed for the Technicolor.

Otherwise both devices feature the usual array of 4 x Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, 1 x Gigabit WAN port and 1 x RJ11 DSL port. A number of other UK ISPs also make use of the same routers.

ZyXEL XMG3927-B Specifications

Wireless Standard

• 802.11 b/g/n/ac 2.4 GHz, data rate 600 Mbps (3 x internal antennas)
• 802.11 a/n/ac 5 GHz, data rate 1733 Mbps (4 x internal antennas)

G.fast/VDSL and ADSL Compliance.

Router/Bridge Features

• IEEE 802.1d transparent bridge & basic spanning tree
• PPPoE (RFC 2516)
• PPPoA (RFC 2364)
• MAC encapsulation routing/IPoE
• Network Address Translation (NAT)
• NAT virtual server (port forwarding)
• DHCP client/server/relay with DHCP option 43/60/61/125
• DNS proxy/dynamic DNS
• Static/Policy route
• IGMP v1, v2, v3
• IPv4/IPv6

Wireless

• Wireless Protected Setup (WPS)
• WMM
• WPA2-PSK with AES
• Security type
• Multi SSID: up to 4
• MU-MIMO support

VLAN/QoS

• 802.1Q VLAN tagging/un-tagging
• Support flexible traffic classification

Firewall & Security

• Generic packet filter
• DoS attack prevention
• Parental control

USB

• File sharing
• 3G/4G back up with USB dongle

Ports

• WAN: One 10/100/1000 Mbps
• Ethernet port RJ-45
• DSL: One RJ-14
• Ethernet: Four 10/100/1000 Mbps
• Ethernet ports RJ-45 (8P8C)
• USB: One USB 3.0 host

Physical Size

• Item dimensions (WxDxH): 220 x 175 x 33 mm
• Item weight: 535 g (1.18 lb.)
• Packing dimensions (WxDxH): 291 x 246 x 80 mm
• Packing weight: 995 g (2.19 lb.)

Technicolor DGA2231 Specifications

Integrated ADSL/ADSL2+/VDSL2/G.fast modem
2 x RJ 11 DSL port
1 x GE WAN port
AutoWAN sensing™
4 x GE LAN ports
Dual-band concurrent Wi-Fi interfaces
IEEE 802.11n 2.4GHz (3×3 MIMO)
IEEE 802.11ac 5GHz (4×4 MIMO)
2 x FXS ports for phone or fax
2 x USB 2.0 ports
Seamless media sharing (UPnP A/V™ and DLNA®)
Extensive remote management
Non-service-affecting platform software upgrades (dual bank memory)
IPv4 & IPv6 enabled