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Please recommend an energy efficient VDSL2 modem

Qbcd

Super Pro Member
I have VDSL2 service from BT/Openreach and I am using the Smart Hub 2 in Bridge mode coupled with an Asus router.

Even in bridge mode the Smart Hub 2 will draw 10W, which at current insane prices is £34/year. Plus it just seems pointless to have the whole thing powered on when all I'm using is the modem. It would also be nice to have something much smaller that I can tuck away.

I don't even know if standalone VDSL2 modems still exist, I can only find really old bulky ones that probably draw as much power as the Smart Hub 2. A new/small one that draws very little is what I'm looking for. I know BT allows 3rd party modems.

So I was wondering if you had any recommendations.
 
Even in bridge mode the Smart Hub 2 will draw 10W, which at current insane prices is £34/year.
Any idea if FTTP is due or an altnet is building? (bidb.uk may be able to help)

You'd be buying out of date tech, and if it costs you £50 to buy and in 12 months FTTP is available then it's probably not great value for money.

I don't have a device recommendation though, sorry. I used to just use the OR provided HG612<revision> when I had VDSL. They were sub 10w, but depending on how you're measuring them you might find your tester is inaccurate below 10w.

Depending on the power supply powering the smart hub though, you might find a better, more efficient supply would drop the watts used. (e.g. if you have one for another device that's the same voltage, same connector etc)
 
The DrayTek Vigor 167 is rated at 4.4W max power consumption but costs £100. You won't see payback on this, the only reason to reduce the power consumption in this way is if you had to run off batteries.
 
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Is there a reason you want a separate modem and router? I can understand not wanting to use an ISP-branded router as they tend to be anything but "Smart", but there are very good VDSL modem/routers that outclass it and would be more power-efficient than two boxes.

I like the FritzBox 7530 modem/router that Zen supply, it's a cut above your average "home smart hub wifi box" tat and it supports VDSL, I was using one for FTTC until upgrading to FTTP very recently. I haven't put a meter on it, but the manufacturer's spec says the average power draw is 6W.
 
Make sure you have a unit manufactured after 2013 when eu updated regulations on network standby.

https://ec.europa.eu/info/energy-climate-change-envi...

Using a Fritzbox 7530 as an access point on 2.4Ghz only takes about 5 watts with about 6 devices online. Enabling 5Ghz band as well adds about 2 watts. Dont turn on more capabilities than you need.

More background here
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://storage.topten....

Added -
About 4.5 watts as vdsl modem dhcp etc, no wifi.
Add 1 watt for dect base station (non eco mode)
Add 2 watts for wifi 2.4Ghz
Add 2 watts for 5Ghz
Add 2 watts for 1G lan.

Nb suspect wifi & dect consumption depend on number of devices connected and distance from base Station

Remember 1 watt always on is about 10Kw hour per year - about £3! On the Fritzbox you can schedule Wi-Fi to turn off at night and see % max power you are running at In real-time. with Vdsl, don’t try turning the modem off at night or you will mess up the adaptation.
 
Any idea if FTTP is due or an altnet is building? (bidb.uk may be able to help)

You'd be buying out of date tech, and if it costs you £50 to buy and in 12 months FTTP is available then it's probably not great value for money.

I am getting FTTP actually, but the VDSL2 will remain as backup. It's a complicated deployment here. That's why I want to eliminate power consumption as much as possible, because 99.9% of the time (or more) the line won't be used, so I want it to draw as little power as possible.

Depending on the power supply powering the smart hub though, you might find a better, more efficient supply would drop the watts used. (e.g. if you have one for another device that's the same voltage, same connector etc)

I like to USB-C everything and I have an efficient power adaptor, so hopefully that will help a little, haven't tested it yet as I need to find the right barrel plug adaptor.

The DrayTek Vigor 167 is rated at 4.4W max power consumption but costs £100. You won't see payback on this, the only reason to reduce the power consumption in this way is if you had to run off batteries.

Good to know thanks, yeah it won't pay for itself for quite a few years. I guess this is the issue, the power efficient gear is new and hence (relatively) expensive, so if you want to save £10-15 a year on your electric bill you have to pay £100 upfront, not really worth it.

