Need help with getting router, wired or wi fi .

[Lola]

Guys I run Linux Ubuntu 16.4, 8GB ram, 2 TB hard drive.

I need a decent router but don't actually know if I need to just wire the GB lan port (I have lots of Cat6) to my TV or get a wireless router. Currently I rent Verizons D-link DSL 2750B router, $25.00 router and $10.00 a month to rent !!!!
I have Verizon for phone and a DSL line with download speed up to 3Mb/s, upload is under 1Mb. I know it's not very fast but it it's costing me $50.00 a month for DSL
Will a really good router help in downloading speed from Internet, because I like to watch movies, but don't really know. I would think the download speed I get is my limiting factor, is this correct?

As you can see I, am not Router savvy yet but I'm getting there. Do you see my problem! I was going to buy the Asus 88U but I think all that power is for lots of clients and I just need my TV taken care of by downloading to it from YouTube movies.
Can you help?

 

[yorgi]

Guys I run Linux Ubuntu 16.4, 8GB ram, 2 TB hard drive.

I need a decent router but don't actually know if I need to just wire the GB lan port (I have lots of Cat6) to my TV or get a wireless router. Currently I rent Verizons D-link DSL 2750B router, $25.00 router and $10.00 a month to rent !!!!
I have Verizon for phone and a DSL line with download speed up to 3Mb/s, upload is under 1Mb. I know it's not very fast but it it's costing me $50.00 a month for DSL
Will a really good router help in downloading speed from Internet, because I like to watch movies, but don't really know. I would think the download speed I get is my limiting factor, is this correct?

As you can see I, am not Router savvy yet but I'm getting there. Do you see my problem! I was going to buy the Asus 88U but I think all that power is for lots of clients and I just need my TV taken care of by downloading to it from YouTube movies.
Can you help?

Buying an 88U is always a good move because you have the capabilities of upgrading to higher speeds in the future and this router can do it without any problems. Weather you have super high speeds or low speeds you still need a router that is stable and won't give you problems after a week of running.
If I where you I would skip the rentals and get yourself a faster speed with some other service provider. Like DSL or Cable.
3mb/s download is very slow and you will never be able to stream anything on your TV
I am still unclear if you are using DSL or your Phones internet for your ISP.

 

[RogerSC]

Yes, your current download speed will become an issue for streaming from the internet. However, you can stream a 780p high-def TV media with the speed that you have, like from Netflix. The D-Link that you currently have is a combined DSL modem and wireless router, that's what the term "gateway" means. Generally speaking, you will do better if you have a separate DSL modem and router. However, a router will not increase your download speed, your download speed is what it is from your ISP. You have a router now in your D-Link DSL gateway, so you can see that. You can slice up your internet bandwidth, you can use QoS to allocate it, but you're only going to get 3Mbps, router or no router. You would likely need to change ISP's to one that supplies broadband cable internet, like Comcast or Charter or TimeWarner or whatever, and then you can get your speed up some. Depends on what's available in your area. In my area, I can't get DSL faster than 768K, but my Comcast cable ISP gives me 200/10Mbps.

It isn't clear from your posting what you currently have. I'm assuming that the cat6 in your walls is connected to the D-Link gateway? You have a couple of choices if you want to add a router, and not use the router in your D-Link gateway. You can continue to rent the D-Link, and put it into "bridge" (transparent) mode so that it isn't doing any router functions at all and add a separate router. Or you can continue to use the D-Link as a DSL modem and wireless router and read about how to configure it. Or you could buy your own compatible DSL modem and stop renting the D-Link gateway, and then add a router as well that connects to the DSL. Personally, I bought a cable modem so that I don't have to rent a modem from Comcast, and have a router as well.

Generally speaking, using wireless for your internet on a TV will not be as good as using the wired connection from your router (cat6), so I would use the wired connection to the cat6 if you can. If you have more clients where your TV is to connect to the cat6 than you have outlets, you can use an ethernet "switch", which is use to share an ethernet connection between clients. Wireless varies quite a lot, and this can be a problem for streaming. A wired connection is a solid and constant connection, so is always preferable for streaming. Wireless is necessary for clients like phones and tablets that don't have wired connections. Or for portable clients like laptop computers where you want to move around with it a lot and wired connections are inconvenient.

As far as a router goes, at your current download speed, just about any good, solid router will serve your needs. I think that you should get a router, though, that will go faster than 3Mbps, since you may find an ISP that can do better than that for you sometime soon. So, personally, I'd be looking to a Netgear R6400 or R7000, or an Asus RT-AC68U so that you have good, strong wireless and room for growth in your internet bandwidth over the next few years. An Asus RT-AC88U is a lot more router than you need now, or may need for the foreseeable future.

