Can anyone recommend me a router?

sprite1275 · 5 Jan 2016 at 10:41

I have an old D-link DSL-2740R which ive had a few years. Not got much knowledge on routers but ive bought WD 4TB Cloud for back ups etc so am i right in thinking id be better off connecting it to a router that has gigabit ports?

Things i have connected wireless are a couple of phones and TV. PC is connected via LAN.

Avalon · 5 Jan 2016 at 12:09

Do you have any plans to upgrade to fiber? The WD seems to have USB3, if your PC does as well then backing it up via USB3 will yield about the same transfer speed as doing it via gigabit but without the need for a new router, you can still connect to it with other devices via LAN and streaming is fine over 100mbit.

bremen1874 · 5 Jan 2016 at 12:17

The USB port is almost certainly only suitable for connecting peripheral devices. It isn't going to be a way to connect it directly to a PC.

If you just want Gigabit for LAN transfers you could buy a separate switch. If you don't mind the extra box it's the cheapest option.

Avalon · 5 Jan 2016 at 13:25

bremen1874 said:
The USB port is almost certainly only suitable for connecting peripheral devices. It isn't going to be a way to connect it directly to a PC.

If you just want Gigabit for LAN transfers you could buy a separate switch. If you don't mind the extra box it's the cheapest option.

Sadly you're right. I assumed it would work like the previous MyBook devices but with added RJ45 connectivity.

In that case you could either replace the router with one with gigabit ports
VDSL Compatible from £30ish upwards:

TD-W8970 V3 (300mbit wifi)
TD-W9980 (600mbit wifi)
VR range has launched but not a massive amount of real world feedback out yet.

ADSL/2/+
D7/D9 if you're not going fiber any time soon and need faster wifi.

An 8 port gigabit will set you back about £15 and anything connected to the switch that has a gigabit port will be capable of gigabit transfers to anything else on the switch irrespective of the router having 100mbit ports. Wifi (if handled by the router) will still be limited to the wifi connection speed or the 100mbit port speed, whichever is lower.

sprite1275 · 5 Jan 2016 at 13:52

Thanks for the insight folks. I won't be going fibre anytime soon. I'm thinking maybe paying a little more for a router rather than a switch to get 5ghz chanel, seems mine only has 2.4.

Never used 5ghz is it worth it?

Would this be a good bet for £35 https://www.asus.com/uk/Networking/RTN56U/

Avalon · 5 Jan 2016 at 15:07

The w9980 is 5Ghz and cheaper, it's UI is less polished than the Asus though.

The product you link to is not an ADSL router. The main reason people go with Asus is because of it's 3rd party firmware support (Merlin, Padavan, Shibby's Tomato, TomatoAdvanced etc.) The problem is non of those firmware's will work with any of the Asus DSL-XXXX products that you'd need and Asus's DSL products while normally Ok for DSL connections have issues with VDSL if that's the upgrade path you end up with.

If you want a 1 box solution then have a look at the TP Links I mention, the w9980 has 5Ghz and is circa £50. If adding 5Ghz is your main reason for upgrading then I would mention that mobiles and TV's aren't normally high bandwidth so you may not see much of a difference (1080p H264 streams for example are circa 6mbit).

bledd · 5 Jan 2016 at 15:12

dsl-n55u is great, but nearer £70-90

sprite1275 · 5 Jan 2016 at 16:22

Avalon said:
The w9980 is 5Ghz and cheaper, it's UI is less polished than the Asus though.

The product you link to is not an ADSL router. The main reason people go with Asus is because of it's 3rd party firmware support (Merlin, Padavan, Shibby's Tomato, TomatoAdvanced etc.) The problem is non of those firmware's will work with any of the Asus DSL-XXXX products that you'd need and Asus's DSL products while normally Ok for DSL connections have issues with VDSL if that's the upgrade path you end up with.

If you want a 1 box solution then have a look at the TP Links I mention, the w9980 has 5Ghz and is circa £50. If adding 5Ghz is your main reason for upgrading then I would mention that mobiles and TV's aren't normally high bandwidth so you may not see much of a difference (1080p H264 streams for example are circa 6mbit).

I'm sure the one I linked has 5ghz as well as 2.4ghz. I was thinking of just (if I can) put my Talk Talk router into Modem mode and connect a new router.

I had a new router with a modem but was never sure the settings were right as my internet kept going off (although it did it when I put my Talk Talk router back on). Then when you phone support they don't want to know if it's not there own router.

Avalon · 5 Jan 2016 at 22:54

sprite1275 said:
I'm sure the one I linked has 5ghz as well as 2.4ghz. I was thinking of just (if I can) put my Talk Talk router into Modem mode and connect a new router.

I had a new router with a modem but was never sure the settings were right as my internet kept going off (although it did it when I put my Talk Talk router back on). Then when you phone support they don't want to know if it's not there own router.

It does both, just as the TP Link's do.

bledd. said:
dsl-n55u is great, but nearer £70-90

Is it not plagued with the same modem issues that the rest of the range suffer from including the DSL-N66U etc? I'd go with a ECI/HG612 and N55U/N66U in preference to a DSL-XXXX.

sprite1275 · 13 Jan 2016 at 15:38

Avalon said:
The w9980 is 5Ghz and cheaper, it's UI is less polished than the Asus though.

The product you link to is not an ADSL router. The main reason people go with Asus is because of it's 3rd party firmware support (Merlin, Padavan, Shibby's Tomato, TomatoAdvanced etc.) The problem is non of those firmware's will work with any of the Asus DSL-XXXX products that you'd need and Asus's DSL products while normally Ok for DSL connections have issues with VDSL if that's the upgrade path you end up with.

If you want a 1 box solution then have a look at the TP Links I mention, the w9980 has 5Ghz and is circa £50. If adding 5Ghz is your main reason for upgrading then I would mention that mobiles and TV's aren't normally high bandwidth so you may not see much of a difference (1080p H264 streams for example are circa 6mbit).

Still looking at routers and Close to buying the 9980. I've noticed the TP link archer D2 AC750 cheaper. Would this be a better buy?
From what I can see it's pretty much the same as the 9980 or am I missing something?

Avalon · 14 Jan 2016 at 12:02

Go with the D2 750, it's currently available at a high street store for under £50 - they're very similar products.

sprite1275 · 14 Jan 2016 at 14:10

Avalon said:
Go with the D2 750, it's currently available at a high street store for under £50 - they're very similar products.

Cheers. Just so happens I get discount and have vouchers for that high street store

bledd · 14 Jan 2016 at 18:45

Avalon said:
It does both, just as the TP Link's do.

Is it not plagued with the same modem issues that the rest of the range suffer from including the DSL-N66U etc? I'd go with a ECI/HG612 and N55U/N66U in preference to a DSL-XXXX.

No, it's adsl only.

My uptime was months at a time