Is it worth upgrading from ISP router ?

[Jthetank]

Hi all my current setup is the ISP standard router I'm on half a gb download and 50mbs upload, I have a 10 meter cat 5e cable going from the ISP to my work/game setup with a 5 port switch capable of 1gbs my question is do you think its work upgrading to something like Asus router that was showing in latest video ? 

[Electronics Wizardy]

Are you paying for the isp router? It can often be cheaper if your paying $ 10 a month or simmilar to replace it.

 

Are you getting the speeds your paying for? If so, it won't help, esp for wired where the router matters much less normally.

[Enderman]

Is it a router or a modem?

Usually changing it won't change any of your speeds.

If you want more speed you have to pay for a better internet plan.

[sphbecker]

1 hour ago, Jthetank said:

Hi all my current setup is the ISP standard router I'm on half a gb download and 50mbs upload, I have a 10 meter cat 5e cable going from the ISP to my work/game setup with a 5 port switch capable of 1gbs my question is do you think its work upgrading to something like Asus router that was showing in latest video ? 

If your ISP modem/router is trash, then 100% you want to buy your own gear. That was typically the case up until recently when ISPs started pushing out some decent devices. If your goal is saving money, just accept that it will take a while to get a return on investment. Based on your speeds, I assume you are on a cable network, so a good DOCSIS 3.1 modem will run about $100 and a decent router starts at $150 (much more if you want a mesh system), so you are looking at nearly 2 years to cover those costs.

 

Also keep in mind that your ISP will have less ability to support you if you are on your own gear, and be ready for them to blame your gear anytime there is an issue. Having said that, I run my own gear. I just prefer having total control of my own network and don't really care what that costs me, but that is me. If that doesn't sound like you, then you might consider sticking with the ISP offering.

[Blue4130]

3 hours ago, Jthetank said:

Hi all my current setup is the ISP standard router I'm on half a gb download and 50mbs upload, I have a 10 meter cat 5e cable going from the ISP to my work/game setup with a 5 port switch capable of 1gbs my question is do you think its work upgrading to something like Asus router that was showing in latest video ? 

For wired, no its not worth it. For Wi-Fi, it can be. 

[Jthetank]

Thank you all, not looking for more speed (although it would be nice to have I can upgrade to 1gb download with isp I live in a good area) but looking at more control I work from home 24/7 and would like to control that and my ps5 and gaming pc. Also the WiFi is pretty poor on the ISP modem so much so that when family were over for Xmas it actually crashed it completely turned off and rebooted a couple times I put that down to so many on WiFi at once it has not happened since 

[Karlis_Blumanis]

1 hour ago, Jthetank said:

Thank you all, not looking for more speed (although it would be nice to have I can upgrade to 1gb download with isp I live in a good area) but looking at more control I work from home 24/7 and would like to control that and my ps5 and gaming pc. Also the WiFi is pretty poor on the ISP modem so much so that when family were over for Xmas it actually crashed it completely turned off and rebooted a couple times I put that down to so many on WiFi at once it has not happened since 

It must be really crappy if it crashes with a couple more of wifi users.... 

[Timothy003]

It sounds like you want a router that you can tinker with. Without more details, my best recommendation is to switch to something like OpenWrt.

 

The ASUS router is nice, but for $400, you can get an x86 mini PC, an 8-port switch, and two wireless access points. It'll be more robust, more flexible, and more responsive than any wireless router.

[sphbecker]

5 hours ago, Timothy003 said:

It sounds like you want a router that you can tinker with. Without more details, my best recommendation is to switch to something like OpenWrt.

 

The ASUS router is nice, but for $400, you can get an x86 mini PC, an 8-port switch, and two wireless access points. It'll be more robust, more flexible, and more responsive than any wireless router.

I was a big fan of ASUS routers, even using their factory firmware (or Merlin's modified factory firmware) they are very flexible. I do think they have let the "gamer" aspect of it push their price up beyond what is reasonable. There are somethings that don't need to be gamery, and a router is one of them. It needs to be powerful enough to handle your traffic and number of users, gaming is actually a pretty light workload for a router, so don't pay for the hype.

[wseaton]

ISPs are pretty good now about combining decent routers that can handle their advertised speeds. Sometimes they screw up and upgrade your line without upgrading your legacy gear, but they will usually swap if its an issue.

 

Yeah, built in wifi tends to suck, but you can always disable it and get a dedicated AP. The actual router piece is adequate, so why toss It? 

[Timothy003]

16 hours ago, sphbecker said:

I was a big fan of ASUS routers, even using their factory firmware (or Merlin's modified factory firmware) they are very flexible. I do think they have let the "gamer" aspect of it push their price up beyond what is reasonable. There are somethings that don't need to be gamery, and a router is one of them. It needs to be powerful enough to handle your traffic and number of users, gaming is actually a pretty light workload for a router, so don't pay for the hype.

Ironically, ASUS doesn't support CAKE or FQ-CoDel, which is what gamers actually want. And they use closed-source Broadcom drivers, which makes it hard for Merlin and OpenWrt to support.