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[jewelie]

Hi folks!

We need to get a new router soon, as we'll probably move ISP soon but have a complicated configuration (currently with TalkTalk using their HG635 which does all of this bar reliability but I think it may be on its last legs and could be hard to migrate to other ISPs with it.)   <---  EDIT: Or is it?  If I could configure this to work with other ISPs we could just stick with the HG635 for now?

So, we're looking for VDSL/ADSL router recommendations.

Got a TP-Link Archer VR900 yesterday from Amazon but I think it's going to be going back as I've already come across one issue (Media Sharing appears to have an undisclosed 10,000 file limit) and one bug (USB windows/smb file sharing, when sharing individual folders rather than the whole drive the current firmware ignores the "Enable Authentication" option and always enforces authentication requiring username and password )

Must haves-

• VDSL & ADSL compatibility (we're currently FTTC/VDSL but may have to go back to ADSL.)
  
• A DHCP service with ability to reserve fixed IPs for at least 16 MACs (i.e. for static IPs on the local network that don't have to be configured within each individual device.)
  
• Use a hard drive in a USB socket to serve files.
  
• Samba/SMB/Windows network access to the drive.
  
• Reliable, well behaved, DNLA media server (i.e. no stupid 100 file limit or a service that thinks mp4s should only be considered audio streams etc.)  To circumvent the bug in the Archer VR900, whilst I wait for TP-Link to get back to me, I've set up a Raspberry Pi to act as a media server using ReadyMedia/MiniDLNA which works an absolute treat but is a bit hacky; I gather this software is written by a Netgear employee, does that mean that the Netgear routers have decent DLNA media servers without any stupid file number limits?
  
• Reliable rather than fast VDSL/ADSL.
  
• Reliable rather than fast WiFi (e.g. for game streaming via NVidia Game Stream / Moonlight - this is where the TalkTalk HG635 sucks.)
  
• + usual stuff like ability to redirect incoming ports through the NAT etc.
  

Very much preferred-

• 1Gbps ports
  
• YouView stream compatibility
  
• Decent warranty (2years or more)
  
• 5GHz WiFi (strong.)
  
• Cost =<£110 (Because life, fiancée and finances are tight enough as it is)
  

Not too worried about connection latency etc as although I game it's not twitch-FPS stuff - I like old-school stuff with stories and prefer co-op rather than competitive. Not too worried about connection or WiFi speed, more interested in reliability; the HG635 has unreliable WiFi and we're in small flat in a built up area, which can make gaming via NVidia Gamestream + Moonlight Game Streaming + Android Wikipad tablet a pain. The Wikipad has a Tegra 3 and is not the best WiFi but it has a lovely built-in XBox-style controller so won't be being changed any time soon - I only need a reliable 7Mbps stream to stream games over WiFi but currently struggle to get that completely reliably at 15ft from the router. (The HG635 seems to suffer from Wi-Fi noise burst errors - which others have noticed too )

So, any thoughts? 

Netgear D6400?

Regards
Julie

PS Can't fault TP-Link's Live Chat - asked technical questions, got genuinely useful answers - they told me that yes, the Archer VR900 has a 10,000 file limit on the media server and said that it uses miniDLNA under the hood.

[psychopomp1]

There's no harm in trying out the Netgear D6400 and then return it back to the likes of Amazon if it doesn't meet your needs, but TBH what you're looking for will probably only be available in a standalone router, therefore you you will need a separate xDSL modem as well.. Most combined modem/routers just have the bog standard features, if the D6400 doesn't work out i suggest getting a half decent router such as the Asus RT-AC68U, install Merlin firmware on it and you'll find it probably does most/all of what you want and much, much more. Hook that up to a Draytek 130 ADSL2+/VDSL2 modem and you'll have a rock solid setup.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-RT-AC68U-Dual-Band-Wireless-802-11AC/dp/B00FB45SI4

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/asuswrt-merlin-custom-firmware-for-asus-routers.7846/

[Moderator edited to remove the complexity from the first link, above.]

[kitz]

TalkTalk using their HG635 which does all of this bar reliability but I think it may be on its last legs and could be hard to migrate to other ISPs with it.)   <---  EDIT: Or is it?  If I could configure this to work with other ISPs we could just stick with the HG635 for now?

You didnt say which ISP, but I believe it does. 

