FTTC Help Modem choice..

Craigius · 30 Jun 2017 at 15:00

Ok people I need some advice..... Fibre has just gone live at this end so I’m looking to be connected within a few days my order has been placed with ORIGIN broadband, I’m currently on their ADSL2+ service.

Now the cab at the end of the road is a Huawei 288 /384HD FTTC cabinet and it would appear that the supplied router from Origin is an Asus DSL-N16 all in one job. I am currently using a TP-LINK Archer D9.

Now I know that my old modem router is capable of taking a fibre connection from a modem my question is would I be better to use the equipment provided by Origin or do I get an unlocked BT Openreach Huawei EchoLife HG612.

The service I am being connected to is there 76/20 package which is the MAX one I think.

Any help would much appreciated

bremen1874 · 30 Jun 2017 at 15:42

Option 1
Use the supplied Asus but turn the wireless off. Configure the TP-Link as a wireless access point and connect it to the Asus.

Option 2
Get hold of a HG612 (doesn't need to be unlocked, and don't pay extra just because it is). Use it with the TP-Link.

They're both two box solutions so no difference there.
They both offer exactly the same wireless performance.
Option 1 is be free to try, and you're best leaving the ISP provided router connected until the line has settled down.

Craigius · 30 Jun 2017 at 16:05

Hi thanks for getting back to me I should have said all the house has CAT6 in and i have 3 access points in the house and one in the garden all ubiquiti stuff so the wireless said of things is taken care off really, is it true that matching the modem up to the fibre cab helps??? reading on the internet it appears that it can offer better line stability and get slightly higher speeds or is that a load rubbish? sorry i'm not a expect on FTTC..

bremen1874 · 30 Jun 2017 at 16:13

I have a Huawei cabinet and never noticed any difference between Huawei and ECI modems, without looking I couldn't even tell you which is connected at the moment.

Use the Asus while the line settles. If you have any early problems your ISP is much more likely to provide support if you have their equipment connected.

Craigius · 30 Jun 2017 at 16:27

Ok thanks for that, I just know back in the days of ADSL anything with a broadcom chip set was good for longer telephone lines I have always been in a position where I have been miles away from the exchange you see and picked a modem router to compensate for this.

Silly Goose On The Loose · 30 Jun 2017 at 17:11

The HG612 is quite old now and hence runs older modem drivers. It tends to sync a bit lower than newer modems and since most of them are years old now, I have concerns about their longevity.

I would recommend the TP-LINK W9970 which is cheap but has a newer chipset and newer modem drivers, than the HG612 and seems to sync a bit faster. Alternatives are the ZyXEL VMG1312-A and the ZyXEL VMG8323-B10A.

KIA · 30 Jun 2017 at 18:23

Craigius said:
my order has been placed with ORIGIN broadband

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/t...ue-with-netflix-speed-last-few-days.18757371/

tl;dr Congestion.

ChrisD. · 30 Jun 2017 at 18:32

Origin have real bad congestion issues.

Craigius · 1 Jul 2017 at 01:00

ChrisD. said:
Origin have real bad congestion issues.

Great! should i have gone with BT?

bremen1874 · 1 Jul 2017 at 01:07

For 76/19 I'd vote for Plusnet (happy customer for a couple of years) rather than BT.

Craigius · 1 Jul 2017 at 10:05

Well I havent had an email text message or anything off them up to now I dont know how long it takes to do the swap over?

Avalon · 1 Jul 2017 at 15:12

Gigabit said:
The HG612 is quite old now and hence runs older modem drivers. It tends to sync a bit lower than newer modems and since most of them are years old now, I have concerns about their longevity.

I would recommend the TP-LINK W9970 which is cheap but has a newer chipset and newer modem drivers, than the HG612 and seems to sync a bit faster. Alternatives are the ZyXEL VMG1312-A and the ZyXEL VMG8323-B10A.

While I don't disagree newer products do tend to sync slightly faster, i've run HH5/6 against HG612 and ECI options, the marginal difference in sync on my line is insignificantly small, to the point it's not worth worrying about. Longevity wise i've got 4 in service at present, most have been in service for several years, I remember i've had to reboot one this year, but other than that they've been rock solid and I couldn't tell you the last time one dropped off or needed a power cycle. Also going with a dedicated modem opens up router choice - 3rd party firmware/hardware has several beneficial features, though I quite like the TP Link options, they're surprisingly well featured for what they are and if I needed a one box set-up and wasn't bothered about Running an encrypted VPN on the router for example, i'd give them some serious consideration.

bremen1874 · 1 Jul 2017 at 16:28

My original HG612 started playing up earlier this year (provided by BT back when they only offered 40/10). Turned out to be the PSU rather than the modem itself.

If you ignore the very early models with the overheating problem they seem to be very reliable.

Craigius · 3 Jul 2017 at 15:30

Well I have an activation date of the 19/07/2017 so I will have a to wait a while longer yet!

PiKe · 3 Jul 2017 at 15:48

You can cancel before the order is complete can't you?

Craigius · 14 Jul 2017 at 11:21

I have just had an update from them saying that it is going to be activated on the 17/07/2017 have i to assume that my old service ADSL will stop working when it is switched over?

ChrisD. · 14 Jul 2017 at 11:26

Yeah it'll switch from one to the other.

Craigius · 19 Jul 2017 at 14:42

Connection went live today at 11:30 after some messing around can someone have a look at these stats please no idea how to interpret them...

DSL Driver Version FwVer:5.5.2.3_A_A60901 HwVer:T14.F7_0.2
DSL Link Status
up
DSL Uptime 0 days 1 hours 25 minutes 30 seconds
DSL Modulation
ITU G.993.2(VDSL2)
ANNEX Mode
ANNEX A
DSL Exchange(DSLAM)
Broadcom
Current Profile
17a

Line Stats

Downstream Upstream
TCM(Trellis Coded Modulation)
On
On
SNR Margin
8.1 dB
15.6 dB
Line Attenuation
7.5 dB
1.3 dB
Path Mode
FastPath
FastPath
Interleave Depth
1
1
Data Rate
79999 kbps
19999 kbps
MAX Rate
99856 kbps
33443 kbps
POWER
13.1 dbm
0.5 dbm
INP
1.0 symbols
0.0 symbols
CRC
24
8

VDSL Band Status

U0 D1 U1 D2 U2 D3 U3 D4 U4
Line Attenuation (dB)
1.3
7.5
13.3
17.1
20.3
27.5
-
-
-
Signal Attenuation (dB)
1.3
13.3
13.1
17.3
20.2
28.3
-
-
-
SNR Margin (dB)
12.5
9.0
13.9
8.1
16.3
7.0
-
-
-

ChrisD. · 19 Jul 2017 at 14:49

Good line.

Craigius · 19 Jul 2017 at 14:56

Thanks Chris, could you advise why it is the download speeds are all over the place to be honest!

FTTC Help Modem choice..

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