I would like some recommendations for a
sober VDSL+wifi6 modem router.
What do I mean by "
sober"? I mean:
- unobtrusive physical design - not an upside down alien spider from a sci-fi movie
- reliable, stable and performant DSL connection - a good quality DSL chipset and optimisations like adjusting the SNR to get the optimum performance
- good WiFi - with no misleading stats used for advertising, just getting the core physics right like number of antennae (4x4 vs 2x2), techniques like beam forming and MIMO, auto adaption of channels to avoid congestion
- simple - doing a few things and doing them well, no need for voice call tech, USB storage, media services or print servers
- an excellent and quick admin UI - quick to load and run, sensible and well designed interface
- sensible customisation and optimisations - like QoS for video streams, firewall rules, port forwarding, custom DHCP ranges, DNS override
- convenience - like auto update of firmware without manually uploading it, saving config files
- good and reasonably long firmware update support
Over the last 20 years or so I have used Netgear, TPLink, D-Link and Draytek, and possibly others.
In all that time I have found my current
Fritzbox 7530 to be the best according to that list of desirable characteristics - simple, efficient, reliable.
I am looking for a new device because:
- the number of devices in my home doing concurrent streaming has grown (zoom, streaming tv, work teams meetings, all happening at the same time)
- the number of devices connected has grown to about 15
- the wifi signal in some parts of the home, and in the shed, is weak
I am considering the
Fritzbox 7530 AX - but this is hard to get in the UK. Some online reviews suggest wifi 6 will extend the wifi reach - but this requires wifi6 clients. I am unconvinced, I thought this was purely a function of power, which was limited by law.
Should I go for devices with more aerials and MIMO? The
7590 has 4x4 not 2x2. I expect this will make a difference because it isn't just marketing, it is actually additional physical aerials?
I am led to believe that external aerials are just for show. My experience is that the Fritxbox 7530 has good reception compared to the TPLink vr900 I had with external aerials.
Since the Fritzbox 7530 AX is hard to get in the UK, and expensive when ordered from Europe, I am considering the
Technicolor Cobra M DGA4134, however I seem to recall lots of online discussion years ago about their devices being really poor for wifi.
For clarity, I don't want a separate model and wifi AP because I don't have space for additional devices and wires and power sockets.
I would prefer to avoid mesh type extenders, and see if I can get far enough with just one device.
My internet is from Zen, and is a VDSL connection. I have had mixed replies from Zen and BT on what the cabinet is.. but have found anecdotally that the (lantiq?) chipset in the Fritzzbox has a good solid sync compared to the TPLink vr900's Broadcom but that might be due to wider quality issues of the vr900. I'm currently getting 55Mbs down and 9 up which is not bad given the large distance to the cabinet (600m I think).
I would appreciate your thoughts - I came here as I know many here see past the marketing and hype and prefer facts, evidence and physics!