[npr]

I can confirm the HG635 works with Plusnet fibre and BT infinity, don't know about Sky.

[jewelie]

There's no harm in trying out the Netgear D6400 and then return it back to the likes of Amazon if it doesn't meet your needs, but TBH what you're looking for will probably only be available in a standalone router, therefore you you will need a separate xDSL modem as well.. Most combined modem/routers just have the bog standard features, if the D6400 doesn't work out i suggest getting a half decent router such as the Asus RT-AC68U, install Merlin firmware on it and you'll find it probably does most/all of what you want and much, much more. Hook that up to a Draytek 130 ADSL2+/VDSL2 modem and you'll have a rock solid setup.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-RT-AC68U-Dual-Band-Wireless-802-11AC/dp/B00FB45SI4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475122713&sr=8-1&keywords=ASUS+RT-AC68U

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/asuswrt-merlin-custom-firmware-for-asus-routers.7846/

Thanks (and to the others regarding access from other ISPs.)

It looks like the file sharing issues I was having was a bug with EF Explorer Pro on Android - anonymous access to folders working fine on Windows or Linux.  That it was a bug with other software and not the modem/router leaves me with more confidence to continue trying the VR900 out.  Limiting the media sharing down to only the folder I need to share then circumvents the 10,000 folder issue, so I can get it working as I need it now.

Having a separate router and modem is tempting technologically and from a geek lust standpoint, but being in a tiny flat space is at a premium as it is and the setup is already far too ****ing complicated already. 

I shall see how this one works out for the next week or so.

Thanks again. 

[jukanmanya]

I was thinking you would be served well by something along the lines of a Netgear DGND3700v1 with the aftermarket firmware from http://www.richud.com/wiki/DGND3700_V1_Transmission_Firmware. That's what I am using at the moment and it's just excellent. Funnily enough, your requirements are very close to what I had in mind when choosing this setup.

http://www.richud.com/wiki/DGND3700_V1_Transmission_Firmware#VDSL2_.28FTTC.29 so it supports VDSL2 FTTC fibre from all UK providers including BT Infinity, TalkTalk and others. In terms of wireless speeds it has simultaneous dual band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz (300mbps on each band) so that should be plenty fast.

The hardware is also quite strong: 5 gigabit ports, 2 USB ports, dual core Broadcom CPU and chipset etc.

Also it's made by Netgear and uses that same ReadyMedia/MiniDLNA which you say you are happy with and doesn't come with the 10 000 file limitation. The guy which makes this firmware also regularly updates these components to their latest versions so any bugs are ironed out.

Also, this firmware also supports Youview streams through "IGMP Proxy - (for IPTV [with VDSL services], modified with wl-500 oleg patches for 0.0.0.0/1 altnet)" as stated on the firmware page.

This custom firmware is designed to be reliable and deliver high performance compared with the gimped stock firmware. It also provides some crazy functionality like torrenting facilities (you can configure the router from a web interface to make it download torrents by itself to the USB drive then those torrents and other files can be accessed from any other PC), ad blocking, OpenVPN functionality, SSH and other services, PXE booting from the inserted USB drive (so you could boot up Windows, Linux distros, MemTest from any network connected PC) as well as having a ton of options for xDSL line control and extensive line parameters adjustments (for example, you can adjust the target SNR margin in 10% increments as well as other parameters easily).

Found a good listing on fleabay for a DGND3700v1 which has already been flashed with the latest version of this firmware here (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182292777747) so you don't risk bricking the router by converting it from stock to modified firmware yourself.

Let me know if you need more info about this setup, since I have it and I am very, very happy with the performance and it is very reliable for my household under sustained heavy usage.

[kitz]

@jukanmanya. Are you the seller?


---
Noticed almost identical post here.
Please see forum rules.

[Chunkers]

HG635 has a good chipset, isn't it the same / similar BCM63168 in the VR900?
Anyway, maybe worth giving the HG635 a chance?

Chunks

[jukanmanya]

@jukanmanya. Are you the seller?


---
Noticed almost identical post here.
Please see forum rules.

I am not the seller nor the guy who created the firmware. I'm just a very happy user of this setup and thought I would share my findings with this forum, from which I've learned a lot over the years. I've been a long time lurker here and thought I could contribute by letting others know of this very elegant solution, which solves all of my requirements and provides a unique set of features which cannot be found anywhere else. The guy who created that firmware really put in a lot of work. Hopefully his efforts can be replicated on other hardware, not just the DGND3700v1 device. Unfortunately not many people on this forum are aware of the existence of this solution, which easily caters to 99% of our needs.   

