Modem/Wireless Router

[El Lobo]

Hey Modacity,

Moving into my new place on Monday and so I need to buy a new modem and wireless router. Any good suggestions would be much appreciated, I'm not exactly very "tech savvy."

:lobo:

EDIT: Minor stipulation, the modem must be on this (http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net/mydev.php?tier=1&h=0&d3=0&s=&so=&e=0&sc=1035) list.

[Amit]

I don't know too much about modems. I'd have to do some serious research on them before making any suggestions so I'll just suggest a router instead.

The router I currently use at home is the D-Link DIR-615 Wireless N router (http://www.dlink.ca/products/?pid=565). It works well for a medium-large home and it doesn't really get interference from other devices operating on the 2.4Ghz band. There are 4 Ethernet ports on the back for wired networking as well. There is a V2 version available, which has replaced the V1 (which I have). The V2 version supports a modification that allows you to monitor all bandwidth usage on the Local Area Network. This is a very handy feature for keeping your own record of bandwidth usage vs what your ISP is telling you. I wish I could use it, but the V1 version of the router is not supported and I'm not about to brick an excellent router to find out if it'll still work or not. The DIR-615 is quite affordable for a good router these days. Around $50 in Canada.

If you're interested in a router with 8 Ethernet ports and a USB port (for adding a printer or external hard drive to the network), then the D-Link DIR-632 (http://www.dlink.ca/products/?pid=767) is what you're looking for. At jsut $10 more than the DIR-615, this makes it an even better choice. It also takes up less space.

I don't trust Linksys routers. In the past they've been quite prone to frequent signal drops even in small areas where a full featured router should have 100% coverage and up time. I'm not encouraged by the semi-annual replacements of Linksys router lines either.

[Cortexian]

El Lobo, talk to your ISP they should provide you with a basic modem that you then connect to a router. I'm not a fan of the combo modem/routers out there and recommend using a separate modem + router combination.

[justin108]

Agree Free, routers are a dime a dozen, and the cable company charges out the ass for the combo in GA.

[jcap]

WARNING: LONGPOST AHEAD. READ ALL. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

Ok, I can help you very well here since I'm in the same boat myself right now with Comcast.

First, you should find out if DOCSIS 3.0 is available in your area. You don't need to call them to find out. Just go to Comcast's website and search for the available plans at your address. If they list the 50/10 plan for $115/mo, then DOCSIS 3.0 is in your area.

The reason you want to check, even if you are getting only a 15/3 plan, is because of PowerBoost. DOCSIS 1 and 2 are both only one channel. A channel supports a maximum bandwidth of around 30 Mbps. DOCSIS 3 supports multiple channels, and utilizes something called channel bonding. Channel bonding combines each of the available channels and uses the maximum amount of unused bandwidth to communicate on. This can give you a huge speed increase of up to 100 Mbps for a few seconds while downloading a file, and it can increase the speed and reliability of your connecting during peak usage hours. Since most modems are still DOCSIS 1 and 2, their communications are congesting the same common channel. With DOCSIS 3, you have multiple channels to communicate on.

Now, there's 4 modems in particular that I would recommend looking at.

1. Motorola SB5101U - This is the oldest and the least expensive modem out of the 4 I am recommending. It's also the most popular and it's gained a great reputation for being extremely reliable. It is only a DOCSIS 2 modem, but if you don't care about PowerBoost speeds and only want to spend $50 on a modem, then this is the best choice.

2. Motorola SB6121 - This modem is the newest of Motorola's modems. It's the DOCSIS 3 successor to the one above. It retails for about $90 to $100. While many people swear by this modem, others swear at the modem. There's been reports that the SB612x series gives very poor upload speeds (like 1/4 what you should be getting).

3. Cisco DPC3000 - I haven't heard any performance complaints about this modem, but there is one complaint: Comcast crippled the web interface. That's probably no big deal for you, but if you ever want to check on the logs of your modem's configuration (which most people don't even know about), it's password protected and no one knows the password yet.

4. Zoom 5341 - This is one of the highest recommended modems. It's reported to be stable and to achieve the highest speeds possible under your plan. It's also the least expensive DOCSIS 3 modem, at only about $80.

Personally, I'm trying to decide between the Cisco and the Zoom by next week. Both modems seem like great choices. However, the lack of logs in the Cisco modem is a real turn-off for me, since I really like to be able to kick the asses of customer service around when there's a problem.

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As for routers...

You have two options that you should consider:

(Both routers support multiple wireless channels and support 802.11n as well as gigabit ethernet on all ports.)

(Also, I am going to base my review on DD-WRT, since pretty much all home routers are the same shit unless you install custom firmware.)

1. The Asus N16 - This router is based on the Broadcom chipset and works 100% with DD-WRT. The Broadcom CPU is 480 MHz, which is the second fastest CPU in all home routers you'll find today. CPU speed isn't that much of a concern unless you're doing VPN tunneling or handling insane loads on the firewall, however. The price of this router can range from $80 to $100.

2. The Netgear WNDR3700 - This uses an Atheros chipset, which only works about 90% with DD-WRT. Mainly, VLAN support is crippled (which most people don't know about anyway). Wireless and everything works great. Some say that despite the lack of VLANs, this router is actually more reliable than the Asus N16. The CPU is clocked at 680MHz. I believe this router costs anywhere between $100 and $130, depending if there's any sales.

