Modem's!

[Adam Redfern]

Hi, I have recently got a fiber connection to my house and they, TalkTalk, have given me a standard BT Modem. My questions are: Would it benefit me to buy a better third party one? Would I get better speeds if I plugged Ethernet directly into the modem and what difference does getting a new one make?

 

Thanks in advance

[Oshino Shinobu]

What you'll have is router (may have modem built in). A modem is used to convert analogue and digital signals for use over telephone networks, it's uncommon to have a standalone one in modern networks. 

 

It depends on your house layout, size, construction and devices connected. If you have a wide spanning house, you may want to buy a better router, or install extenders or access points. Test to see if WiFi signals get significantly weaker anywhere in the house. If they do, it's worth getting a new router. 

 

Plugging directly into the router will improve speeds (in most cases), as well as reliability and stability. If hard wire is not an option, you can use powerline adapters to get a connection somewhere in-between hardwire and wifi. 

 

For a router, my personal recommendation would be the ASUS RT-AC68U.

[mikat]

Hi, I have recently got a fiber connection to my house and they, TalkTalk, have given me a standard BT Modem. My questions are: Would it benefit me to buy a better third party one? Would I get better speeds if I plugged Ethernet directly into the modem and what difference does getting a new one make?

 

Thanks in advance

you cant really replace the modem, on the other hand, you can replace the router, just by getting another one, but this will only benefit you if you use wifi or need features that the old modem/router did not have