Are All Broadband Routers The Same? Or Are They Dedicated To Your Broadband Supplier?

[dance2trance]

I ask because mine konked out in the heat and Plusnet said I wd need to buy a new one from them. However, this seems nonsense as if they 'do what they say on the tin' they just route data. Or have I got this wrong? Most grateful for advice.

[davebro]

I would think they shouldn't be affected by UK temperatures or how would folks in hot countries cope? Ask the for a free replacement.

[davebro]

them

[gingejbee]

Firstly, all routers are not the same...some of those provided by ISPs just about do an acceptable job. You'll get better performance by spending (a decent amount) on branded alternatives.
If your Plusnet router has failed, Plusnet should provide a free replacement. (When I told my ISP - John Lewis - that my router was playing up, they sent a replacement next day, carriage-free).

[Bobbisox1]

I agree with Gingerbee, there’s no way plusnet should be charging you for a new router, if they do I’d change provider

[barry1010]

What exactly has happened to your router? Have all the lights gone out? Have you checked the fuse and the cables? The heat will not cause it to conk out

[Hopkirk]

Threaten to leave and go elsewhere. That usually concentrates their attention on looking after you.

Alternatively tell them you want to make an official complaint. Most utility companies fall over themselves to get you agree that your complaint has been resolved.

[barry1010]

I've had to take three utility companies to the ombudsman to get my complaints resolved - threatening didn't help.

If you do decide to buy your own router make sure you buy the correct sort - ADSL or cable.

[Buenchico]

Not all ISPs provide routers as part of their service; it's down to individual contracts.

My own ISP (Claranet) doesn't provide routers; the last time I asked about them (a few years ago) they said that they could sell me a pre-configured one for £86 but that, if I was happy set one up myself (which is very easy with most modern routers, as they do almost everything for you anyway), I could save money by buying elsewhere. (I then bought an excellent router online, in Maplin's closing down sale, for about twenty quid and set it up quite easily).

Routers are basically the same (irrespective of the ISP you use) but
(a) some are dual frequency (which might be relevant in some situations: https://computing.which.co.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/360001141160-Understanding-dual-band-wi-fi-routers ) ; and
(b) some are better at getting a signal to remote areas of a house than others are. (That could be important if you live in a big house with solid walls but totally irrelevant if you live in a small flat or a tiny house like mine).

[Buenchico]

PS: This is what I'm using. It's incredibly easy to set up, consistently well-reviewed across multiple websites and works fine in my small home. (I get the same wi-fi speeds at the furthest point in my house as I do right next to the router and they're no slower than a direct Ethernet connection. I have to get quite some distance along the road from my house before I lose the wi-fi signal on my phone). Best of all, it's cheap!
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/5728882

[barry1010]

Would that work with FTTP cable broadband, Buenchico?

[Peter Pedant]

routers route data
- - like Militaryu Intelligence because the military really ARE intelligent. They just look lu-lu to er confuse the enemy.
( my god they certainly confuse me - thank you Ld Wellington)

and the Palace or Westminster really is a palace wiv flunkeys and servants flunking all over the place even if the bogs dont flush
( frow it over the side into the Thames like they always used to)

and Windsor castle - yeah went there once - wind you wouldnt believe it and the Queen was out they said
Haas of WIndsor - King George ( V that is reader!) was called King Fart-a-lot when he was in the navee, and spawned a pack of indigestives

I agree dance to trance - a tin can will do
i think yoou are abso right

[cashier]

Buenchico, I am with NOWTV and had to log in with the password on the back of the router. How would you log in with an independent router rather than the one you are sent?

[Buenchico]

Barry:
That router should work with any fibre service (as well as with older copper-wired ADSL ones) although, since FTTP provide far higher speeds than FTTC can, it might well limit the actual speed available to FTTP users.

i.e. Most people with 'fast broadband' services typically get between 30 and 80 Mbps. That router can happily forward traffic at such speeds over wi-fi. However the small number of people who have FTTP connections might be getting speeds of up to 1000 Mbps, which that router couldn't forward over wi-fi. FTTP routers tend to be rather pricey!

[Buenchico]

Cashier:
The passwords for your wi-fi connection and your NOW TV account shouldn't be the same! (I use NOW TV too and my account password is nothing like my wi-fi one).

However, irrespective of that, the solution is simple anyway. When you configure your new router, you'll be asked to choose a wi-fi password. Simply set it to be the same as the one that you had on your old router.

[youngmafbog]

Many Broadband routers are also modems, so for instance I have a Virgin Hub 3 that I have switched to Modem so it will connect with the Virgin servers (This is Fibre). From there is is connected via RJ45 into my Synology RT2600ac ( A 4x4 dual-band Gigabit Wi-Fi router, MU-MIMO with powerful parental controls, Threat Prevention, bandwidth management, VPN and expandable coverage with mesh Wi-Fi). This is linked to three Synology MR2200ac Wireless Mesh Routers since main routers will not go adequately through thick Edwardian walls.

This works well and gives me the 100Mb over WiFi throughout the house. The Mesh routers also have Ethernet out the back to connect Printers and NAS etc. The RT2600ac also has a facility for a USB drive that can be accessed of the internet (away from home) which is pretty useful. Oh and its own configurable DHCP.

So Routers are not all the same.

[cashier]

Sorry I expressed that badly. My account password and router password are completely different. I meant when I first got the router, in order to ulitise NOWTV as ISP i had to find NTV in Wifi connections click on it then put in the password on router. How do you do that if it's your own modem. Nothing to do with my account at NTV. Thank you.

[cashier]

Just read the whole of your answer Buenchicho, think I've got it. Thank you for explaining.

[barry1010]

Buenchico, I've had cable broadband since those dark days of dial up when I moved from AOL to Telewest (now Virgin). More than 20 years. I'm sure that any router I have bought has had to be compatible with fibre cable broadband and not ADSL. Have things changed?

[Buenchico]

If you look at the specs of that router, Barry, you'll see that (possibly unusually) it works with both ADSL and fibre connections.

[Buenchico]

This might help, Dance2trance:
https://www.plus.net/help/broadband/broadband-connection-settings/