For some reason I thought I could get some very basic second-hand modem that only drew 2-3W for like £20-30, but that doesn't seem to exist.

Is there a reason you want a separate modem and router? I can understand not wanting to use an ISP-branded router as they tend to be anything but "Smart", but there are very good VDSL modem/routers that outclass it and would be more power-efficient than two boxes.

Because I have my gear already that I want to keep using and I will be getting another WAN.
 
I have spare hg612's which I am very close to throwing away, no idea on power draw, but I be surprised if they consume as much as a modern full fledged AP.
 
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I have VDSL2 service from BT/Openreach and I am using the Smart Hub 2 in Bridge mode coupled with an Asus router.

Even in bridge mode the Smart Hub 2 will draw 10W, which at current insane prices is £34/year. Plus it just seems pointless to have the whole thing powered on when all I'm using is the modem. It would also be nice to have something much smaller that I can tuck away.

I don't even know if standalone VDSL2 modems still exist, I can only find really old bulky ones that probably draw as much power as the Smart Hub 2. A new/small one that draws very little is what I'm looking for. I know BT allows 3rd party modems.

So I was wondering if you had any recommendations.
I think you are doing your math wrong.

UK average 1 July 2023: 27p per kWh
UK average 1 Oct 2023: 30.1p per kWh
source: https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/average-cost-electricity-kwh-uk

10W x 24 hs x 365 days = 87600Wh = 87.6kWh

UK average 1 July 2023: £26.37
UK average 1 Oct 2023: £23.65

You should never add the standing daily charge to any calculation since you are going to pay that no matter what your consumption is.

So still not insignificant but about 1/3 of your estimate from October. So it's about £ 2/month. If you really want to save money change your house lights for LEDs or look at your dishwasher, washing machines, dryer, hoover, fridge or other high wattage appliances for more energy efficient ones.
 
If you're that concerned about power usage (and cost), and this will be your 'backup' line, perhaps consider using 4G. Three currently charges £20.00 pm and includes a router (Rebadged ZTE MF286D) - which should result in more money saved and that's excluding power consumption.
 
If it’s a backup service does it need to be switched on unless the primary line fails?
Well yes, unless I can somehow set it up to power on when the primary line fails which I have no idea how to do.

If you're that concerned about power usage (and cost), and this will be your 'backup' line, perhaps consider using 4G. Three currently charges £20.00 pm and includes a router (Rebadged ZTE MF286D) - which should result in more money saved and that's excluding power consumption.
I'm not paying for the service, but paying for the electricity... it's complicated haha

I think you are doing your math wrong.

UK average 1 July 2023: 27p per kWh
UK average 1 Oct 2023: 30.1p per kWh
source: https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/average-cost-electricity-kwh-uk

10W x 24 hs x 365 days = 87600Wh = 87.6kWh

UK average 1 July 2023: £26.37
UK average 1 Oct 2023: £23.65

You should never add the standing daily charge to any calculation since you are going to pay that no matter what your consumption is.

So still not insignificant but about 1/3 of your estimate from October. So it's about £ 2/month. If you really want to save money change your house lights for LEDs or look at your dishwasher, washing machines, dryer, hoover, fridge or other high wattage appliances for more energy efficient ones.

Well I'm paying 35p/kWh at the moment, and probably for another year at least. I wasn't talking about the UK average and I think I calculated for 10.8W. But yes eventually prices will come down and then a constant 10W load will be less relevant. Honestly I shouldn't have started this thread, I'll just stick with the BT Super Hub 2 as there are no better options that make economic sense...
 
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Well yes, unless I can somehow set it up to power on when the primary line fails which I have no idea how to do.
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOME ASSSISTANT!


However, There's a few ways you could do this, depending on what your router is on the FTTP line, you could get the up/down stats from the interface and then turn on a smart plug, for example.

Obviously remember that VDSL is going to be sensitive to powering up/down so depends on how reliable/unreliable your service is. I would not expect FTTP to be unreliable, all of the annoying line reset/DLM interference/speed change/noisy line type issues all disappear with FTTP and it should be a nice solid connection.

