router/modem or router?

[bubbabri]

I've been looking around for a while now online and had a few questions that someone may know more about than I do..

I live with a roommate in an apartment. We currently have a Netgear CG3000 cable modem/router combo gateway with TWC (not sure if we are renting this or not) I have a cable plugged from that into my own router that only acts as a DCHP forwarder for the Netgear so I can have my own private wireless network separate from the Netgear's.

Everything is working fine, however, I have noticed for a long time that around 10:00pm the net just dies. Whether that is TWC doing an update or something, I haven't figured out. If I am online in a game, the game stays connected, just web sites do not load at all for about 15 mins. (Not much of a pain, but still a pain)

The main issue I'm facing is that whenever my roommate starts watching Netflix or anything else, my connection suffers a lot. Sometimes to the point I can't even load google. I am thinking about getting a separate modem (SG6121) and router (TP-link TL-WR1043ND) to replace the netgear.

The TP-Link has bandwidth allocation which I am hoping will help with the problem as I can guarantee myself a minimum amount of speed with the settings.

TL;DR: Need to know if there might be any better alternative to replacing the Netgear gateway with another gateway or go the modem/router split with bandwidth allocation so that I don't lose internet/lag while gaming and roommate is streaming. Trying to keep the price of the router under $100 (as the modem alone is $70...) Any other suggestions for routers appreciated.

 

[jegesq]

You don't say what sort of router you're using that is connecting to the Netgear, but whatever you're using, make sure it's set to AP mode (or "bridge" if it has such a setting, or "repeater"....any of those will do the trick). Just make sure that you're not really running a "separate" network, and instead are routing all your DHCP and NAT through the Netgear.

The combo modem/routers that TWC supplies (and yes, you are most surely paying a monthly fee to use their modem/router) are not horrible, they just limit what you can do. You're using a Gateway device, which include telephony, so I'll assume you are using TWC for cable TV, internet and phones. If you're not using TWC for phone service, you have some additional options.

If you want to continue to use the Gateway device (because you're not provisioned yet for higher speeds), consider just using the Netgear you have as a modem only, i.e., turn off NAT, firewall, and DHCP and getting a better wireless router that also has 802.11ac. The Netgear is an 802.11n device and while it has dual channels (2.4 and 5.0), you can probably get much better throughput and range from a newer 1750AC or 1900AC router.

What I would personally do if I were you (depending on how your area is provisioned...and by that I mean depending on whether your area is set up to use 16x4 channel bonding for the highest 300/20 Mbps internet service tier) is this:

1. I get rid of the Netgear and I'd either rent or buy a separate 16x4 modem. TWC may not be renting any modem-only 16x4 devices right now in your area, but if they are they'll likely give you an Arris-Motorola SB6183 (or the other version with a telephony gateway...can't recall the number). You can buy the SB6183 at Best Buy for about $130; if you rent, TWC is now charging about $10.00 per month for cable modems, so buying pays for itself in less than a year and a half.

2. I'd then get a better router, something like an Asus RT-AC68P or 68U/R (or if you want to spend about $30 less, get an AC66U/R). You can then set your separate modem (the one you're using to connect to the Netgear) as an AP, or if you really need a separate network, you can if you want, try to set up double NATing so that it's configured correctly.

As far as the connectivity drops or lagging issues, what do the logs say in the Netgear C3000? What about your own router? Have you checked the logs there? I would bet that the QoS settings in the Netgear are in some manner limiting your traffic or that you're caught in a double-NAT situation and your own router isn't properly configured.

BTW, if you want to know how to configure the Netgear C3000, here's a link to TWC's online manual which has all the info you'll need: https://www.timewarnercable.com/con...r-lease-your-modem/CG3000Dv2_UM_14MAY2013.pdf

 

[bubbabri]

I have a Linksys E1000 with DD-WRT on it from a previous move which was our main router and after that to the new place, has been put into the AP mode. As for our service, we only have the cable internet, no tv nor phone service.

We have about 15Mbps down and barely 1Mbps up as of this post with a 200ms ping from speedtest.net (seems roommate is streaming again..)

You make good points, I could just keep the existing gateway and turn it into a modem and grab a new router with the QoS built in.

Do you have any opinion on the TP-Link router? Or would the Asus 66U be a better choice?

 

[jegesq]

My personal preference is the AC66U (I use two of them, one as a router the other as a repeater) and they work great. The TP-Link is an excellent device, and it's a great value for the price. But I still prefer the Asus because of the great support, the Merlin FW, and the fact that there's a huge user base that's interested in helping to improve the experience and push the boundaries of what this device is capable of doing. But that's just my personal preference...since you asked. Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.

