Replacement VDSL modem router for Plusnet FTTC?

[hughtrimble]

Afternoon Overclockers,

Currently having issues with Plusnet's router - it repeatedly drops connection, this has been looked in to by Plusnet who have visited twice, replaced the router, and whilst improved reliability, it seems it cannot deal with 6+ connections (three PCs, four phones and two TVs on WiFi, one PC on TP-Link plug and one connected directly to the router itself). Connections dropped typically in the evening when the majority of these are in sporadic use.

Any thoughts on the Billion AC1600 dual band wireless VDSL/ADSL2+ Gigabit Modem Router? Or other recommended options?

Hugh

 

[bremen1874]

What drops, the connection, or the internal network?

Does 'repeatedly' mean once per month or five times a day.

There's plenty of anecdotal evidence of Powerline adapters causing problems with VDSL routers.

 

[Avalon]

First of all which specific Plusnet router? They have used several over the years. Assuming it’s the Hub it’s a well proven but if kit that’s more than capable of what you suggest, in fact any of the plusnet supplied kit is usually stable (Wi-Fi on the older stuff was weak, but reliable).

I’d really suggest you investigate the issue, if it’s still not resolved by router swaps why not look at what may be causing the router to have issues? This could be cross talk from a street light coming on (rare, but not unheard of), powerline adapters causing interference (again technically unlikely but has been reported) or all manner of other random stuff. Point being throwing money at it on the off chance it might mask the actual issue risks you being out of pocket and back to square one.

 

[hughtrimble]

What drops, the connection, or the internal network?

Does 'repeatedly' mean once per month or five times a day.

There's plenty of anecdotal evidence of Powerline adapters causing problems with VDSL routers.

Thanks for this Bremen - info I should have clarified in the OP, apologies, so thank you for highlighting it.

Repeatedly meaning upwards of 20 times a day at worst, and at best, once or twice a week and that was the connection. Internal network would go down around five or six times per day most days, typically in the evening.

Now the router has been replaced, the connection itself has dropped once since installation (around a week) and the internal network has gone down a few times in this period, although no where near as frequently as previously.

Plusnet engineers have reported two likely causes (one for each engineer!): faulty card in the cabinet, and a faulty router. The router has been replaced, but the card status is unknown.

I was not aware of the powerline adapter issues, so I'll read into those, thank you kindly.

 

[hughtrimble]

First of all which specific Plusnet router? They have used several over the years. Assuming it’s the Hub it’s a well proven but if kit that’s more than capable of what you suggest, in fact any of the plusnet supplied kit is usually stable (Wi-Fi on the older stuff was weak, but reliable).

I’d really suggest you investigate the issue, if it’s still not resolved by router swaps why not look at what may be causing the router to have issues? This could be cross talk from a street light coming on (rare, but not unheard of), powerline adapters causing interference (again technically unlikely but has been reported) or all manner of other random stuff. Point being throwing money at it on the off chance it might mask the actual issue risks you being out of pocket and back to square one.

Thanks for this Avalon, certainly things to investigate too - it's the Hub One. Never thought of street lighting so I'll check back through the logs and guesstimate when the lights have come on outside over time with the change in darkness etc. That being said, at its worst, this was happening throughout the day, so no streelights on, and also I had switched off the TP-Link adapters (at least for some of the time, not because I was aware of the issues they may be causing, but more because of just routinely doing that with different devices to see if it was one of them triggering the drop-outs).

The idea of going for a new router was to find the most stable (within reason), and the Billion AC1600 seemed to be one of the few (when compared to the likes of bigger name brands like Asus) that didn't have reviews stating similar issues to what I've been experiencing, i.e. unstable connections and internal network failures etc. That being said, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, so the Billion could be just as if not more unreliable as the others, just with fewer purchasers to be there to share their experiences, hence my posting here to hear if any OCUK folk have/or are aware of their wares.

 

[Avalon]

I generally take the opinion that if something is bad, people will complain, if it’s good, they are less inclined to take the time to praise it, unless it’s exceptional. I know it’s a pain, but raise it again with PN before going down the route of another router.

With that level of drop out and it affecting both WAN and LAN it would point to the router, but i’m wondering if that’s just a symptom of the potential card issue, rather than the router being the cause. Has sync or line stats changed significantly? I can’t remember if the PN Hub gives any meaningful stats anyway as it’s been at least a year since I had to do anything with one.

 

[hughtrimble]

I generally take the opinion that if something is bad, people will complain, if it’s good, they are less inclined to take the time to praise it, unless it’s exceptional. I know it’s a pain, but raise it again with PN before going down the route of another router.

With that level of drop out and it affecting both WAN and LAN it would point to the router, but i’m wondering if that’s just a symptom of the potential card issue, rather than the router being the cause. Has sync or line stats changed significantly? I can’t remember if the PN Hub gives any meaningful stats anyway as it’s been at least a year since I had to do anything with one.

Will do - they've actually been pretty good thus far, which I wasn't expecting!

No sync or line stats available on the hub interface; it's really pretty basic and just tells you when and what has happened, but not much else.