Need a solid ADSL modem/router, which one?

JerryMungo

JerryMungo

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My main criteria are:
1) Flexibility/custom OS ability
2) Power and features

I've heard good things about Mikrotik routerboard products.
What do you suggest?

I'd really like a feature that breaks down bandwidth usage in real time (not total MB consumption per user but realtime line speed used by device).

Any suggestions are welcome!
 
My Experience

MyDogHasNoNose said:
My main criteria are:
1) Flexibility/custom OS ability
2) Power and features

I've heard good things about Mikrotik routerboard products.
What do you suggest?

I'd really like a feature that breaks down bandwidth usage in real time (not total MB consumption per user but realtime line speed used by device).

Any suggestions are welcome!
Click to expand...

For xDSL modems I use Planet. I have several of them out in the field and they are reliable.
Like very many products on the market today their documentation is below average. The manual will tell you at this option you can choose "enable" or "disable" It will not tell you what, and not even google knows the acronym they used.

Mikrotik is really a very powerfull router - note it is NOT a xDSL modem. The operating system - ROS is very powerfull and can be compared to Cisco. I run dedicated MT Router Boards and x86 ROS on PC architecture.

It is very affordable. The documentation is the worst I have seen and the support is pathetic. So if you are able to help yourself and figure out complex networking issues I would certainly reccommend Mikrotik. I do NOT use thier wireless (I use ubiquiti). Mikrotik now also have a UI (Winbox) to compliment their powerfull CLI.

Their hardware and software I have found to reliable. The Router Boards come with a licence and the entry level x86 ROS licence is under R300 incl.

Mikrotik may be a overkill for what you want.

I am also looking at Netgear Modem/AP/router at the moment because it gives me 3G fail over. But I do not have experiance with it yet. I have a Netgear supplied by Telkom with most of its builtin powerfull features disabled, but the unTelkomised device look like it is worth a second chance. Certaily more fetures than my Planets

Hope this helps.
 
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Very few ADSL modems allow you to have custom operating systems on it.
Like MikroTik does not manufacture ADSL modems, and DD-WRT firmware does not run on any ADSL modems.

MikroTik RouterOS allow you to view the real-time bandwidth, as well as real-time bandwidth usage per port/IP per interface with the Torch utility (built in the CLI and WinBox).

What you can do is get like a TP-Link W8960N (ADSL modem, 4x 100Mbps LAN, 802.11n WiFi) + MikroTik RB750, and then you use the MikroTik as the default gateway (to dial the PPPoE connections, be the firewall, run the DHCP server).

You'll really struggle to find a better combination that that. If you want USB functionality on the router, then you can also look at the D-Link DSL-2750U instead of the TP-Link.

At my home I'm running MikroTik RouterOS on an HP Microserver, within VirtualBox. So my HP Microserver is both a NAS and router.
 
Mikrotik may be an overkill but they are good provided you know what you are doing. The users of Mikrotik write better documentation and how to's than the manufacturer does which can certainly help.
Netgear I use at home (DGN2200) and had no problems with it but it won't (at least on my model) give the usage per user
 
Oh, Mikrotik 951-2n it is - and at less than the average router it's a win. Just over R500! Definitely seems to have what I need. It will handle the DHCP/DNS/Wifi/PPPoE on the system.
Thanks all!
 
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If you need just an ADSL modem to complement that MikroTik router, then look at the D-Link DSL-2500U ADSL modem.
 
I have a Huawei SmartAX 880a which seems to do the job fine, though I have heard good things about the dlink. Is there anything in particular that is special about it? I'm almost inclined to think they're the same unit under the shell:

D-link_DSL-2500U2.jpg


1267042387_76156628_1-fotos-de-modem-huawei-smartax-mt880a1.jpg


Bar the orientation of the LAN jack and the power button postion...
 
I'd actually recommend a different MikroTik router if you want good WiFi connectivity, because the one that you picked does not seem to have MMCX connectors that allow you to attach external high gain antennas!
 
Pada said:
I'd actually recommend a different MikroTik router if you want good WiFi connectivity, because the one that you picked does not seem to have MMCX connectors that allow you to attach external high gain antennas!
Click to expand...

True, but we're pretty much in a closed open plan space, so it's OK. I'll use my WRT-54GL for wifi if I have to extend.
 
I hope that I'm not too far off topic. I need some help picking a good ADSL modem. I currently have an Apple airport Extreme Wi-Fi router and a Billion 7300N running in bridge mode. The problem I have is that the connection is not reliable and I have frequent disconnects. I would like to find a simple ADSL modem that can run in bridge mode and, preferably, allows target SNR tweaking. Any suggestions?
 
Off Topic

Tim the Techxpert said:
Mikrotik may be an overkill but they are good provided you know what you are doing. The users of Mikrotik write better documentation and how to's than the manufacturer does which can certainly help.
Netgear I use at home (DGN2200) and had no problems with it but it won't (at least on my model) give the usage per user
Click to expand...

Hi Tim
The DGN2200 is the Netgear one I am looking at. I lost my dealership with Sonic Informed because of inactivity (They now want money upfront amongs other things before they reactivate). So none of my other existing suppliers do Netgear. Where can I buy from and what sort of a price can I expect to pay?
 
Just be careful with the Netgear DGN2200, because I think it does not support bridge/half-bridge mode.
Netgear likes to limit some of those "advanced" functions on their modems.

You can probably source that modem from any well known online IT retail shop: prophecy / wootware / rebeltech / ikonicit / takealot
 
DragonRacer said:
I hope that I'm not too far off topic. I need some help picking a good ADSL modem. I currently have an Apple airport Extreme Wi-Fi router and a Billion 7300N running in bridge mode. The problem I have is that the connection is not reliable and I have frequent disconnects. I would like to find a simple ADSL modem that can run in bridge mode and, preferably, allows target SNR tweaking. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

You prblem is Billion... Utter rubbish
 
What you need is any router that can run DD-WRT on it. There is custom scripts you can add to DDWRT that does per user monitoring (I have done it). My setup is as follows: D-link 2500u modem with a Buffalo WZR-HP-AG300H access point. The buffalo AP is running dd-wrt. If you are going to pursue this option I may be able to assist. This option being a modem + a dd-wrt access point.
 
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