Modem/Router suggestions

[Gilletter]

Hello, shamefully it's been awhile since I've been around, life got crazy busy! I'm currently looking to replace a modem and router, Netgear c7000v2, that intermittently loses input signal and requires a hard reset. The other aspect is that I have a two-story home with a finished basement (approximately 3000 sq. ft.) and the signal to the basement is virtually non-existent. I'm looking for suggestions that I can replace it with that has good reach and strong signal over wifi. We do a lot of streaming and gaming in a house with 8 people, I have 1 gig service, and need a good reliable product. Thank you in advance for any assistance!

 

[Bill_Bright]

Do you really need to replace both the router and the modem? I use and recommend separates. In that way, if the modem fails (or your ISP requires you upgrade - happened to me), you only have to replace the modem. Or if you want to upgrade your wireless router, you only have to upgrade that.

You essentially have a 3 story home. Ideally you want the wireless access point in the middle of the middle. But wireless is greatly affected by the barriers (walls, floors and ceilings). "Empty" wallboard walls with 2x4 wood studs impact wifi performance much less than walls full of wires and metal pipes. Poured concrete or concrete blocks impact much more. Then things like metal file cabinets and big refrigerators matter too. You might do well looking into a mesh system.

I recommend you start by looking on your ISP's website. They usually provide a list of compatible devices. For sure, if you have multiple people streaming content at the same time, you will want a device that supports a lot of bandwidth.

 

[Gilletter]

Do you really need to replace both the router and the modem? I use and recommend separates. In that way, if the modem fails (or your ISP requires you upgrade - happened to me), you only have to replace the modem. Or if you want to upgrade your wireless router, you only have to upgrade that.

You essentially have a 3 story home. Ideally you want the wireless access point in the middle of the middle. But wireless is greatly affected by the barriers (walls, floors and ceilings). "Empty" wallboard walls with 2x4 wood studs impact wifi performance much less than walls full of wires and metal pipes. Poured concrete or concrete blocks impact much more. Then things like metal file cabinets and big refrigerators matter too. You might do well looking into a mesh system.

I recommend you start by looking on your ISP's website. They usually provide a list of compatible devices. For sure, if you have multiple people streaming content at the same time, you will want a device that supports a lot of bandwidth.

The unit I have now is a combo router and modem, so to replace I'd need to do both. I can do either a combo unit or two separate units.

 

[Bill_Bright]

It would be easier to replace your current combo, but I am sure you don't have. Admittedly, I have not read the manual for your unit, but typically, you can split the functions. Up to you - for sure. I just personally like more options so that means separates. But separates do cost more and typically are a little harder to set up.

You say it loses "input signal". Input from where to where? Your devices scattered about the house? From your ISP?

And to clarify, I am not suggesting you buy (or rent) from your ISP. But most maintain lists of compatible devices you can buy elsewhere and then connect to their network. I refuse to rent and I would not recommend buying from an ISP unless their prices were competitive - and I've never seen that.

 

[1freedude]

Taking a slightly illuminated guess and saying you have Spectrum.

Spectrum.net

Sign in to your Spectrum account for the easiest way to view and pay your bill, watch TV, manage your account and more.

www.spectrum.net

Look there to see recommendations/requirements.

@BarbaricSoul

Maybe you can chime in. Did you ever get your setup going?

 

[Gilletter]

It would be easier to replace your current combo, but I am sure you don't have. Admittedly, I have not read the manual for your unit, but typically, you can split the functions. Up to you - for sure. I just personally like more options so that means separates. But separates do cost more and typically are a little harder to set up.

You say it loses "input signal". Input from where to where? Your devices scattered about the house? From your ISP?

And to clarify, I am not suggesting you buy (or rent) from your ISP. But most maintain lists of compatible devices you can buy elsewhere and then connect to their network. I refuse to rent and I would not recommend buying from an ISP unless their prices were competitive - and I've never seen that.

