Need a router recommendation!

RatmanGB · 2 Aug 2021 at 18:46

Woke up to no internet today, naturally assumed it was Virgin Media's fault, but no - something's happened to my Netgear R7000 overnight and now I can't get to the router login web page, and it won't factory reset.

I've read that it's possible to force a firmware upgrade on the R7000 from the command line but I can't figure it out. Basically I need a replacement so that I can put the Virgin Media Hub back in modem mode.

It doesn't need to be anything too special, just a) better than the Hub 3 and b) at least as good as the R7000 (when it was working). Ideally it'd work with a Netgear wifi extender, but I don't mind replacing that if need be.

Any suggestions?

Rainmaker · 6 Aug 2021 at 20:45

This exact question gets asked two or three times a week. Every week. I imagine that's why you've had no replies (it gets tedious repeating the same thing over and over). Do a search of this subform for 'router' or 'router virgin' and have a read through.

RatmanGB · 6 Aug 2021 at 20:55

I apologise for wasting everyone's time in that case.

Rainmaker · 7 Aug 2021 at 02:57

No need to apologise, I was more concerned with you wasting your own time waiting around for a reply that hasn't arrived. Start off by thinking why the SuperHub (3 or 4?) isn't good enough for you. What's missing that you require? What features are must-have? Do you want an all-in-one device or are you willing to spend more for separated specialities, and potentially better stability and performance?

For example, a consumer all-in-one 'router' is actually providing the functionality of a router, switch, firewall, SNAT/DNAT, DNS server, DHCP server, wireless access point, and so on. You could theoretically split all those into separate boxes, but that's rather wasteful.

Depending on your requirements though, it could be useful to have a dedicated DHCP server, or DNS server, or to separate the router from the hardware firewall. Certainly splitting off WiFi to a dedicated AP is to be preferred.

Do you see what I mean? "I need a new router" isn't a straight forward question with a standard answer. If your answer is along the lines of 'My requirements are to connect a few devices to the Internet through my VM modem', then any old device capable of gigabit will do you fine, more or less. So then we're back to asking what's actually wrong with the SuperHub as it is without the third party add on box?

If, on the other hand, you were to say something like 'I need a gigabit WAN router which has three or more separate interfaces for segmented networks and that can handle IPSEC and WireGuard at wirespeed, a stateful firewall with complicated DNAT rules, a bulletproof DHCP server for 250+ users, DNS with filtering per-client and with content blocking, a layer 3 switch with VLAN support and PoE AF, and a WiFi AP solution with remote management and backplane to cope with multi-100s of users with seamless roaming'... Well then we need to have a different conversation...

If it's as simple as finding the VM router 'a bit flaky' and wanting 'better WiFi' then pretty much any decent router and a stand-alone wireless access point located centrally in your home will do you fine. If it's more than that, list your requirements more specifically than you did in the OP and we'll hopefully point you in the right direction.

Edit: At any rate, avoid anything by Asus as a matter of course. Netgear aren't much better. If it must be an all-in-one type affair then something that supports WRT or similar will be your best bet. Better yet, get something more focused with a better security track record, or even build one.

RatmanGB · 9 Aug 2021 at 12:10

Unfortunately I ordered an ASUS RT-AC86U on Friday on the basis of some good reviews, probably by not very specialist outlets!

Although the damage is now done, in case you're interested - I've got the Super Hub 3, and while it seemed a lot better than it used to be when I pressed it back into service as more than just a modem, the WiFi range still wasn't great and it still didn't seem very happy when I got all my devices attached to it, with connections dropping out. That wasn't great when working from home, so I had to get something better at short notice.

I have tried a couple of Netgear extenders to alleviate the range issue, which was also present to a lesser extent with the Netgear R7000, but these don't work as seamlessly as advertised and my other half's devices have trouble when she moves from upstairs, where the cable line comes in, to downstairs.

It is, basically, home use only - two wired PCs, one laptop, two tablets, two phones, a smart TV, a Sky box and a Roku - with decent reliability since I'm still working from home, albeit not for much longer.

The RT-AC86U is actually working well enough for what I need on the surface - the range is good enough that I've been able to dispense with the extenders.