[jewelie]

I shall see how this one works out for the next week or so.

Sadly, the next day yet more problems arose.  A Windows 10 tablet (an Archos 90 Cesium) had odd random disconnection issues, even though it had an otherwise strong signal.  Initially I put that down to an issue with that tablet, however later I started to experience similar issues with an older piece of hardware that had otherwise been providing faultless service for years (a Dell Inspiron N5030 15 laptop.)  Running Linux it was fairly easy to access logs and data and I was able to identify that the router was de-authenticating the laptop after short periods of inactivity.  Rebooting the router addressed the issue for a few minutes, but then the problem returned.  I assumed that the problem was a compatibility issue between the Linux WiFi chip drivers for a while and did my best to solve the problem (unsuccessfully) but eventually tried rebooting the laptop to Windows 10 and witnessed exactly the same problems (easy to miss, as Windows 10 is pretty good at reestablishing a connection.)  So, the router has compatibility problems with the hardware of at least two devices we have -- not good -- this was the show-stopper for us, and the point at which we decided we'd had enough...

...so it's going back to Amazon tomorrow. 


Pros
+ Reliable fast FTTC/Fibre connection
+ 1Gbps ports
+ 2 USB sockets to use a file server, printer server or for 3G/4G backup connections
+ Fast and strong Wi-Fi signal (with devices that it's compatible with)
+ Genuinely helpful and knowledgeable technical support service -- live chat is *excellent*

Cons
- Media server is limited to 10000 files
- Compatibility problems with Windows/Samba file sharing
- Unreliable Wi-Fi with a number of devices - constant disconnections every minute or two

[jewelie]

I am not the seller nor the guy who created the firmware. I'm just a very happy user of this setup and thought I would share my findings with this forum, from which I've learned a lot over the years. I've been a long time lurker here and thought I could contribute by letting others know of this very elegant solution, which solves all of my requirements and provides a unique set of features which cannot be found anywhere else. The guy who created that firmware really put in a lot of work. Hopefully his efforts can be replicated on other hardware, not just the DGND3700v1 device. Unfortunately not many people on this forum are aware of the existence of this solution, which easily caters to 99% of our needs.

Yay.

Now I've looked into it a bit, this might very well be the right option for me!  I'm quite a tinkerer by nature (have a degree in computer systems engineering) but also I don't like to risk breaking things that still work well or are still under guarantee, so a 2nd hand DGND3700V1 has got to be worth a punt!  I've noticed that the guy who builds this firmware seems to be quite active on a forum discussing the firmware, so I imagine if any technical issues pop up that I can pin right down to their root cause could potentially be addressed too.

I've added that ebay router to my watch list and have located a few references for how to tell the difference between V1 and V2 (including from the picture of the box) just in case that particular listing goes.

Many thanks. 

Julie
xxx

[jewelie]

Nooooooooooo!

Got the DGND3700V1 with Transmission etc hacked firmware as suggested. 

All was going well configuring it for VDSL2 and my network right up until I decided to do a security scan using the Shields Up! service at www.grc.com.  The normal scan passed fine as does the uPnP one IF miniDLNA is enabled; HOWEVER, if miniDLNA is enabled then I'm getting a uPnP visible on the Internet fail:     



I'm really hoping it's a silly config error on my behalf.    According to it's config file miniDLNA is only connected to the br0 interface.  The br0 bridge interface only has the the wifi and ethernet interfaces in it.  "Assign WAN port to LAN   " and "Status WAN port to LAN" are unticked.  The issue happens whether or not uPnP is enabled (if it is enabled then I get a slightly different error.)  WAN setup is on "Must use DSL WAN", and everything unticked except NAT filtering (which is on secured rather than open.)

EDIT:   I've investigated further...

This issue only occurs after a device on the LAN has attempted to access the minidlna server in some way at least once since minidlna started up.  Before that the service seems secure.  After that, it starts responding to the wider internet. 

