ISP "free" Routers

I have just read the router review in Computer Shopper. The TalkTalk free router matched paid for ones, HH5 was quite good, Sky's was average but Plusnet and I quote

"Even if PN is one of the cheaper ISPs out there, that's not an excuse to supply customers with such a poor router".

Fortunately there are plenty of us whose requirements are minimal!

Meldrew

(I voted out in 1975 and nothing has changed my mind since!)

Is that the new Sagecom, or the old 582N?

It's the Hub Zero 2704n

I can't find the review on Computer Shopper's website. Just get bombarded by ads.

http://www.buffalo-technology.com/fileadmin/user_upl...

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

I can't find the review on Computer Shopper's website. Just get bombarded by ads.

Thanks , but is that the article you meant to link to? No mention of either Plusnet router, and it's 15 months old.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Thanks , but is that the article you meant to link to? No mention of either Plusnet router, and it's 15 months old.

Only one I can find apart from the ads you mention

It is probably the UK version where it is only available by subscription http://subscribe.computershopper.co.uk/

In reply to a post by Timalay:

It's the Hub Zero 2704n

It is in the print version of the September issue, just out.
Makes you want to cry...

Meldrew

Not suprising really, regardless of ISP i would never use their free (excl P &P) toy & hobby routers, my limited experience of free supplied by ISP routers /modems is enough never to go down that route again,IMO It's not part of the ISP's Ship to provide hardware FOC , fine if they want to sell top products by top brands , but i doubt they could be competive on prices

Edited by tommy45 (Thu 16-Jul-15 20:25:18)

Horses for courses isn't it?- it's not every user who wants, or is able, to configure their own network. Yes, I know it's simple but over the years I've supported large numbers of intelligent people who were able to do things to IT equipment in wrong ways that defied any logic.

Personally I opted for a 'free' router just as a back up. If ever I need to I can just put the spare router on in a matter of seconds.

The Sky router is shocking used as anything except for a DSL connection forwarding to another router in the DMZ to carry out all firewall, wireless and routing duties.

Admittedly I have no knowledge of PN's router, but either the article is untrustworthy for rating the Sky router as average or the PN router is truly terrible!

I tend to agree with you!

A very large percentage of Users simply want a "box-that-works" & nothing more.

My own suggestion would be that ISPs offer the "box-that-works" solution, as the "free-offering", but they should also consider providing (& supporting) an "up-market/enhanced" Router, albeit as a costed extra.

Hopefully, with bulk-buying, this would provide the enhanced Router at a "good-value" price but, in the event of problems/faults, would mean it is fully supported by the ISP.

That would be my suggestion too. If BT can hand out HH5s to their customers a similar offering at "cost" would be a good marketing initiative. I still regret giving mt Netgear DG385 to my sister.......

Perhaps my description is at fault here. The Sky router has integrated ADSL/VDSL and performs better than the PN one. Both lack features such as dual band and even a USB connection. Best to read the full article.

I think the Sky Hub is probably one of the best free routers I've come across... the new BT Home Hubs are a bit temperamental... I think it would be stupid to even consider Plusnet's option...

The best performing ISP supplied hardware I've got experience with is Virgin Super Hub 2 (N), I found WiFi performed really well and could deliver a full 152mbps over the wifi (3x3 40Mhz 5Ghz) shame Virgin restricts it a little as its capable of much more including USB and some more advanced settings being unlocked would of been awesome.

I've not had much of a play with the AC version but seemed to be OK for the short period I used one.

The Sky hub isn't great latency wise, then they have restrictive T&Cs meaning the only "supported" way of using another router is to piggy back through Sky's using either double NAT or the DMZ....

Performance is "okay" for a freebie - if you're wired. They've capped the wireless throughput down to 20Mb/s, which is ridiculous with a 40Mb/s product let alone 80Mb/s product....!

It's also been known to drop out when you get into a number of devices in the mid-teens - the majority of households will be okay, but I'm guessing a significant number of families these days (especially as multiple kids become teenagers) are hitting those kind of figures (phones, tablets, consoles, smart TVs, laptops/computers...).

What they have got right is the user interface - making it understandable and usable for most consumers... But overall I would say an average rating is a tad on the generous side...

In reply to a post by MrBukey:

They've capped the wireless throughput down to 20Mb/s, which is ridiculous with a 40Mb/s product let alone 80Mb/s product....!

They havn't capped wireless to 20Mbps!

I've used it to transfer from WLAN to a LAN device and hit 60+mbps and that was with some distance between Hub and Notebook (WiFi)

I've also run a speedtest on a Sky Hub using WiFi and connection at 40/10 Fibre... that was fine... can't say I notice any latency issues... during the time I was using one recently.

I can understand it getting bumpy if wireless devices are in the teens... and anything that requires more than 20mbps IMO should be wired directly....

If you find WiFi sucks than maybe by an Access Point and connect it to the hub and then it don't have the issues with double NAT (not a router)

In reply to a post by mlmclaren:

If you find WiFi sucks than maybe by an Access Point and connect it to the hub and then it don't have the issues withdouble NAT (not a router)

That's what I did for a friend who needed 5GHz due to the congestion on 2.4 with his older Sky Sagem router.

In reply to a post by johnjburness:

My own suggestion would be that ISPs offer the "box-that-works" solution, as the "free-offering", but they should also consider providing (& supporting) an "up-market/enhanced" Router, albeit as a costed extra.

