I have an ECI B-FOCuS V-2FUb/r Rev.B VDSL modem that was supplied by BT in Dec 2014.
From what I can tell, it's connected to an ECI cabinet (apparently
https://www.telecom-tariffs.co.uk/codelook.htm?xid=403679&postcodeloc=20041&cabinet=P31, 1,051m from my postcode - Broadband availability screenshot attached)
I'm quite content with the speed and stability, but I would like to get stats and logs about what it's up to.
I've been reading around this site (for a while), which has answered a lot of questions, but I have a couple still unanswered, especially around "up to date" information as a lot of the pages here are a few years old and it's clear there are ongoing developments so the situation is changing all the time. Feel free to point me at existing pages if the answer is there, I just haven't found it yet.
I'd be quite happy to open up the ECI case, solder up a serial interface, flash new firmware etc. I'd just rather not do it on the only VDSL modem I own! So, as they can be picked up relatively cheaply, I was going to buy another one.
But then I wondered if a Huawei HG612 might be better? (easier to "open up"?, more "off the shelf" software for it - but then I'm quite happy to roll my own linux based monitoring/recording system too).
It sounds as though I don't need to worry about matching the modem to the cabinet (
https://kitz.co.uk/routers/openreach-modems.htm) any more?
But, can I just swap modems over willy-nilly? Does the other end care what modem is attached? Does it screw up the DLM? Do I need to do anything in particular when swaping between the modems?
But then, is there a better alternative these days? Other recent topics here say that the ZyXEL VMG1312-B10A or VMG8324-B10A are the "best" devices these days.
I'd be quite content to stick with a separate modem and router (Currently use an Asus RT-AC56U with Merlin firmware). These ZyXEL are significantly more expensive than a used ECI or Huawei modem. Are they worth it?
Starting with a clean sheet, what's going to be easiest/most capable hardware/software combination to go for? Alternatively, if inexpensive, used modems need a bit of know-how to get the best out of them, any pointers would be gratefully received
Thanks!