Thank you for your response. To clarify, the input from the coaxial cable. When that happens I have to power cycle the device and it works again. But the fact that it keeps doing it tells me there is an issue with the board intermittently. I don't mind cost of doing separate components, I just had the last one from an emergency buy for WFH after my last one died. My ISP is breezeline. I'd buy from wherever I could find the best deal, I kind of enjoy the thrill of finding a better deal, so it will help me adhd hyper fixate on it. If you have a recommendation to look into for either a dual unit or a separate router and modem. Ideally like I said for longer range option to help get the basement signal better, and allow for good stream quality. Currently the wifi issues cause me to not be able to use things like PlayStation plus streaming or game pass streaming.

Taking a slightly illuminated guess and saying you have Spectrum.

Spectrum.net

Sign in to your Spectrum account for the easiest way to view and pay your bill, watch TV, manage your account and more.

www.spectrum.net

Look there to see recommendations/requirements.

@BarbaricSoul

Maybe you can chime in. Did you ever get your setup going?

I'm on breezeline - guess I could go look on their site, not sure why I didn't think of that myself lol... I'm still open to other recommendations as well!

 

[DirtyDingusMcgee]

Netgear is fine. Get one of the nighthawk cable modems and a mesh kit.

CM1200 modem is on sale at netgear site, and it's on comapatible list for your ISP. Orbi 770 mesh kits are really nice.

 

[Bill_Bright]

To clarify, the input from the coaxial cable.

That would be the modem side, not the router. You can verify this next time it happens by checking to see if you can still access the router with your browser, or see other devices on your network.

But the fact that it keeps doing it tells me there is an issue with the board intermittently.

No. It does not suggest that. It could easily be the cable to your modem and/or the cable "drop" entering your home. You sure don't want to spend money on a new device only to have the problem still there because the problem is the cable somewhere.

So first, make sure the coax cable is securely connected to your modem, and not damaged. Typically, with cable internet there will be a splitter (similar to a Y connector) in the coax cable somewhere with one side going to the modem, the other feeding cable TV to the rest of the house.

If you don't have cable TV, you want to come directly from the ISP to your modem. That is, no splitters, no splices. One solid cable from the drop where the cable enters your home to your modem.

If you have cable TV too, you want the smallest splitter necessary feeding your modem from your ISP. That is a single "2-way" (1 input, 2 outputs) splitter, one side going to the modem, the other feeding the rest of your house for your TV(s).

Some older homes may have 3-way or 4-way splitters or even have multiple splitters from the drop to the modem. What is critical to note is with every split, the signal strength from the ISP is divided in the splitter(s) even if the other sides of the splitter are not being used. TVs (or cable boxes) don't normally have a problem with that. But modems like a very strong signal strength.

These splitters may even be hiding in a closet, the attic or basement or on the outside of the house, exposed to the elements. If possible, follow the cable from the modem all the way back to where the cable enters the home. If there are splitters, check to ensure all connections on all the splitters are tight too. Note the splitters located outside can go bad over time as they become weathered. Inspect the labels on the splitters. If you encounter a 3-way or 4-way splitter, but only need a 2-way, replace it. If you don't need a splitter, remove it and (for now) use a barrel connector. Eventually, you should replace the entire cable to get an uninterrupted run, if possible.

Also, if you live in an older home that was wired for cable TV long ago, the splitters may be outdated - designed for less bandwidth than needed today for cable Internet. If you need to use a splitter and the current one is old, I recommend one rated for at least 2000MHz or one like this one.

For now, next time you experience this problem, I recommend you contact your ISP. They can check the line to your modem for proper continuity from their end. You need to verify it really is your modem before spending money on a new one.

 

[Shrek]

Another reason to keep the modem and Wi-Fi separate is that one can only control firmware updates on the later.

I would follow the modem recommendations of breezeline and not deviate
Device Help - Breezeline Support

In my case (Spectrum) the modem is included in the fees and is not separate although the Wi-Fi has a monthly charge
so I use my own Wi-Fi router.

 

[TheLostSwede]

I have one of these and it hasn't missed a beat. Don't have a huge place now, but it covers 100 square meters easily and that's with the reduced transmit power that routers have in Europe, so it should have even better range in the US.

