cable modems and wireless routers

[zahc]

I got Time Warner basic  cable because that's all that's available in my area.

They hooked it up with some cheap Ubee modem that has one ethernet port and no wireless. I thought everything came with a wireless router nowadays, but I guess that's why they call it "basic"...

The install guy told us we could buy our own modem and not have to lease the TWC modem from them. Is this possible? I thought the modems had some special sauce that would only talked to TWC if it was a genuine TWC modem...am I wrong? Is a cable modem actually a cable modem?

Since my internet speed tests are only showing 12-20Mbps download, I assume Wireless G is fine. What's the best wireless router to get? Linksys WRT54GL was the best a few years ago but I heard Linksys broke them so they aren't as good.

[MillCreek]

Generally speaking, a wireless modem is a wireless modem.  I installed the item below in three homes, one with Frontier and two with Comcast cable internet.  Installation and configuration was plug and play, and all of the owners are happy with them.  Rock solid wireless connections throughout 2000-3000 square foot two story homes.

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SURFboard-Gateway-SBG6580-Wireless/dp/B0040IUI46

[lee n. field]

I got Time Warner basic  cable because that's all that's available in my area.

They hooked it up with some cheap Ubee modem that has one ethernet port and no wireless. I thought everything came with a wireless router nowadays, but I guess that's why they call it "basic"...

The install guy told us we could buy our own modem and not have to lease the TWC modem from them. Is this possible? I thought the modems had some special sauce that would only talked to TWC if it was a genuine TWC modem...am I wrong? Is a cable modem actually a cable modem?

Since my internet speed tests are only showing 12-20Mbps download, I assume Wireless G is fine. What's the best wireless router to get? Linksys WRT54GL was the best a few years ago but I heard Linksys broke them so they aren't as good.

Get a Mikrotik Routerboard.  This one here, I think is one our wireless guys use a ton of.

[zahc]

So, that Surfboard is a bit pricey for my tastes at $130. I only plan to be in this apartment for a year then I may have some other internet. I don't think I need wireless N.

I could get any random cable modem like this:

http://www.amazon.com/TERAYON-TJ715X-CABLE-MODEM-DOCSIS/dp/B0010X25DG/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1378343706&sr=1-8&keywords=cable+modem

and then use it with any wireless router, correct?

[MillCreek]

Absolutely.

[Brad Johnson]

Check Craigslist before you haul off and buy a new one.

Brad

[Hawkmoon]

Check Wal-Mart.

[RocketMan]

Check Newegg and read the user reviews.

[mtnbkr]

How much is the modem rent (is it too damn high?) and do they provide support and break/fix replacements for the one you rent from them?  It might be better to rent since you don't plan for this to be a long-term solution.  Just get a decent wireless router and plug it into the ethernet port of the modem.

Chris

[geronimotwo]

time warner charges us about $6 a month for the modem rental.

Absolutely.

is there any consideration if one where to get an internet tv, and run a laptop, etc?

[zahc]

Rent is about 5 dollars a month. That cost isn't as big a concern for me as having internet RFN.

Is Linksys still the best for possible 3rd party firmwares?

[Marnoot]

I won't buy Linksys anymore, the quality has steadily gone downhill ever since Cisco bought them. I've been burned by my last two Linksys purchases having well-known issues they just won't fix. My current one was brought to an acceptable level of quality by crowbar-ing DD-WRT on to it, but it still has some issues. I've heard good things about the new Asus routers.

I don't think there's any one brand that's better than all the others about accepting 3rd-party firmwares, they all tend to vary by model, and even by revision# within the same model. Always best to verify at that level if you're looking to put DD-WRT/etc. on one you buy.

[Scout26]

The AT&T supplied 2Wire POS modem/router crapped out on me about a month ago.  I went to Fry's and got a Zoom Modem/Router for $48 ($51 after tax).  But then I'm only watching the occasional Youtube video, checking E-mail and APS and skimming FB.  No gaming or HD movies.  Considering I'm paying $19.95 for basic AT&T DSL, I think I did pretty good.  (AT&T wanted $100 for a new 2Wire modem/router.)

[GigaBuist]

I've heard good things about the new Asus routers.

I'm a fan.  A Asus 520GU (the one with USB ports) is running dd-wrt at one of our greenhouses as the sole router.  I  use a 500GC at home.

No complaints.

