Which VDSL Modem?

Hello dear forum,

I will soon be moving to a new place where fibre broadband is available.
Since I'm planning signing up with rather a smaller ISP I don't expect/need to get a router.
I already own Billion 7800DXL. It has served me well while on ADSL.
I'm asking for some advise as to which modem to go for, pairing it with the above router.
I was looking at DrayTek Vigor 130 but it comes with rather hefty price. I believe there'd be cheaper, yet quality, alternatives for just a modem? I would rather pay for a quality but £70 for 'just' a modem seems rather expensive.

Could you please recommend me any modems that would pair well with my 7800DXL and capable of speeds of up to 60Mb? I wouldn't like to buy a product that would be a bottleneck.

Thank you!

stulda

In reply to a post by stulda:

Hello dear forum

No one's called us that before.

Do you know what cabinet you're connected to, Huawei or ECI? It could be advantageous to match the chipsets.

Have a look here to see the different types of FTTC cabs:

http://www.robertos.me.uk./html/street_cabinets_etc....

If you're going to be connected to a Huawei cabinet then buy a HG612 VDSL2 modem off ebay. These are rock solid for stability on Huawei cabs.

If you're going to be connected to a ECI cabinet then the Draytek Vigor 130 is your best bet. It supports G.INP, I know its not cheap but its a quality piece of kit and should last you a long time.

Thank you both for the replies.
Is there actual way of finding out online or would I need to physically inspect the cabinet? I have no clue whereabout it's located.
BT checker says:
Telephone Number *** on Exchange INVERNESS MACDHUI is served by Cabinet 19

In reply to a post by stulda:

Thank you both for the replies.
Is there actual way of finding out online or would I need to physically inspect the cabinet? I have no clue whereabout it's located.
BT checker says:
Telephone Number *** on Exchange INVERNESS MACDHUI is served by Cabinet 19

Ah a fellow Invernessian I'm not far from you - connected to Inverness Culloden exchange. You really need to physically see the FTTC cab (usually located within 50m of pcp cab) to be sure what type it is. If you go here and type in your postcode then click on 'locality'. Then click on cabinet number (P19) and it should bring up a map showing the properties served by cab 19. Then you need to go for a walk and the FTTC cab should be located within 50m of P19.

In reply to a post by baby_frogmella:

You really need to physically see the FTTC cab (usually located within 50m of pcp cab) to be sure what type it is. If you go here and type in your postcode then click on 'locality'. Then click on cabinet number (P19) and it should bring up a map showing the properties served by cab 19. Then you need to go for a walk and the FTTC cab should be located within 50m of P19.

the codelook site also shows the type of the cabinet if you select the link of show all cabinets on this exchange.
[search postcode, select from locality list , then select show all cabinets]

"Cabinet P19 FTTC Available from 1st August 2014 Phase BDUK HIE 11b 102 Huawei IV1 1DZ "

note it appears the first cabinets for this exchange were eci in 2013, and huawei since then.

ps to save walking to it...google streetview can work

edit:
might be this one
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@57.4786403,-4.2253519...

Edited by ggremlin (Thu 28-Apr-16 11:42:01)

Thanks, seems the OP may not need to go for a walk after all


Fibre Cabinet FTTC Status Phase FTTP Status Properties Passed Vendor Approx

Cabinet P19 FTTC Available from 1st August 2014 Phase BDUK HIE 11b 102 Huawei IV1 1DZ

Edit: sorry I've just replicated what you've posted

Edited by deleted (Thu 28-Apr-16 11:42:38)

TP-Link W9970 £33.33 on Amazon hits the spot, either as a basic VDSL2 modem, or can be used as a full wireless modem/router if you want.

Supports Vectoring and G.INP and is built around the Broadcom chipset.

Now running stable for 2 months and have seen sync speeds improve over time, i.e. DLM may have relented compared to previous ECI devices on the line.

Also the zyxel vmg1312 b10d which Zen supply.

I knew I could count on the great help of this forum. Thank you for all the findings and recommendations. Now that we established that the cabinet is indeed a Huawei make,
Should I just go with the HG612 VDSL2 modem or get theTP-Link W9970 suggested by MrSaffron? They both cost roughly the same though I already have a decent router. Would there be any difference in terms of the speed/stability/latency, or even some complications pairing it with my 7800DXL?

In reply to a post by stulda:

Should I just go with the HG612 VDSL2 modem or get theTP-Link W9970

I would go for the TP link one, since its new, with warranty.

I think the Zyxel is a much better device than the TPLink, given that Zen supply them.

All the advice is very much appreciated.
I'm checking out the suggested modem/routers and might have to toss a coin in the end
However,
Would anyone know the difference(s) between the
ZyXEL VMG1312-B10A and ZyXEL VMG1312-B10D?

It seems that the B10A costs about twice as much.

Looks like the B10A supports ATA https://www.zyxel.com/za/en/ProductTab.shtml?pid=201...

@BatBoy thanks for the info.

All your suggestions are great and I simply cannot decide.
I written off the old Openreach HG612 modem @baby_frogmella suggested simply because it usually comes locked, so that some line stats are not accessible (though it's possible to retrieve it and even hack, which itself would be a hassle I suppose) and also read that there will be no more support for the modem.

