Draytek Vigor 120 to replace 'modem' part of router

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Benoire

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#116880 13-May-2013 06:24

Hi,

I've got an on-going problem with a very poor ADSL router that it constantly requires it to be power cycled for it to reset itself. I'm looking to replace it with the vigor 120 and run a gigabit router instead.

How stable is the vigor? I'm looking at placing it under the house with the newly wired in server / TV system and so if it has issues with needing to power cycle then it might be considerable hassle as I don't want to have to crawl under the house everytime it needs reseting.

Anybody got any views on the stability of it, or can recommend another option?

Thanks,

Chris

theEd

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#816481 13-May-2013 06:50

Hi Chris,

I'll let someone else answer as to their reliability as my opinion might be seen as biased

Just want to give a bit of advice about running it under the house. The modem and its PSU can both get quite warm in normal operation, so I would take cooling/airflow into account. If the ventilation holes on the side and bottom of the unit are blocked it could kill the modem.

Benoire

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#816482 13-May-2013 06:53

Hi Ed,

House is on piles so approx. 1.2m - 1.5m of clearance depending on location. Air bricks are installed in the brick 'skirt' so even in summer the under house area is cooler than the house and in winter it is dry but cool (Auckland).

I don't believe it to be an issue really.

kiwitrc

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#816485 13-May-2013 07:37

We used a vigor for our business connection before going to VDSL ( went Draytek again for that) They are great, rock solid and easy to set up. PM me and make me an offer for our Vigor 120. Its still at work somewhere.

sbiddle

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Biddle Corp

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#816495 13-May-2013 08:37

The problem with putting any electronic equipment in an environment like that is corrosion.

seatil

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#816543 13-May-2013 10:25

I have a Draytek Vigor 120 that I use as a PPPoA<=>PPPoE bridge. I'm very happy with it. It's rock solid and I haven't needed to poke or reboot it in a very long time (several months).

The negatives of this device for me are:

* Syncs at 9.5Mbps compared with 10.5Mbps with our old D-Link
* Doesn't support SNR overriding - we can actually get 14Mbps stable with downstream SNR override on the D-Link

The positives are:

* PPPoE<=>PPPoA bridging vs the half-bridge mode of other devices.
* Rock solid, probably the most frustration free ADSL modem I've ever had (and I've had a few).
* Midget box. Takes up next to no space. I think ours is currently down the back of a desk somewhere.

You might ask why we're not using our old D-Link. That's because its negative points are far worse than the negatives of the Vigor 120:

* Needs rebooting to resync with the DSL line after a drop (e.g. cable yoink, power cut)
* Has a 1 in 4 chance of resetting to factory defaults when rebooted!

However... I know that our D-Link has recently had a new firmware released that claims to resolve some sync issues in NZ. So it may well pay to check for updated firmware before switching to another device. It may just solve your problems.

I'm just sad that we won't be able to use the Vigor 120 at the new place as it doesn't support VDSL2. :) It really has been that solid for us.

Software Engineer: Java, C++, SS7 and IP networking

chevrolux

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#816626 13-May-2013 11:58

Draytek make possibly the most stable modems you will find. If I get a chance will post the up time of my home connection. It has never had to be power cycled since I put it in which will be coming up close to a year.

Dont put it under your house though... unless it is in an IP66 rated enclosure which is just a pain to install.

HP

Shop now for HP laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

Oldhat

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#817135 14-May-2013 00:54

I also have a vigor 120 that has proven rock solid over the last two years and half years. The only down-time has been due to power cuts and the odd time I use it as a known good modem for testing friends connection issues.

Absolutely love the full bridge capability and have sold one of them to a friend as I originally had three for testing purposes.