Spark Fibre Modem with Gigabit Ethernet

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Spark Fibre Modem with Gigabit Ethernet

Rudder

106 posts

Master Geek

#157304 27-Nov-2014 09:00

Hi all. I need some advice as network hardware is not my area of expertise.

I am getting upgraded to fibre on Monday and have been sent a HG630b. This doesn't have gigabit ethernet. I have wired our house with cat 6 so I really want Gigabit Ethernet. I saw in another post that people had been upgraded to the HG659b by paying an extra $50. I have tried this twice this morning with no luck.

What is the best option for getting this. (Wireless AC isn't needed but would be good. We transfer everything that is large over ethernet.)

Do I go out and buy a router that has Gigabit Ethernet and can connect to the fibre. Can anyone recommend one of these for sub $180.

Does the HG630b support some sort of pass through that allows me to connect a router to and then I can connect connect all my home PC's to the router without any issues. Double NAT etc

Is there something I haven't considered?

I find it ridiculous that they are still supplying modems without gigabit ethernet. The spark staff got very offended when I said that the HG630b isn't very good and that I needed something more. It was hilarious.

1 | 2

30853 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#1183811 27-Nov-2014 09:03

You could simply buy a Gigabit switch.

Rudder

106 posts

Master Geek

#1183813 27-Nov-2014 09:04

Ok. and that will have no issues with double NAT. I know nothing about networking so just want to make sure.

trig42

5809 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#1183814 27-Nov-2014 09:05

A gigabit switch connected to the router may be an idea, but you'd still only get 100mbps between the switch and the router.
Agreed, if they are selling 100mbps and above plans, they should be providing CPE that can keep up.

Rudder

106 posts

Master Geek

#1183822 27-Nov-2014 09:08

At the moment we are only on the 30/10 plan but in the future we will definitely upgrade. I think a switch might be the way to go for now. Is there anything I should look for or does anyone have any recommendations?
Do I want a managed switch?

trig42

5809 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#1183823 27-Nov-2014 09:10

No, just a basic 5 or 8 (or more) port switch, one cable from any port to the Spark router, the other ports to the rest of your gear.
No config needed.

michaelmurfy

meow
13240 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1183825 27-Nov-2014 09:11

Rudder: At the moment we are only on the 30/10 plan but in the future we will definitely upgrade. I think a switch might be the way to go for now. Is there anything I should look for or does anyone have any recommendations?
Do I want a managed switch?

You don't need a managed switch. There are some pretty good unmanaged Dlink switches that cost very little.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
Referral Links: Quic Broadband (use R122101E7CV7Q for free setup)

Are you happy with what you get from Geekzone? Please consider supporting us by subscribing.
Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

Rudder

106 posts

Master Geek

#1183828 27-Nov-2014 09:14

Thanks everybody. That is everything I needed to know. I'll go find a nice little gigabit switch.

Equinox IT

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.

mdooher

Hmm, what to write...
1424 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1183833 27-Nov-2014 09:24

Rudder: Thanks everybody. That is everything I needed to know. I'll go find a nice little gigabit switch.

If you have the cash consider one with PoE, great for remote wifi access points VoIP phones, cameras and the like. BUT PoE switches tend to have fans in them and can be very noisy so check the racket it makes first.

Matthew

michaelmurfy

meow
13240 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1183886 27-Nov-2014 10:47

mdooher:
Rudder: Thanks everybody. That is everything I needed to know. I'll go find a nice little gigabit switch.

If you have the cash consider one with PoE, great for remote wifi access points VoIP phones, cameras and the like. BUT PoE switches tend to have fans in them and can be very noisy so check the racket it makes first.

Ubiquiti ToughSwitch PoE is a good switch and silent. Bundle this with an Edgerouter or Ubiquiti Security gateway plus some UniFi access points and you've got a winner :)

Rudder

106 posts

Master Geek

#1183899 27-Nov-2014 10:53

That does look good but a little out of my price range. Would something like this do the trick? We have 3 PC's connected by Ethernet which we often movie steam games between etc so can be transfering 30GB at a time. Also some of my movies are around 5-10GB.

We also have the occasional LAN so having 7 ports after the modem connection will be handy.

michaelmurfy

meow
13240 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1183903 27-Nov-2014 10:54

Rudder: That does look good but a little out of my price range. Would something like this do the trick? We have 3 PC's connected by Ethernet which we often movie steam games between etc so can be transfering 30GB at a time. Also some of my movies are around 5-10GB.

We also have the occasional LAN so having 7 ports after the modem connection will be handy.

Yeah that should be totally fine for your needs :) Just recommended an overkill solution for the hell of it!

Rudder

106 posts

Master Geek

#1183905 27-Nov-2014 10:55

Haha. Thanks. I'm all for overkill. My next house I will do properly.

plambrechtsen

1948 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1183934 27-Nov-2014 11:21

There are plenty of options here: http://pricespy.co.nz/category.php?k=v341

And not many of them are all that expensive.

misha256

24 posts

Geek

#1184808 28-Nov-2014 11:33

Rudder: Ok. and that will have no issues with double NAT. I know nothing about networking so just want to make sure.

Simple switches of the kind you need don't perform NAT, so no double-NAT issues to worry about.

However, you'd be connecting the switch to one of the 100Mbps ports on the HG630b. There's your bottleneck right there – I'm afraid a gigabit switch won't help you at all in this case.

sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#1184812 28-Nov-2014 11:37

misha256:
Rudder: Ok. and that will have no issues with double NAT. I know nothing about networking so just want to make sure.

Simple switches of the kind you need don't perform NAT, so no double-NAT issues to worry about.

However, you'd be connecting the switch to one of the 100Mbps ports on the HG630b. There's your bottleneck right there – I'm afraid a gigabit switch won't help you at all in this case.

What bottleneck? There isn't one. Spark only offer 100Mbps residential plans hence they only use hardware with FE ports. On connections that have faster speeds hardware with GE ports.

1 | 2