LOGS

Starting up.  As you can see it's only, in theory, listening on the LAN interface-

Code: [Select]

[2016/04/10 00:00:12] minidlna.c:1030: warn: Starting ReadyDLNA version 1.1.5.
[2016/04/10 00:00:13] minidlna.c:1070: warn: HTTP listening on port 8200
[2016/04/10 00:00:13] getifaddr.c:338: info: Enabling interface 192.168.*.*/255.255.255.0
[2016/10/06 20:24:04] minidlna.c:1110: debug: Sending SSDP notifies

At this point the www.grc.com Shields Up! uPnP port test passes as clear, no problems.

Now, a device on the LAN accesses the media server (only needs to be once, and the device can be turned off and isolated from the network straight after)-

Code: [Select]

[2016/10/06 20:25:56] minissdp.c:696: debug: SSDP M-SEARCH from 192.168.*.*:24234 ST: urn:schemas-upnp-org:device:MediaServer:1, MX: 4, MAN: "ssdp:discover"
[2016/10/06 20:25:56] minissdp.c:257: debug: Sending M-SEARCH response to 192.168.*.*:24234 ST: urn:schemas-upnp-org:device:MediaServer:
[2016/10/06 20:25:56] minissdp.c:696: debug: SSDP M-SEARCH from 192.168.*.*:24234 ST: urn:schemas-upnp-org:device:MediaServer:1, MX: 4, MAN: "ssdp:discover"
...
[2016/10/06 20:25:56] minidlna.c:1266: debug: HTTP connection from 192.168.*.*:53597
[2016/10/06 20:25:56] minidlna.c:1266: debug: HTTP connection from 192.168.*.*:53598
[2016/10/06 20:25:56] clients.c:295: debug: Added client [**********/192.168.*.*/**:**:**:**:**] to cache slot 0.
[2016/10/06 20:25:56] upnphttp.c:880: debug: HTTP REQUEST: GET /rootDesc.xml HTTP/1.1
HOST: 192.168.*.1:8200
ACCEPT-ENCODING: deflate
ACCEPT-LANGUAGE: en-us
User-Agent: SEC_HHP_**************


[2016/10/06 20:25:56] upnphttp.c:1216: debug: HTTP RESPONSE: HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: text/xml; charset="utf-8"
Connection: close
Content-Length: 2249
Server: 4.2.0-040200-generic DLNADOC/1.50 UPnP/1.0 ReadyDLNA/1.1.5
Content-Language: en
Date: Thu, 06 Oct 2016 19:25:56 GMT
...

And now minidlna starts responding to the www.grc.com Shields Up! uPnP port test-

Code: [Select]

[2016/10/06 20:26:44] minissdp.c:696: debug: SSDP M-SEARCH from 4.79.142.206:1900 ST: upnp:rootdevice, MX: 3, MAN: "ssdp:discover"
[2016/10/06 20:26:44] minissdp.c:257: debug: Sending M-SEARCH response to 4.79.142.206:1900 ST: upnp:rootdevice
[2016/10/06 20:26:44] minissdp.c:696: debug: SSDP M-SEARCH from 4.79.142.206:1900 ST: upnp:rootdevice, MX: 3, MAN: "ssdp:discover"
[2016/10/06 20:26:44] minissdp.c:257: debug: Sending M-SEARCH response to 4.79.142.206:1900 ST: upnp:rootdevice

Surely it should not even be responding to these!?!?!?

      

Warm Regards
Julie
x

[kitz]

I'm not ignoring you, but this is way over my head.   Hopefully someone else with knowledge in this area may be able to help.

[underzone]

Why make your life so hard. Just use any ISP supplied router and get a separate media server (DLNA/SMB) for your home LAN. Any old PC with a big HDD will do.

[jewelie]

Why make your life so hard. Just use any ISP supplied router and get a separate media server (DLNA/SMB) for your home LAN. Any old PC with a big HDD will do.

Hiya

Why not?  Tiny flat.  Space.  But I might end up doing that in the end if I can't fix this. 

Further playing suggests it seems to affect the normal uPnP service too, so it's probably just an old issue in the stock firmware underneath it, so to speak.  Might be able to get away with a firewall rule inserted somewhere though.  This is the advantage about such unlocked/hacked firmware, it might be possible to actively alter.

If I can't resolve it then I'll either run a raspberry pi to handle the media server (which I've already tried out) or yeah, use the ISP router in its more bare bones config on the LAN, without dhcp on it,  and have the DGND3700 handle the hard drive, media services, dynamicip updating, wifi, etc.  Would look and feel messy and waste more electricity but would be best of both worlds.