ROG Rapture GT-AX6000 | Gaming networking｜ROG - Republic of Gamers｜ROG Sverige

Dual-Band WiFi 6 Gaming Router, Dual 2.5G WAN/LAN ports, enhanced hardware, WAN aggregation, VPN Fusion, Triple-Level Game Acceleration, free network security and Mesh WiFi System

rog.asus.com

This is a bit less "gamur" looking design with a plainer UI/UX, but it might cost more. Mostly the same hardware, although it seems to get more frequent firmware updates.

https://www.asus.com/networking-iot-servers/wifi-routers/asus-gaming-routers/rt-ax88u-pro/

If you want something that might be cheaper and that supports OpenWRT, this might be worth a look.

Flint 2 (GL-MT6000) | High-Performance VPN Router

Experience blazing-fast VPN speeds and full OpenWrt customization with Flint 2, our best Wi-Fi 6 router yet. A new realm of power, freedom, and security.

www.gl-inet.com

 

[eidairaman1]

I would consider the main modem upstairs and then a wifi router on the 1st or in basement. Hard wired

 

[Bill_Bright]

Hard wired

Agreed. I always go hardwired when possible. But of course, it is not always possible, especially if renting and drilling holes through walls, floors and ceilings would not be appreciated by the owner.

 

[Gilletter]

Sorry - I didn't think to mention it, I tested the coaxial cable, it had good continuity and resistance was 2 ohms. I've lived in my house 2 years now, the wire appears to be newer as well (again, not a real indicator) and I assume it was installed in the last few years before I purchased this house. I also went in and checked the signal strength in the config settings in the modem and all checked out. I mean, it still could have an intermittent thing issue, but I'm like 80/20 in the modem just giving up. I haven't pulled it apart, really don't care to get that deep into it, maybe after I replace it and get some down time I'll tear it open and look at the guts and do a root cause analysis.

You really went into it deep and I appreciate it, I have to assume you work in the industry?

That would be the modem side, not the router. You can verify this next time it happens by checking to see if you can still access the router with your browser, or see other devices on your network.


No. It does not suggest that. It could easily be the cable to your modem and/or the cable "drop" entering your home. You sure don't want to spend money on a new device only to have the problem still there because the problem is the cable somewhere.

So first, make sure the coax cable is securely connected to your modem, and not damaged. Typically, with cable internet there will be a splitter (similar to a Y connector) in the coax cable somewhere with one side going to the modem, the other feeding cable TV to the rest of the house.

If you don't have cable TV, you want to come directly from the ISP to your modem. That is, no splitters, no splices. One solid cable from the drop where the cable enters your home to your modem.

If you have cable TV too, you want the smallest splitter necessary feeding your modem from your ISP. That is a single "2-way" (1 input, 2 outputs) splitter, one side going to the modem, the other feeding the rest of your house for your TV(s).

Some older homes may have 3-way or 4-way splitters or even have multiple splitters from the drop to the modem. What is critical to note is with every split, the signal strength from the ISP is divided in the splitter(s) even if the other sides of the splitter are not being used. TVs (or cable boxes) don't normally have a problem with that. But modems like a very strong signal strength.

These splitters may even be hiding in a closet, the attic or basement or on the outside of the house, exposed to the elements. If possible, follow the cable from the modem all the way back to where the cable enters the home. If there are splitters, check to ensure all connections on all the splitters are tight too. Note the splitters located outside can go bad over time as they become weathered. Inspect the labels on the splitters. If you encounter a 3-way or 4-way splitter, but only need a 2-way, replace it. If you don't need a splitter, remove it and (for now) use a barrel connector. Eventually, you should replace the entire cable to get an uninterrupted run, if possible.

Also, if you live in an older home that was wired for cable TV long ago, the splitters may be outdated - designed for less bandwidth than needed today for cable Internet. If you need to use a splitter and the current one is old, I recommend one rated for at least 2000MHz or one like this one.

For now, next time you experience this problem, I recommend you contact your ISP. They can check the line to your modem for proper continuity from their end. You need to verify it really is your modem before spending money on a new one.

Another reason to keep the modem and Wi-Fi separate is that one can only control firmware updates on the later.

