Spark Smart Modem 2 vs B618?

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Otagolad

364 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2897772 6-Apr-2022 19:03

Hi All,

Just wanting to confirm whether the Spark Smart Modem 2 can handle gigabit fibre or is it limited to 100mbps as the chap in the Spark store told me - upgrading for my in-laws. I've also seen somewhere that when you check the WLAN Fibre port it shows as 100Base-T - is this simply because the person hasn't got a Cat6 cable attached or is the modem limited to 100Base-T and actually can't handle gigabit?

Any clarification gratefully received.

Cheers

Jiriteach

1116 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2897773 6-Apr-2022 19:07

Otagolad:
Hi All,

Just wanting to confirm whether the Spark Smart Modem 2 can handle gigabit fibre or is it limited to 100mbps as the chap in the Spark store told me - upgrading for my in-laws. I've also seen somewhere that when you check the WLAN Fibre port it shows as 100Base-T - is this simply because the person hasn't got a Cat6 cable attached or is the modem limited to 100Base-T and actually can't handle gigabit?

Any clarification gratefully received.

Cheers

That’s incorrect. All ports on the SSM2 are gig.
Four (4) 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet ports (1 WAN/LAN + 3 LAN)

https://www.spark.co.nz/shop/internet/spark-smart-modem/

-- opinions expressed by me are solely my own. ie - personal

Otagolad

364 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2897799 6-Apr-2022 19:41

Jiriteach:
Otagolad:

Hi All,

Just wanting to confirm whether the Spark Smart Modem 2 can handle gigabit fibre or is it limited to 100mbps as the chap in the Spark store told me - upgrading for my in-laws. I've also seen somewhere that when you check the WLAN Fibre port it shows as 100Base-T - is this simply because the person hasn't got a Cat6 cable attached or is the modem limited to 100Base-T and actually can't handle gigabit?

Any clarification gratefully received.

Cheers

That’s incorrect. All ports on the SSM2 are gig.
Four (4) 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet ports (1 WAN/LAN + 3 LAN)

https://www.spark.co.nz/shop/internet/spark-smart-modem/

Thanks - that's what I had read and thought but the young guy at Spark Northlands in Chch was adamant and I had showed him the spec's on the website but he still wouldn't accept it - I expect that the comment I saw about 1ooBase-T was from someone using Cat5e cabling and not getting full value for money.

Talkiet

4787 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2897832 6-Apr-2022 21:42

B618 won't route anything like full gig. The SM2 will. (B618 goes have gig ports though)

That said, the SM2 is NOT the standard device for Fibre - it's the standard device for 4G wireless.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

catspyjamas

185 posts

Master Geek

#2898078 7-Apr-2022 13:11

Talkiet:

B618 won't route anything like full gig. The SM2 will. (B618 goes have gig ports though)

That said, the SM2 is NOT the standard device for Fibre - it's the standard device for 4G wireless.

Cheers - N

@Talkiet - thanks for confirming that the Spark Smart Modem 2 will handle max fibre plans. I'm currently using this modem for 4G connection, but I plan to use it for fibre in due course. Not sure if I'll go for 300/100 or Max, but nice to know Max is an option.

Can you tell me why the Spark Smart Modem 2 is not being supplied for fibre if it will handle it? A family member was also sold a Spark Smart Modem 1 by a Spark store sales person, who was also adament that the SSM2 would NOT handle fibre. My family member told them they were wrong, and the reply was along the lines of well it would be a very unsatisfactory experience used for that. They really wanted the SSM2 to utilise wifi 6 on their wifi 6 enabled devices. It was not the same store as the person mentioned above.... Is it simply a case of Spark trying to get rid of the version 1 modem? Or, is the SSM1 actually able to handle max fibre (or any fibre?) better than the SSM2 as this store person implied?

yitz

2054 posts

Uber Geek

#2898105 7-Apr-2022 13:46

Looking at the spec sheet SM1 will be cheaper...

Talkiet

4787 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2898113 7-Apr-2022 13:55

The SM2 has the integrated 4G wireless modem and comes at a higher cost than the Smartmodem. At scale, it's worth having separate models for fibre only and for 4G/Fibre. There have been occasions where the SM2 is appropriate (someone with an extended fibre install timeframe might use 4G for a few months first so it's ideal for that) - but generally it's a waste of money to supply a 4G enabled modem when the customer is going straight onto fibre.

