Modem Router Advice With Airport Express Setup

Please excuse me if this is not exactly the correct place to be posting this. I'm hoping someone here might help steer me through the confusion of which modem/router to purchase to replace one that is rapidly failing. I have two Airport Expresses which are functioning perfectly and supplying Wi Fi throughout the house. I have been advised to purchase a wireless router now rather than a wired router for added flexibility and backup should one of the Airports fail. I get that, but am overwhelmed by the multitude of products and manufacturers out there. Currently I am on an ADSL connection, contemplating FTTC in the future, but not ready to bite the bullet yet.

I'd be grateful for any advice offered.

Thanks

Airport Extreme?

I have one and also two Airport Expresses, works a treat for me and has done both on ADSL and FTTC.

On FTTC do you have the 80 or 40 Mbps?

Only wifi via the express (if wirelessly extended) I didn't think would work at 80Mbps speeds?

Which make/model of router are you using at the moment?

Some routers will perform better under heavy load (e.g. bittorrent file sharing) while others might be more suited to long telephone lines (i.e. big distance between you and your telephone exchange) and others have some fancier features (e.g. adult content filters, traffic prioritisation, 3G backup, multiple ADSL line bonding, etc). Do you have any special requirements?

If you're after a simple, no-frills wireless ADSL router you may as well get one of the cheapest from whichever manufacturer you're familiar with. I'd be tempted to worry about FTTC later, and cross that bridge when you get to it.

In reply to a post by belongabob:

Airport Extreme?

I have one and also two Airport Expresses, works a treat for me and has done both on ADSL and FTTC.

It sounds like the OP is after a combined ADSL router, which I didn't think the Airport Extreme did? It could well be a good option for FTTC, though.

i have a Billion 7800N router/modem linked to an Airport Extremes and Express. works great with my noisy ADSL line, and i think it will work with fibre in the remote possibility if those useless pillocks at BT ever get their act together and lay some my way.

Edited by cookie (Thu 06-Sep-12 14:37:22)

Thanks to everyone for the advice so far. To fill in the blanks - I am now certain that my Netgear DG 834v4 needs replacing rapidly. Speaking to Apple today I have been advised to replace my two, previous, Airport Expresses with the newer version since my family is running multiple devices over the network. It was also suggested I consider the Airport Extreme. ISP recommends replacing with another Netgear DG834. Netgear suggest their new DGND 4000 for future flexibility and simultaneous dual band wifi. Too many options. And I thought I had a vague understanding of this. I have no preference to which company I purchase as long as it solves my needs and seamlessly integrates with Apple's products!

Grateful for any advice anyone is prepared to give.

Thanks!

Yes billion 7800N can work with LAN with FTTC, it has a dedicated Ethernet WAN port for just that purpose

I have the 80/20 fibre.

I connect to a TV in the bedroom and a PC in another room using the Airport Expresses. The PC on a speed test is as good as my iMac � it is connected via the Ethernet port on the Express.

Wireless using either the Extreme or Express is running at 270-300Mbps.

I've not tested the speed as such on the TV, but it's certainly not slow! Downloading moves etc is fine. The Extreme handles ADSL and Fibre perfectly for me.

As was pointed out, the Extreme is not an ADSL modem. When with a previous ADSL provider I used a Netgear DG834PN for the modem side of things.

Hope this helps.

Edited by deleted (Thu 06-Sep-12 18:20:39)

I'd get another DG834 v4 if that's what you're familiar with - inexpensive and I like that they can easily be set to run in modem mode (a proper modem not just a bridge fudge). The latest Airport Express looks like a white Apple TV (cute) - now with dual band 2.4GHz / 5GHz and a couple of ethernet ports compared to earlier models.