Router replacement

[Jerrytr5]

First timer, so apologies if this is posted in the wrong place.

Currently have a Netgear DG834 and WG602 which both work fine and have done for many years. Kids are complaining about 'lag'. Personally I think this is more to do with the copper cables rather than our in-house tech, but it looks as though wifi has moved on a bit in the last ten years so I'm considering upgrading to 802.11ac.

I think that I need a DSL router something like the D7000 but I'm confused as there is also the R7000 which appears to be identical, and then I see the 'Orbi' which again appears to be almost the same thing in different packaging.

My existing DG834 plugs in to the telephone cable direct. I don't have fibre or cable or satelite. I am in the UK. My ISP is BT but I don't use their homehub router.

Advice for future-proof upgrade as eventually they will replace my copper cables with fibre.

Thanks, Jerry.

[TheEther]

A D7000 is a DSL modem and Wi-Fi router.  A R7000 is a plain Wi-Fi router; no modem.  An Orbi is also a plain Wi-Fi router with an additional high-speed Wi-Fi channel to work with specialized satellite range extenders.  If you get either the R7000 or Orbi, then you will need a separate modem.

My preference is to get a separate modem and router.  This will provide you with the flexibility to upgrade individual components, especially if you plan to switch to fibre.  Also, separate components tend to be more reliable and better supported.

[Jerrytr5]

Thanks for the explanation.

So swapping the older WG602 wap with something like an R7000 but retaining my existing DG834 might eliminate any issues with the in-house comms, and then I can upgrade when they get around to installing fibre ?

Cheers, I'll give it some thought.

Jerry.

[TheEther]

Yes, that will work. If you can't disable the router in the DG834 then operate the R7000 in Access Point mode.

[michaelkenward]

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@Jerrytr5 wrote:
My ISP is BT but I don't use their homehub router.

Advice for future-proof upgrade as eventually they will replace my copper cables with fibre.

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With a DG834 you are on ADSL.

Tell the kids that they will have to put up with the lag. They are trying to suck more performance out of the system that it can deliver.

If you get Infinity, then they will see less lag.

Infinity works on VDSL. That's fibre to the cabinet. There's still copper to your front door.

Netgear makes modems that handle both ADSL and VDSL. I have a D6400. At switchover, you don't have to do anything.

[michaelkenward]

PS For most people having a separate modem and router is a waste of time and money. It just add complications. And someone who has survived for years on a DG834 (which version is it?) doesn't need that complexity.

Don't let your self get bamboozled or bullied into wasting money.

[TheEther]

Bamboozled?  Bullied?  That's a bit strong.  I get the attraction to keep things simple but please don't dismiss the alternative.  A modem is, for all intents and purposes, plug and play.  As for money, I switched ISPs 3 times (ADSL to coax to fibre) in the span of a year and I sure was glad I had separates.  I kept my trusty R7000 router throughout and sold off my coax modem for a decent amount.  Sure, switching 3 times puts me in the extreme minority but OP wanted advice for a future-proof upgrade to fibre, so he is in a similar position as me.  Separates should not be so casually dismissed.

Ok, OP has seen both sides of the coin.  The decision is up to him.  

[michaelkenward]

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@TheEther wrote:

...OP wanted advice for a future-proof upgrade to fibre, so he is in a similar position as me. 

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Not a similar position at all.

Jerrytr5 is on BT and its ADSL service. BT does not deliver "fibre" as many people know it to all but a handful of customers and at silly prices.

When BT's marketing guff talks about fibre it really means VDSL, or FTTC (Fibre to the cabinet up the road.) The fibre bit is in the network "backbone". Unfortunately, some people believe BT's pitch and think they have to buy a "fibre" modem.

Given the description in the first message, the best that Jerrytr5 can hope for is VDSL. (He must live somewhere pretty remote if it isn't already available.) If BT does fibre the network and deliver FTTH, it will be a decade or more away, especially given last week's announcement about the fate of BT OpenReach.

I have been through the ADSL to VDSL switch on two lines within the past year. My comments are based on experience that is probably more like that of Jerrytr5 than that of someone who has switched over to genuine fibre.

Unfortunately, BT will also force Jerrytr5 to take a "free" modem that is probably worth the £6.95 he has to pay for its delivery. The quest is to find something that lets him leave that modem in its shrink wrap.

[TheEther]

We should not assume that OP will stick with BT.  I'm not from the UK but, AFAICT, there are ISPs with FTTP.

[michaelkenward]

There are, indeed, some FTTP suppliers in the UK. They reach out to all of 3 per cent of the population, according to Zen Internet.

While there is no harm in theorising and wishful thinking, my advice was based on my own experience, which matches Jerrytr5's circumstances, my knowledge of the network and the UK's telecoms industry. This suggests that someone who is now on BT's ADSL service is probably stuck with BT.

.

[Jerrytr5]

Thankyou very much for all your comments, clearly I have a few things to consider. Strangely I don't live in that remote an area, just the only remaining area in Buckinghamshire that has not yet been upgraded. I had not heard of VDSL, so I'll have to look that up. I could change supplier, but they all use the same physical connections so there doesn't seem much point. No other suppliers have a network out here.

As has already been noted - the kids will have to put with the lag, at least for the moment.

Many thanks, Jerry

[michaelkenward]

Sounds like you are in the same sort of location as I am. One of those places that BT would like to ignore.

There is no reason why you should know about VDSL. It is just the technology behind BT's misleadingly branded Infinity. But you need to look for hardware that can handle VDSL.

Check out BT's plans for your area. If you are lucky, Infinity may not be too far away.

You are right about the same physical connections. Most people are on the end of OpenReach copper.

A new ADSL/VDSL modem/router might squeeze a bit more speed out of the network. But you'll need Infinity to notice a real difference. I jumped from ~8Mbps to ~60Mbps. The slower BT VDSL service will do the job. Don't be conned into buying the more expensive option.

[michaelkenward]

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@Jerrytr5 wrote:

Strangely I don't live in that remote an area, just the only remaining area in Buckinghamshire that has not yet been upgraded.

Keep your eye on sites like this: Rollout - Connected Counties - Superfast Broadband for Bucks & Herts.

You can get wind of Infinity rollout ahead of the pack and can get yourself on the list. I did that and was one of the first in the village.

In the meantime, tell the kids that they will have a hard time if they insist on going on line when everyone else is doing the same thing. You can't squeeze all that traffic down the existing pipes.

Back at home you may get some benefits by getting kit that can handle faster wifi (look for 5G).

If you have any kit that doesn't move around the house, like a smart TV with a LAN port, you can relieve the strain on the wifi by using a couple of powerline plugs to "hard wire" the TV to the router. (Check out Netgear's powerline products, which, unsurprisingly, get better reviews than anything that BT sells.)

The same tactic can take wifi to any "notspots" in the house. Just buy powerline devices that double as wifi access points.

It may not solve familial arguments, but it will show that you are trying and will prepare you for the day when BT finally gets it finger out.

The DG834 is seriously old. I had one many years ago. Been through three different Netgear ADSL modems since then.