I would follow the modem recommendations of breezeline and not deviate
Device Help - Breezeline Support

In my case (Spectrum) the modem is included in the fees and is not separate although the Wi-Fi has a monthly charge
so I use my own Wi-Fi router.

I know when I moved here, when I called to start service and I gave them my information on the modem, I was told is was supported at that time, I will have to check and see if that's outdated now.

I would consider the main modem upstairs and then a wifi router on the 1st or in basement. Hard wired

in due time I want it all hardwired in. I plan on slowly adding conduit to each room and installing wall jacks. I like wifi for little devices but prefer a wired connection where I can.

Agreed. I always go hardwired when possible. But of course, it is not always possible, especially if renting and drilling holes through walls, floors and ceilings would not be appreciated by the owner.

This is the way. I just ran into too many other things pulling for my time and money after buying this house. It was just a whirlwind of skullduggery and just a madhouse with work, home, extra curricular activities

 

[Bill_Bright]

You really went into it deep and I appreciate it, I have to assume you work in the industry?

Only since 1972 - so I'm still learning.

 

[1freedude]

One more check to do on the coax cable---check resistance from shield to center conductor. Should not be a number close to 0. How did you do the first test to get 2 Ohms?

Ideally, you would put a 75 Ohm resistive load on one end, then run a VNA at the different frequencies your provider uses from the other end. I would do this on all segments of coax with junctions, then without the junctions, based on the readings I saw on the entire run.

An unterminated coax cable, that is, one with a connector, but not connected to anything, can act like a tiny antenna, picking up SHF and high UHF freqs. That will throw the receive radio in modem for a loop if its filtering is not spot on. Apparently, 5g cell freqs are detrimental to cable subscribers, if those waves hit the center conductor.

 

[eidairaman1]

Sorry - I didn't think to mention it, I tested the coaxial cable, it had good continuity and resistance was 2 ohms. I've lived in my house 2 years now, the wire appears to be newer as well (again, not a real indicator) and I assume it was installed in the last few years before I purchased this house. I also went in and checked the signal strength in the config settings in the modem and all checked out. I mean, it still could have an intermittent thing issue, but I'm like 80/20 in the modem just giving up. I haven't pulled it apart, really don't care to get that deep into it, maybe after I replace it and get some down time I'll tear it open and look at the guts and do a root cause analysis.

You really went into it deep and I appreciate it, I have to assume you work in the industry?



I know when I moved here, when I called to start service and I gave them my information on the modem, I was told is was supported at that time, I will have to check and see if that's outdated now.


in due time I want it all hardwired in. I plan on slowly adding conduit to each room and installing wall jacks. I like wifi for little devices but prefer a wired connection where I can.

This is the way. I just ran into too many other things pulling for my time and money after buying this house. It was just a whirlwind of skullduggery and just a madhouse with work, home, extra curricular activities

2013-2014 I worked for ma belle installing uverse over utp, or coax, the coax had to be grade 6, i did alot of fixing on old account numbers over hpna (coax) or balun setup due to managers who were former techs not correctly installing and crimping the f connectors on. There were times i put in coax hpna to ethernet adapters to resolve bitmapping/glitching in the signal, that gave them a ethernet port without having to run cat 5e+ which is a pita to do. Many crawl spaces I could not fit into being 6 ft and as wide as the front door and a big rib cage.

I gave up that work in 14 because of how fucking thankless it was by toxic management and many spoiled customers, and waking up with my shoulder blades and neck seized up.

Respect goes both ways, if they dont respect me, I won't respect them, they can fuck off at that point and I've returned jobs over it.

If you can run the wires yourself great otherwise hire a reputable contactor who does that stuff for a living. And make sure it doesnt run over any electrical wires due to inductance from them which will interfere with data xfer over the cat 5e+

 

[Gilletter]

2013-2014 I worked for ma belle installing uverse over utp, or coax, the coax had to be grade 6, i did alot of fixing on old account numbers over hpna (coax) or balun setup due to managers who were former techs not correctly installing and crimping the f connectors on. There were times i put in coax hpna to ethernet adapters to resolve bitmapping/glitching in the signal, that gave them a ethernet port without having to run cat 5e+ which is a pita to do. Many crawl spaces I could not fit into being 6 ft and as wide as the front door and a big rib cage.

