Hi Weaver, I have split this off because removing the price limit could take us to different places than where the OP wanted to go.
Also we dont have to consider wi-fi or other features and are looking at performance of what basically boils down to the modem chipset.
You are right to bring it up as a subject, because I feel that modem performance is very important and something often overlooked by a lot of router review sites. Many review solely based on wireless performance. Some ASUS modem/routers are a typical example - WLAN is great, but DSL performance is often poor when even compared to some much cheaper models.
This is the reason why when I review a modem, I will put the HG612 on to get some stats to directly compare with and use as a benchmark. The HG612 has a solid reputation as modem only.
One of the modem/routers I hankered for a long while was the Zyxel SBG3300. It is a small business grade router, but the price at the time was over my budget so I never got to actually test one. There's a couple of people on here who had them and all said good things about stability and the extras which aren't the topic. However, it was about 2+ yrs ago now that I pined after one, - today there is a heck of a lot more choice for VDSL modems.
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OK now things start to get complicated, because I believe
there isn't any one modem that works best on all lines.
Some people swear that matching chipsets with the DSLAM works best, but I myself dont uphold this theory and I'll give my reasons why in a moment. I believe it is more down to the characteristics of the line.
Why I discount the 'matching chipset' theory
There are an awful lot of people on ECI cabs, who find that the BCM based modems give them a better sync speed than the Lantiq based modems. On my line it can make the difference between just about ekeing the 80Mbps, or reaching 80Mbps and having some headroom.
There is an overwhelming majority of people on ECI cabs who see better performance with a BCM over the Lantiq based chipset modems.
So why do some people say the ECI modem gives them a bit more?
Undoubtedly there are a few who do get better results with an eci, but they are in the minority. This is why I believe it is more to do with line characteristics rather than chipset pairing.
BCM based modems always seem to work best on my own line. Regardless of which DSLAM/MSAN/fttc cab.
When I was with BE, the best modem was the old ST585v6. It wasnt much of a router when it came to bells and whistles, but that modem just about eked out the full 24/2.6 Mb, something I couldnt quite get with anything else. Many of the other BE users on Pro (24Mbps) also rated it as a damn good modem. I was sorry when mine eventually died
Yet there were others who claimed the ST585 as rubbish - Im not sure yet exactly how it split down. Obviously some werent happy with its wifi, but for sure there were some on longer lines which did better with different routers.
Many on here will also remember the 2-Wire 2700HG-V (business hubs) which later became a valuable tool in Walters wheelbarrow. They work brilliantly with long adsl lines. I bought one and it was the most rubbish piece of kit Ive ever put on my line. I could not get much more than 18Mbps.
Then we have things like the Zyxel VMG8324 - There's quite a lot of people here who find it has a stable modem and will eke out a bit more line speed than the HG612. Yet conversely have been a couple of people (such as les) who say it generates more Err/Secs on their line.
So when it comes to modems, that is why I believe it is down to line characteristics and the type of noise it may get... and why I sometimes say you may have to suck it and see.
That said the BCM 6338/63168 etc based modems do tend to work best for the majority of lines.
