Need a new modem and router

[thefuzz]

After fighting with TWC/Spectrum for a while, I finally got to the bottom of why my internet has been so bad lately.

My modem/router was only allowing me to be on 2.4 ghz, instead of broadcasting 2.4, and 5....So I have had everything connected to the 2.4.

The tech yesterday told me I need a new router, but I could use the old motorola surfboard combo unit as the modem.  I'm considering buying both, and just starting over.

 

Any brands, styles, etc to buy or stay away from?  Obviously, I'm not great at this stuff.

 

 

[frash.exe]

asus is a good brand

 

not cheap, but you get what you pay for

[thefuzz]

36 minutes ago, frash.exe said:

asus is a good brand

 

not cheap, but you get what you pay for

Would you do two units, or a combo unit like this?

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/arris-surfboard-ac1900-dual-band-router-with-docsis-3-0-cable-modem-white/4601202.p?skuId=4601202

 

 

[frash.exe]

1 hour ago, thefuzz said:

Would you do two units, or a combo unit like this?

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/arris-surfboard-ac1900-dual-band-router-with-docsis-3-0-cable-modem-white/4601202.p?skuId=4601202

 

 

you can have a modem like that without a router but not the other way around. i know people who have just a verizon modem for fios and their network at home works just fine and they have a network that their devices are able to communicate with each other on. i'm not too familiar with that brand but just reading the reviews there are people ranting about the routing ability, so you might want to look somewhere else if you want to be sure that your wifi performance is going to be up to par. 

 

https://www.newegg.com/Modems-Gateways/SubCategory/ID-18

 

take a look at the asus one and the netgear one to the right. i'd prefer the asus myself because i've had good experiences with asus products and reliability. it's just the case with any one of these hardware manufacturers that if something breaks on these things and there's a warranty, getting an rma is either a pain in the ass or impossible to get depending on which company. 

 

i don't see a 2 in 1 for either of those ones so you're probably going to have to get a router as well. try not to mix and match. if you pick the asus modem then get an asus router. also even though it says certified, there's no guarantee that it's going to work out of the box and you might have to call support to help, especially bc time warner is not going to support that configuration since it's not their hardware.

[thefuzz]

3 minutes ago, frash.exe said:

you can have a modem like that without a router but not the other way around. i know people who have just a verizon modem for fios and their network at home works just fine and they have a network that their devices are able to communicate with each other on. i'm not too familiar with that brand but just reading the reviews there are people ranting about the routing ability, so you might want to look somewhere else if you want to be sure that your wifi performance is going to be up to par. 

 

https://www.newegg.com/Modems-Gateways/SubCategory/ID-18

 

take a look at the asus one and the netgear one to the right. i'd prefer the asus myself because i've had good experiences with asus products and reliability. it's just the case with any one of these hardware manufacturers that if something breaks on these things and there's a warranty, getting an rma is either a pain in the ass or impossible to get depending on which company. 

 

i don't see a 2 in 1 for either of those ones so you're probably going to have to get a router as well. try not to mix and match. if you pick the asus modem then get an asus router. also even though it says certified, there's no guarantee that it's going to work out of the box and you might have to call support to help, especially bc time warner is not going to support that configuration since it's not their hardware.

Thanks man, do appreciate it.

[Datawire]

I second the Asus routers. I bought this one a year or so ago and it's been rock solid. They also consistently upgrade firmware to keep it secure and up to date. I has lost of features to choose from as well with a tremendous amount of flexibility.

https://www.amazon.com/RT-N66U-Dual-Band-Wireless-N900-Gigabit-Router/dp/B006QB1RPY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493491697&sr=8-1&keywords=RT-N66U

 

I see the price has come down quite a bit too. It was well over a hundred bucks when I first bought it.

[SOJA]

6 hours ago, Datawire said:

I second the Asus routers. I bought this one a year or so ago and it's been rock solid. They also consistently upgrade firmware to keep it secure and up to date. I has lost of features to choose from as well with a tremendous amount of flexibility.

https://www.amazon.com/RT-N66U-Dual-Band-Wireless-N900-Gigabit-Router/dp/B006QB1RPY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493491697&sr=8-1&keywords=RT-N66U

 

I see the price has come down quite a bit too. It was well over a hundred bucks when I first bought it.

Alright I have the exact same router and for the first 2+ years I had it, it was awesome. Totally worth the money. 

 

However, and this is about to get a little conspiracy theory and admittedly I'm a novice (at best) with my understanding of this stuff, but sometimes this last year my router had a mandatory update. I could not access my interenet via wireless UNLESS I did this update. I tried to figure a way around it but it wouldn't let me. 

Ever since then my speeds have dropped drastically despite no change on my ISP's end and this is backed up with speed tests. I also find that my phone has a harder time connecting and streaming whatever around my apartment unless I'm in the same room as it. This was never the case before. 

 

I'm not crying foul play but when I called asus to ask if I could go back to the previous version the guy was completely unhelpful. 

 

It just makes sense to me that after around 3 years they would purposefully start destroying your router's abilities so you want to go buy a new one. 

