Can anyone recommend a good DSL modem

SeamusFX

Can anyone recommend a good reliable DSL modem? I already have a good wireless router, but it looks as if my old Eircom modem has intermittent disconnect issues. I have the wireless on my old Eircom box disabled and I've been using a Netgear N600 Gigabit wireless router, so if I could get a cheap yet reliable modem only, that would be ideal, but if necessary I may have to go for a new modem/wireless router like the MIKROTIK RB951G or even something better.

Spear

You'll probably get better answers here in Broadband.

advertsfox

SeamusFX wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a good reliable DSL modem? I already have a good wireless router, but it looks as if my old Eircom modem has intermittent disconnect issues. I have the wireless on my old Eircom box disabled and I've been using a Netgear N600 Gigabit wireless router, so if I could get a cheap yet reliable modem only, that would be ideal, but if necessary I may have to go for a new modem/wireless router like the MIKROTIK RB951G or even something better.

Best look over and diagnose the disconnect issues first as you could have a problem with your internal setup / line to the exchange. What speed are you on? Can you provide your line statistics for your current Eircom router please?

SeamusFX

We've been having the disconnect issues for a while now, it's very intermittent and I initially thought it was congestion, but the Eircom tech was recently here and he said it was the modem, since when he swapped in a modem he had, the line stopped dropping, but when he swapped mine back in, it continued to drop. Since I'm currently with Vodafone he couldn't give me a new modem and I suspect Vodafone might charge for a new modem and even if they did, I thought there might be something better I can buy, as I already have a good wireless router. I'm on a 7MB line, but the speeds are usually about 3 to 5MBbps, also I'm about 3km from the exchange. When you say line statistics, do you mean a speedtest, as the results can vary greatly from as good as about 6.5MB down to so slow the eircom diagnostic page comes up.

ED E

He means the line stats. The current modem will show line attenuation and signal to noise ratios on the status page.


If the other modem stabilized it then replacing the current one is a decent plan. Give vodafone a call and see if they'll give you a freebie.

If not Id check and see what the pros at Kitz recommend. On a legacy exchange like yours though it doesn't matter much though as the exchange will be more limiting than the line unless you're a fair distance from the exchange.

SeamusFX

Thanks Ed,

Yes, I was going to call Vodafone and see if they'd give me a free modem (although they might charge), but before i did that I wanted to see if I'd be better off getting something else, especially since i already have a good router and most of the boxes are combo boxes - both modem & router. I understand that the modem probably won't make much of a difference, but I according to the eircom tech I'm 3km from the exchange, so is that too far to warrant a slightly better modem?

ED E

Cant say for sure without seeing your line stats but most likely its a 7-8Mb line so once you get an ok sync thats fine.

For example, if you were at 5Km at getting 2Mb, eeking that extra bit out of the line with a good modem to get 3Mb would be an advantage. In your case though syncing at 7 or syncing at 8 wont have any effect on speeds, so you just need something stable.

SeamusFX

Here are my stats, but I don't know if it will tell you anything since the problem is intermittent and this is when it was good, if necessary I may try to grab the image of the stats next time it's down.



If there's anything anyone can get from above, all advice is welcome.

Spear

Your SNR is poor making you vulnerable to line noise and disconnects. You can also see this in the CRC errors which are being recorded.

ED E

0.5 is probably a misreading tbh, it wouldn't hold 30s at that. Could be another pointer to a failed unit.

37 isn't too long, daycent modem and you should be rock solid. For sync anyways.

dub45

Do you have anything else connected to any other extensions in the house? Is the modem connected to your main extension?

There is some interesting reading here

SeamusFX

Hello,

There's only 1 phone line and the modem is directly connected to the line and there was nothing else connected at the time of the test.

Thanks for the feedback and the link.

advertsfox

ED E wrote: »

0.5 is probably a misreading tbh, it wouldn't hold 30s at that. Could be another pointer to a failed unit.

This is it exactly, seen it all too many times - knew as soon as I seen the almost 0 value against normal sync.

OP, thankfully since you've a good wireless router already, you can save yourself some cash and go for a solid DSL modem that you can bridge to your router.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/D-Link-DSL-320B-ADSL2-Ethernet-Modem/dp/B0015RRIKM/

The default Eircom DSL settings are:

Connection Type: PPPoE
VPI: 8
VCI: 35
Modulation: LLC
Username: eircom@eircom.net
Password: broadband1

SeamusFX

Thanks Advertsfox,

The D-Link DSL-320B ADSL2+ Ethernet Modem has 25 5-star reviews, but it also has 23 1-star reviews and after a quick read some of these reviews are terrible. Is this typical of the reviews of all modems or is there something more reliable?

Paul Thomas Rowland

You can get an Eircom F1000 on Adverts for €20 delivered. Unlock it, flash a recent Zyxel firmware and you will have a very decent modem router for little money. Quality VDSL capable modems cost big bucks in the shops.

advertsfox

SeamusFX wrote: »

Thanks Advertsfox,

The D-Link DSL-320B ADSL2+ Ethernet Modem has 25 5-star reviews, but it also has 23 1-star reviews and after a quick read some of these reviews are terrible. Is this typical of the reviews of all modems or is there something more reliable?

Don't mind that, most of those reviews are from people complaining because this didn't fix issues with their own faulty DSL lines, internal wiring, connecting to some routers or because they aren't happy that a firmware update is required (that's a good thing). A lot of the 5* have comments about how the can't believe the bad reviews:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1BVT378F9YO1O/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0015RRIKM