Separate modem router or combined?

[Hades]

I currently have FTTC and am using a BT Smarthub all in one unit. I do still have an old Openreach modem from before I replaced the modem and router with the Smarthub simply to tidy up the cables in the living room.

But everything is now in a separate office so cables and clutter are not quite as much of a concern. I want to replace the BT Smarthub with something a little higher end that gives me more control over VPN's, QoS, port forwarding, etc. So the question is whether I get a combined ADSL/VDSL modem router or simply get a stand alone router and reuse the old Openreach modem.

The only real pro's I can see with the standalone combined unit is simplicity, and the only real pro's I can see with separate units are possibly reduced price and maybe simplicity when I eventually get FTTP as I can just swap out the current Openreach modem and swap in whatever they supply.

Am I missing any big pros and cons? Do ISP's tend to provide separate modem/routers or combined ones with FTTP?

Thanks.

 

[Caged]

With FTTP the ONT is supplied by the network, the router is a separate unit and connects with an ethernet cable.

The answer to your question sort of depends on whether the features you need in a router are available in models that have VDSL modems built into them. As the world moves away from the technology the options for the hardware start to tail off a bit.

 

[Hades]

Thanks. The features I need are available in a combined device from Draytek. I've used Draytek products in the past and been very happy with them. I can get something on the used market for around the same price as a new separate router. But having said that, I think I'm leaning towards just getting a separate router and reusing my old Openreach modem for now. It would make transition to FTTP (when that eventually does happen - no idea when) easier.