New VDSL Modem and Router?

So just moved to TalkTalk Business (via Pulse8), cab is a ECI 128 and I have the BT OR ECI modem going to an Asus RT-AC87U router.

Are there any better alternatives to the current modem? It would be great to see line stats and understand whether fastpath or things G.INP downstream are enabled. I have seen people mention the BT OR Huwaei modem, Billion 8800NL and Draytek 130 modems.

On the router front the AC87U is a great router, until you want to use QoS, URL filtering or disabling WiFi (kids are internet mad). QoS and filtering switch off hardware acceleration on the Asus and the WiFi disabling seems to be hit and miss.

Any suggestions?

Ask yourself: "Do I want separate modem and router, or do I want a combined hub?"

Both have their own advantages although I prefer to have separate devices so the modem can be close to the master socket and the router in a convenient location for wired and WiFi connectivity.

In reply to a post by Skilty:

So just moved to TalkTalk Business (via Pulse8), cab is a ECI 128 and I have the BT OR ECI modem going to an Asus RT-AC87U router.

Are there any better alternatives to the current modem? It would be great to see line stats and understand whether fastpath or things G.INP downstream are enabled. I have seen people mention the BT OR Huwaei modem, Billion 8800NL and Draytek 130 modems.

On the router front the AC87U is a great router, until you want to use QoS, URL filtering or disabling WiFi (kids are internet mad). QoS and filtering switch off hardware acceleration on the Asus and the WiFi disabling seems to be hit and miss.

Any suggestions?

G.inp is not yet enabled on ECI cabs , the Huawei HG612 3B and the Billion 8800nl are broadcom based devices, and both will provide full stats( HG612 needs a firmware flash to unlock it and access line stats) not sure what chip set the draytek uses

I used to have the AC87R (same as 'U' model), overall very good but 5ghz was temperamental...i believe this was due to the unstable Quantenna drivers. I replaced this with a Linksys EA8500 (also a 4x4 router) which is far far better & uses a single Qualcomm chipset). Whatever you do stick with a 4x4 Mu-MIMO router as they are best, even on legacy clients.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Linksys-Max-Stream-MU-MIMO-G...

If you want an Lantiq based VDSL2 modem which you can easily get line stats without having to faff around with unlocking software or using a soldering iron then go for the Draytek 130.
https://www.draytek.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view...

Definitely separates.

For modem is there any benefit of the Billion over a BT OR Huwaei modem.

For the router I was tempted to look at a small mini ITX running pfSense, but the AC87U is supposed to be a top of the line router.

The 5Ghz seems to suck somewhat and the acceleration switches off for certain features. With upwards of 30 clients connected to it I was wondering if it was all too much for it

If you want separate then the Billion will be a waste as it includes a router!

I use a HG612 and all is fine with it. 5 minutes to unlock it, connect the second LAN port to the 24 port switch and I can see everything I need - my router has just a single operational LAN connection to the switch plus one more that is available in my office if I need to connect direct.

In reply to a post by Skilty:

For the router I was tempted to look at a small mini ITX running pfSense, but the AC87U is supposed to be a top of the line router.

I have a 4 GB 3 NIC mini ITX box running pfSense. Far more sophisticated than most routers. As of today one WAN interface does PPPoE through a flashed HG612, the other WAN interface is to my works ADSL router, with LAN2 on the HG612 and, when I get round to it, a Fon Simpl access point plugged in to it.

My network inside the firewall has a very private access point on it.

Went for a HG612 on ebay for £27 earlier.

Any chance you could share your build components?

I was considering the components below simply because Baytrail boards seem to have PCIe x1 rather x4, which you need for a dual NIC Intel card.

MSI AM1I Socket AM1 MiniITX Motherboard
AMD Athlon 5350
1x 4GB DDR3
1x Dell Dual Port 1000 PT PCI-E Gigabit NIC

Plus a case to throw it in works out at around £130.

Edited by Skilty (Thu 26-Nov-15 16:50:22)

I went the easy way, and bought something similar to this:
http://linitx.com/product/linitx-apu-1d-4gb-3nicusbr...
APU 1D System Board, with 3 Gigabit NICs and 4GB RAM
ALIX/APU Aluminium enclosure - Black
30GB Kingston mSATA SSD with the full version of pfSense installed

They appear not to sell the the precise model I have, which was a bit more expensive at £237.44 including PSU and delivery, but plenty of oomph.

The only problems I am aware of are:

pfSense does not have the right drivers for the 3 LEDs on the front of the case. Not very significant, as I have the lights at the back and the ports at the front.

I have some trouble with getting failover between my FTTC modem and works ADSL router working properly.

Thanks MHC, did the same and can now see line stats via web GUI which is all I need.

Job done! Will worry about the router side of things next year, the AC87U does the job without too many complaints I guess.