Food for thought, questions are welcome!

 

[System Error Message]

that D-link isnt worth the rent. D-links are supposed to be cheap and you're paying $10 a month? sounds like a rip-off.

Get yourself a better router, many here can suggest models. Is the d-link a router or router+modem? Given your internet speed you have many many choices so you can even go for older routers too. What you need is a bit of QoS and your download speeds do restrict your usage.

Firstly see what your plan is, is it for 4Mb/s? What protocol does it use? Does it support ADSL2? (i remember before with an ADSL ISP i asked if they supported ADSL2 and they said yes so i tried all the ADSL protocols on the modem and only the most basic version of ADSL worked so it shows that they dont even know what they're talking about or just simply lying).

 

[Lola]

Buying an 88U is always a good move because you have the capabilities of upgrading to higher speeds in the future and this router can do it without any problems. Weather you have super high speeds or low speeds you still need a router that is stable and won't give you problems after a week of running.
If I where you I would skip the rentals and get yourself a faster speed with some other service provider. Like DSL or Cable.
3mb/s download is very slow and you will never be able to stream anything on your TV
I am still unclear if you are using DSL or your Phones internet for your ISP.

Thanks for the reply yorgi. I'm on Verizon with their DSL service. I haven't checked anywhere else yet but since they are charging that much for 3Mb/s download I expect Comcast (Cable company) will be asking the same. However I will take your advise and check it out.

Can you tell me this? At my current speed (3Mb down) will a faster router like the Asus 88U download faster or will it be stuck at the same speed like my current router?

Either way I'm going to get another Router of some kind so I don't have to pay that ridiculous rental fee that's half the cost of their router every month.

Yes, your current download speed will become an issue for streaming from the internet. However, you can stream a 780p high-def TV media with the speed that you have, like from Netflix. The D-Link that you currently have is a combined DSL modem and wireless router, that's what the term "gateway" means. Generally speaking, you will do better if you have a separate DSL modem and router. However, a router will not increase your download speed, your download speed is what it is from your ISP. You have a router now in your D-Link DSL gateway, so you can see that. You can slice up your internet bandwidth, you can use QoS to allocate it, but you're only going to get 3Mbps, router or no router. You would likely need to change ISP's to one that supplies broadband cable internet, like Comcast or Charter or TimeWarner or whatever, and then you can get your speed up some. Depends on what's available in your area. In my area, I can't get DSL faster than 768K, but my Comcast cable ISP gives me 200/10Mbps.

It isn't clear from your posting what you currently have. I'm assuming that the cat6 in your walls is connected to the D-Link gateway? You have a couple of choices if you want to add a router, and not use the router in your D-Link gateway. You can continue to rent the D-Link, and put it into "bridge" (transparent) mode so that it isn't doing any router functions at all and add a separate router. Or you can continue to use the D-Link as a DSL modem and wireless router and read about how to configure it. Or you could buy your own compatible DSL modem and stop renting the D-Link gateway, and then add a router as well that connects to the DSL. Personally, I bought a cable modem so that I don't have to rent a modem from Comcast, and have a router as well.

Generally speaking, using wireless for your internet on a TV will not be as good as using the wired connection from your router (cat6), so I would use the wired connection to the cat6 if you can. If you have more clients where your TV is to connect to the cat6 than you have outlets, you can use an ethernet "switch", which is use to share an ethernet connection between clients. Wireless varies quite a lot, and this can be a problem for streaming. A wired connection is a solid and constant connection, so is always preferable for streaming. Wireless is necessary for clients like phones and tablets that don't have wired connections. Or for portable clients like laptop computers where you want to move around with it a lot and wired connections are inconvenient.

As far as a router goes, at your current download speed, just about any good, solid router will serve your needs. I think that you should get a router, though, that will go faster than 3Mbps, since you may find an ISP that can do better than that for you sometime soon. So, personally, I'd be looking to a Netgear R6400 or R7000, or an Asus RT-AC68U so that you have good, strong wireless and room for growth in your internet bandwidth over the next few years. An Asus RT-AC88U is a lot more router than you need now, or may need for the foreseeable future.

Food for thought, questions are welcome!

Thank you very much for replying Roger. I understand everything you are saying. I believe I am going with a new router since it incorporates the router/modem/LAN ports in one unit, this way I can run some Cat 6 from the router LAN port to the TV for a good solid connection (and they are 1 Gb).
Can't wait to get rid of this rental DSL router from Verizon, being charged $11.00 per month to rent a $25.00 router!!
Are there any real world differences between the Asus RT-AC68U and the RT-AC88U that you understand and can tell me about from the wired and Wi Fi side of things ?

