Best router for ADSL?

Hey there,

I should roughly receive 5Mbps speeds in my area, but last week only realised that my router was slowing it down to 2Mbps! So we are planning to buy a new router. We know that fibre will be with us later on this year, so I was wondering what router will be good for my current speeds, but also will be good when I receive fibreoptic? Thanks

Which ISP and are you happy with doing a minor "hack"?

The 2wire2700HGV supplied for BT business is great for long ADSL lines - however it is initially locked to BT although it can be unlocked. They are available for around £5-10 in an unused condition and if you have FTTC coming, a cheap option.

In reply to a post by FredTheB:

Hey there,

I should roughly receive 5Mbps speeds in my area, but last week only realised that my router was slowing it down to 2Mbps! So we are planning to buy a new router. We know that fibre will be with us later on this year, so I was wondering what router will be good for my current speeds, but also will be good when I receive fibreoptic? Thanks

The Billion 7800n is a fantastic router/ADSL Modem that is good for ADSL and FTTC when it becomes available (As long as it's only up to 100Mbps and used in conjunction with a modem for FTTC).

Have one that's been with us for over 2 years and worked perfectly on ADSL and works great in conjunction with the HG612 on FTTC.

Also allows SNR tweaking which is good if the DLM has messed your line up and you are sure it's capable of more.

In reply to a post by chris6273:

Also allows SNR tweaking which is good if the DLM has messed your line up and you are sure it's capable of more.

Yes on ADSLx, but not on FTTC with an HG612 modem. It's the modem that needs the tweak and SNR tweaking on it doesn't work.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

In reply to a post by chris6273:

Also allows SNR tweaking which is good if the DLM has messed your line up and you are sure it's capable of more.

Yes on ADSLx, but not on FTTC with an HG612 modem. It's the modem that needs the tweak and SNR tweaking on it doesn't work.

Yes I know, hence why I mentioned it's best used in conjunction with the HG612 modem on FTTC... I thought it was common knowledge that it's the modem which is responsible for SNR tweaking if any is available.

My reply was more towards the title of the thread.

Yes, I just wanted to point it out to the OP who very possibly didn't know. To them your post could have included FTTC in the tweakable bit .

The Billion 8800NL seems quite popular at the moment.
It can be used for ADSL and VDSL(FTTC), costs around £65.

In reply to a post by b4dger:

The Billion 8800NL seems quite popular at the moment.
It can be used for ADSL and VDSL(FTTC), costs around £65.

It's good to see a few choices now, but more would be good.

For instance, where are Netgear's VDSL2 offerings? The only one available seems to be a German import model, with no official UK model.

Do the words 'Netgear' and 'good' go together? If so, I've yet to hear about it.

In reply to a post by micksharpe:

Do the words 'Netgear' and 'good' go together? If so, I've yet to hear about it.

In my experience, yes. Many people used DG834(G) routers for many years, and newer models like the DGN2200, DGN3500 and DGND3700 are solid performers.

I have a DG834N. It's OK but I preferred my old 2Wire 2700.

Edited by micksharpe (Mon 23-Mar-15 14:25:57)

In reply to a post by Oliver341:

In reply to a post by micksharpe:

Do the words 'Netgear' and 'good' go together? If so, I've yet to hear about it.

In my experience, yes. Many people used DG834(G) routers for many years, and newer models like the DGN2200, DGN3500 and DGND3700 are solid performers.

Still using a DG834GT loaded with DGTeam firmware for the ADSL1 connection to the 20CN exchange 5-6 kilometres away, the firmware allows some tweaking of the SNR which is usefull with the long connection

In reply to a post by micksharpe:

Do the words 'Netgear' and 'good' go together? If so, I've yet to hear about it.

Not really, they had some fantastic screw up's in firmware, and the Virgin Media Superhub version 1 was made by Netgear and had some horrible software problems. I gather the new VM Superhub is another make (Samsung or sagem or something?)

The problem for all these router makers is that majority of people now use the router provided by their ISP and never change it - so the market has shrunk dramatically.

Those "in the know" tend to suggest TP-Link and ASUS routers for features; especially where a modem is being used (cable or fttc) - as these routers often have better WiFi performance than the entry-level brands like Netgear.

I once bought a Netgear DM602 ADSL modem and an FM114P wireless router/print server. I really wanted a modem/router with a print server but I couldn't find an all-in-one solution. I had a hell of a job to get them working together. I called Netgear support and they told me flatly that the two devices were incompatible and more or less hung up on me. Great! With a lot of help from Internet forums, I managed to get them working together. The irony was that I never used the print server. I didn't buy the DG834N, btw.

I've still got the DM602 and FM114P. Any takers? I've also got a Netgear ISDN modem/router but I doubt if there's much call for them any more.

Edited by micksharpe (Mon 23-Mar-15 15:08:00)

In reply to a post by jchamier:

The problem for all these router makers is that majority of people now use the router provided by their ISP and never change it

Not helped by the fact that the huge ISP Sky expressly forbid third party routers in their T&C (and still do, for fibre).