I think the reality is that for the few people that would be prepared to pay it simply is not worth it for the ISP's. It would just cost them in terms of support aggro plus changing their systems accounting and procedures to cater for sorting out different units and they would be unlikely to get any bulk/volume discounts on the things.
Then there is the problem of which high spec unit to choose. Whatever the ISP did choose there would be the usual lot on their forums who want to argue over everything moaning that the ISP had gone for the "Wrong one" and why could not they offer two high spec units and so on.

The SR102 Sky Hub I have is capped to 20Mb/s throughput between WLAN and WAN (as was the one I had before it). It is the maximum it can support, and checking through the Sky Forums and Sky User Forums, many others have found the same. Whether I'm in the same room, or other rooms, the result was the same, and a dead on 20Mb/s maximum throughput up until I am far enough away for signal to start dropping. This is true even with only one client connected in total and wireless.

Using an Asus RT-AC66U, Billion 8800 AXL and later a Draytek 2860AC all solved the problem. All three give much higher throughputs on both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands (just under 90% of sync rate). Putting the other routers in the DMZ has been about the best "supported" method I could achieve, and this gave 30 - 100ms pings to bbc.co.uk and noticeable lag when gaming.

Wired clients with the SR102 don't experience the same issues (although still high 20ms pings to bbc.co.uk).

Admittedly I don't know about WLAN to LAN or WLAN to WLAN transfer speeds, it's not something that's a big deal for me.

It's all academic for me now though, since switching to another provider and using the Draytek, I get 8ms pings to bbc.co.uk and just under 95% of the sync rate) and my Sky connection goes away next week.

sounds like you have a faulty piece of kit then...

Also could you confirm if your using Sky Fibre or ADSL and what speed does your hub sync at ?

Also does the 20mbps affect just one wireless device or have you tested multiple devices to check its not a capability issue.

In reply to a post by mlmclaren:

sounds like you have a faulty piece of kit then...

Also could you confirm if your using Sky Fibre or ADSL and what speed does your hub sync at ?

This is with Sky fibre.

Also does the 20mbps affect just one wireless device or have you tested multiple devices to check its not a capability issue.

That would be two separate faulty pieces of kit then for me, and others on various forums that I've read have similar experiences too.

I have to admit that was my first thought too, until I did a bit of digging and found others having the same experience. By then I'd already started using my old RT-AC66U so to bypass the problem (then later a Billion 8800AXL as I was considering moving elsewhere, and more recently a Draytek 2860AC as I have moved elsewhere and am running two connections with redundancy as well as wanting a decent built in VPN).

For other reasons Sky did end up sending me a new Sky Hub after about 9 months of getting the original, so I thought I'd got nothing to lose by seeing if it was the same; it was.

With one client only (and connected by wireless) the maximum WLAN to WAN throughput I can get is 20Mb/s. With multiple clients admittedly they can top out at 20Mb/s each until all the bandwidth is consumed (so I can run three simultaneous clients at 20Mb/s download each).

I bought the magazine through my tablet on the Google Play store.

Right, thanks . Can you tell us the month or issue number please?

Sep 2015

[guffaw]
That's not the first magazine that has moved on from sticking next month's date on its current month's publication. Thanks, I'll see if I can find a copy easily.

If you have Chrome installed, go to the Play Store and buy a copy for £2.99 (or you may be able to get a free trial subscription*)

*Make sure you cancel before the trial runs out.

Thanks. Yes, I have Chrome. I'll see about skimming a paper copy first to see if its worth buying .

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

[guffaw]
That's not the first magazine that has moved on from sticking next month's date on its current month's publication.

They are the conservative ones; usually it is the month after next.

In reply to a post by Timalay:

Sep 2015

Exactly .

A "free" router as back up is not a bad idea if you don't have other options, but you do have to pay the postage and it commits you to a minimum 12month term for it to be "free" unless you are already tied into the same or longer length contract.

As far as the quality of Plusnet's current 2704n is concerned, there isn't a lot of positive things that can be said. The hardware itself is OK using a Broadcom chipset although it's wireless may not be so hot in more challenging environments (internal aerials for starters), it is Plusnet's customised firmware that really lets it down. People are even struggling with basics like Port Forwarding. Plenty of threads on Plusnet's forum.

when I went to fibre a week or so ago there was no postage charge for the router

Preferential treatment part of your retention deal

I was advised that for upgrades it was standard

It's still very poor firmware, but neverthe less, handy as a spare.
PS. Out of curiosity which version of (Fibre) firmware has it got?

I have no idea as I am not using it

Go to the website and you can probably get three issues for three pounds. Its a better magazine than its title implies. (IMHO!)

Thanks, I forgot to look. I have bought it a few times years ago, and agree that (at least at that time) it wasn't at all bad.

I assume its a "Cancel in 3 months" if you don't want it. I never go for those.

Or get a free trial subscription from the Google Play Store, cancel before the charge. Then pay nothing at all.

I'm on the last router they did and its pretty bad IMO. Poor wifi. Cuts out even on wired connections. I have fibre.

I'm thinking of leaving just to get a better ISP router.

In reply to a post by meldrew:

I have just read the router review in Computer Shopper. The TalkTalk free router matched paid for ones, HH5 was quite good, Sky's was average but Plusnet and I quote

"Even if PN is one of the cheaper ISPs out there, that's not an excuse to supply customers with such a poor router".

Did the review say anything about EE routers? I find the EE Bright Box 1 router very good for a ISP supplied router. Hope BT don't mess things up when they take over.

Bright Box 1 Router http://ee.co.uk/help/phones-and-device/home-broadban...

Bright Box 2 Router http://ee.co.uk/help/phones-and-device/home-broadban...

https://ee.co.uk/search?q=bright+box+router

http://ee.co.uk/help/phones-and-device/home-broadban...