One other question, when you guys have servers and great setups does it cost you to get on the Internet? I don't really under stand what the ISP companies are paying for other then the Servers and other equipment. Just trying to understand just how they get away with charging so much money.

Yes, your current download speed will become an issue for streaming from the internet. However, you can stream a 780p high-def TV media with the speed that you have, like from Netflix. The D-Link that you currently have is a combined DSL modem and wireless router, that's what the term "gateway" means. Generally speaking, you will do better if you have a separate DSL modem and router. However, a router will not increase your download speed, your download speed is what it is from your ISP. You have a router now in your D-Link DSL gateway, so you can see that. You can slice up your internet bandwidth, you can use QoS to allocate it, but you're only going to get 3Mbps, router or no router. You would likely need to change ISP's to one that supplies broadband cable internet, like Comcast or Charter or TimeWarner or whatever, and then you can get your speed up some. Depends on what's available in your area. In my area, I can't get DSL faster than 768K, but my Comcast cable ISP gives me 200/10Mbps.

It isn't clear from your posting what you currently have. I'm assuming that the cat6 in your walls is connected to the D-Link gateway? You have a couple of choices if you want to add a router, and not use the router in your D-Link gateway. You can continue to rent the D-Link, and put it into "bridge" (transparent) mode so that it isn't doing any router functions at all and add a separate router. Or you can continue to use the D-Link as a DSL modem and wireless router and read about how to configure it. Or you could buy your own compatible DSL modem and stop renting the D-Link gateway, and then add a router as well that connects to the DSL. Personally, I bought a cable modem so that I don't have to rent a modem from Comcast, and have a router as well.

Generally speaking, using wireless for your internet on a TV will not be as good as using the wired connection from your router (cat6), so I would use the wired connection to the cat6 if you can. If you have more clients where your TV is to connect to the cat6 than you have outlets, you can use an ethernet "switch", which is use to share an ethernet connection between clients. Wireless varies quite a lot, and this can be a problem for streaming. A wired connection is a solid and constant connection, so is always preferable for streaming. Wireless is necessary for clients like phones and tablets that don't have wired connections. Or for portable clients like laptop computers where you want to move around with it a lot and wired connections are inconvenient.

As far as a router goes, at your current download speed, just about any good, solid router will serve your needs. I think that you should get a router, though, that will go faster than 3Mbps, since you may find an ISP that can do better than that for you sometime soon. So, personally, I'd be looking to a Netgear R6400 or R7000, or an Asus RT-AC68U so that you have good, strong wireless and room for growth in your internet bandwidth over the next few years. An Asus RT-AC88U is a lot more router than you need now, or may need for the foreseeable future.

Food for thought, questions are welcome!

 

[yorgi]

Thanks for the reply yorgi. I'm on Verizon with their DSL service. I haven't checked anywhere else yet but since they are charging that much for 3Mb/s download I expect Comcast (Cable company) will be asking the same. However I will take your advise and check it out.

Can you tell me this? At my current speed (3Mb down) will a faster router like the Asus 88U download faster or will it be stuck at the same speed like my current router?

Either way I'm going to get another Router of some kind so I don't have to pay that ridiculous rental fee that's half the cost of their router every month.


Thank you very much for replying Roger. I understand everything you are saying. I believe I am going with a new router since it incorporates the router/modem/LAN ports in one unit, this way I can run some Cat 6 from the router LAN port to the TV for a good solid connection (and they are 1 Gb).
Can't wait to get rid of this rental DSL router from Verizon, being charged $11.00 per month to rent a $25.00 router!!
Are there any real world differences between the Asus RT-AC68U and the RT-AC88U that you understand and can tell me about from the wired and Wi Fi side of things ?

One other question, when you guys have servers and great setups does it cost you to get on the Internet? I don't really under stand what the ISP companies are paying for other then the Servers and other equipment. Just trying to understand just how they get away with charging so much money.

ISP are thieves and get away with charging people crazy money to transfer data around.
I agree that there is a large cost to setup a network like that but once its setup the money rolls in and the CEO's get fat and rich.
Isn't that what capitalism is? hehe

If you have a 3mb/s speed the router will not make your speed go faster. It can only transfer whatever speeds come from the modem
If you get the 88U you will definitively get a good router and when you get a faster service provider it will definitively do the job just fine
you can do over 100mb/s with a 88U
Tons of great features out of the box but even better if you put Merlin Firmware

good luck.

