Which Modem + separate router

I am using Vodafone isp on 40mpbs line

When watching video over http i get choppy picture now and then and the odd freeze. I bought a Netgear D7000 which did help reduce unwanted artefacts but did not eradicate the issues completely, despite setting QoS etc

I really want an open wrt firmware compatible router and seperate modem.

Question is, if i but something super fast with lots of memory like the Linksys WRT32X , and connect this to a Dlink dsl-320b modem using gigabit LAN cable, would the performance of the 240mhz 320b modem affect the super fast linksys 32x such that it would negate the power of the 32x in terms of fast routing and serving up video to multiple clients on my lan?

Edited by deleted (Mon 29-Jan-18 10:52:49)

To handle a 40 Mbps FTTC line then nothing of great horsepower is needed for the modem

Dlink dsl-320b seems to be only an ADSL2+ modem so of no use on a 40 Mbps (presume FTTC) service.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

To handle a 40 Mbps FTTC line then nothing of great horsepower is needed for the modem

Dlink dsl-320b seems to be only an ADSL2+ modem so of no use on a 40 Mbps (presume FTTC) service.

Well spotted
Netgear DM200 then?

Lantiq chipset so on the don't list.

TP Link W9970 in bridge mode or Zyxel VMG-1312-B10D in bridge are two I'd suggest, both Broadcom based.

Both are also basic routers, but the wireless is pretty useless, so best used in bridge mode.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Lantiq chipset so on the don't list.

TP Link W9970 in bridge mode or Zyxel VMG-1312-B10D in bridge are two I'd suggest, both Broadcom based.

Both are also basic routers, but the wireless is pretty useless, so best used in bridge mode.

So then off dhcp, wifi, etc and run in bridge?

For 40Mbps you do not need anything fantastic, there is no reason video should freeze on an ISP provided device.

Are you sure the device is faulty and it is not a poor connection being provided by Vodafone? For reference I use an ISP provided Sky Q Hub and used an ISP provided BT HomeHub, on both I had 2 4K video steams occurring at once via Netflix quite often.

Are you using WiFi, that could also be the issue. I don't care if you have a £300+ device, on 2.4Ghz it can still be poor performance, we see this all the time in corporate environments where APs are £1000+ each yet the 2.4Ghz performance is still bad.

My gut feeling is you are burning money when the issues not hardware.
EDIT: just looked at your links, all those devices are crazy high spec. You simply do not need this tech for 40Mbps.
Can you run a speedtest here at peak hours:
https://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest

Share with us the results URL, so we can view all the info do not just post up the results in plain text which you type.
e.g. mine https://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/15172278284...

Edited by ukhardy07 (Mon 29-Jan-18 12:11:13)

On the spending agreed, both the modems I mentioned are happy with streaming YouTube 4K on my good line that when behaving has a 31 Mbps sync.

It may be the issue is poor connectivity at the ISP end with a CDN, i.e. letting a route on their internal or peering congest where the video is served from.

It may be the issue is poor connectivity at the ISP end with a CDN, i.e. letting a route on their internal or peering congest where the video is served from.

My exact sentiments I noticed over at a friends on Vodafone the Smart TV kept buffering on HD YouTube until it fell back, it was connected up with ethernet. Then again it's only £25 and for a while you got a free Sonos speaker as well!

In regards to the OP, it would have been cheaper to just get a slightly more expensive ISP which supplies 1. a decent router and 2. has a track record of limited congestion 3. invests in decent CDNs. Not saying VF doesn't do all of this, but given the past track record and repeat complaints it seems some of this is lacking.

It's not the ISP. Speedtest and BT wholesale tests perform fine.

BQM on here reports no packet loss and excellent ping

In getting packet loss on the LAN

Like i said, much improved when i upgraded the router but still the odd artefact. Three issue is not speed it is dropping of video frames in packet data. In need a fast router chip and 512mb ram on the router to avoid buffer issues.

In have the wrt32x but now need a modem only in bridge mode. I've decided on the dm200 , so will report back

Does anyone know what speed the LAN port is on the DM200? Is it gigabit? Where does it confirm this? Can't see it in netgear site?

Edited by deleted (Mon 29-Jan-18 13:01:05)

It's not the ISP. Speedtest and BT wholesale tests perform fine.

This tells us nothing. BT Wholesale speedtester is multi threaded so will generally hide any congestion, the test here can show congestion.

Also worth noting, the VF users with C&W LLU are generally getting ok performance, you seem to be able to use the BT Wholesale speedtester which indicates you are on the TT/BTwholesale mix which is usually where VFs congestion lies.

CDNs are what delivers most streams, they require ISP investment. Read here:
https://media.netflix.com/en/company-blog/how-netfli...

ISPs need to install their own data centres and then provide connectivity to these local OCAs ensuring the links do not get congested. Smaller ISPs which are also cheap are very bad at this.

Your streaming experience is dependant on your ISPs ability to setup and maintain CDNs not your general speedtests. You can have great speedtests but if your ISP has not invested in these CDNs, steaming will be poor compared to another provider.

You kind of get what you pay for, when you compare bottom of the market priced ISP (VF, Post Office Broadband etc) at £22.50 a month for fibre with other players e.g. BT/Sky the CDNs, peering, etc are just apples and oranges.

BQM on here reports no packet loss and excellent ping

Somewhat irrelevant of CDNs.

Like i said, much improved when i upgraded the router but still the odd artefact. Three issue is not speed it is dropping of video frames in packet data. In need a fast router chip and 512mb ram on the router to avoid buffer issues.

This simply is not true, do you think every ISP device supplied to customers in this country has 512mb ram? Bear in mind most users of Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube etc are using ISP supplied routers and a large chunk of the population now has 4K TV sets which will be pulling 4K over these ISP routers.

As an example, the best ISP supplied router BT SmartHub 6 has 256mb ram. I had over 20 devices connected into that and did multiple 4K streams.

Fact, ISP supplied devices are capable of multiple video steams, without the specs of the devices you are buying.

The Netgear D7000 can handle video streams on a 40Mbps line without an issue. It is way overpowered for the job, buying an even better router is a total waste of money. Check if you can return the new router, it is not cheap. A £50 router can do what you want if you want frank reality.

Edited by ukhardy07 (Mon 29-Jan-18 14:01:22)