So it's between the TP-Link W9970 and ZyXEL VMG1312-B so far.

I also learned that the ZyXEL VMG1312-B10A (which is twice the price) does not support jumbo frames, vectoring and g.imp. Not sure about the other variant.

In reply to a post by stulda:

I also learned that the ZyXEL VMG1312-B10A (which is twice the price) does not support jumbo frames, vectoring and g.imp. Not sure about the other variant.

Not sure where you get that from - it supports vectoring and g.inp. The datasheet is at ftp://ftp.zyxel.com/VMG1312-B10A/datasheet/VMG1312-B... and its the default modem supplied by A&A

As does the B10D model (ftp://ftp.zyxel.com/VMG1312-B10D/datasheet/VMG1312-B10D_1.pdf)

Edited by gt94sss2 (Sat 30-Apr-16 22:34:48)

I mentioned these two variants specifically as I decided to go with A&A as my new ISP! Can't wait for my new line to be up and running.
I've been chatting with the rep and that's what I was told. I'm glad both variants supports it. Thank you for correcting me.
So I take it the B10D is a newer one. But why does the older one costs twice as much?

I think its as the B10D version has a different chipset - the BCM63381 designed for budget modems (the same as the TP-Link W9970) while the B10A has the Broadcom 63168 chipset

It might be worth you looking at http://forum.kitz.co.uk/index.php?topic=14436.0

Edited by gt94sss2 (Sat 30-Apr-16 22:59:51)

Excellent info!
Thank you @gt94sss2

I'm just reading some more info here: http://forum.kitz.co.uk/index.php/topic,17575.0.html
Still can't decide which one to go for. Provided I could get the B10A supplied by my ISP for quite a lot cheaper than buying it separately.

PS: Hope I do not break any rules by posting the links to other forums.

I've used both the TP Link W9970 and Zyxel VMG1312-B10A in bridge mode connected to my Linksys EA8500 router and whilst they sync a few meg higher than the HG612 - d/t using newer broadcom chipsets - the errors on my perfectly stable line increased signnificantly so went back to the HG612. Also the TP link has horrible fixed antenna's which aren't easy to remove. You're better off going for the tried and trusted HG612, sometimes the simple solution works best! If you do end up going for the HG612 then flash it with the latest unlocked firmware B030SP08 as older fw versions don't support G.INP
http://www.kitz.co.uk/routers/hg612unlock.htm
http://forum.kitz.co.uk/index.php/topic,14262.0.html

Thanks for the heads up.
I'll be going with the B10A provided by AAISP. I can get it for £25 with their package so that's a good deal

In reply to a post by stulda:

Thank you both for the replies.
Is there actual way of finding out online or would I need to physically inspect the cabinet? I have no clue whereabout it's located.
BT checker says:
Telephone Number *** on Exchange INVERNESS MACDHUI is served by Cabinet 19

You can also find the location of your PCP cab by entering your postcode here. The fibre cab is usually within 50m of the PCP cab.

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

I think the Zyxel is a much better device than the TPLink, given that Zen supply them.

I'm not sure that follows. Most ISPs choose a modem/router based on which gives the best profit margin (or least loss if it's a freebie). I'd expect AAISP to ship a 'good' unit but other ISPs, not so much.

You have a point. I did some research and the modem/router provided by AAISP seems to be great! Mind you apart from the modem part I don't really need it to do anything else. And for £25 (B10A version) with my order is a steal.

In reply to a post by stulda:

Thanks for the heads up.
I'll be going with the B10A provided by AAISP. I can get it for £25 with their package so that's a good deal

I have the B10A and it works perfectly well in the average home. the Linksys X6200 Dual Band AC750 Gigabit Wireless ADSL/VDSL has just been released and that to is a good bet for the larger home

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Linksys-X6200-Gigabit-Wirel...

Cheers NICK_ADSL_UK for your comment.
I'm sure AAISP wouldn't be providing some B grade modem/router.
Besides I already have Billion 7800DXL which I'll be using to connect to the ZyXel provided by AA

In reply to a post by stulda:

Cheers NICK_ADSL_UK for your comment.
I'm sure AAISP wouldn't be providing some B grade modem/router.
Besides I already have Billion 7800DXL which I'll be using to connect to the ZyXel provided by AA

correction i have the ZyXEL VMG1312-B10D as supplied by zen and is by far the simplest of routers on the market at this time to set up and as a bonus runs cool at just 12 volt and think for most people in the uk will prove to be a winner

Billion 8800NL R2 Wireless VDSL/ADSL2+ Modem Router for Phone Line Connections and Fibre is now available from here
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Billion-8800NL-R2-Wireless-...

Save £4.75 postage with this listing though not sure of the big advantage over the TP-Link W9970 which is also 802.11n and also a broadcom chipset. Does the Billion support a bridge mode (i.e. run as a modem only)

That's the older model MrSaffron. The R2 seems to be a new redesigned version of this, with external antennas. I presume everything else is the same.

https://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/products/25615-bill...

Edited by troublegum (Mon 30-May-16 23:38:37)

indeed this is just the new model that was released on the 1st of may. as for any differences between the old my guess is they would be miner.
what i have noticed is that the power input seams lower on the new models at just 12 volt DC and that they run very cool

http://billion.uk.com/edu/VDSL2/index.html