 

[Lola]

that D-link isnt worth the rent. D-links are supposed to be cheap and you're paying $10 a month? sounds like a rip-off.

Get yourself a better router, many here can suggest models. Is the d-link a router or router+modem? Given your internet speed you have many many choices so you can even go for older routers too. What you need is a bit of QoS and your download speeds do restrict your usage.

Firstly see what your plan is, is it for 4Mb/s? What protocol does it use? Does it support ADSL2? (i remember before with an ADSL ISP i asked if they supported ADSL2 and they said yes so i tried all the ADSL protocols on the modem and only the most basic version of ADSL worked so it shows that they dont even know what they're talking about or just simply lying).

Hi System Error, love that name, my computer is called "NoBody", LOL.

Working on a new Router now after talking to RogerSC about it. I can afford any of them, but no reason to spend money if there is no need. I would much rather have something adequate and rock steady, I hate worrying about things.
I just found out today that my rental fee for that piece of junk is $11.00 per month, that is a darn good return on your money for something that Amazon was selling for 2?.00 several months ago!!
I don't know if it is ADSL 2 or not, it appears to be an all in one package. It has 4 ports all labeled LAN 1-4. I just plugged an Ethernet cable into port 1 and started using it.
Actually I'm not sure what the differences are between ADSL 1 and 2
I did go to DSLreports.com and run some speed tests, when I finished the tests a note came up that said I had severe BLOAT problems (with the router), whatever that is!
Here are the figures: Download 2.48Mbs Upload 0.73Mbs This was an average of three tests.

 

[System Error Message]

What i mean is what is your internet bandwidth package not what your speed tests give. As in what does your contract say you pay for? Is it only for a few measily Mb/s? a hundred Mb/s? This determines what choices you have for your router. If it is truely ADSL than you dont need much as even an old linksys wrt45G can keep up running 3rd party firmware.

ADSL (version 1 or the most basic version) goes up to 4Mb/s
ADSL2 goes up to above 20Mb/s
VDSL currently goes up to 120Mb/s depending on version

If you plug your PC directly to modem and do a speed test, does your modem give you your subscribed speed? If no you may need a better modem or getting your ISP to check the line.

I dont suggest models especially when you have many choices, many here can chip in with their experience on using different brands on models. All you need is a router with good QoS so even 3rd party firmware is an option for you. You can get 2nd hand routers too as it. As for your LAN needs that really depends on what you need. If you have AC wifi devices and you store stuff on LAN and stream than AC wifi routers would help. gigabit ethernet helps for the same reason too, it all depends on your uses and needs.

 

[Lola]

What i mean is what is your internet bandwidth package not what your speed tests give. As in what does your contract say you pay for? Is it only for a few measily Mb/s? a hundred Mb/s? This determines what choices you have for your router. If it is truely ADSL than you dont need much as even an old linksys wrt45G can keep up running 3rd party firmware.

ADSL (version 1 or the most basic version) goes up to 4Mb/s
ADSL2 goes up to above 20Mb/s
VDSL currently goes up to 120Mb/s depending on version

If you plug your PC directly to modem and do a speed test, does your modem give you your subscribed speed? If no you may need a better modem or getting your ISP to check the line.

I dont suggest models especially when you have many choices, many here can chip in with their experience on using different brands on models. All you need is a router with good QoS so even 3rd party firmware is an option for you. You can get 2nd hand routers too as it. As for your LAN needs that really depends on what you need. If you have AC wifi devices and you store stuff on LAN and stream than AC wifi routers would help. gigabit ethernet helps for the same reason too, it all depends on your uses and needs.

My contract with Verizon is in the form of my bills (Big Mistake) They won't list the speed you will get they list mine on my bill as "DSL Enhanced connection". Meaning I upgraded from standard DSL package to the DSL Enhanced Package aka 3Mb/s download. In their advertisements they list it as "up to 3 Mb/s download, so that is what I base my speed on from Verizon, my ISP . The speed tests say that's BS, I don't even get 3Mb/s!

No, My current router/modem doesn't give me my subscribed speed, only the results of the speed test in Mb/s.
I'm getting a better modem, that's why I came here with the questions.
I have no way to tell if this router/modem is ADSL or whatever, if you know of a way to tell please tell me.

I'm going to get the ASUS RT-AC68 U. It appears to have enough throughput for my current needs and plenty of software to help me set it up. For the media connection I am going to run a Cat 6 cable to the TV and wire it to one of the ports on the router, probably run a Roku box at the TV for media. Does anyone see any reason this won't work OK?