 

[RogerSC]

What are you going to do with QOS? 15Mbps download isn't a lot for one person to be watching a Netflix movie (or streaming media) and someone else to be surfing the internet and expecting/hoping for full speed? QOS has overhead as well, so you're going to get less of your bandwidth to split up, assuming that you end up with a router that has good QOS functionality. Are you going to limit the Netflix bandwidth (which might well make it useless)? Not sure what you're thinking here.

We had the same issues here, my wife watches Netflix movies via the Roku, which limited my internet use when she was doing that when we had 16Mbps internet. With faster internet, not seeing this as much. I never have used QOS, though. Doesn't seem to work really well on consumer-grade routers.

Sounds to me like you need more download bandwidth for the two of you, or coordinate better on when your roommate is watching movies? Or watch them together *smile*...Or suggest that your roommate play media that's not on the internet when you want to use your computer.

No router or modem router combination can make your download speed faster, or divide it in a way that the sum of what you and your roommate get is greater than what you're getting from your ISP. One of you is going to be unhappy, unless you pay a bit more for faster internet. Hopefully that option is available to you.

On the other hand, I've heard lots of good things about the Asus RT-AC66U, and wouldn't hesitate to use that router. You can read Tim's review of it here, on this site, and factor that into your decision.

 

[System Error Message]

mikrotik has some new routerboards that have SFP, wifi, miniPCIe, usb all in 1 routerboard. If your internet is supplied via a medium that has an SFP module it is better to have a router/modem combo. The only thing with this routerboard is that you need to find a case and power supply for it. It uses a newer MIPS CPU and if you have the skill this is a good choice as routerOS does some very nice QoS with very little penalty to performance compared to broadcom ARM routers. In routerOS you can configure the queue size and type of queue and have many different queues. If you're going to use a routerboard with wifi in a crowded wifi area you might want to lower the transmission power since routerboards have really high transmit power compared to consumer routers.

Ive heard that there are some ASUS AC68 that have integrated DSL modem in them. Im not so sure what exactly you are using though. Zyxel have some too with good specs. They do QoS better than tplink.

 

[stevech]

all in one DSL or cable modem + WiFi router product.
Avoid.

 

[bubbabri]

Lots of good replies. I've always hated the all-in-one units myself and rather have separate modem/router.

I went with the TP-link for now for the bandwidth allocation. I'm not expecting full bandwidth when he's watching videos, but I noticed he might be doing some torrenting as well. At least, based on the amount of data he just transferred overnight (over 3gigs worth) that or a lot of HD streaming.

As far as the QoS goes, just want it to know hog the entire pipe if possible. Getting a guaranteed min bandwidth with a max cap seems like it would work. At least, that's how it did when I used the Linksys with DD-WRT and setup the bandwidth priorities in the firewall script.

 

[jegesq]

Lots of good replies. I've always hated the all-in-one units myself and rather have separate modem/router.

I went with the TP-link for now for the bandwidth allocation. I'm not expecting full bandwidth when he's watching videos, but I noticed he might be doing some torrenting as well. At least, based on the amount of data he just transferred overnight (over 3gigs worth) that or a lot of HD streaming.

As far as the QoS goes, just want it to know hog the entire pipe if possible. Getting a guaranteed min bandwidth with a max cap seems like it would work. At least, that's how it did when I used the Linksys with DD-WRT and setup the bandwidth priorities in the firewall script.

So let me understand this:

You're still using the Netgear CG3000 as your cable modem? Um, ok. And you bought a separate TP-Link router with wireless, right?

Ok. Just decide which device you want doing your routing, firewalling and NATing. Either go into the Netgear and turn off all of those functions, and turn on "Bridge" mode for NAT, and use the TP-Link as your wireless router, or leave the Netgear as is, and set up the TP-Link as an AP only.

Better idea yet: Call TWC and get faster speeds. You really don't even need QoS with just 15Mbps download and 1 up. TWC is offering some terrific prices and upgrades to much faster speeds, so call them and see what they'll give you. You may not even have to pay more (just get a different cable modem capable of bonding more channels....although the CG3000 is an 8x4 Docsis 3.0, which is capable of getting close to 150Mbps in the real world...it's rated at a theoretical 400Mbps).

Good luck with the TP-Link. Let us know how you enjoy it.