Quote:
Originally Posted by Malsua
This is not the case. The router does matter, much more than the Modem.
The modem is a translator. It handles one stream. It connects to either the cable or the DSL line and provides a single ethernet connection to the router.
The router on the other hand may be connected to a dozen things and has to have enough of a processor in it to segment the traffic and be smart enough to provide quality of service to higher demand devices.
Cheap routers simply give a time slice to each connection. They also have really terrible radio chips. Combine the two, add in poorly optimized FiFo buffers and you get a router that needs rebooted every day.
You don't need a $300+ WiFi 6 router, but buy once cry once. You do need a router that isn't built to the lowest cost spec available and those start about $100.
One of my professional hats is commercial networking, I have designed and installed Wifi in 200,000+ sq ft manufacturing facilities in North America, Central America, Europe and China. I'm not blowing smoke. Routers do matter.
Just as an anecdote. I have a $29 router that was picked up a few years back as we needed to get an office going in a facility and our main container hadn't arrived yet. It was yanked out 2 days later.
I used that router in my other Villa that we are renovating and don't live there yet. I turned on the internet a few months ago. The garage door opener is WiFi and connects to the router, and has been running on the lowest signal possible. We are moving into the Villa this week and I bought an Asus AX6000 router and installed it last week. The signal is pegged, the router is in the same spot. The TV also now connects at 5g which has more bands available so as not to step on the neighbor's wifi either since the cheapo router was only a 2.4g.
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When you run a 10Mbps or 20Mbps or 40Mbps DSL tier the router makes no difference to someone using 1 or 2 devices. Like putting premium gas in a car that doesn't need it. On a 100Mbps+ tier I'd agree in most cases. You don't need 16 channel router capable of over a gig to run on a 20Mbps pipe to watch Netflix or YoutubeTV and text the kiddies on your phone. We're talking about a 20Mbps DSL service in this thread.
10 years of my life (20 yrs ago) was configuring and installing IBM AIX servers and office networks for the wholesale fashion industry in NYC. That being said, my opinion on a 10-20Mbps DSL connection remains the same wrt a router.
