Modem for what type of internet connection?
this post was submitted on 25 Feb 2024
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My ISP provides fiber connection. I want a device that can provide 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz WiFi and 1Gig ethernet.
You're looking for a wireless access point then, not a modem.
whats the difference?
Modem translates fiber signals / DSL into twisted pair cable
Acces point translates twisted pair into wifi
I think you are looking for all in one router
A modem is a sort of "adapter" between physical mediums and protocols and sometimes also a router. It speaks DSL, fibre, cable etc. on one end and Ethernet on the other.
A wireless access point is similar in that is also is an "adapter" between mediums but it's an adapter between physical and wireless. It effectively connects wireless devices to your physical Ethernet network (allowing communication in both directions) and never does any routing.
What you are typically provided by an ISP is an all-in one box that contains modem, router, switch, firewall, wireless access point, DHCP server, DNS resolver and more things in one device. For a home network, I wouldn't want most of these to be separate devices either but at least wireless should be separate because the point of connection for the modem is likely not the location where you need the WiFi signal the most.
Thank you so much for the explanation, I updated the post
Openwrt/ddwrt are used for routers.
In the US you usually need to use your ISP's modem. Even if you buy the modem, it needs to be one that the ISP supports and the ISP will have more control of the device than you do. Even if it were running openwrt or ddwrt, you would not have access to use it.
I have an Arris modem and it works fine now, but for months there was a bug where it would randomly crash. I don't know when the bug was fixed, but firmware updates are controlled by the ISP so I had to just reboot it when it would crash. In other words, even if you have good modem hardware, whether it works correctly is up to your ISP.
I dont know how things work in the US but I dont understand how its possible for an ISP to control a device you own?
if you are using the ISP's modem, yeah they probably have an interface to control the device remotely and i understand that - but if you using your own modem, with a different firmware, how are they even gonna access it?
I don't know the details. My modem that I purchased exposes a management interface to the cable operator. I have a read-only view of the connection status and can't change anything meaningful. In the US if you buy the modem you loan it the ISP for free while you're a customer, as opposed to the ISP loaning you a modem for a monthly fee.
What do you mean when you say modem? Are we talking DSL, fiber or Ethernet?
Turris Omnia. Powerful hardware, auto updates, config backup / restore (with anti-bricking feature), SIM slot, etc
That looks like a router not a modem
That's pretty cool!
Although that's probably what op is actually asking for, I don't think it's a modem. It's a router with an access point.
It does have SFP for a fibre connection and pcie and USB for you to potentially add a modem or whatever else you want.
I'm guessing OP is just looking for a wifi router? Otherwise we'd need to know what kind of modem they're looking for, like Cellular? VDSL? HFC? Satellite? It depends on the internet connection. Different parts of the world need very different kit.
If your ISP comes via Fixed wireless, PPPoE or fiber, I would suggest getting something like this, and setting it up accordingly with PFSense or OPNSense.
Overkill
Some people don't believe in God, I don't believe in overkill 🤣🤣
Maybe check out the Asus TUF-ax4200 gaming modem/router? Just bought one and it's been an awesome upgrade to my old AC modem/router. Wifi6/AX, 4 core, good ram, 1x 2.5GbE WAN and 4x1GbE LAN. Has USB to take a mobile SIM for dual WAN/failover. ASUSs software is very good, but it is on the support list for openwrt once Asus stop supporting it.
thats actually great thank you much!
Asus TUF-AX4200 is a router/AP, not a modem/router.
Meets definition of a modem/router depending on what physical connection and protocols your ISP provides.
My Ethernet WAN connects to the ISPs NTU (optical fibre network termination unit), but WAN is capable of negotiating PPPoE, PPTP or L2TP with PAP/CHAP. Can also Dual WAN, Port forward, NAT.
The documentation is a little lacking. And no ADSL/VDSL etc. but it meets reqs for some.
Supporting PPP does not make something a modem. It's a hardware capability that the device does not have.
I can see where you're coming from, and agree, but ISPs in Australia providing services on the National Broadband Network NBN will almost always describe this as a modem router.
It's not uncommon, right or wrong, even Verisign USA describe a modem vs router thus: "The modem is responsible for sending and receiving signals from the ISP, while the router disperses the signal to devices on the network"
So, this doesn't exclusively modulate and demodulate (mo-dem) an analog to digital signal in this case, and 100% it doesn't have the physical hardware to do so, but it is nonetheless required to negotiate ('modulate'?) the internet connection with an ISP, albeit software-defined through digital PPP Ethernet protocols.
All this is a bit off topic, but I hope the OP (or others) may better define the internet service needed, and may determine if this device may be suitable for their requirements.
I'm glad it includes openwrt support for later down the track. It's one of the few AX devices with such support and I chose it specifically for this reason!
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:
| Fewer Letters | More Letters |
|---|---|
| AP | WiFi Access Point |
| DNS | Domain Name Service/System |
| NAT | Network Address Translation |
3 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 16 acronyms.
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