I am pretty bleh, when it comes with integrating wifi with any other POE items. WiFi seems to rev more frequently than the POE modem (i.e. DOCSIS or ISDN) or my firewall/router. So, I don't really want to see that integrated. Of course, I prefer to be on the bleeding edge when it comes to bandwidth.
Are you sure you mean POE (Power over Ethernet) and not PLC (Ethernet over Powerline).. ?
POE is a totally different thing aimed at powering small devices purely by ethernet. Things like remote WiFi AP's. It lets you power the device and provide ethernet over just the single cable.
modem+router gateway: My Motorola modem is 10+ years old and has been bulletproof in terms of reliability. I've gone through at least 3 routers in the same time period. So, gateway sounds good, but in practice I think it just degrades the life of the modem :)
it lets your ISP charge an extra few dollars a month because they're also renting you home networking services as well. Sheeple also like it because it's one less box they have to make room for.
You should probably upgrade your modem. It being 10 years old means it is probably DOCSIS 2.0, possibly even 1.1. Current stuff is 3.0, and it can make a big difference, especially on crowded nodes, and when you are provisioned for high speeds (~20+MBIT). DOCSIS 1.1/2.0 can only support ~40mbit total for everyone on the node, 3.0 allows you to gang up channels, and most current 3.0 modems allow up to 8 channels down and 4 channels up. That gives you a lot more headroom to allow you to get the bandwidth you are supposed to get.
The Gateways (modem/router combos) are a trade-off of convenience and neatness for less flexibility. Lots of customers like them because it means one less box to deal with, and service providers like them because (as DanNeely points out below) they can charge a leasing fee for them which they'd never get away with just providing a basic modem. Although, personally, I think service providers should avoid them since it makes them responsible for home networking and wifi issues that generate a lot of tech dispatches.
In the case of the ZyXEL PMG2542, I probably wouldn't mind losing the flexibility of using my own router/wifi given that amazing 4x4 802.11ac solution, assuming the firmware wasn't crap or other reliability issues, of course.
Hi, I prefer the wifi device to be separate from the modem/bridge as it lets me run a firewall (Astaro home license), and put the wifi in AP mode inside the firewall.
Eastlink (my ISP here) charges about 3 dollars extra a month just to turn on the wireless, even though everyone gets the box with the capability for free. So in two years, they'll have charged you more than what a good third party router costs.
On the other hand, every router I've ever had craps out in a few years and starts dropping connections no matter how much I re-flash or restart or put heatsinks on it, so that rental fee would also cover replacements which might be nice...
Pretty sure he means Point of Entry, as he is talking about the modem (cable, ISDN/telephone) being combined with the router.
I have to agree though. Cable modems change much more slowly than wi-fi protocols. My old SurfBoard is still good today as DOCSIS 3.0 is only required for the fastest tier on my cable provider and I used it for almost 10 years.
However even if you are still only using 802.11g devices the better radios and hardware in a decent 802.11n or ac modem will still pay dividends, not to mention the other features being provided by faster/better SOCs, like guest networks and QoS features.
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danjw - Saturday, January 18, 2014 - link
I am pretty bleh, when it comes with integrating wifi with any other POE items. WiFi seems to rev more frequently than the POE modem (i.e. DOCSIS or ISDN) or my firewall/router. So, I don't really want to see that integrated. Of course, I prefer to be on the bleeding edge when it comes to bandwidth.extide - Monday, January 20, 2014 - link
Are you sure you mean POE (Power over Ethernet) and not PLC (Ethernet over Powerline).. ?POE is a totally different thing aimed at powering small devices purely by ethernet. Things like remote WiFi AP's. It lets you power the device and provide ethernet over just the single cable.
casteve - Saturday, January 18, 2014 - link
modem+router gateway: My Motorola modem is 10+ years old and has been bulletproof in terms of reliability. I've gone through at least 3 routers in the same time period. So, gateway sounds good, but in practice I think it just degrades the life of the modem :)DanNeely - Saturday, January 18, 2014 - link
it lets your ISP charge an extra few dollars a month because they're also renting you home networking services as well. Sheeple also like it because it's one less box they have to make room for.extide - Monday, January 20, 2014 - link
You should probably upgrade your modem. It being 10 years old means it is probably DOCSIS 2.0, possibly even 1.1. Current stuff is 3.0, and it can make a big difference, especially on crowded nodes, and when you are provisioned for high speeds (~20+MBIT). DOCSIS 1.1/2.0 can only support ~40mbit total for everyone on the node, 3.0 allows you to gang up channels, and most current 3.0 modems allow up to 8 channels down and 4 channels up. That gives you a lot more headroom to allow you to get the bandwidth you are supposed to get.kyuu - Saturday, January 18, 2014 - link
The Gateways (modem/router combos) are a trade-off of convenience and neatness for less flexibility. Lots of customers like them because it means one less box to deal with, and service providers like them because (as DanNeely points out below) they can charge a leasing fee for them which they'd never get away with just providing a basic modem. Although, personally, I think service providers should avoid them since it makes them responsible for home networking and wifi issues that generate a lot of tech dispatches.In the case of the ZyXEL PMG2542, I probably wouldn't mind losing the flexibility of using my own router/wifi given that amazing 4x4 802.11ac solution, assuming the firmware wasn't crap or other reliability issues, of course.
bobbozzo - Saturday, January 18, 2014 - link
Hi, I prefer the wifi device to be separate from the modem/bridge as it lets me run a firewall (Astaro home license), and put the wifi in AP mode inside the firewall.tipoo - Monday, January 20, 2014 - link
Eastlink (my ISP here) charges about 3 dollars extra a month just to turn on the wireless, even though everyone gets the box with the capability for free. So in two years, they'll have charged you more than what a good third party router costs.On the other hand, every router I've ever had craps out in a few years and starts dropping connections no matter how much I re-flash or restart or put heatsinks on it, so that rental fee would also cover replacements which might be nice...
djc208 - Tuesday, January 21, 2014 - link
Pretty sure he means Point of Entry, as he is talking about the modem (cable, ISDN/telephone) being combined with the router.I have to agree though. Cable modems change much more slowly than wi-fi protocols. My old SurfBoard is still good today as DOCSIS 3.0 is only required for the fastest tier on my cable provider and I used it for almost 10 years.
However even if you are still only using 802.11g devices the better radios and hardware in a decent 802.11n or ac modem will still pay dividends, not to mention the other features being provided by faster/better SOCs, like guest networks and QoS features.