Honestly I shouldn't have started this thread, I'll just stick with the BT Super Hub 2 as there are no better options that make economic sense...
Well no, because you asked a sensible question - just possibly without enough info in the original request. Knowing the VDSL is free makes a difference, knowing you have FTTP coming, makes a difference. The problem is although the device feels like high usage at 10w, its rare to get something that'll do everything you want.

You could condense your FTTP router, VDSL router, VDSL modem (vigor 167 pcie card) into a small pfsense/opnsense box BUT you likely will need 30-40w for that unit. so depends on what everything else costs in terms of wattage. (then you'd just have your FTTP ONT and your "super router" which has the VDSL modem built in).

You could also just buy a device that's built for multiple connections - something like this:

Then use that on your FTTP,VDSL2 line and it'll do the failover itself. (This isn't an endorsement, I haven't used Billion in probably nearly a decade - just an example)

You could power multiple devices from the same switch mode powersupply if they're all the same voltage, there will be a sweet spot in efficiency at X% utilised, so you could potentially use a higher amperage power supply, and feed that to multiple devices. Obviously that only works if they're all the same voltage, you know their required demand and you are comfortable in messing with electrics.

If you have any downloads or backups or anything "intensive" you could just hammer the VDSL line and keep the FTTP clear. However obviously it'll be slower and the FTTP line would be less impacted whilst doing any tasks like that, etc. etc.
 
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOME ASSSISTANT!


However, There's a few ways you could do this, depending on what your router is on the FTTP line, you could get the up/down stats from the interface and then turn on a smart plug, for example.

Obviously remember that VDSL is going to be sensitive to powering up/down so depends on how reliable/unreliable your service is. I would not expect FTTP to be unreliable, all of the annoying line reset/DLM interference/speed change/noisy line type issues all disappear with FTTP and it should be a nice solid connection.


Well no, because you asked a sensible question - just possibly without enough info in the original request. Knowing the VDSL is free makes a difference, knowing you have FTTP coming, makes a difference. The problem is although the device feels like high usage at 10w, its rare to get something that'll do everything you want.

You could condense your FTTP router, VDSL router, VDSL modem (vigor 167 pcie card) into a small pfsense/opnsense box BUT you likely will need 30-40w for that unit. so depends on what everything else costs in terms of wattage. (then you'd just have your FTTP ONT and your "super router" which has the VDSL modem built in).

You could also just buy a device that's built for multiple connections - something like this:

Then use that on your FTTP,VDSL2 line and it'll do the failover itself. (This isn't an endorsement, I haven't used Billion in probably nearly a decade - just an example)

You could power multiple devices from the same switch mode powersupply if they're all the same voltage, there will be a sweet spot in efficiency at X% utilised, so you could potentially use a higher amperage power supply, and feed that to multiple devices. Obviously that only works if they're all the same voltage, you know their required demand and you are comfortable in messing with electrics.

If you have any downloads or backups or anything "intensive" you could just hammer the VDSL line and keep the FTTP clear. However obviously it'll be slower and the FTTP line would be less impacted whilst doing any tasks like that, etc. etc.
I am with Matt, automate via home automation. Note that a smart relay/power plug will still use constant energy, after all it needs to be "on" to be able to control the energy of the power plug/device it controls. I use Fibaro Z-Wave smart relays and these use 0.5-0.8w so not zero but still very low. And on top of this you need to add the power of your home automation server which won't be zero either. So yes home automation is one way but likely not efficient for a single use case, it will need few use cases to make it worth while and save some money.
 
I used to use a Draytek Vigor 130, which is a modem only. I sold it, so I can't measure the power consumption for you, but the spec says "max power 6W".

Even if it reduces power from 10W to 5W, at your current 35p rate, it will only save you £15 per year.

Make sure the 10W is the true usage of the current router, not the manufacturer's claimed value. For true power reading you need to measure with a plug-in power meter, not a clamp meter.
 
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOME ASSSISTANT!

Thanks for this! I didn't think of Home Assistant as an option as I don't use it.

