VDSL Routers

Can anyone recommend (or advise against) a VDSL router?

My Vigor 2820 is not ideal anymore because while its dual WAN its ADSL + Ethernet, and at present my backup ISP (Sky) their ADSL is locked down so you have to use their router, and the openreach modem also needs to use Ethernet, and the router only supports 1 ethernet WAN device (WAN2) configuration as far as I can tell.

With a VDSL router I could drop the openreach modem, freeing up the WAN Ethernet port for the Sky router.

My natural upgrade choice would be the http://www.draytek.co.uk/products/vigor2850.html as it should be very familiar.

Anyone have any experience of this router on FTTC? Or any other router recommendations.

The other option ofc would be to go for a router with dual WAN ethernet ports, though I like the idea of dumping the openreach black box modem.

Thanks

Edited by Third_of_Five (Thu 01-Nov-12 19:37:03)

Which OR modem is it? The Huawei HG612 or the ECI?

The Huawei can be unlocked and can then be used as a two-port VDSL2 router. No wireless of course, so if you want that you would need to put a WAP on one port and perhaps an ethernet switch on the other. See this page, or you could even take a punt on one of the HG610s just turned up on the same page.

Many of us have unlocked the modem.

# xdslcmd info --stats
xdslcmd: ADSL driver and PHY status
Status: Showtime
Retrain Reason: 0
Max:    Upstream rate = 14290 Kbps, Downstream rate = 61716 Kbps
Path:   0, Upstream rate = 14272 Kbps, Downstream rate = 52924 Kbps

Link Power State:       L0
Mode:                   VDSL2 Annex B
VDSL2 Profile:          Profile 17a
TPS-TC:                 PTM Mode
Trellis:                U:ON /D:ON
Line Status:            No Defect
Training Status:        Showtime
                Down            Up
SNR (dB):        6.1             6.1
Attn(dB):        0.0             0.0
Pwr(dBm):        13.6            6.6
                        VDSL2 framing
                        Path 0
B:              63              237
M:              1               1
T:              64              62
R:              16              16
S:              0.0385          0.5304
L:              16636           3831
D:              839             1
I:              80              127
N:              80              254
                        Counters
                        Path 0
OHF:            74725265                524568
OHFErr:         20              245
RS:             1462397501              970324
RSCorr:         3326124         895
RSUnCorr:       257             0

                        Path 0
HEC:            84              0
OCD:            0               0
LCD:            0               0
Total Cells:    1205587513              0
Data Cells:     4893094         0
Drop Cells:     0
Bit Errors:     0               0

ES:             6               209
SES:            0               0
UAS:            18              18
AS:             138530

                        Path 0
INP:            3.00            0.00
PER:            1.84            8.22
delay:          8.00            0.00
OR:             103.97          31.13

Bitswap:        50292           24488

Total time = 1 days 14 hours 29 min 8 sec

# xdslcmd info --pbParams
xdslcmd: ADSL driver and PHY status
Status: Showtime
Retrain Reason: 0
Max:    Upstream rate = 14272 Kbps, Downstream rate = 61716 Kbps
Path:   0, Upstream rate = 14272 Kbps, Downstream rate = 52924 Kbps

Discovery Phase (Initial) Band Plan
US: (0,95) (868,1207) (1972,2783)
DS: (32,859) (1216,1963) (2792,3959)
Medley Phase (Final) Band Plan
US: (0,95) (868,1207) (1972,2783)
DS: (32,859) (1216,1963) (2792,3959)
       VDSL Port Details       Upstream        Downstream
Attainable Net Data Rate:      14272 kbps         61716 kbps
Actual Aggregate Tx Power:        6.6 dBm          13.6 dBm
============================================================================
  VDSL Band Status        U0      U1      U2      U3      D1      D2      D3
  Line Attenuation(dB):  5.3     29.3    44.1     N/A    14.4    36.0    55.2
Signal Attenuation(dB):  8.9     28.5    42.9     N/A    14.4    36.0    55.2
        SNR Margin(dB):  6.1     6.1     6.1      N/A    6.1     5.9     6.1
         TX Power(dBm): -3.9    -13.0    6.2      N/A    11.1    8.0     5.5

There are some excellent scripts from Bald_Eagle1 to harvest the stats regularly and graph them on demand.

Sample.

In reply to a post by Third_of_Five:

My Vigor 2820 is not ideal anymore because while its dual WAN its ADSL + Ethernet, and at present my backup ISP (Sky) their ADSL is locked down so you have to use their router, and the openreach modem also needs to use Ethernet, and the router only supports 1 ethernet WAN device (WAN2) configuration as far as I can tell.

Draytek UK support have a beta firmware for the 2820 range that does the MER authentication which MIGHT work on your ADSL service. It has been reported to work on Sky Fibre lines.