Kitz ADSL Broadband Information
adsl spacer  
Support this site
Home Broadband ISPs Tech Routers Wiki Forum
 
     
   Compare ISP   Rate your ISP
   Glossary   Glossary
 
Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Author Topic: 3rd party router suggestion (BT)  (Read 1768 times)

markg33

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 23
3rd party router suggestion (BT)
« on: October 04, 2020, 02:01:07 AM »

Hi everyone,
I want to move away from using a Smart Hub 2 to a 3rd party router.

I'm connected to an ECI cabinet if that makes a difference. I'm not on a budget but ideally cheaper would be better.

If anyone can suggest anything with the following;
*Combo router/modem
*Supports BT's ipv6 /56 prefix implementation
*Supports G.INP
*Supports dual band

Thanks in advance!
Logged

Robbie

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 75
Re: 3rd party router suggestion (BT)
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2020, 10:41:46 AM »

I'm not a huge fan of combo routers but for pulling the best from an ECI cab then the DrayTeks on the 'alternative' firmware are hard to beat.  If you have margin to spare or pretty close to your cap limit already then the Billion family would be my choice but there are other manufacturers with similar performance.  Hopefully those with experience with these other manufacturers will comment below.

If you could be tempted to split your modem, router and wifi AP into separate units then better performance awaits; but I appreciate that isn't for everyone.
Logged

broadstairs

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 3697
Re: 3rd party router suggestion (BT)
« Reply #2 on: October 04, 2020, 10:58:53 AM »

I currently use a ZyXEL VMG3925 on my ECI line. Cant vouch for the BT IPV6 stuff as I'm not on BT. I have G.INP and sync at 60000kbps, very stable and used as modem/router.

Stuart
Logged
ISP:Vodafone Router:Vodafone Wi-Fi hub FTTP

markg33

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 23
Re: 3rd party router suggestion (BT)
« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2020, 11:11:01 AM »

Thanks for the suggestions!
I'd ideally want an all in one solution for less clutter so perhaps I should've said so lol.

The reason I'm somewhat focused on ipv6 is for gaming on the Xbox One X, which is solid enough on the Smart Hub 2 but I'd think I'd benefit having my own router.

I do a lot of gaming and I live stream to YouTube, download/upload a fair bit too.

Also with the upcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X which both support ipv6 in many forms I'd like to take advantage of that.

I don't necessarily need a gaming router just an all rounder that can do /56 prefix ipv6. Or perhaps I need to look at something else for now.

I'm definitely a gamer geek but not a technical one for routers it seems!
Logged

Robbie

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 75
Re: 3rd party router suggestion (BT)
« Reply #4 on: October 04, 2020, 12:15:15 PM »

The joy of having a proper stand-alone router is being able to prioritise traffic and use decent Quality-of-Service (QoS) tools.  If you saturate your limited upload bandwidth without such features in place then any latency-sensitive traffic will just tank due to buffer-bloat. 

A good router can extract much more 'good' throughput performance than the pure bandwidth and ping times would indicate.  Put another way, you can preserve gaming and voip latency even when other clients on your network are streaming movies or other large files as the small time-sensitive packets get a boost over the larger ones.  As every TCP download requires an uploaded ACK to continue to flow properly the need to prioritise some upload traffic over others makes sense in order to keep things ticking along properly.

Logged

wolvesmad

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 36
Re: 3rd party router suggestion (BT)
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2020, 12:52:22 PM »

After switching from years of combos to a modem and router solution i'd never personally go back to a combo.
Logged
Zyxel VMG1312-B10A + Asus RT-AC68u on EE Fiber+

markg33

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 23
Re: 3rd party router suggestion (BT)
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2020, 03:57:05 PM »

I won't lie but a lot of this is going over my head!  :lol:

I'm not looking for pristine performance (Even though that'd be ace!) I understand that a separate equipment set up is better but due to space it's a no-no so combo'in it up is my only solution. A streaming setup like mine has too many plugs as is.

I'm undoubtedly a casual, singleplayer person with some odd pvp call of duty thrown in for the 'Lolz'. So for me to game/stream through the Smart Hub 2 ok should give a huge advantage for any 3rd party router right?

The Tp-link vr600 (And the v2 model) seems to fit the bill of supporting BT's /56 prefix ipv6, easy to setup and upnp actually works unlike the Smart Hub where DMZ has to be used to open my nat type.

I'm tempted.  :D
« Last Edit: October 04, 2020, 04:04:12 PM by markg33 »
Logged

wolvesmad

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 36
Re: 3rd party router suggestion (BT)
« Reply #7 on: October 04, 2020, 04:50:56 PM »

Love my Asus RT-AC68u.

You set it up and just leave it. Over 100 days uptime.

DSL version isn't particularly great though. Someone will confirm but I'm sure you'll need to flash Merlin firmware on it to get BT IPV6.

Not that that's a bad thing.
Logged
Zyxel VMG1312-B10A + Asus RT-AC68u on EE Fiber+

markg33

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 23
Re: 3rd party router suggestion (BT)
« Reply #8 on: October 04, 2020, 05:51:17 PM »

It's a shame the DSL version of the Asus software wise seems to be poor and casuing all sorts of issues for people so..

I've decided to go with the TP-Link vr600 v2 and downloaded the v2 firmware in advance from the TP-Link website.

Maybe I've just rushed it but even if ipv6 doesn't work and the like I'll be happy to be rid of the Smart Hub 2 and not have to put up with it routinely rebooting every 2 weeks and other random shenanigans.

From what I've seen it's a decent all-rounder and that's all I need. I'm not a perfectionist by any means.. Should've seen me at school lmao!

Thanks again everyone and happy..
..Networking??  :-\
Logged

wolvesmad

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 36
Re: 3rd party router suggestion (BT)
« Reply #9 on: October 04, 2020, 09:42:36 PM »

I had exactly the same issue with the smart hub and got fed up with it in the end.

Stability has been exceptional since.
Logged
Zyxel VMG1312-B10A + Asus RT-AC68u on EE Fiber+

gt94sss2

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 1281
Re: 3rd party router suggestion (BT)
« Reply #10 on: October 05, 2020, 12:55:42 AM »

The last time I rebooted my Smart Hub 2, it had an uptime of over 100 days..
Logged

markg33

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 23
Re: 3rd party router suggestion (BT)
« Reply #11 on: October 06, 2020, 02:19:10 PM »

I wish I was that lucky with BT kit..

The router arrived today and it was easy to setup and all up to date. Also IPv6 works a treat, I'm getting slightly better sync too! Very happy.
Logged

meritez

  • Content Team
  • Kitizen
  • *
  • Posts: 1623
Re: 3rd party router suggestion (BT)
« Reply #12 on: October 07, 2020, 09:49:54 AM »

I wish I was that lucky with BT kit..

The router arrived today and it was easy to setup and all up to date. Also IPv6 works a treat, I'm getting slightly better sync too! Very happy.

What parts out of the box have you used, the microfilter, dsl cable and the new router, or have you mixed and matched with existing cabling?
Logged

markg33

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 23
Re: 3rd party router suggestion (BT)
« Reply #13 on: October 07, 2020, 11:23:16 AM »

I'm using the dsl cable that came with the TP-Link as it was shorter than the BT one. It's just personal preference as I've got a desk full of gadgets and gizmos so wire management is a task for me sometimes.

Other than that I've just kept the microfilter and ethernet cable as spares. I hope that helps!
« Last Edit: October 07, 2020, 11:27:20 AM by markg33 »
Logged
 

anything