topic Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router in Electronics

Need Help Choosing A New Router

NickNack — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 19:27:45 GMT

I've been thinking about getting a new router for a while. I watched part of HSN's presentation of their TS router. I don't think that one will work for me, partly because it's touch screen and I'm afraid my kitten would jump on my desk and press the screen and mess it up. Also, I imagine it has a lot of extras that I don't need.

When I'm watching an Amazon Prime show through my Tivo, the show will sometimes stop and I'll have to press something to get it to start again. I'm thinking that means I could need a new router. Is that correct? I know nothing about this.

I did look at my router, and it's a G. I've had it for many many years. When I connect a new router, do I have to reconnect my printer and other devices, or is that just automatic? That's one reason I have hesitated buying one before this.

Is there a specific router that I should look into getting? I'm just at a complete loss. Whenever I go in Best Buy I never can find anyone to help me so would just as soon purchase online. I appreciate any help anyone can give me.

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

jaxs mom — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 20:08:08 GMT

Pauses in streaming video are usually an internet connection speed issue and not indicative of needing to replace a router. Is your tivo even using the router? My modem and router are right next to my tivo with tivo connected over ethernet cable not wifi. It gets faster speeds over ethernet anyway.

What's your data plan speed and have you run a speed test? That would be my first step. Alternatively if your modem is close enough to your tivo you could try directly connecting to the modem and bypassing the router just to see if the router is the issue. But I doubt it is, if it was you'd have issues with your other wifi connected devices ( assuming Tivo is even connected with wifi and not ethernet).

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

terriebear — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 20:11:24 GMT

@NickNack

I have had good luck with Netgear and Cisco.

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

jaxs mom — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 20:11:36 GMT

BTW, wireless G has a max speed of 54 mbps

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

Nuttmeg — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 20:35:55 GMT

You should contact your cable provider. Most companies give a router modem with service. They call this equipment a combo unit.

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

jackthebear — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 21:01:10 GMT

@Nuttmeg wrote:
You should contact your cable provider. Most companies give a router modem with service. They call this equipment a combo unit.

good advice

she probably needs an updated modem too,

cable co may have the modem router company

the last one I got was a lynksis I know that is not how it is spelled

nighthawk which was very good

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

NickNack — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 21:33:26 GMT

@jaxs mom wrote:
Pauses in streaming video are usually an internet connection speed issue and not indicative of needing to replace a router. Is your tivo even using the router? My modem and router are right next to my tivo with tivo connected over ethernet cable not wifi. It gets faster speeds over ethernet anyway.

What's your data plan speed and have you run a speed test? That would be my first step. Alternatively if your modem is close enough to your tivo you could try directly connecting to the modem and bypassing the router just to see if the router is the issue. But I doubt it is, if it was you'd have issues with your other wifi connected devices ( assuming Tivo is even connected with wifi and not ethernet).

@jaxs mom I know you're going to think I'm stupid, and I am when it comes to things like this. I am pretty sure I don't have an ethernet cable. I don't understand what ethernet cable is but do remember reading about it when setting up my Tivo. How would I know if I had ethernet cable?

I just looked at my Comcast account, and it says I have a 1024 GB monthly plan. Download speed 3Mbps and Upload speed 0.768Mbps. I don't know how to run a speed test, but I will Google it and try to do it. Thank you for your help.

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

NickNack — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 21:34:25 GMT

@jaxs mom wrote:
BTW, wireless G has a max speed of 54 mbps

@jaxs mom I had read that. That's one reason I thought I might need a new Router.

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

NickNack — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 21:36:50 GMT

@Nuttmeg wrote:
You should contact your cable provider. Most companies give a router modem with service. They call this equipment a combo unit.

@Nuttmeg I have the combo unit, which is fairly new, but the router part isn't connected since I already had one. The guy who came out to connect it commented that he didn't need to since I already had a router. I should have insisted he do it. I have Comcast and had heard they had a lot of problems with their equipment. Maybe I should call them to connect it though.

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

NickNack — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 21:58:38 GMT

@Nicknack wrote:
@jaxs mom wrote:
Pauses in streaming video are usually an internet connection speed issue and not indicative of needing to replace a router. Is your tivo even using the router? My modem and router are right next to my tivo with tivo connected over ethernet cable not wifi. It gets faster speeds over ethernet anyway.

What's your data plan speed and have you run a speed test? That would be my first step. Alternatively if your modem is close enough to your tivo you could try directly connecting to the modem and bypassing the router just to see if the router is the issue. But I doubt it is, if it was you'd have issues with your other wifi connected devices ( assuming Tivo is even connected with wifi and not ethernet).

@jaxs mom I know you're going to think I'm stupid, and I am when it comes to things like this. I am pretty sure I don't have an ethernet cable. I don't understand what ethernet cable is but do remember reading about it when setting up my Tivo. How would I know if I had ethernet cable?