However, There's a few ways you could do this, depending on what your router is on the FTTP line, you could get the up/down stats from the interface and then turn on a smart plug, for example.

The router is an Asus AX86U. This sounds complicated to set up, also can I count on a RPi not to disconnect from the network once WAN is down, a lot of devices do this.

It's unfortunate that Home Assistant requires its own OS. I actually already have a RPi 3 running to monitor my network and provide access to my LAN via Tailscale, so it would have been great if I could also have it run Home Assistant. Could I install a VM on it? The RPi 3 is really going to struggle with that I think and might crash, and would also probably consume 3-4W.

So the other options are buy another RPi or run a VM on my Windows PC which will probably also use a few watts and I generally don't want to do it. The PC is always on though, so if there's a native Windows solution...

You could also just buy a device that's built for multiple connections - something like this:

No this wouldn't make economic sense and I want to keep using my router.

You could power multiple devices from the same switch mode powersupply if they're all the same voltage, there will be a sweet spot in efficiency at X% utilised, so you could potentially use a higher amperage power supply, and feed that to multiple devices. Obviously that only works if they're all the same voltage, you know their required demand and you are comfortable in messing with electrics.

I don't know if it's the same thing, but I will power both my Asus router and the BT Hub AND my RPi from the same GaN USB-C charger that is quite efficient, so that should help, but not all that much.

So yeah, the thing is, by the time I buy a new RPi + case + storage and a smart switch and add the cost of their power draw (probably ~2W combined), I won't break even for a few years, then at that point who knows what my setup will be like. I would do it just for fun/not to try to be economical, but I don't really want to overcomplicate things unnecessarily and introduce more points of failure.

So... I guess I'll just pay the £30/year haha.

I used to use a Draytek Vigor 130, which is a modem only. I sold it, so I can't measure the power consumption for you, but the spec says "max power 6W".

Even if it reduces power from 10W to 5W, at your current 35p rate, it will only save you £15 per year.

Make sure the 10W is the true usage of the current router, not the manufacturer's claimed value. For true power reading you need to measure with a plug-in power meter, not a clamp meter.

Exactly, and the router costs £190 haha. And yes, I measured with a plug-in meter, it's 10.1W constant load in bridge mode with the stock power adapter, regardless of how much/whether data is going through it. It gets pretty warm too as it's very thin, they really didn't give it enough cooling. It's a shame, it really shouldn't be drawing this much power in bridge mode as it's only acting as a DSL modem.
 
Thanks for this! I didn't think of Home Assistant as an option as I don't use it.



The router is an Asus AX86U. This sounds complicated to set up, also can I count on a RPi not to disconnect from the network once WAN is down, a lot of devices do this.

It's unfortunate that Home Assistant requires its own OS. I actually already have a RPi 3 running to monitor my network and provide access to my LAN via Tailscale, so it would have been great if I could also have it run Home Assistant. Could I install a VM on it? The RPi 3 is really going to struggle with that I think and might crash, and would also probably consume 3-4W.

So the other options are buy another RPi or run a VM on my Windows PC which will probably also use a few watts and I generally don't want to do it. The PC is always on though, so if there's a native Windows solution...



No this wouldn't make economic sense and I want to keep using my router.



I don't know if it's the same thing, but I will power both my Asus router and the BT Hub AND my RPi from the same GaN USB-C charger that is quite efficient, so that should help, but not all that much.

So yeah, the thing is, by the time I buy a new RPi + case + storage and a smart switch and add the cost of their power draw (probably ~2W combined), I won't break even for a few years, then at that point who knows what my setup will be like. I would do it just for fun/not to try to be economical, but I don't really want to overcomplicate things unnecessarily and introduce more points of failure.

So... I guess I'll just pay the £30/year haha.