These two routers are really the most powerful ones you'll find without being ripped off by marketing gigs such as "GAMING ROUTERS" and stuff. I was actually looking into both of these due to their high acclamation, but since the CPUs can't support more than 10 Mbps of VPN traffic, I decided to build my own routers for $140 each that can handle 60 Mbps of VPN traffic. pfSense is fucking balls to the wall awesome.

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Also, here's a plug to just talk about how fucking horrible Comcast is as a company and a service provider. These cuntbag asshole douchebag motherfucking crooks first use false advertising to promote their plans. They promote them as, for example, "Up to 12/2 Mbps with PowerBoost." You can also click on the details link to read more about the plan, but they don't mention anything about what "with PowerBoost" actually means. Of course, I know what PowerBoost is, but what does it mean for that plan? Is it advertising the speed INCLUDING PowerBoost, or BEFORE PowerBoost? Well, after a call to their customer service, the rep told me that the advertised speed is supposedly including PowerBoost, and without PowerBoost you are paying for only 6/1. I don't know if this is totally accurate, since I've seen PowerBoost speeds of way more than 12/2, but it's what I've been told. Either way, it's still extremely deceptive since it's not clear what you are actually paying for.

So, let's talk about their service tiers. Comcast tries promoting how fast their downstream speed is, but they never want to talk about their upload...ever. Aside from their downstream being overpriced as it is, having an upload that is 1/10 of your download is ridiculous. Verizon FIOS offers 2 symmetrical tiers - 25/25 and 35/35. The cost of Verizon's 25/25 tier is $65/mo. The cost of Comcast's 12/2 is $60/mo. The maximum upload offered by even Comcast's MOST EXPENSIVE plan at $370/mo has a maximum upload of 10 Mbps. Verizon's middle tier (25/25) has better upstream than that.

Comcast also loves to get away with screwing businesses out of every penny they possibly can. First, these cunts charge about 50% more for businesses than residential. Verizon's prices are pretty much the same for business and residential service, differing by a few dollars sometimes (depending on offers). Comcast also LOVES to fuck you in the ass by locking you into a mandatory contract of either 1, 2, or 3 years. Your forced contract pretty much has you by the balls, even if you move to an area that Comcast does not service. If you move and Comcast isn't available in your new location, they'll still be able to throat-fuck you, since need to pay off the remainder of your contract. In addition to grabbing you by the balls, they like to shove their cocks down your throat by making you pay $50 to $200 for installation, even if you already have existing service at a location. For example, if you have residential service and you want to switch to business so you have a higher monthly data cap, you need to pay them to come over and screw your coaxial line into a piece of shit modem that they say you must use. The modem they provide is some SMC load of shit that is slow as fuck and can't handle even a handfull of simultaneous connections. The modem is also a piece of shit built-in router with options pre-date my router from 2000. Although Comcast tries to force you to use it, you can actually beat those lying sacks of shit and provide your own after the installer leaves. However, you are still charged a mandatory $6.00/mo rental fee for the SMC piece of shit regardless of whether you use the modem or not. Comcast, says you cannot return the modem to them, even if you aren't using it, to remove the rental fee from your bill. Even worse, if you are using the rental modem and it has a problem that is preventing you from either getting the speeds you are paying for or prevents you from getting online entirely, you will get a free replacement modem, but you must pay $50 for the service call for Comcast to replace it for you. Again, apparently it's too much work to swap a modem...something they let residential customers do all the time for free.

If you do actually subscribe to their service because you have no other viable alternatives (since no one would ever subject themselves to rape of this degree voluntarily), setting up service is not as simple as simply placing an order over the phone or internet and setting an installation date. Nope. The first step is to schedule a mandatory site survey. Before they even schedule it, however, you must sign a contract for service. The site survey can take up to a week to complete. Even if coax is already available and connected on site, you must go through this process. Once the survey is completed, they schedule an installation date that can take up to 3 additional weeks to complete the order. When I had FiOS installed last year, I placed the order and had service installed in two days. There wasn't even existing fiber optic wiring for FiOS, except for the ONT outside. Bravo, Verizon.

Comcast tries to validate their scam by claiming they offer free antivirus, free web hosting, free Sharepoint, and free email accounts. Well, the antivirus software they provide is Norton - like you really need your asshole abused more. Their web hosting is only 10 MB of web storage and supports no more than 100 MB of data transfer per month. If you want anything remotely resembling a real website, they'll charge you between $25-80 MORE per month for something that is still substantially less than what DreamHost offers for $9/mo. The Sharepoint service they offer is only good for 3 users and it's the SAME COMPLETELY FREE SOFTWARE MICROSOFT OFFERS (SharePoint 3, not the SharePoint 2010 expensive enterprise version). As for the free email accounts, you can sign your business up for Google Apps for Businesses for FREE, and get everything awesome that Google offers including 8 GB of storage per user. Additional users for Google Apps are also only like $50 per year, opposed to Comcast's cost of $7/mo (or $84 per year).

Comcast can blow it out their ass.

[Cortexian]

1. The Asus N16 - This router is based on the Broadcom chipset and works 100% with DD-WRT. The Broadcom CPU is 480 MHz, which is the second fastest CPU in all home routers you'll find today. CPU speed isn't that much of a concern unless you're doing VPN tunneling or handling insane loads on the firewall, however. The price of this router can range from $80 to $100.
I also recommend this router, most likely going to upgrade to it when I can afford to do so. Upgrading my internet from 7.5 Mbps/512 Kbps to 50 Mbps/2.5Mbps (50/5 in February once ISP fully implements the new plans).