[SOLVED] Can anyone recommend a good modem for an Asus AC2900

[xtnt]

I have been given an Asus AC2900 RT-AC86U router which has no instructions. It would seem it does not have a built in modem, as unlike my old cheap and cheerful 2 in 1 huawaii modem router (which has now given up), the asus does not connect to the internet when plugged straight into the phone line (UK).

I am thinking of getting rid of it and opting for a 2 in 1 if it has no modem, as it would probably take up a lot of space. I don't think there would be much of an advantage of having seperate router and modem in a small home either with few devices.

I can connect to the router's settings menu however, so it seems to be working fine, just without internet.

Do I definitely need a seperate modem, and if anyone has anything similar, can they recommend something that would work well with an asus router that isn't too costly?

Thanks for any info

 

[Lutfij]

When you speak of the phone line, I think you're referring to the RJ45 connector? If so, did you contact your ISP about the device change? Often times, your ISP will need to pair your device to their setup and in order to do so, they will need to identify your device, i.e, it's MAC address and then is the matter of inputting IP addresses with your WAN tab/option. You might want to parse the model for the Huawei modem router you spoke of above.

 

[kanewolf]

I have been given an Asus AC2900 RT-AC86U router which has no instructions. It would seem it does not have a built in modem, as unlike my old cheap and cheerful 2 in 1 huawaii modem router (which has now given up), the asus does not connect to the internet when plugged straight into the phone line (UK).

I am thinking of getting rid of it and opting for a 2 in 1 if it has no modem, as it would probably take up a lot of space. I don't think there would be much of an advantage of having seperate router and modem in a small home either with few devices.

I can connect to the router's settings menu however, so it seems to be working fine, just without internet.

Do I definitely need a seperate modem, and if anyone has anything similar, can they recommend something that would work well with an asus router that isn't too costly?

Thanks for any info

There is A LOT of advantage to having a separate modem and router. Main advantage is that if you get a new provider, you don't have to replace your router. You change the input to a different modem or to ethernet direct from the provider point of presence. Your internal network never knows the difference.
An all-in-one you replace the whole thing.

 

[xtnt]

It's a standard phone lead that would fit into an adsl filter, possibly rj45 - although there is nothing mentioned on it. The provider's moderators note third party modem routers will work with their internet service, so I'd assume a reasonable setup with any modem router, or modem with router to match would be ok. I have changed modem routers more than a few times, the last couple with no issues using the same provider (a lot of routers are given out when you sign up for a new internet package, no doubt all 'modem routers').

The Hauweii is old, but it's one of the few I'd yet to get rid of.. and in terms of security alone I no doubt need to replace it. It's wifi signal isn't too good either. I didn't think I could link an asus router with a modem-router rather than a modem alone, or at least one this old anyway.

I just wasn't sure what would be a good choice of modem to match the asus router if I kept it and needed one.. or if it would be worth it. I've just found out how much this router I have is, and perhaps a modem to measure up to this asus router would be relatively expensive too.

 

[kanewolf]

It's a standard phone lead that would fit into an adsl filter, possibly rj45 - although there is nothing mentioned on it. The provider's moderators note third party modem routers will work with their internet service, so I'd assume a reasonable setup with any modem router, or modem with router to match would be ok. I have changed modem routers more than a few times, the last couple with no issues using the same provider (a lot of routers are given out when you sign up for a new internet package, no doubt all 'modem routers').

The Hauweii is old, but it's one of the few I'd yet to get rid of.. and in terms of security alone I no doubt need to replace it. It's wifi signal isn't too good either. I didn't think I could link an asus router with a modem-router rather than a modem alone, or at least one this old anyway.

I just wasn't sure what would be a good choice of modem to match the asus router if I kept it and needed one.. or if it would be worth it. I've just found out how much this router I have is, and perhaps a modem to measure up to this asus router would be relatively expensive too.

Modems are pretty dumb devices. They are more critical for the ISP side than the ethernet side to the router. Modems are managed by the ISP so having one that is compatible with them is the important part.

 

[bill001g]

That asus router is going to be more than enough to run any DSL connection. If you were to buy the most expensive router available it would still not be able to go faster than your DSL connection.

What is wrong with the huawai box. Does it not function at all or is it just the function you do not like. You might consider using the huawai as just a modem. In most DSL you would set the huawai to bridge mode and then set the asus wan port to use PPPoE

 

[xtnt]

The huawaii modem router is the only one I have left at the moment so age and security is one factor (operating on an old standard, 2010ish). Perhaps that could be overcome via this more up to date router with better security, I'm not sure. The other main problem is that it can have trouble connecting to more than one device at once. It never used to have this issue but after one device connects, it can disconnect from the internet completely. Factory resetting doesn't help. Lastly, I suppose the size.. having two rather large devices right next to each other - I don't really need two devices giving out a signal.

If stand alone modems are generally simple I would be looking for a modem that is very small with few ports just to hook up to the asus. Something that doesn't take up anywhere near as much space. Searching around for a small standalone modem, I keep getting recommendations for 'modem routers' or 'gateways' and little else. Thanks for the replies

 

[bill001g]

A dsl modem is pretty much invisible to traffic. In fact it is so invisible once you set the router to bridge mode you will have to do very special stuff to access it to make any changes.

It is unlikely any there is any security issues when it runs as just a modem.

Also when you run the huawai as a modem it does not use the wifi radios.

You might as well try the huawai before you go and buy another box. Finding a DSL modem is actually quite hard almost all boxes are modem/routers. You might end up buying a very cheap router/modem and putting it in bridge mode anyway.

 

[xtnt]

I've managed to hook the asus up to the old huawei router via the network cable provided in the box. My devices can connect to the internet via the asus now (2g and 5g are shown as seperate, both work), although the light on the front of the asus router remains in red (perhaps I haven't finished a full set up). I'll give it a few days to tell if the signal is more stable than it used to be.

update - after testing, the old router still had resetting issues. Upon searching for modems, I could only find draytek and openreach models. The draytek modems have 'mini router' modes and the bt openreach modems are just rebranded huawei. I don't really have the space so I think I will just get a different model of router (a modem-router combo) and give away the asus. Thanks