Exactly, and the router costs £190 haha. And yes, I measured with a plug-in meter, it's 10.1W constant load in bridge mode with the stock power adapter, regardless of how much/whether data is going through it. It gets pretty warm too as it's very thin, they really didn't give it enough cooling. It's a shame, it really shouldn't be drawing this much power in bridge mode as it's only acting as a DSL modem.
So you have a PC that always on, an Asus AX86U that's always on, an RPi that's always on but you are looking to reduce consumption on the Smart Hub 2 that draws just 10W. Seems to me that your green drive is missguided. The PC is for sure the biggest electricity user of the pack. Perhaps changing to an overspec'ed Platinum/Titanium PSU will do more for you than anything else discussed here. Platinum/Titanium PSUs have the highest efficiency. You want it overspec'ed because PSUs achieve the best efficiency at around 50% load vs rated max load.
 
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My ancient fridge died recently and when looking at replacements, I went straight for the most energy-efficient models on the site. The cost of the energy-efficient fridge over the bog-standard model was such that I would have needed to run the fridge for well over a decade before the price difference paid for itself in power, assuming power doesn't change in price. This seems a bit like that.
 
My ancient fridge died recently and when looking at replacements, I went straight for the most energy-efficient models on the site. The cost of the energy-efficient fridge over the bog-standard model was such that I would have needed to run the fridge for well over a decade before the price difference paid for itself in power, assuming power doesn't change in price. This seems a bit like that.
When looking at green appliances you have to consider other things other than the return on investment. What about the planet? With the move to electric cars we are going to need loads more electricity so the more efficient other things are the better. A 10 year ROI is reasonable if you consider the amount of energy saved and the fact that there should be no negatives in use (unlike electric cars).
 
I have VDSL2 service from BT/Openreach and I am using the Smart Hub 2 in Bridge mode coupled with an Asus router.

Even in bridge mode the Smart Hub 2 will draw 10W, which at current insane prices is £34/year. Plus it just seems pointless to have the whole thing powered on when all I'm using is the modem. It would also be nice to have something much smaller that I can tuck away.

I don't even know if standalone VDSL2 modems still exist, I can only find really old bulky ones that probably draw as much power as the Smart Hub 2. A new/small one that draws very little is what I'm looking for. I know BT allows 3rd party modems.

So I was wondering if you had any recommendations.
have you measured the power? the figures stated on the labels are usually the maximum amount. I guess you could turn the modem off at night as well but then you might have sync problems. I havent had DSL for a long time so I'm not up to speed on them, but have you tried looking to see if you have a more efficient power supply that you can swap to ? a switching one is more energy efficient than a regular (linear) power supply.

I think it's good to save energy, but I'm not sure saving £34 a year would be worth it but everyone is in a different situation. And if you are using bridge mode i'm assuming you don't need it's wifi capability? therefore you could turn off the wifi on it?
 
So you have a PC that always on, an Asus AX86U that's always on, an RPi that's always on but you are looking to reduce consumption on the Smart Hub 2 that draws just 10W. Seems to me that your green drive is missguided. The PC is for sure the biggest electricity user of the pack. Perhaps changing to an overspec'ed Platinum/Titanium PSU will do more for you than anything else discussed here. Platinum/Titanium PSUs have the highest efficiency. You want it overspec'ed because PSUs achieve the best efficiency at around 50% load vs rated max load.

I agree with this, I just don't want to stray from topic. All of that stuff needs to be always on. I have a platinum Corsair PSU and have all the CPU power optimisations on, so when it's idling it's not drawing much. And my Ugreen power adapter that's powering all the aforementioned stuff via USB-C adaptors has very efficient AC-DC.

Overall, my personal carbon footprint is very low, I'm probably in the 10th percentile or lower for the UK, I spend only around £600/year on electricity at 35p/kWh (used to be £250 or so), and I use 100% electric public transit and don't have a car.

have you measured the power?

Yes, see my post above, it's a 10.1W constant load in bridge mode.

I think you're right that it's not worth it. Alternatively, as I get notified if my WAN ever goes down (which I can't remember the last time it happened), I can just keep the BT Hub off and if I get a notification, then I can manually power it on within a couple of hours at most, which would be... acceptable here. Unless I'm sleeping, then it may be longer. And if I'm traveling I will just power it on before I leave.

I was looking for a more elegant solution, but I could just do that, or just pay the £30/year, I mean the amount of time I've spent thinking about this is already worth more than £30 to me haha. Next year it'll probably cost £15-20.
 
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