I just looked at my Comcast account, and it says I have a 1024 GB monthly plan. Download speed 3Mbps and Upload speed 0.768Mbps. I don't know how to run a speed test, but I will Google it and try to do it. Thank you for your help.

@jaxs mom I looked up what my speed was, and it says Link speed: 54 Mbit/s, which I'm assuming is because that's my wireless router's speed. It also says I'm connected by Wi-Fi, not ethernet. Which is the preferred way? I just googled it, and it said Wi-Fi. Is that correct?

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

juperier — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 23:02:40 GMT

@NickNack First, the router you mentioned looks like setup would be relatively simple. However, from the other info you've provided, I doubt it would help much by itself. Whatever the slowest link in the chain is will bottleneck all the other links. From the info you've provided in you comments I'll try to break it down simply based on my very limited understanding of how this all works.

Service Level (download/upload speeds): Looks like you have the lowest one, definitely on the slower end. That's going to work best if you're only using one device at a time, particularly if streaming video, and/or you might need to lower the quality of video (assuming that's even an option with Tivo).

Modem: I've always owned my own modem (which is a whole different topic). However, Comcast may well choose the modem/router combo based on your service level. There's no advantage to having the "newest, most state-of-the-art" one with the slowest download speed.

Router: If your router only offers "g," ti'r really outdated. It's very likely that the router that the tech turned off has more current options.

Equipment you're connecting wirelessly: The wireless card in the equipment you're connecting must be compatible. Routers themselves are backwards compatible, so the HSN rounter will still work if your equipment only connects using older standards. However, you will be limited to whatever standard is being used. Currently I'm fairly certain "ac" is top-of-the-line. I think it's only available on the 5.0 hz band. Older equipment may only use 2.4 hz...thus "ac" won't make any difference. However, "n" is available on both 2.4 and 5.0, so if your equipment can use "n," then you might notice a difference based on that.

I know, clear as mud, right? Bottom line is that while you might notice some improvement, you certainly won't be taking full advantage of it. There are simply too many factors involved.

Personally, I HATE having to deal with Comcast online or via phone. But unless you have the inclination to gain a "tech" education, your best first step is probably to Comcast turn on the router (or update the box, if that's what they recommend). If they can do it online, it's going to be cheaper than if they have to send someone to your residence.

Whether you buy a new router or change to the Comcast router, you will have to reconnect all your wireless devices.

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

NickNack — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 23:24:31 GMT

@juperier Thank you so much for your help. It sounds to me like I should upgrade my speed with Comcast in addition to having them connect their router to my system. When I originally got my cable I probably didn't need anything above the lowest speed. I'm upset that I'll have to reconnect everything, but hopefully with Google I can figure that out. Maybe if the Comcast guy is nice he will help me with it if it won't take too long. The main thing I'm worried about is my printer. I thought that was difficult when I originally hooked it up, but it was mainly because there were basically no instructions with the Canon printer. I had to look it up online, and apparently others had trouble following their useless instructions.

I really hate dealing with Comcast, too. My father has had a lot of trouble with his phone since moving to an independent living facility in my town. I've had to deal with them on the phone and for appts. several times. It's extremely frustrating.

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

jaxs mom — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 23:27:27 GMT

@Nicknack wrote:
@jaxs mom wrote:
Pauses in streaming video are usually an internet connection speed issue and not indicative of needing to replace a router. Is your tivo even using the router? My modem and router are right next to my tivo with tivo connected over ethernet cable not wifi. It gets faster speeds over ethernet anyway.

What's your data plan speed and have you run a speed test? That would be my first step. Alternatively if your modem is close enough to your tivo you could try directly connecting to the modem and bypassing the router just to see if the router is the issue. But I doubt it is, if it was you'd have issues with your other wifi connected devices ( assuming Tivo is even connected with wifi and not ethernet).

@jaxs mom I know you're going to think I'm stupid, and I am when it comes to things like this. I am pretty sure I don't have an ethernet cable. I don't understand what ethernet cable is but do remember reading about it when setting up my Tivo. How would I know if I had ethernet cable?

I just looked at my Comcast account, and it says I have a 1024 GB monthly plan. Download speed 3Mbps and Upload speed 0.768Mbps. I don't know how to run a speed test, but I will Google it and try to do it. Thank you for your help.

Really only 3mbps DL speed limit. I didn't think anyone offered that low of speed these days. When I google Comcast it takes me to Xfinity and I don't see any plan below 55mbps. My plan is 200 mbsp DL speed and I get the max most of the time, barring high traffic times locally because my desktop is connected with ethernet not over wifi. I can sit in the same room as the router in my house and my phone is getting a fraction of the bandwidth because of the loss from using wifi. I don't have Comcast.