Whether the message from the Spark store about the SM2 not handling fibre was flat out wrong or there was a misunderstanding - your family member was right - it will work fine. However the business rules at the moment are that the SM2 is for mainly 4G FWA connections.

The naming/numbering of the devices is far from ideal IMO, and that can contribute to situations like this where the fact that the original model is just as suited as the apparent successor isn't obvious.

The original Smartmodem (Arcadyan vrv9517) is tested to perform great with fibre up to FibreMax. I personally use one and get 940/500 results on speedtest with it.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

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catspyjamas

185 posts

Master Geek

#2898122 7-Apr-2022 14:18

Thanks @Talkiet. That makes sense re high cost versus benefit gained. From what you're saying though, in my situation though it makes sense to keep the SSM2 when I do switch to fibre, since I already own one for my 4G. Would be an extra cost for me to purchase a Smart Modem (v. 1).

It sounds like my family member was given incorrect information from what I understand. That said, with fibre max the benefits of wifi 6 are not going to be significant when they're already getting high download speeds from their max fibre plan. It'll be a nice upgrade from the HG695b anyway.

Talkiet

4787 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2898123 7-Apr-2022 14:21

catspyjamas:

Thanks @Talkiet. That makes sense re high cost versus benefit gained. From what you're saying though, in my situation though it makes sense to keep the SSM2 when I do switch to fibre, since I already own one for my 4G. Would be an extra cost for me to purchase a Smart Modem (v. 1).

It sounds like my family member was given incorrect information from what I understand. That said, with fibre max the benefits of wifi 6 are not going to be significant when they're already getting high download speeds from their max fibre plan. It'll be a nice upgrade from the HG695b anyway.

Yep - there's no reason to move away from a SM2 when you get fibre. The SM1 (or 2) would both be a good upgrade from the 659b - Although the 659b can route at full gig speed quite easily, it's older now and both Smartmodems have better Wifi - plus have a more generous simultaneous client limit than the 659b.

Cheers -N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

catspyjamas

185 posts

Master Geek

#2898138 7-Apr-2022 15:03

Their 695b was very old! If I recall, they switched to it when they were still on DSL & when Spark first introduced the HG695b - so however long ago that is. It's been a good modem for them but they began having issues in recent months, possibly just due to the modem's old age or they've hit the 32 device limit. They borrowed a modem to test and the issues they were having with devices getting kicked off, drop outs with long times to re-establish connections etc, all went away.

Their new Smart Modem (v 1) is working well for them by the sounds.

Otagolad

364 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2898309 7-Apr-2022 19:20

Talkiet:

The SM2 has the integrated 4G wireless modem and comes at a higher cost than the Smartmodem. At scale, it's worth having separate models for fibre only and for 4G/Fibre. There have been occasions where the SM2 is appropriate (someone with an extended fibre install timeframe might use 4G for a few months first so it's ideal for that) - but generally it's a waste of money to supply a 4G enabled modem when the customer is going straight onto fibre.

Whether the message from the Spark store about the SM2 not handling fibre was flat out wrong or there was a misunderstanding - your family member was right - it will work fine. However the business rules at the moment are that the SM2 is for mainly 4G FWA connections.

The naming/numbering of the devices is far from ideal IMO, and that can contribute to situations like this where the fact that the original model is just as suited as the apparent successor isn't obvious.

The original Smartmodem (Arcadyan vrv9517) is tested to perform great with fibre up to FibreMax. I personally use one and get 940/500 results on speedtest with it.

Cheers - N

Thanks @Talkiet - we've installed the Smart Modem 2 and when I checked the settings it shows that the WAN Fibre port is 100baseT - I would expect this to show 1Gbps or similar - I've checked that all the cabling is Cat6 so no issue there. Any ideas or is there a secret menu where you need to change the port from 100 to 1000, as I know some modems/routers have a "green' mode and default to 100 - any suggestions most welcomed.

Talkiet

4787 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2898310 7-Apr-2022 19:21

Try another cable please... I know that by default they are not set to any sort of green mode. I have one on my desk here and [checks] it defaults to gig

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

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