Modems & Routers. I'd appreciate any help!

[haruky]

I recently upgraded my internet to 50mpbs. It's not blazingly fast, but it's much better than what I had before. Now I'm in the market for a new modem.

I know there are some tech-savvy people here and GC and I'd really appreciate any help I can get.
I have a couple of questions for ya:

* If I get a cheap DOCSIS 3.0 Modem, will I still be able to hit the 50mbps speeds?
* If I get a separate router for my Wi-Fi connections (there are 4 other devices that will be connected to the internet at all times), will I see better speeds? Or will it be the same as a modem/router combo?
* What are your recommendations for modems and/or routers?

Thanks a lot guys!

[zorplex]

For a modem, I recommend the Motorola Surfboard. Any DOCSIS 3.0 modem should get you up to spec speed, but hardware life and signal quality make the Surfboard a good buy, I think.

As far as routers go, I'm not sure if getting a secondary dedicated wireless access point would help. I think the best option is to find a router that supports custom firmware like DD-WRT or Tomato. This will give a LOT of extra options and control like quality of service and bandwidth limitations. You can give your PC priority and it will automatically throttle any other connection when you are using it. Only certain hardware with sufficient RAM support the custom firmware, so you need to be a bit more picky.

[haruky]

For a modem, I recommend the Motorola Surfboard. Any DOCSIS 3.0 modem should get you up to spec speed, but hardware life and signal quality make the Surfboard a good buy, I think.

As far as routers go, I'm not sure if getting a secondary dedicated wireless access point would help. I think the best option is to find a router that supports custom firmware like DD-WRT or Tomato. This will give a LOT of extra options and control like quality of service and bandwidth limitations. You can give your PC priority and it will automatically throttle any other connection when you are using it. Only certain hardware with sufficient RAM support the custom firmware, so you need to be a bit more picky.

If I'm understanding it correctly, as long as it's DOCSIS3.0, I should be able to take full advantage of the speeds my ISP has given me, right? Only thing I need to keep my eye on is reliability/longevity of the modem?

With regards to routers, I'm currently set-up with a WRN3500. It's old, but still works. Would that router not be good enough to hit the maximum possible speeds?

[ZombieToof]

Here in Germany I'd always buy AVM Products. They are pricey, but worth it with great quality, a good feature set, a good UI and a long and really good support. They had a security problem some weeks ago and closed it fast and transparent for all of their models, even those that are 6+ years old. (Almost) all of their products combine modem, router and wifi access point. I have never had a cable connection, but they produce 3 DOCSIS3.0 cable routers named "Fritz!Box 63[246]0 Cable".

That said they do not offer the flexibility of a generic router with a linux distribution, even so they run linux and I heared there are some third party packages you can install (somehow, never tried it myself).

ZombieToof

disclosure: I worked for them a long time ago.