Modem/router Help

Looking to upgrade my modem router combo to Docsis 3.1. I have noticed that Docsis 3.1 does really have modem router combos that I can find. I am upgrading my rosewill rnx-ac1300pce wireless card to a TP-Link WiFi 6 AX3000 PCIe as my connect has been unstable going from 10 to 36 mbps with constant disconnections. I am currently using a Arris sbg6900-ac modem router combo with spectrum. Trying to figured out if there is a modem router combo that supports docsis 3.1 and ax/wifi 6 that would be be expensive? I have also been thinking about switch to HTC fiber optics internet.

 

Then you need to wait until you decide as that will require a different modem.

I personally prefer a separate modem and a wireless router. That way, if one portion fails or becomes obsolete, I can replace just the modem or just the router. Since you are considering a different ISP, you might consider getting a new wifi 6 wireless router now. Then your modem later.

 

I have a two box solution also much like Digerati but with the very minor difference that my set up has a modem/router and a separate wireless access point (WAP).

Another reason being that I can pick the WAP which has reliable wireless functionality, which sometimes tends to be an issue.

 

Its the same thing with home audio gear for stereo or surround sound systems - separates vs integrated will always make for interesting debates.

 

It not my intent to be confrontational in any way but sometimes this statement is not entirely correct.

I use a (cheap) router, TPLink W9970 which has a great fibre modem but whose wifi capabilities are flaky to say the least. Not what I say, but what has been reported by many testers. As a consequence, I do not use that functionality.

Instead, I purchased another (cheap) WAP, Netgear R6120, which was reported as having great wifi as well as many other features that my TPLink's wifi did not have.

Very happy with that set up which I have been running for nearly 2 years.

 

Okay.

Not sure what you are being then but, yes, "technically" you are correct. "IF" everyone in the room agrees discrete audio components in a home audio stereo or surround sound system "can" (note I didn't say, 'will') provide superior audio reproduction versus having everything jammed into an integrated stereo or A/V receiver, then yes, any debate likely will not be interesting.

As far as your flaky WAP (wireless access point) in your "integrated" fiber modem , again, not sure your point because you simply illustrated mine. You perfectly illustrated how different network components within an integrated are not always created equal - that is, compromises in one area and/or another are typically common, usually as cost cutting measures.

BTW, that TD-W9970 "integrated device" is not a modem. It is not a router. It is being marketed as a "Modem Router" but even that is not technically accurate. The device is actually an "integrated" device, commonly called a "residential gateway" that incorporates a modem, a router, a 4-port Ethernet switch and a WAP - 4 discrete network devices that just happen to share one main circuit board, one case and one power supply. This is commonly done to save money, but also space as well as to make setup and operation easier and more convenient.

A "wireless modem", by the way is another (technically inaccurate) marketing term for an integrated device that includes a router, WAP and Ethernet switch. Add a modem and it becomes a "residential gateway". Some may include VoIP (voice over IP - Internet phone) too.

And of course your Netgear R6160 offers better wifi performance. As seen by the TDW9970 specs, its integrated WAP only supports 802.11n protocols up to 300Mbps. The Netgear AC1200, on the other hand - also an "integrated" device - supports the much better 802.11ac protocols up to 867 Mbps.

So both your examples are for integrated, not separate devices. And all you illustrated was that you had a entry level, less capable TP-Link. Had you initially purchased TP-Link's Archer VR2800, for example, it would have have blown the doors off that slower Netgear.

Or more to my point, had you purchased a separate or "discrete" router, separate modem, separate Ethernet switch and separate WAP on day one, you could have purchased the "top-of-the-line" of each component. Then if you later became unhappy with the wifi performance, you could have upgraded just the WAP. Or if just the router failed, you could replace just the router and not the entire integrated device.

It is like building your own PC using discrete components (choosing each, your own motherboard, graphics card, CPU, RAM, drives, power supply, monitor, etc.) versus buying a notebook the maker selects the components for you. If the graphics card dies in the PC, you buy a new graphics card. If the graphics solution dies in the notebook, you most likely will need to buy a whole new notebook. If you want to upgrade just the motherboard, you have lots of options in the PC. You have none in the notebook.

So again, it is the same with home audio gear. If you buy a separate input controller/pre-amp, separate power amp, and separate tuner, you can research each individually and buy the best of each, and upgrade each individually over time. Or you can buy an integrated device and expect compromises in one area or another, and very limited, likely no, upgrade options.

Seems like an interesting debate after all.

 

Digerati, I am well aware of the multiple functionality which is contained within a router this since my very first purchase of such a device in 2002/3 (Netgear DG824M) as a result of ADSL becoming available in my area.

As such and since then, I make use of the various functionality contained within such hardware and use them as required. I think that a two box solution is optimal but that is my own personal view based on experience and clutter.

I am only on 40/10 fibre which suits me fine for now and getting the very best modem, as a separate unit, is not going to make a blind bit of difference to my internet speed since I already sync and down / upload at the max rate available. The modem on my router is reliable, very rarely locks up, has great reviews even though it is budget hardware and the modem's chipset is also compatible with that of the telephony cabinet to which I am connected.

The Archer V2800 would have added nothing to my needs yet would have cost me nearly three times the price of my units at the time. In fact, other than the wifi transfer speeds between components it adds nothing, to me. It certainly isn't going to increase my internet speed over the wireless.

As you say it is akin to selecting components when building a new pc, which I do now with less frequency.

In my last recent desktop build, did I choose to have the latest and best graphics card(s) with a 1000w or 1200w psu? No, and for reason that I no longer game, or have other requirements that would justify such purchases and expense. So all of those items would have been a complete waste of money. I did though go for a Corsair RM650i Gold series psu because I believed that this was a sound move for various reasons that I am sure you are aware of.

At the end of the day to each his, or her, their own!

 

And here we are in complete agreement - as long as the "wireless router" has exterior and adjustable antennas. In terms of "clutter", for me the problem, while a factor, is not multiple devices taking up shelf space. The bigger problem for me is the multiple devices each require power and it typically is provided through a bulky AC/DC power block that takes up too much room, often covering more than one outlet - particularly on the back of a UPS. So for those in similar situations, I highly recommend these 18 inch spider extension cords. They are great!

FTR, I was not recommending you get the V2800. I was simply illustrating how integrated devices can have different capabilities because those capabilities where intentionally designed and built in to those specific boxes. In your case, 300Mbps vs 867Mbps vs 2167Mbps . And I posted that example in response to you suggesting it may not be fodder for debate over which is better, integrated or discrete components.

As far as the Archer V2800 specifically, you noted that your Netgear provided better wifi performance than your TP-Link and that's why you started using it. My point was the Archer would likely add even better performance than the Netgear.

That depends.
Maybe "you" specifically don't need more bandwidth now and that's fine. But more and more households have ever increasing numbers of wifi connected "smart" devices on their networks (TVs, notebooks, cell phones, Netflix/Hulu streamers, doorbells, lightbulbs, thermostats, etc.). And not everyone understands all those devices are competing for the same one or two bands (2.4GHz and/or 5GHz) of wifi space, and perhaps more significantly they are competing for their share of that "single" chunk Internet bandwidth.

If you live alone, maybe that Netgear is fine for you, today. But if there are multiple people in your household, the demands on your wifi network and on your Internet connection become even greater. This is particularly true these days if folks in your home are working and/or schooling from home, "zooming" with grandma, etc.

That's true - as long as they understand and take into account the true demands for all the devices on their network and all the users under their roof.