Advice please! On, Wifi router for Cable, also anyone on the new plans, ditching Sky.

Forums › Vodafone New Zealand (including Vodafone, WxC, Farmside) › Advice please! On, Wifi router for Cable, also anyone on the new plans, ditching Sky.

coldbricks

16 posts

Geek

#136678 5-Dec-2013 09:12

Hi Folks,

I'm off contract soon and am having to apparently sign a new deal otherwise I'll start paying truckloads more for my existing package. So I'm going to go to the 50Mbps option, hopefully a big change from the tiresome "Lightspeed" 15Mbps connection I'm currently on.

I currently have a Linksys WRT160N V3 wifi router, you know the one - you have to reboot it at least one or twice a day when it kills your bandwidth! - and I'm needing to replace it when I upgrade.

So can anyone give me some good recommendations for a replacement. I'm aware that the new 802.11ac standard is rolling out, so anything that has this capability would be good for future proofing purposes I guess.

Also, I'd like to hear from anyone that has the new plans, what do you think? Is there any point going up to 130 from 50Mbps, is the difference that much more noticeable?

Also considering ditching the Sky TV option and covering my bases with hola/unblockus etc and local on-demand options for all my TV and Sport watching, so anyone with knowledge of that I'd like to hear from you also.

Thanks

PeterReader

5938 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Geekzone

Lifetime subscriber

#945880 5-Dec-2013 09:12

Hello... Our robot found some keywords in your post, so here is an automated reply with some important things to note regarding broadband speeds.

If you are posting regarding DSL speeds please check that

- you have reset your modem and router

- your PC (or other PCs in your LAN) is not downloading large files when you are testing

- you are not being throttled by your ISP due to going over the monthly cap

- your tests are always done on an ethernet connection to the router - do not use wireless for testing

- you read this topic and follow the instructions there.

Make sure you provide information for other users to help you. If you have not already done it, please EDIT your post and add this now:

- Your ISP and plan

- Type of connection (ADSL, ADSL2, VDSL)

- Your modem DSL stats (do not worry about posting Speedtest, we need sync rate, attenuation and noise margin)

- Your general location (or street)

- If you are rural or urban

- If you know your connection is to an exchange, cabinet or conklin

- If your connection is to a ULL or wholesale service

- If you have done an isolation test as per the link above

Most of the problems with speed are likely to be related to internal wiring issues. Read this discussion to find out more about this. Your ISP is not intentionally slowing you down today (unless you are on a managed plan). Also if this is the school holidays it's likely you will notice slower than usual speed due to more users online.

A master splitter is required for VDSL2 and in most cases will improve speeds on DSL connections. Regular disconnections can be a monitored alarm or a set top box trying to connect. If there's an alarm connected to your line even if you don't have an alarm contract it may still try to connect so it's worth checking.

I recommend you read these two blog posts:

- Is your premises phone wiring impacting your broadband performance? (very technical)

- Are you receiving a substandard ULL ADSL2+ connection from your ISP?

I am the Geekzone Robot and I am here to help. I am from the Internet. I do not interact. Do not expect other replies from me.

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r2b2

571 posts

Ultimate Geek

#946015 5-Dec-2013 12:33

I believe you'll get a new router as well which I assume is designed to work well with the higher speed plans (I say assume, as otherwise presumably they wouldn't provide it! :) )

(Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong as that's what I have been told during the upgrade process. I cannot confirm if its true or not due to the 2-3 week delay in getting new stock...)

NikT

1699 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#946075 5-Dec-2013 14:21

I used the Netgear WNDR3700 when I was on WarpSpeed cable in Christchurch. Loved it. No AC, but I wouldn't be without 5GHz N.

The extra speed is worth it if you're using a lot of devices simultaneously. Rather than viewing it as a single 100Mbps pipe (As it was at the time), I viewed it as the ability to saturate 10 simultaneous 10Mbps connections. Streaming video, downloading from Steam, using phones & tablets & laptops all at once with no issues.

Ye gods do I miss cable.

Product Manager @ PB Tech

Smartphones @ PB Tech | Headphones @ PB Tech

coldbricks

16 posts

Geek

#946094 5-Dec-2013 15:16

Regarding the router provider, VF customer team is telling me that it's a NETCOMM NP805N. It's a few years old now, does it still cut the mustard? Should I hold out getting my own and using the supplied router until prices drop and specs improve of the new AC routers?

FelixW

36 posts

Geek

#946400 6-Dec-2013 09:26

coldbricks: Regarding the router provider, VF customer team is telling me that it's a NETCOMM NP805N. It's a few years old now, does it still cut the mustard? Should I hold out getting my own and using the supplied router until prices drop and specs improve of the new AC routers?

Not using the 805n anymore they now have Netcomm NF5 but you might still get a 805 if the tech still has some sitting in there van.