 

[System Error Message]

It is ADSL, my question was what version was it using. While any ADSL modem would work if your ISP us still stuck on ADSL1 (the slowest ADSL) than you really need to tell them off because in other areas verizon offers much faster packages. If they used ADSL2 you could get 20Mb/s and they could do it on their existing lines.

You should try looking for another package or ISP. As a router the AC68U will do what you ask if you have a lot of LAN traffic.

 

[sfx2000]

As you can see I, am not Router savvy yet but I'm getting there. Do you see my problem!

I see your problem - do you need more?

Lot's of folks blast carrier provided equipment - but generally it just works... unless you have some specific needs, you're better off working with their gear first, and then find the gaps and address them.

Throw some thought into the problem, not money... money spent without thought is wasted...

 

[RogerSC]

I see your problem - do you need more?

Lot's of folks blast carrier provided equipment - but generally it just works... unless you have some specific needs, you're better off working with their gear first, and then find the gaps and address them.

Throw some thought into the problem, not money... money spent without thought is wasted...

I agree, that's why I mentioned that one possibility is just continuing to rent the D-Link. But I wouldn't be happy paying $10/month to rent the D-Link, personally, that would get me thinking *smile*. None the less, I agree that the planning/thought comes first, and then deciding what the best way to go from where you are now comes next.

ISP's are selling internet access at a given speed, basically either via DSL (slower) or cable broadband (faster). Everyone needs an ISP to be on the internet, we all need that no matter how many servers and what not that we may have as individuals or enterprises. The ISP's generally have several speed levels (tiers) that they will sell you for a monthly fee. The fact is that ISP's in this country (the US) have been given virtual monopolies, presumably for having invested the money to build out their infrastructures. So they operate essentially as unregulated monopolies, and will charge as much as they feel that they can get away with. This includes Comcast, Verizon, Charter, TimeWarner, and all the commercial ISP's. This has finally driven the FCC to re-classify the ISP's as common carriers, so they are now subject to regulation. However, as far as I know, regulation hasn't started yet.

The exceptions to the "soak the customer" business model are Google, that tries to give you good value for what you pay, and local community ISP's. We have a local ISP here, Cruzio, that's working with our Santa Cruz City Council to put in fiber. The fiber will be owned by the community, and Cruzio will operate it and provide the internet. They are proposing reasonable costs for their speed levels, up to 1Gbps. for $90/month as I recall. That's considerably less than I would pay Comcast for their current top tier here, 200Mbps. Just a side comment, the 200Mbps is not currently supported by the Comcast infrastructure, during prime time in the evening I see 50 - 150Mbps. Fiber should be better, assuming that it isn't as thin of an infrastructure as Comcast feels okay about inflicting on us.

Many other countries have much higher speed internet access available than we do on the average, and at much more reasonable prices, at least partly because they have more competition between ISP's than we do. And they typically have newer infrastructure as well, so it is faster.

Oh well, too many words for some simple ideas *smile*.

 

[System Error Message]

Only a few countries, not many have faster internet than the US, everywhere else even UK is slower.

 

[RogerSC]

I did exaggerate the number of countries that have average faster internet than the US. None the less, considering how involved we were as a country in the development of the internet and how long we've been doing development work on it, we could be doing better. That's only my opinion, for sure. Internet speed has improved in the US over the years, but it has stayed a profit center for some very large unlikable companies *smile*.

 

[Lola]

I did exaggerate the number of countries that have average faster internet than the US. None the less, considering how involved we were as a country in the development of the internet and how long we've been doing development work on it, we could be doing better. That's only my opinion, for sure. Internet speed has improved in the US over the years, but it has stayed a profit center for some very large unlikable companies *smile*.

Well Roger if you run for President on the Republican platform, I'll back you all the way, LOL.

 

[TonyH]

I did exaggerate the number of countries that have average faster internet than the US. None the less, considering how involved we were as a country in the development of the internet and how long we've been doing development work on it, we could be doing better. That's only my opinion, for sure. Internet speed has improved in the US over the years, but it has stayed a profit center for some very large unlikable companies *smile*.

When I came home quitting the military civilian job I had with DOD for many years working on strategic world wide communication systems. I was quite shocked looking at the commercial communication systems in use. They were like antique to me, LOL! Took a while to come back to normal daily civilian life in every thing. Still vast rural areas don't have decent Internet supporting infrastructure maybe because we live in a BIG country compared to most other countries in the world. We just got a private paid hot spot out at our cabin.