Modem/Wireless Router

[htismaqe]

In general, you'll want to rent your modem from your ISP. I know the monthly charge sucks but buying your own modem opens the door for your ISP to blame every little problem on you. By renting from your ISP, you'll get better support and be 100% sure it will work with their service.

As for your wifi router, I would recommend against spending big money unless you know what you are doing and/or know you need it. I have a Netgear R7800 running DD-WRT but that's more of an advanced thing. If you want simple and functional, I've been recommending Tenda routers for a while now. They're not expensive and they do the job. They seem to have reasonable coverage as well. The Tenda AC1200 model is particularly attractive because it's currently selling for around $40.

Can you give us a little more info about your setup? How many devices? Use cases, etc?

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

In general, you'll want to rent your modem from your ISP. I know the monthly charge sucks but buying your own modem opens the door for your ISP to blame every little problem on you. By renting from your ISP, you'll get better support and be 100% sure it will work with their service.

Eh, mine's a decade old and has worked great. It would have cost me a fortune in comparison if I'd paid for it monthly. To each his own though.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Eh, mine's a decade old and has worked great. It would have cost me a fortune in comparison if I'd paid for it monthly. To each his own though.

Yeah, if it works, you're okay. It's when something breaks that it becomes a problem because it's always the first thing they blame. At least when they blame your wifi router, you can plug directly into the modem and prove that's not the case.

Of course, I'm blessed. I've had fiber for about 5 years now and I've had to call tech support once. Lost the protect side of the ring and for some reason my phone line was on it (even though my internet never went down).

[cabletech94]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

In general, you'll want to rent your modem from your ISP. I know the monthly charge sucks but buying your own modem opens the door for your ISP to blame every little problem on you. By renting from your ISP, you'll get better support and be 100% sure it will work with their service.

As for your wifi router, I would recommend against spending big money unless you know what you are doing and/or know you need it. I have a Netgear R7800 running DD-WRT but that's more of an advanced thing. If you want simple and functional, I've been recommending Tenda routers for a while now. They're not expensive and they do the job. They seem to have reasonable coverage as well. The Tenda AC1200 model is particularly attractive because it's currently selling for around $40.

Can you give us a little more info about your setup? How many devices? Use cases, etc?

this guy gets it, he really does.

i can't speak for your isp, but mine will rent you a modem/router combo for an extra $10 a month. yes, i know, you all hate an extra $120 a year, and i get it.
think of it as an insurance plan. if the thing quits, it's replaced with no questions asked. in some cases you can go to the solutions store and change it out yourself (quickly) or wait a day for the tech to get scheduled.

and theres absolutely nothing wrong with buying your own either. its just how you like to live your own life. what works for me might not work for you.

good luck, drop me a line if you have any questions.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by cabletech94

this guy gets it, he really does.

i can't speak for your isp, but mine will rent you a modem/router combo for an extra $10 a month. yes, i know, you all hate an extra $120 a year, and i get it.
think of it as an insurance plan. if the thing quits, it's replaced with no questions asked. in some cases you can go to the solutions store and change it out yourself (quickly) or wait a day for the tech to get scheduled.

and theres absolutely nothing wrong with buying your own either. its just how you like to live your own life. what works for me might not work for you.

good luck, drop me a line if you have any questions.

Not only do they replace it if it fails, they replace it the next time they change protocols or standards too. That's usually a gamble worth taking IMO.

[cabletech94]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Not only do they replace it if it fails, they replace it the next time they change protocols or standards too. That's usually a gamble worth taking IMO.

if your isp is worth a shit, you are absolutely right. they want your business and with all the competition around, the good ones will fight for you. so to speak.

[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Can you give us a little more info about your setup? How many devices? Use cases, etc?

Devices using wifi:

Two tv's - using firestick, netflix, etc.
One computer
Two ipads/tablets

Typically, we have 2 devices, sometimes 3, going at once.

I think I'm mainly just concerned with a solid router so that a signal is broadcast throughout the house (basement, main, upper). I assume I'd want to set everything up on the main level.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by RockChalk

Devices using wifi:

Two tv's - using firestick, netflix, etc.
One computer
Two ipads/tablets

Typically, we have 2 devices, sometimes 3, going at once.

I think I'm mainly just concerned with a solid router so that a signal is broadcast throughout the house (basement, main, upper). I assume I'd want to set everything up on the main level.

That's not very many devices at all. You don't need a lot of bandwidth.