I gave up that work in 14 because of how fucking thankless it was by toxic management and many spoiled customers, and waking up with my shoulder blades and neck seized up.

Respect goes both ways, if they dont respect me, I won't respect them, they can fuck off at that point and I've returned jobs over it.

If you can run the wires yourself great otherwise hire a reputable contactor who does that stuff for a living. And make sure it doesnt run over any electrical wires due to inductance from them which will interfere with data xfer over the cat 5e+

Sounds like why I left the automotive field as a tech and then manager.

 

[eidairaman1]

Sounds like why I left the automotive field as a tech and then manager.

Yeah I won't work on cars for a living too small. I work on my truck and friends vehicles if it's something I know I can do, I don't have an air compressor, or a lift and I live in an apartment. I have my A&P and landing gear overhaul is my bread n butter, go there and come back no driving all over the place either...

 

[Gilletter]

One more check to do on the coax cable---check resistance from shield to center conductor. Should not be a number close to 0. How did you do the first test to get 2 Ohms?

Ideally, you would put a 75 Ohm resistive load on one end, then run a VNA at the different frequencies your provider uses from the other end. I would do this on all segments of coax with junctions, then without the junctions, based on the readings I saw on the entire run.

An unterminated coax cable, that is, one with a connector, but not connected to anything, can act like a tiny antenna, picking up SHF and high UHF freqs. That will throw the receive radio in modem for a loop if its filtering is not spot on. Apparently, 5g cell freqs are detrimental to cable subscribers, if those waves hit the center conductor.

I can't remember where I looked it up, but I unscrewed the end that goes into the modem and pushed it through the wall of my bedroom and unhooked the cable from where is was jammed under the siding and took the DMM on continuity and touched both center conductors and it gave a nice audible beep. I flipped the meter to 20 ohm and it read 1.9 and was bouncing up and down by .1, which for the length of 150 ft, it said I think 1.8 ohms. I did not test the shield for it just the center conductor.

 

[1freedude]

Now, same dmm settings, same cable disconnected on both ends, touch shield and center. Same end, you dont need to go to opposite ends. Should be open

 

[mechtech]

Hello, shamefully it's been awhile since I've been around, life got crazy busy! I'm currently looking to replace a modem and router, Netgear c7000v2, that intermittently loses input signal and requires a hard reset. The other aspect is that I have a two-story home with a finished basement (approximately 3000 sq. ft.) and the signal to the basement is virtually non-existent. I'm looking for suggestions that I can replace it with that has good reach and strong signal over wifi. We do a lot of streaming and gaming in a house with 8 people, I have 1 gig service, and need a good reliable product. Thank you in advance for any assistance!

My home isn't quite that big, but it is a 2-story and was built in 80's so walls everywhere and no open concept.

When I was on cable/coax, I put the gateway (combo router/modem) into bridge mode so it was basically a modem only. The router I put between the main floor joists from the basement (since there is a drop cieling) roughly center of the home and every router I have had has no issue reaching around the place. Obviously when youre at the furthest corners of the house you lose a bar, maybe 2 but functions fine.

edit - if you log into your modem/gateway you should be able to view your channel dbm losses/gain. If you think the cable/coax is an issue a tech could come out and test as well.

 

[Gilletter]

My home isn't quite that big, but it is a 2-story and was built in 80's so walls everywhere and no open concept.

When I was on cable/coax, I put the gateway (combo router/modem) into bridge mode so it was basically a modem only. The router I put between the main floor joists from the basement (since there is a drop cieling) roughly center of the home and every router I have had has no issue reaching around the place. Obviously when youre at the furthest corners of the house you lose a bar, maybe 2 but functions fine.

edit - if you log into your modem/gateway you should be able to view your channel dbm losses/gain. If you think the cable/coax is an issue a tech could come out and test as well.

I ended up putting it in modem only, ordered the tp-linl deco 6e 2 pack mesh routers... my cellphone on wifi hit 830 Mbps down... I think I'm good for now! i