Alternatives to provided routers

[#1]

Can anyone recommend a decent router that I could buy myself as an alternative to the provided Hubs and which work well with PN FTTC?

My current Hub One has been flaky recently. I have a new one that I tried to install yesterday but ran into issues. The biggest pain with the Hubs is their lack of configurability - especially the DNS addresses. With all my devices except my phone I have had to set DNS locally as everything was struggling to connect va the PN DNS a couple of years ago. My phone doesn't allow me to set a local DNS and that still has issues via WiFi that I don't see with 4G so I am sure the problem is still there.

Another thing I miss is a lack of guest WiFi.

So I am not looking for anything too advanced - just one that is not quite so dumb. The main criteria are reliability, working solidly, good WiFi. Not necessarily looking to do it on the cheap - I'll spend extra for quality as I need this to be reliable for work.

[#2]

Depends on your budget, TP-Link modem/routers are worth a look,

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/dsl-modem-router/ 

Dan

[#3]

I use a Fritzbox 7530 on PN which I am pleased with for FTTC stability & speed - a steady 36Mb for months on end - plus a meshed repeater. Caters for guest access, Voip, dect phones, and much more.

[#4]

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@Dan_the_Van wrote:

Depends on your budget, TP-Link modem/routers are worth a look,

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/dsl-modem-router/ 

Dan

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Thanks. I've owned various TP-Link devices like portable hotspots and homeplugs, and they seem to have been decent enough.

[#5]

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@mavison wrote:

I use a Fritzbox 7530 on PN which I am pleased with for FTTC stability & speed - a steady 36Mb for months on end - plus a meshed repeater. Caters for guest access, Voip, dect phones, and much more.

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Thanks! Not a brand I have come across before but from what I can see they get good reviews. I will look into them a bit more.

[#6]

@uvavu 

Although not cheap Fitzbox have a good reputation. They also have an eco system built around them if you want things like Mesh, VOIP etc.

Zen Internet supply a Fitzbox as their standard router (not certain which model -  I think there's a newer one than the 7530). They may also be the best place to buy one. If buying elsewhere make sure you get a UK model.

Brian

[#7]

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@bmc wrote:

@uvavu 

Zen Internet supply a Fitzbox as their standard router (not certain which model -  I think there's a newer one than the 7530). They may also be the best place to buy one. If buying elsewhere make sure you get a UK model.

Brian

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I was supplied with the 7530 13 months back when I moved, but I think new customers get a later version, although I've found my model to be extremely reliable. They are a little bit harder to follow than the Hubs, but have excellent documentation.

[#8]

FWIW - I don't think you can go wrong with most models from any of the following manufacturers

• Tp-Link
• Asus
• Netgear
• Linksys
• Draytek
• Billion
• eero Amazon
• D-Link
• Huawei (as long as you don't mind Chinese spyware...lol)

It will just be down to how much you want to pay and for what features. E.g., WiFi 6/6e? Mesh ?

[#9]

Just catching up with new posts. I got my new Hub working so the pressure is off to buy anything quickly. I will take some time now to research options based on the suggestions here.

Thanks all.

[#10]

TP Link get my vote as well.
I used one for FTTC and bought another one when I upgraded to FTTP.
Neither of them have missed a heartbeat and the new one supports WiFi 6 which is handy if you have any devices that can use it.

[#11]

My 2.5 year old Fritz!Box 7530 finally gave up the ghost yesterday ( presumably because of the heat in my loft ) and for the time being I've re-commected my Hub One. It's very noticeable how poor the Wi-Fi is downstairs now.

If the Fritz!Box 7530 was still available I think I'd buy another but I can only find the Fritz!Box 7530ax at a price that is too rich for my liking.

I was looking at a TP Link AC2800 but I'm trying to get an idea from people with experience of it what the strengths and weaknesses are.

[#12]

I've found TP-Link devices to work well, if you follow this link you can see what the devices GUI offers.

https://emulator.tp-link.com/VR2800V1_Emulator_2017042605/index.htm 

Has a VPN Server built in is a handy feature. 

HTH 

[#13]

Thanks for that link. Covers pretty much everything I wanted to know. I suppose that Wi-Fi functionality depends very much on local conditions but presumably better than the Hub One.

[#14]

I suppose that Wi-Fi functionality depends very much on local conditions

Absolutely, wireless connections are subject to many variables

Dan 

[#15]

i.e. the only reliable comparison is where different routers are used in the same location e.g. I know that my Fritz!Box performed better than the Hub One 😁