Changinge to Zen Fibre What Router ? 2 options

Randall8686

Randall8686

Randall8686

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Hi all

Well im pretty much decided that im going to change my ISP to Zen fibre from BT infinity as mainly I want a static IP and BT's last customer service issue was dreadfull.

My two options for router are Netgear - N7000 nighthawk or the Asus RT-AC68U

I have no brand preference just after the router with the best features and reliability.

Will be needing QOS and will be connecting a windows based server couple of PC's and a sinology server along side a few smart TV's and the usual iphones ipads etc.

What are people thoughts on them both ? also open to another suggestion for a under £200 router.
 
If your main reason for changing ISP is to get a static IP then Plusnet are worth a look. Their customer support is good, probably not up to Zen's level but neither are their prices.
 
that is the main reason but they are only £5 a month more than plus net when the 9 months ends, Plus the fact they want a £50 install fee. It makes the difference not a great deal.

Zen are doing fibre unlimited for £25 a month with £17 a month line rental currently
Plus net is £19.99 a month.

I was thinking Zen would give me the best service and connection ?
 
Unlimited fibre with Zen is £30/month + line rental. The £25/month is the business rate and excludes Vat.

And if you time it right Plusnet offer some decent cashback deals.
 
good spot. What downsides are their to plusnet over Zen ? apart from the customer support (that hopefully I wont need)

Will speeds with both suppliers be the same as my infinity speed
 
I'm not aware of any serious downsides to Plusnet. There are the occasional horror stories, but if you look at the Plusnet thread on this forum you'll find plenty of happy customers (including myself).

Your FTTC speed should be more-or-less the same whoever you choose.

Plusnet do apply some traffic management but I've never actually noticed it, and I've never seen any credible reports of it impacting anyone else.

I've got nothing against Zen apart from the cost. For most home users I can't see the point of paying the extra.
 
hmmm in this case maybe I should look at them then. Im all for saving a few quid. Mainly after a Static i.p tbh and BT have no intention of supplying one of those.
 
Just read their traffic management, It makes you nervous reading about 6 different clases of traffic and they complexly use metal names to explain it like gold, gold plated etc (very odd)

But you say that you have never noticed any traffic management issues ?

I assume the supplied router is garbage
 
Randall8686 said:
Just read their traffic management, It makes you nervous reading about 6 different clases of traffic and they complexly use metal names to explain it like gold, gold plated etc (very odd)

But you say that you have never noticed any traffic management issues ?

I assume the supplied router is garbage
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that it is traffic prioritisation, not throttling. I've never noticed it in action at all - I'm always getting ~8MBps downloads (near enough the 70Mbps that I'm paying for).

If you can hold off they occasionally do incredible deals if you get your phone service with them. I'm currently paying £9.99 for 6 months for Fibre Unlimited, and have £100 cashback to come.

As for the router, out of those two I'd get the AC68U, purely because of superior manufacturer and aftermarket firmware support (Merlin). The Netgear will offer better USB performance, however that's really the only major advantage.
 
OMG that just made it worse reading some of the comments, People complaining that Playstation network downloads are put into bronze category etc !!

Think im liking the Zen truly unlimited approach, I would kick myself if I signed up for 18 months and found anything throttled. My BT infinity does not seem to throttle anything currently
 
lamboman said:
Keep in mind that it is traffic prioritisation, not throttling. I've never noticed it in action at all - I'm always getting ~8MBps downloads (near enough the 70Mbps that I'm paying for).

If you can hold off they occasionally do incredible deals if you get your phone service with them. I'm currently paying £9.99 for 6 months for Fibre Unlimited, and have £100 cashback to come.

As for the router, out of those two I'd get the AC68U, purely because of superior manufacturer and aftermarket firmware support (Merlin). The Netgear will offer better USB performance, however that's really the only major advantage.
Click to expand...


USB performance is not of concern, Have a windows sever and a synology nas taking care of media.

It does seem a far far cheaper service but I guess you get a little less for a lot less money..

In answer to my post I think I will choose the asus. However now im stumped with ISP. Its a fair cash saving over a year.
 
It wouldn't matter if it's Bronze unless you are using for connection for other things at the same time. If you aren't using the connection for anything else even your Bronze traffic should download at line speed.
 
the way I understand this is its traffic managed as a group of connections not just my own. This is not a QOS on my line but more of a QOS over my town if you like so if there are 1000 people online gaming using up all the bandwidth then my bronze connection (even if its the only demand on my line) is going to suffer due to the large volume of titanium traffic about ? ?
 
Randall8686 said:
Just read their traffic management, It makes you nervous reading about 6 different clases of traffic and they complexly use metal names to explain it like gold, gold plated etc (very odd)
Click to expand...

Been with Plusnet about 8 months on unlimited fiber.

Their normal traffic management is no problem, as it only relates to your own traffic. So say you have P2P running, then do a VOIP, the VOIP will be given priority that is exactly what you want.

Plusnet do implement traffic management that is global, being they will slow you down to benefit others, but this is estimated at only 1% of time when a network issue will occur.

There is another level of traffic management, such as a 9/11 type event, where P2P could be disabled, and browsing limited to 512kbps - this is so VOIP and VPN can continue in absolute emergency - this is estimated to happen at 0.01% of the time.

I'm no expert on PlusNet traffic management, just repeating what it says on their site. I have always had my full sync speed when running speedtest.net

Also re router - I'm using a Draytek 2860n, amazing piece of kit that also removes the BT modem. Draytek is overkill for most people however.
 
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Hmm as with all these things people always report the bad and not the good. Google has uncovered many stories many of them isolated and over the top Im sure, However think I might go with Zen as im sure there should be less contention in the area and they are truly not managed/throttled. yes its a tenner a month more or so but I would rather have a spot on service than have something slowed down. I left virgin media as their traffic management sucked massively
 
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