Sonic
Sonic UberDork
12/20/24 10:30 a.m.

We just changed internet providers and now have gigabit.  Yay.  
 

My current hardware is due for an upgrade, both modem and WiFi router are over 10 years old.  Modem is an old Docsis 3.0 Motorola surfboard, WiFi/router is an Apple AirPort Extreme 802.11ac. 
 

Use case is two people, sometimes working at home and on dueling zoom/teams call and also doing other web based work at the same time.   Occasional streaming. No real gaming to speak of these days, but we do have a racing sim rig we don't use currently, that would be it.  The house isn't that big, 2000ft2 2 story, no issues with weak signal or dead spots now with the Airport, though the router is in one corner of the house.  
 

Any recommendations on new hardware? I know I need a Docsis 3.1 and WiFi6.  Is there an all in one that will do everything, or do I need separate modem and WiFi/router? 
 

 

1988RedT2
1988RedT2 MegaDork
12/20/24 10:48 a.m.

Dunno if all in one is thing.  Any new cable modem and WiFi6 router should do what you need it to do.

I've long used Motorola Surfboard for modem, current router is a TP-Link AX-11000 from Costco that's been good.

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/20/24 10:56 a.m.

Separate "modem" + router is a perfectly good solution, maybe a better one. I tend to go with whatever the newest good value-for-money (separate) router is that supports OpenWRT, which is not only good for enabling advanced features but also for better stability and future firmware updates. The TP-Link Archer C7 was a favorite for 802.11ac, I haven't found a go-to for Wifi 6 yet.

Wifi 6 would be good but 802.11ac still isn't bad these days. You'll need very new devices to take advantage of Wifi 6 speeds. On the wired side, you probably have all 1GbE-rated equipment at this point but moving to 2.5GbE may be practical these days and could be useful for running high-bandwidth LAN-to-LAN traffic and Internet traffic at the same time. Remember that if it doesn't move, wire it up. That not only gives the device a faster more reliable connection, but reduces wireless traffic for the devices that need it.

MiniDave
MiniDave Dork
12/20/24 11:01 a.m.

Are your end use devices capable of gigabit speeds? Even my newest laptop isn't.....

Doesn't your gigabite provider insist on using their modem? Google provides mine, it and the router are in one box - works a treat since the day they put it in. Spendy, but we sure like the speed and reliability!

Stampie
Stampie GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/20/24 11:08 a.m.

In reality you really won't notice the difference.  For most people streaming videos is the hardest hit on their internet.  You need about 10-15Mb for each stream.  Most households will be just fine with 100Mb service.  Not like Gb service will make your porn play faster.

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/20/24 11:22 a.m.

In reply to Stampie :

True, with two users it will be hard to notice without running 4K or higher resolution streams or doing large file transfers.

I was having another look at OpenWRT-compatible Wifi 6 routers and it looks like the Asus AX6000 is still the best option, and it's fairly expensive.

Sonic
Sonic UberDork
12/20/24 11:50 a.m.

Our devices individually are not capable, but we have been having significant issues with dual zoom meetings with buffering and dropped connections, hence the change in service providers.  

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/20/24 12:08 p.m.

In reply to Sonic :

An improvement in reliability should help with that a lot more than any improvement in speed. In my area people with Rogers connections have the same problem because the connection lags badly or drops packets for a few seconds pretty frequently. But the bandwidth is fine, when it works. It seems that every area has at least one ISP that's cheap, popular, and terrible.

z31maniac
z31maniac MegaDork
12/21/24 4:42 p.m.

That's a bummer. AT&T made fiber available in the summer in our neighborhood after months of running/burying cables. 

Free modem/WiFi router, free install including running and burying the cable from the hub. It works well enough throughout the house I haven't bothered upgrading my Amplifi setup to handle the faster speeds, I just use their modem/router combo. I used to have separate modem + Amplifi router with two booster points. 

With AT&T combo unit it isn't needed. I'm currently in the living room with the better half streaming some 4k show. 

Speedtest.net just showed 590 Mbps down, 610 Mbps up over WiFi. And we only pay for the 500 down not the full 1 gb. And it's about $65/month cheaper than Cox was for slower, less reliable service.

 

EDIT: We also both work from home and don't have issues with Zoom meetings, downloading multiple large repositories at the same while having meetings, etc. 

You'll need to log in to post.

Our Preferred Partners
HxXw4gJo9R3hWLwlKBgTRNtQxrjPEurogEoXUlYebRaL7NVqEtH9TdqE5V8r5hmL