How many neighbors you have? Normally, I would recommend trying to provide 5Ghz coverage to as much of your house as possible and minimize use of 2.4Ghz because of lack of spectrum. But covering a 3-story house with one wifi router isn't always easy. A cheap dual-band router on the main floor with some standalone AP's to cover the upper and basement might be your best bet if you can run ethernet to central locations. Otherwise, you'd be extending via wifi, which isn't ideal.

[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

That's not very many devices at all. You don't need a lot of bandwidth.

How many neighbors you have? Normally, I would recommend trying to provide 5Ghz coverage to as much of your house as possible and minimize use of 2.4Ghz because of lack of spectrum. But covering a 3-story house with one wifi router isn't always easy. A cheap dual-band router on the main floor with some standalone AP's to cover the upper and basement might be your best bet if you can run ethernet to central locations. Otherwise, you'd be extending via wifi, which isn't ideal.

When you say standalone APs, I assume you are saying Access Points. That's as much as I know. What would I use for a standalone AP?

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by RockChalk

When you say standalone APs, I assume you are saying Access Points. That's as much as I know. What would I use for a standalone AP?

Most normal routers can function as an access point. The key, as he mentioned, is being able to have Ethernet running between them. If you don't have that, I wouldn't try going that route.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Most normal routers can function as an access point. The key, as he mentioned, is being able to have Ethernet running between them. If you don't have that, I wouldn't try going that route.

Exactly.

A wireless access point is basically a wireless base station with no router function. A lot of consumers have a "router" mode and an "AP" mode, so they can really function as both. You just don't want to hang another router off of your main router as that will cause issues like double NAT and firewall stuff.

The key is connecting them via cables. If you have relatively good electrical cable through your house, you could try power line adapters too.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Exactly.

A wireless access point is basically a wireless base station with no router function. A lot of consumers have a "router" mode and an "AP" mode, so they can really function as both. You just don't want to hang another router off of your main router as that will cause issues like double NAT and firewall stuff.

The key is connecting them via cables. If you have relatively good electrical cable through your house, you could try power line adapters too.

Mildly off topic, but if you run multiple APs, do you prefer to name them all the same and pretend like it's all one network or name them differently and let the device pick which one it wants? I've never really come up with a definitive answer to that one.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

That's not very many devices at all. You don't need a lot of bandwidth.

How many neighbors you have? Normally, I would recommend trying to provide 5Ghz coverage to as much of your house as possible and minimize use of 2.4Ghz because of lack of spectrum. But covering a 3-story house with one wifi router isn't always easy. A cheap dual-band router on the main floor with some standalone AP's to cover the upper and basement might be your best bet if you can run ethernet to central locations. Otherwise, you'd be extending via wifi, which isn't ideal.

It really just depends on the layout of the place, the building materials, and the amount of interference you're dealing with. I do fine in my place with a 5GHz signal, and mine's two floors plus a basement with a ~900 sq ft footprint. My router is close to center of the house on the upper floor, and I don't have trouble getting it all the way down in the basement. Mine's just an old N900 router, and it does fine.

Really, the best option might be to just find one locally that you can return without too much of a hassle and give it a try. If it doesn't work, consider something with more umph or a mesh system like Google WiFi. I've never had great luck with wireless repeaters, personally.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by DaFace

It really just depends on the layout of the place, the building materials, and the amount of interference you're dealing with. I do fine in my place with a 5GHz signal, and mine's two floors plus a basement with a ~900 sq ft footprint. My router is close to center of the house on the upper floor, and I don't have trouble getting it all the way down in the basement. Mine's just an old N900 router, and it does fine.

Really, the best option might be to just find one locally that you can return without too much of a hassle and give it a try. If it doesn't work, consider something with more umph or a mesh system like Google WiFi. I've never had great luck with wireless repeaters, personally.

Yeah, it all depends on environmentals. Placement of the router and antenna orientation make a big difference too simply because of the shape of the radiated signals.

Wireless repeaters automatically have your bandwidth even if they work. I don't personally like them.

[MTG#10]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

In general, you'll want to rent your modem from your ISP. I know the monthly charge sucks but buying your own modem opens the door for your ISP to blame every little problem on you. By renting from your ISP, you'll get better support and be 100% sure it will work with their service.

The savings over time is worth it. My ISP (Suddenlink) has never blamed any issues I've had on my modem over the years. **** modem rental charges.