New router suggestions

[arty68]

Hello,

I'm having a few problems or should I say my teenage son is having some issues when playing on-line. The internet drops out for a couple of seconds which seems to cause him to get kicked off the server's he is playing on. This apprently has a devastating impact on his rank and therefore his life ! I have been down quite a few avenues trying to resolve this issue but to no avail. My final idea is to buy a new router which maybe more stable and have more features on it such as QoS. I believe Vodafone now give out the login details need for this. So has anyone got any suggestions of what would be a reasonable router for a little money as possible ? Thanks in advance.

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi @arty68

You could look at outlets such as Pc World and Argos as a couple of examples. 

Personally I use the new BT Smart Hub 6 but not on Vodafone Broadband.

A thread on using your own Router > HOW-TO-Use-a-third-party-router-on-Vodafone-VDSL.

[arty68]

Thanks for that , I've had a look at the tread and theses seem to be the router people have tried.

ASUS DSLac68u

TPLINK AC2800

NETGEAR D6220

TPLINK VR600 (which i thin is the same as TPLINK AC1600)

probably looking at the bottom 2 as they are much cheaper any recommendation on which might be the most reliable or easiest to setup ?

Thanks.

[TonyB251]

I have to say it going to depend how much of a hardcore gamer he is and how he connecting to the router (Wi-Fi or Lan) is it a computer he is gaming on or console?

Also how many other devices are in the house and how hard they are being used.

Also if it's a Wi-fi connection how is the house laid out to the position to the router, also do you have thick walls and large obstructions.

For me the best router I have used is the Netgear R7800-100UKS Nighthawk X4S AC2600 it's just amazing but our household plays online quite a lot and are heavy users but it is the best I have used. (It's not cheap)

Another one is the Linksys WRT3200ACM-UK MU-MIMO which my brother raves about but again not cheap.

The Netgear D6220-100UKS is a good all rounder which we do use at the office though I have not gamed on that.

Again a lot will depend on your usage, also the 2 routers that I have recommended are only routers so you will still need to use the vodafone hub.

[arty68]

Thanks for the suggestions.

He has an Xbox one and it uses a wired connection , i thought from what I have read there is no easy way of turning the Vodafone router into just a modem?

I think they do do a version of the nighthawk with a modem built in but as you say it's not cheap..

I have set a budget of sub £100

Looking at amazon the netgear 6400 or TPlink ac1600 look favorites at the moment threr are a few others but makes I havn't heard of but there like draytek or Billion.

Thanks again

[TonyB251]

Well my brother has vodafone BB and I have used my Nighthawk on his vodafone hub and it worked perfectly though I only used the vodafone hub as an internet connection disabled the wi-fi on it and running the lan cable to the Nighthawk which everything else is connected too, either wired or via wf-fi.

So I did not have any issues there, I am just about to have vodafone BB installed so I will report back on my router and if I find any issues.

But as you said you are on a sub £100 budget so not really an option, for me the 2 you have looked at I personally would go with the Netgear D6220 which has a modem built, only because we use that in our office. The Wi-fi is good and stays stable, I find the UI easy to use and manage without any real headaches and the firmware updates have been good also there is plenty of support out there.

The TP-link looks OK but I have not used that model so do not want to comment on it but most of their products are well made and support is great.

EDIT: I just wanted to also add and I know it's getting a bit technical that I use a managed switch so I can prioritize the bandwidth of each of the connected devices. Things like on demand TV and such don't really need loads of bandwidth where gaming can. You can also get these for little money and they do make a big differance in my opinion.

[arty68]

Good idea but a lot of my devices are connect via wifi, I was hoping the new router would be able to manage traffic with the QoS settings is that correct ?

Cheers

[TonyB251]

With the Netgear you can do it via the lan port or by mac address.

It does work reasonably well and am sure that it would for you.

[MrWhite]

Hi

I've used both the TP-Link VR600 and Netgear D6220.  Both were easy to set up with Vodafone and both gave good connection results.

As far as I remember, the TP-Link doesn't have QoS settings if that's important to you

The Netgear had an annoying habit of rebooting the router after most changes to the settings, but obviously once these are done it shouldn't be a problem

I'd say the Netgear is the more configurable router, but both have the standard stuff for address reservation, port triggering etc. that used by gamers.

[arty68]

Thanks for all yours responses , I have ordered the Netgear 6400 as it was the same price as the 6220 (£85) .It's being delivered today so I'm in for a fun night (at least it's raining I suppose).

I will post to let people know if it made a difference.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond.