Rural Broadband Modems? Or alternatively best brand for marginal rural ADSL connection?

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spacedog

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#164396 8-Feb-2015 13:30

So I have been told by my Vodafone rep that there is something called a Rural Broadband modem that is some sort of 'special' modem for customers who are in areas with limited/marginal DSL service?

Our business is on Waiheke and we really struggle to get any kinds of decent ADSL speeds. As best I can tell, we are connected to cabinet and our current ISP is Vodafone (though we have been with Telecom and Telstra in the past). The wiring is clean and has a master splitter installed and testing on DSL integrity has actually been done (by me...I used to be an IT professional) at the plinth so I know that internal wiring is definitively not the issue.

SNR= 12.4 Down / 12.0 Up
Attn= 50.5 Down / 27.0 Up
Sync varies between 3-4mpbs down and rarely goes over 700'ish up.

Does anyone know anything about these mysterious Rural Broadband modems? What's special about them, who makes them, do they work?

Barring that, what is the current thinking on best brand of modem for long-distance lines? I have been using a broadcom based TD-W8960N from TP-Link and it seems to consistently sync the best, but it's a really limited modem. I really need a VPN server for remote access. Anyone have any experience with the current ADSL modem offerings from Draytek or Asus on a long adsl copper loop?

As far as I can tell Chorus has no plans at all to *ever* shorten our loop or delivery fiber to us.

PeterReader

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#1232903 8-Feb-2015 13:30

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.

johnr

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#1232911 8-Feb-2015 13:35

Have you searched ' rural broadband ' on the main Vodafone NZ site? First option in the list of results

http://www.vodafone.co.nz/broadband/rural/

spacedog

482 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1232912 8-Feb-2015 13:43

johnr: Have you searched ' rural broadband ' on the main Vodafone NZ site? First option in the list of results

http://www.vodafone.co.nz/broadband/rural/

Yeah, have already looked at that. We are out of coverage range. We sit down in a little bit of a valley. So unless I figure someway to mount it up on the ridgeline and then bounce it down to the building, it's unlikely that will ever be an option.

johnr

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#1232915 8-Feb-2015 13:48

End users can't do an RBI install, If you have no mobile coverage from Vodafone then RBI will not work

hio77

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Lizard Networks

#1232917 8-Feb-2015 13:56

in my experience draytek isnt your best bet.

First question for picking a modem that will squeeze the most out, is what sort of linecard are you on? usually pairing that correctly gives you an extra step up.

i actually found the TG582n to be on par with the old 604T for stability, while the highest yet for my rural line before the upgrade.

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michaelmurfy

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#1232926 8-Feb-2015 14:51

I agree - the TG582n is a very good router for long lines. I would like to know what type of ASAM is serving you, mind flicking me a DM with your address?

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
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DravidDavid

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#1232929 8-Feb-2015 15:10

I wasn't so sure there was such a thing as a "rural broadband modem"...

But I use a DG834G V4 flashed with DGTeam firmware that allows me to adjust SNR in the advanced ADSL settings.

In the city on a standard modem I achieved 17.4Mb/s (down)
- With SNR all the way down to 0% I bumped that up to 19.8Mb/s (down)

In the country (where I live now) a standard modem gets 520Kb/s (down)
- With the DGTeam firmware I've managed to bump that up to 2.2Mb/s

It's fantastic. You can get them on trademe for $20.00. I have two of them just in case one bites the bullet.

Here is one for $38.00
http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/networking-modems/wireless-networking/routers/auction-842132030.htm

If you brick it, it does not matter for that price.

You can also grab a V3 for 25. There is DGTeam firmware compatible with the V3 too. But I find the V3 is very very good stock. You may not even need to flash it.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/networking-modems/adsl-modems/auction-843076743.htm

Good luck! :)

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hio77

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Lizard Networks

#1232975 8-Feb-2015 16:19

Remember when SNR tweaking your sacrificing stability, especially when going that low..

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sbiddle

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#1233025 8-Feb-2015 17:56

There is no such thing as a "rural broadband modem" however different brands of modems and chipsets can give slightly different levels of performance, and on a line such as yours with such poor attenuation you may see a minor difference. I've heard of plenty of good results from the Broadcom based TP-Link devices, so I wouldn't expect to get anything higher than what you have now.

DravidDavid

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#1233244 9-Feb-2015 08:13

hio77: Remember when SNR tweaking your sacrificing stability, especially when going that low..

I'm on a line where Chorus refuse to fix it, instead telling me that I'm too far away to get broadband...Until I shout and scream of course. My connection drops maybe twice a week, usually at night or when it rains.

I didn't have any problems in the city at all. I highly recommend trying it. Worth it for 20 bucks.

michaelmurfy

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#1233281 9-Feb-2015 10:11

Just had the address sent to me.

OP is 5km away from the serving cabinet, cabinet is WH/P (an ISAM). I think the connection you're currently getting is the best you're going to get in this location.

raytaylor

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#1235962 11-Feb-2015 20:01

Dynalink modems have long been considered to be the best long distance performers.
Though there are other brands that may use similar chipsets.

I also find sometimes putting them in adsl1-only mode can help.

Dynalink has since been bought out by netcomm so i would suggest looking for one on trademe.
Slingshot was issuing them for like 8 years so there should be heaps around.

edit: This reminds me of the old long reach 56k modems that dynalink also used to make

Ray Taylor

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dimsim

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#1236073 11-Feb-2015 21:25

happy to supply you a couple of different configured cisco adsl modems to try.

i have plenty of rural customers using them and to put it simply they just work (and keep working)

pm me if you're interested.