 

Again this is a conspiracy theory. 

[cookinbrak]

Not sure why, but since Comcast showed up, everything turned to poop. Half the channels say "_____is not available now. Try again later." Internet bounces like a fat girl at a One Tree Hill convention. TWC used to have decent customer service, at least.

Sling has a promo, pay for 2 months in advance, get a free Roku. That and an antennae are my next move.

[cardiackat88.]

How big is the area you are trying to cover? What is the normal amount of devices? Do you do a lot of downloads and gaming?

[Datawire]

22 hours ago, SOJA said:

Alright I have the exact same router and for the first 2+ years I had it, it was awesome. Totally worth the money. 

 

However, and this is about to get a little conspiracy theory and admittedly I'm a novice (at best) with my understanding of this stuff, but sometimes this last year my router had a mandatory update. I could not access my interenet via wireless UNLESS I did this update. I tried to figure a way around it but it wouldn't let me. 

Ever since then my speeds have dropped drastically despite no change on my ISP's end and this is backed up with speed tests. I also find that my phone has a harder time connecting and streaming whatever around my apartment unless I'm in the same room as it. This was never the case before. 

 

I'm not crying foul play but when I called asus to ask if I could go back to the previous version the guy was completely unhelpful. 

 

It just makes sense to me that after around 3 years they would purposefully start destroying your router's abilities so you want to go buy a new one. 

 

Again this is a conspiracy theory. 

 

Strange, I have never been forced to update, ever. I do like your conspiracy, though. I think what you'll need to do is move the kinifin switch over to the neutral position and then adjust the discombobulator frequency on the 5G channel. This would be to insure the voyflen packet flow of traffic doesn't just fly off into the ether. Once you do that, tweak your reflupper settings to avoid the weepeggle effect that sometimes occurs, resulting in the loss of bandwidth you seem to be experiencing.

 

[SOJA]

23 minutes ago, Datawire said:

 

Strange, I have never been forced to update, ever. I do like your conspiracy, though. I think what you'll need to do is move the kinifin switch over to the neutral position and then adjust the discombobulator frequency on the 5G channel. This would be to insure the voyflen packet flow of traffic doesn't just fly off into the ether. Once you do that, tweak your reflupper settings to avoid the weepeggle effect that sometimes occurs, resulting in the loss of bandwidth you seem to be experiencing.

 

I believed the first made up word but you blew it with dicombobulator 

[d-dave]

I'm a fan of having a separate modem and router.  I bought this one a few years ago after reading this review:

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wi-fi-router/

And I'm still using my Motorola modem (here's the current equivilant: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016PE1X5K/?tag=thewire06-20&linkCode=xm2&ascsubtag=AgEAAAAAAAAAAG_Z)

Only thing on the router is that I need to reset it once a month.  5ghz performance is amazing, 2.4 ghz is ok in the same room, but goes to poop in the rest of my house.

I did this as soon as TWC announced they were going to charge more for modem rentals.  Been great for 3 years.

[Popsickle]

As routers go, the power they draw goes directly into the ability of them putting out their signal. (Following not related to wattage)  A 2.4Ghz router will send a signal further, but "slower", while a 5Ghz router will have a faster connection speed, but not send the signal as far, thus the trade off.  Newer routers will be able to broadcast on both 2.4 and 5GHz, so that is a plus if you are capable of setting up the router. 

  For normal use, i.e. maybe a single or two story house brand wont really matter, all companies that are producing routers now have entry level routers that will work for this, and will have concurrent 2.4/5Ghz abilities.

   For gaming, you have got to hard line your computer or gaming console, nothing competes with this.

   Large house where you need extending range and abilities, I would recommend a nighthawk router, my sister has one at her house and I can get WiFi from 200 feet away, outside. They are expensive but they are worth it.

   Nevertheless, you can still get a good router off the shelf at Best Buy, Amazon, NewEgg or B&H, just surf for deals.

Best of luck!

[thefuzz]

9 hours ago, Popsickle said:

As routers go, the power they draw goes directly into the ability of them putting out their signal. (Following not related to wattage)  A 2.4Ghz router will send a signal further, but "slower", while a 5Ghz router will have a faster connection speed, but not send the signal as far, thus the trade off.  Newer routers will be able to broadcast on both 2.4 and 5GHz, so that is a plus if you are capable of setting up the router. 

  For normal use, i.e. maybe a single or two story house brand wont really matter, all companies that are producing routers now have entry level routers that will work for this, and will have concurrent 2.4/5Ghz abilities.

   For gaming, you have got to hard line your computer or gaming console, nothing competes with this.

   Large house where you need extending range and abilities, I would recommend a nighthawk router, my sister has one at her house and I can get WiFi from 200 feet away, outside. They are expensive but they are worth it.

   Nevertheless, you can still get a good router off the shelf at Best Buy, Amazon, NewEgg or B&H, just surf for deals.

Best of luck!

That's what I bought, didn't like the price tag, but love the speed and range.

Loving the new set up, thanks everyone.