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New VDSL router

Adamskiodp

Casual Member
Hi folks.

Long time lurker here but first post.

I am moving my FTTC/landline to IDNet this month. Have been looking at modem/routers and have narrowed it down to these.

ASUS DSL-AC68U AC1900

TP-Link AC1900 Archer VR900 (White upright one)

DrayTek Vigor 2762ac Wireless Router (802.11ac)

Billion 8800AXL r2 (supplied by IDNet)

Does anyone have any strong feelings for or against any of them?

I currently have a hard wired iMac and printer and about 10 mobile devices on Wi-fi (phones, tablets and laptops).

Thanks for any input.

Kind regards.
 
I have the AC66U and its a great bit of kit, never had any real issues and its needed restarting maybe a handful of times in over 3 years
 
Personally I've become a fan of TP Link's recent routers and I think their latest black models are pretty good:


However if you're buying a router today then part of me thinks it might be wise to get one with a phone port on the back too, so you're ready for VoIP and SOGEA. Sadly this is one area where TP Link falls down, although it isn't essential as you could always get an ATA adapter.
 
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Hi, First timer here too

I have been running a Draytek 2762 ac model and been delighted.
Don't use wifi on it as I have access points throughout property
Regular firmware updates and remote access if required through Drayteks ddns service (free - saved me renewing my DYNDNS subscription)
I do not work in IT but plenty of options with this - so as a non techie its good and I am sure for an experienced IT professional they would make this fly
Why did I buy
VLAN capabilities, G Fast ready and previous Draytek user
 
Not as tidy as a one box setup, but I recently bought a Vigor 130, as the DSL-AC68U I was using seemed to be limiting my line speed a little, and had some other frustrating performance issues (it's a 5+ year old router at the end of the day)
Now get a perfect 80/20 sync every time, whereas the Asus would randomly sync at slightly lower speeds. It's obviously not cheap though, so an old ECI or Huawei openreach modem could be an option on ebay.

Then you can pick pretty much any router out there, instead of limiting yourself to a tiny selection of rapidly aging products.
 
Thanks for the input folks :)

I currently have an Openreach HG612 modem and an Apple Time Capsule. The HG612 is probably getting on for 7/8 years old and the Time Capsule is a similar age and starting to have disk faults) so was looking for an all in one box. I guess I could keep the HG612 and get a router. I am just a bit worried about the hardware lifespan.

Any other suggestions for a separate modem and router or an all in one for £100 - £150?

Also, which manufacturer (if any) produces the best (easiest) IOS app to use to setup the hardware?
Thanks
 
Keep your HG612 (despite its age, it still a rock solid vdsl2 modem) and pair that up with a Netgear R7800 - sits at the top of router charts on Smallnetbuilder for wifi :)
 
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I had that ASUS one previously but had a weird issue where every now and again it’d just go dead and require recovery.

TP-Link is a fairly solid choice, they’re not crazy or spec leading but they do a good job.

Not in your list but the Linksys WRT series has been the best performing kit I’ve ever had. I have a wrt1900ac
 
One other question.

If I want a Wi-fi range extender, do I have to use the same manufacturer as the base modem/router? Or can I mix and match? Any recommendations for about £30 - £50?

Thanks
 
One other question.

If I want a Wi-fi range extender, do I have to use the same manufacturer as the base modem/router? Or can I mix and match? Any recommendations for about £30 - £50?

Thanks

I would honestly recommend you don't use a range extender if you care about speed and reliability.

If it's for casual browsing - go ahead - but for anything else I honestly wouldn't bother as it adds in delays as it's hopping from your router to the extender to the device.

You will have a better experience if you get a powerline/homeplug wifi adapter - even that won't be perfect but it'll be better than an extender.

That being said, if you are set on an extender it really doesn't matter about matching router to extender and you're safe to get basically any reputable branded one and the experience will be much the same.
 
My TPL AC1200 recently died - I suspect an internal power regulator issue as the lights starting dimming weeks before. However it had been rock solid since i got VDSL around 5 years ago.
I now have the AC1900 (in black), and it seems just as solid; although I still havent figured out if one of the extra settings is blocking TBB line monitor - I have tried all DOS filters on and off with no fix for the TBB issue.

EDIT.
OK, the AC1900 isn't as stable as the older model; last week the 5GHz Wifi refused to accept connections, and tonight the 2.4GHz did the same - it required a hard reboot to fix the issues.
Running the latest firmware.
 
Last edited:
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I would honestly recommend you don't use a range extender if you care about speed and reliability.

If it's for casual browsing - go ahead - but for anything else I honestly wouldn't bother as it adds in delays as it's hopping from your router to the extender to the device.

You will have a better experience if you get a powerline/homeplug wifi adapter - even that won't be perfect but it'll be better than an extender.

That being said, if you are set on an extender it really doesn't matter about matching router to extender and you're safe to get basically any reputable branded one and the experience will be much the same.

I’m not yet set on an extender, until I have the new router up and runningI’m hoping a standard router will serve all of a three bed semi detached house. Our walls are made of something called clinker which seems more dense than house bricks😳
 
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