Specific questions about upgrading network to 200Mbps capability

[Wukong]

(First off, apologies if this is the wrong forum. My questions are somewhere in-between the wired / and wireless category. And thank you in advance for any help / insight!)

My ISP sent me a notice that they are upgrading my speed from 100Mbps to 200Mbps, and that I will need a new modem to see the 200Mbps speeds. I ran a few speed tests, and sure enough, I was only getting 150Mbps max from a wired connection. But my router is ancient, so I tested the speed directly from the modem to one of my desktops and attained the promised 200Mbps.

So from my limited understanding it would seem I need a new router and not a new modem as my ISP suggests. My setup currently consists of a separate modem (Cisco DPC3208), router, and wi-fi access point (Ubiquiti UAP-LR).

My questions:

1) Am I correct in assuming the bottleneck is the router and not the modem? My ISP is offering a free modem upgrade, but I don’t know what model it would be. Should I just take the free modem upgrade whatever it may be, or should I be looking at modems with specific features?


2) What specification governs how fast a router can pump out a wired connection? I have come across reviews of supposedly “Gigabit” routers that cannot actually provide the 200Mbps speed I am seeking, so I am confused as to what I should be looking at to make a purchasing decision.


3) Am I better off keeping the wifi AP I have and just looking at a wired-only router, or should I look at a new router / AP all-in-one device? The reason I ask is I’ve been pretty disappointed in the wifi performance of every “consumer” wireless router I’ve ever used. But I love the Ubiquiti AP – never had a lick of trouble with it.


4) My wi-fi speeds are adequate for my uses (between 40-90 Mbps depending on device), but of course faster is always better. Would I need to upgrade to an 802.11ac AP to see an increase in wifi speeds (as opposed to my current "n" class AP), or am I correct in assuming the speed you see at your wireless device is actually more dependent on the device itself than the AP?

Thanks again!

 

[Internet Man]

1) What router do you have? The DPC3208 is fairly old so it is likely that you would receive something better. You're taking a risk that you might be given a modem which uses the Intel Puma 6 chipset that causes latency issues for many. See http://www.badmodems.com/

2) There are many factors that can influence wired throughput. The speed rating of the ethernet ports is the most obvious indication of what performance you could expect, but there could still be an internal bottleneck due to poor design or cost cutting attempts. The CPU needs to be fast enough to process and forward packets of data at gigabit speeds. The gigabit LAN and WAN ports could be tied together through a CPU which only supports fast ethernet or just can't handle gigabit speeds. Look through SmallNetBuilder reviews at the WAN to LAN and LAN to WAN speed tests. A gigabit router that is not bottlenecked should achieve around 940 Mbps in these tests.

3) It is probably time to upgrade to something which supports 802.11ac although if the UAP-LR is not causing you any trouble and you're happy with its performance then feel free to keep it.

4) Upgrading to an 802.11ac access point without having any 802.11ac clients wouldn't be very beneficial. If you already have 802.11ac clients then it makes a lot of sense to also upgrade your access point. Speed depends on many factors including the capabilities of the devices on both sides of each connection as well as the environment they are located in.

 

[Wukong]

Hi Internet Man, thanks a bunch for the help!

My router is an old Cisco Valet M20. It claims to have Gigabit ports, but that seems to be far from the case from my basic testing.

I was completely unaware of the Puma chipset issue. That site you linked is extremely helpful - Thanks! I guess I could always see what they send me for free, and if it ends up being a junk modem, I could just go out and buy one that doesn't have the Puma 6 issue.

I checked the WAN to LAN / LAN to WAN speed tests. The Mikrotik RB750GR3 and the Ubiquiti ERLITE3 look promising. I'll have to do some more research on them.

I'll start making a list of all my wireless clients. I was under the assumption that most of them were only 802.11n devices, but as soon as I started looking up specs on the ones I could recall off the top of my head, I was surprised to find several of them were in fact 802.11ac capable. It may be time to upgrade that AP.

Thanks again for your help, I really appreciate it!

 

[CaptainSTX]

Search this forum and you will see that even N clients benefit speedwise from AC capable APs.

https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wir...oes-an-ac-router-improve-n-device-performance

 

[Wukong]

Hi CaptainSTX,

Thanks for the link! I had actually seen that before, but I didn't pay it much mind at the time because I was under the impression that I only had N clients on my network (even though the author found that N clients will see a benefit - I just didn't want the hassle of replacing the AP unless I had to). Turns out I actually do have a few AC capable clients on my network, so I will probably look into upgrading the AP as soon as I can. Thanks again!

 

[coxhaus]

I think if your ISP thinks you need a new modem it is probably a good thing to up grade. You will end up with a modem with more channels which will better help with congestions issues having more channels. The Intel Puma 6 chipset is a bummer. I bought a Arris SB200 modem to get around that issue.

 

[Wukong]

Hi coxhaus,

Thanks for the reply! I probably will upgrade the modem soon. I talked to my ISP (Charter / Spectrum) and they were unable to tell me which model of modem I would receive in replacement, so I will probably purchase one like you did to avoid the Puma 6 issue. That Arris SB8200 you have is a very nice one from what I've gathered, but probably a bit overkill for me. I've been looking at the Netgear CM600 since it's a little less expensive.

 

[sfx2000]

I think if your ISP thinks you need a new modem it is probably a good thing to up grade. You will end up with a modem with more channels which will better help with congestions issues having more channels. The Intel Puma 6 chipset is a bummer. I bought a Arris SB200 modem to get around that issue.

Longer in tooth, but the SB6183 is still a decent choice as a stand-alone modem with Cox and Comcast.

DOCSIS3.0, and pricing is good on it.

I agree that that PUMA6 was a bit of a $hit$how there...

 

[Easy Rhino]

200mbps would be right around the max you can get from an 8 channel modem. However, since you can get 200mbps directly out of the modem, then yeah it looks like the old router is a limiter.

I have a modem with an intel puma 6 chip. And to be honest the latency stuff is measurable, but not noticeable for regular web and Netflix and whatnot. But it doesn't have measurably worse pings.

Since you like your Ubiquiti AP you could get one of their routers to replace. Other folks are vastly more knowledgeable than me on their stuff, but I think the edgerouters are popular, but some of them may have somewhat limited performance over faster ISP connections.

 

[Wukong]

Longer in tooth, but the SB6183 is still a decent choice as a stand-alone modem with Cox and Comcast.
DOCSIS3.0, and pricing is good on it.
I agree that that PUMA6 was a bit of a $hit$how there...

Hi sfx2000, thanks for the recommendation! I checked out the SB6183, but it seems like the Netgear I was looking at is roughly the same price, so I'll probably stick with it since it's newer.

I have a modem with an intel puma 6 chip. And to be honest the latency stuff is measurable, but not noticeable for regular web and Netflix and whatnot. But it doesn't have measurably worse pings.

Since you like your Ubiquiti AP you could get one of their routers to replace. Other folks are vastly more knowledgeable than me on their stuff, but I think the edgerouters are popular, but some of them may have somewhat limited performance over faster ISP connections.

Hi Easy Rhino, thanks for the reply! Hopefully I'll be able to avoid it, but it's good to know the Puma 6 issue is at least livable if it comes down to it. For routers, I've been looking at the EdgerouterX and think I might give it a shot. Price is right, though I understand it won't do a full gigabit connection (500Mbps simultaneous up/down is its limit, I think?) But that's okay as I don't think true gigabit speeds are even offered in my area yet.