[Gewehr98]

I've moved on from Linksys, too.  I'd highly recommend the Asus RT-N66U Gigabit Wireless N router as a replacement for the older Linksys WRT-54G models. 

DD-WRT and Tomato can be run on the Asus wireless routers, but the stock ASUS-WRT firmware is actually pretty decent.

With the factory firmware, I'm seeing awesome dual-channel Wireless N speeds here. 



 

[rcnixon]

I'm using a Cisco 2811 with a software firewall, hardware IDS and hardware VPN modules but that's not for everyone.

Russ

[GigaBuist]

DD-WRT and Tomato can be run on the Asus wireless routers, but the stock ASUS-WRT firmware is actually pretty decent.

The Asus-WRT must be a lot different than the stock firmware I got my Asus routers about 2 years ago.  My brother was flashing Asus routers to DD-WRT at that time too and joked to me that they must assume people are just going to flash them because the stock stuff was pathetic.  Good to hear they ship with something much better now.

Not trying to knock on Asus or anything.  I'm on an Asus netbook, posting through an Asus router.

[Gewehr98]

Asus, at least as of the time I bought my RT-N66U router, is pretty good about allowing open-source firmware to be installed.

I do know that if I flash my router to either DD-WRT or Tomato, I will see a serious drop in WAN-LAN speeds, because the third party firmwares don't utilize the nifty Asus closed-source CTF (hardware NAT) code - yet?

So for now, I'm sticking with Asus-WRT.  Maybe someday DD-WRT or Tomato will get that portion of code in their own releases and I can use them with the excellent speed of the router. 

[Levant]

Get separate modem and router.  When one quits you don't have to replace both that way.  Sort of like not buying an all-in-one PC with the PC in the monitor.

[Harold Tuttle]

i ran a 35 dollar zoom until it died a year later

the replacement motorola surfboard has been fine for 4 years

you call your isp and they authorize the mac address of the modem and you are good to go

they only authorize the one connection to the modem, so my modem talks to a router and the router talks to several switches and wifi access points

[Doggy Daddy]

i ran a 35 dollar zoom until it died a year later

the replacement motorola surfboard has been fine for 4 years

you call your isp and they authorize the mac address of the modem and you are good to go

they only authorize the one connection to the modem, so my modem talks to a router and the router talks to several switches and wifi access points

Good to hear.  I thought my modem went out a couple of days ago, and replaced it with a Surfboard.  Turned out to have been a filter that the ISP installed on MY line because a neighbor was having reception problems.    Decided to keep the surfboard.  Now I'm looking at routers.  Figger I'll move up to gigabit with that too.

[Ben]

I don't know about current quality, but my Motorola Surfboard is seven years old and going strong. I purchased it after the one my cable company supplied bit the dust. As Harold said, you just need to supply the new MAC address, which, depending on your cable company's phone system, can be a five minute or a two hour job.

I'm running a Cradlepoint router, mostly for the redundancy of being able to use the 4G feature if cable goes out, but also because they have some decent configuration capability.

[Doggy Daddy]

That's an interesting router, Ben.  I have so many internet appliances (printers, scanners, NAS, TiVos, blue ray...) running off our wifi that I'm afraid I'd be going over my data plan pretty quick if I ran off the 3g/4g.  In the case of short term outages, like we experienced earlier this week, both my wife and I can run our phones as hotspots for our laptops and tablets and get pretty good coverage without using data on all the other contraptions.

I probably won't upgrade the router for a couple of weeks or so.  At this point I'm looking pretty hard at this Buffalo.  http://www.amazon.com/BUFFALO-AirStation-HighPower-Gigabit-Wireless/dp/B005CSOE1G

Open source DD-WRT Router
FTP Server Feature via USB Storage Port
Dual Band Wireless N600 (Concurrent dual band 300 Mbps)
Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps)
Secure Guest Wireless Network

[Marnoot]

The last Buffalo I had had major issues. Like my current Linksys it had some major common-to-the-model issues that they refused to do anything about. I had to reboot it twice/day. Even DD-WRT didn't help any, so I suspect a hardware design issue.

I generally have to get bit twice before I swear off a brand, so I'm not off Buffalo yet, but it will be a while before I consider them again.

[lee n. field]

Do take a look at that Mikrotik Routerboard I linked to above.  DD-WRT is a no go, but you won't need anything it offers in the way of extra capabilities.