If you really do only have 3mbps DL speed then that right there is the cause of streaming problems. You can just google speed test and then click the button to run the test and it will tell you your download and upload speeds. You can't do it on Tivo itself but anything

Ethernet cable is also called cat5 ( cat6 ect) it's the cable that you'd run from your modem to your router, or from your router to your desktop computer if you wanted to hardwire internet and get the fastest speeds.

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

jaxs mom — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 23:28:39 GMT

@Nicknack wrote:
@jaxs mom wrote:
BTW, wireless G has a max speed of 54 mbps
@jaxs mom I had read that. That's one reason I thought I might need a new Router.

Your router can not give you faster speeds than your ISP is sending. Getting a new router isn't going to change the fact that you have 3mbps DL speeds ( if that what they really are).

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

NickNack — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 23:39:29 GMT

@jaxs mom wrote:
@Nicknack wrote:
@jaxs mom wrote:
Pauses in streaming video are usually an internet connection speed issue and not indicative of needing to replace a router. Is your tivo even using the router? My modem and router are right next to my tivo with tivo connected over ethernet cable not wifi. It gets faster speeds over ethernet anyway.

What's your data plan speed and have you run a speed test? That would be my first step. Alternatively if your modem is close enough to your tivo you could try directly connecting to the modem and bypassing the router just to see if the router is the issue. But I doubt it is, if it was you'd have issues with your other wifi connected devices ( assuming Tivo is even connected with wifi and not ethernet).

@jaxs mom I know you're going to think I'm stupid, and I am when it comes to things like this. I am pretty sure I don't have an ethernet cable. I don't understand what ethernet cable is but do remember reading about it when setting up my Tivo. How would I know if I had ethernet cable?

I just looked at my Comcast account, and it says I have a 1024 GB monthly plan. Download speed 3Mbps and Upload speed 0.768Mbps. I don't know how to run a speed test, but I will Google it and try to do it. Thank you for your help.
Really only 3mbps DL speed limit. I didn't think anyone offered that low of speed these days. When I google Comcast it takes me to Xfinity and I don't see any plan below 55mbps. My plan is 200 mbsp DL speed and I get the max most of the time, barring high traffic times locally because my desktop is connected with ethernet not over wifi. I can sit in the same room as the router in my house and my phone is getting a fraction of the bandwidth because of the loss from using wifi. I don't have Comcast.

If you really do only have 3mbps DL speed then that right there is the cause of streaming problems. You can just google speed test and then click the button to run the test and it will tell you your download and upload speeds. You can't do it on Tivo itself but anything

Ethernet cable is also called cat5 ( cat6 ect) it's the cable that you'd run from your modem to your router, or from your router to your desktop computer if you wanted to hardwire internet and get the fastest speeds.

@jaxs mom I just did the speed test. Download speed 3.33 Mbps and Upload speed 3.82 Mbps. I've had this with Comcast for many many years and just have never thought about upgrading. It seems like the time to do that will be Monday morning! I think I will do that and also have them connect the router on my cable box.

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

NickNack — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 13:27:06 GMT

I called Comcast this morning and upgraded my plan. I will now have 75 Mbps and will get an upgraded modem/router combo and can get rid of the router I now have. They are actually coming tomorrow afternoon to set everything up. She said I'd had this plan for so long that it was no longer in the system. I don't know why I hadn't called sooner. I'm also saving money on the new plan. Thank you everyone for your help!

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

NickNack — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 00:03:46 GMT

@Nicknack wrote:
@jaxs mom wrote:
Pauses in streaming video are usually an internet connection speed issue and not indicative of needing to replace a router. Is your tivo even using the router? My modem and router are right next to my tivo with tivo connected over ethernet cable not wifi. It gets faster speeds over ethernet anyway.

What's your data plan speed and have you run a speed test? That would be my first step. Alternatively if your modem is close enough to your tivo you could try directly connecting to the modem and bypassing the router just to see if the router is the issue. But I doubt it is, if it was you'd have issues with your other wifi connected devices ( assuming Tivo is even connected with wifi and not ethernet).

@jaxs mom I know you're going to think I'm stupid, and I am when it comes to things like this. I am pretty sure I don't have an ethernet cable. I don't understand what ethernet cable is but do remember reading about it when setting up my Tivo. How would I know if I had ethernet cable?

I just looked at my Comcast account, and it says I have a 1024 GB monthly plan. Download speed 3Mbps and Upload speed 0.768Mbps. I don't know how to run a speed test, but I will Google it and try to do it. Thank you for your help.

The Comcast guy just left, and I did a Speed test. My download speed is now 80.96, and upload speed is 11.65. That's quite a bit better than the 3Mbps I was getting before! I'm so glad I posted here and found out what I needed to do.

Re: Need Help Choosing A New Router

Mindy D — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 19:56:23 GMT

I bought one one year ago. I bought an ASUS N900 for large homes. Has dual band capabilities; concurrent 2.4 GHz and 5 GHZ, which you will need for video streaming and gaming. ASUS probably has a newer version. You will pribably want to update your surge protection too.