Router VS Modem question

[Hoof]

Hi, very new here, hopefully this isn't a stupid question.

 

I'm planning to hardwire my internet to my pc+console. Would it be better to hardwire it directly to my modem, or to a high end gaming router with QoS prioritization for games etc?

 

Side Q: Recommendations for router? (was thinking Nighthawk or one of the high end Asus ones).

[TheKDub]

I'd suggest going with a router in the middle, that way you can take advantage of the security features provided by it, as well as have a WIFI network set up for any mobile devices.

 

Try the Asus RT-AC66U and RT-N66U.

[MechPilot524]

I used to do installs for Time Warner Cable/Charter Spectrum, and in my opinion, it depends.

 

Sometimes, the router and the modem, while technically compatible and it'll work, won't communicate as effectively as it would in an ideal scenario. Emphasis on sometimes - I did not find this in every case I was installing a customer-provided router to go with the company-provided modem. I do not have that level of experience with other service providers' modems - I feel our modems were junk, and many seemed to develop wifi problems within 6 months, prompting a service call to replace them - so perhaps they are better, but they may also be worse. I am aware that AT&T, in my market region, disables the bridging firmware that allows a router to function (though I know that in some places, they don't).

 

So what I'm trying to say is that you might experience some delays if the router doesn't communicate too well with the modem. If you're not super-worried about the router's features - traffic security features are nice to have, but likely not critical - you might be better off connecting directly to the modem. If you can, try and test both. If you could possibly swap out the modem, depending on your ISP, I highly recommend getting an aftermarket modem-router combo so you don't really have that problem - the Asus CM32 2600AC is finally out in North America, maybe a year after they showcased it at Computex, and it's a brilliant solution for a modem-router.

[Simon771]

Shouldn't make difference.

 

But I have all my devices connected on router, so I can manage them and limit bandwitch based on IP.

[kirashi]

1 hour ago, Hoof said:

Hi, very new here, hopefully this isn't a stupid question.

 

I'm planning to hardwire my internet to my pc+console. Would it be better to hardwire it directly to my modem, or to a high end gaming router with QoS prioritization for games etc?

 

Side Q: Recommendations for router? (was thinking Nighthawk or one of the high end Asus ones).

Totally depends on your modem - ideally, you want a modem that can be bridged or one that is truly "just a modem" and a decent router that can handle all the traffic shaping for you. Bridged modems (or modems that are just modems) only convert the internet from your ISP into Ethernet, and nothing else - no QoS, no IP addressing for internal devices, no WiFi, nothing. Your router would then handle this task, distributing IPs to devices and serving up WiFi.

 

If your modem is "just a modem", you'll have to plug your console into a router anyway. Otherwise, see if your ISP can bridge your modem for you and use a decent router...

 

Speaking of which, Netgear's NightHawk R7000 is still a beast for our 2 story 1600 sqft house, and a few friends houses that are also 2 story between 1600 and 2000 sqft in size. It has good ranged antennas that can be upgraded a bit if desired since they're external, and easily handles up to 100+ devices connected no sweat. (We used one in the last retail store I worked at to run all the demo/display model laptops, MacBook's, iPad's, and tablets - around 80 to 120 devices, depending on the season.)

 

That being said, be sure to replace the stock firmware of whatever router you settle on with a variant of OpenWRT for optimal performance. Alternative firmware provides a lot more control and stability over the stock junk that manufacturers ship with their routers as the community has had time to tweak things. NOT ALL ROUTERS WORK WITH ALTERNATIVE FIRMWARE THOUGH so be sure to do your research first. My personal favorite WRT-based firmware is AdvancedTomato, a modification of ShibbyTomato, but there are others such as OpenWRT, straight up TomatoWRT, and the more widely known DD-WRT. All the R7000's I configure receive an upgrade to AdvancedTomato, but Kong-AC DD-WRT and Shibby Work well too.

[Donut417]

10 hours ago, Hoof said:

Hi, very new here, hopefully this isn't a stupid question.

 

I'm planning to hardwire my internet to my pc+console. Would it be better to hardwire it directly to my modem, or to a high end gaming router with QoS prioritization for games etc?

 

Side Q: Recommendations for router? (was thinking Nighthawk or one of the high end Asus ones).

To further add on to what @kirashi was saying. If you have a standard modem then you need a router. If you get your modem from your ISP, you are paying a rental fee. You can save money on your bill by buying one yourself. Depending on what kind of ISP you have will depend on how easy it is to get a standard modem. Most DSL modems have routers built in from what I have seen. While Cable modems are readily aviable with out routers built in. 

 

Agian I agree with the above. Get a router will third party firmware support. I use DDWRT on an Old Dlink DIR835 and it works great. I was able to kill buffer bloat using QoS options which work, compared to the stock firmware. 

[kirashi]

1 hour ago, Donut417 said:

If you get your modem from your ISP, you are paying a rental fee.

--SNIP--

 

All of this is also great info, although not all ISPs charge an actual rental fee in all countries. Here in Canada for example, the major ISPs require that you use one of their serialized modems provided by them. They "rent" it to you for $5 or so per month, which is then credited straight to your account on the same bill, so it's basically free. They do this so you can't claim ownership of the modem, and must return it if you cancel service or upgrade.

 

However, I know most places in the USA and elsewhere usually do the rental thing where you actually pay $15/month to rent the modem - in this case, definitely buy your own compatible modem and then add a router and you'll be much better off.  

[Donut417]

1 minute ago, kirashi said:

All of this is also great info, although not all ISPs charge an actual rental fee in all countries. Here in Canada for example, the major ISPs require that you use one of their serialized modems provided by them. They "rent" it to you for $5 or so per month, which is then credited straight to your account on the same bill, so it's basically free. They do this so you can't claim ownership of the modem, and must return it if you cancel service or upgrade.

 

However, I know most places in the USA and elsewhere usually do the rental thing where you actually pay $15/month to rent the modem - in this case, definitely buy your own compatible modem and then add a router and you'll be much better off.  

Yeah, Comcast when from $5 to 7, then to 10. ALso, most ISP supplied modem/routers suck balls any way. Comcast is no different. I know a lot of people who have WiFi issues with them. 

[mynameisjuan]

1 hour ago, Donut417 said:

Yeah, Comcast when from $5 to 7, then to 10. ALso, most ISP supplied modem/routers suck balls any way. Comcast is no different. I know a lot of people who have WiFi issues with them. 

Thats why we offer two, one is a modem only and customer needs to provide a router and the other is a modem/router combo. Wifi isnt bad on them, but the option is there if they want their own.

[Donut417]

1 hour ago, mynameisjuan said:

Thats why we offer two, one is a modem only and customer needs to provide a router and the other is a modem/router combo. Wifi isnt bad on them, but the option is there if they want their own.

Comcast only offers one option. Modem/Router with shit WiFi and you all will broadcast an SSID for Comcast wifi hotspots. From what I read on DSLreports.com most American Cable providers provide the same sub standard equipment.