New 3rd Party Router - To Improve WiFi

[Skull+Treaty]

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@rozel wrote:

Thanks again @jamesn123 , much appreciated.  Yes my Broadband is via an Openreach box on the wall - my Broadband is Fibre To The Cabinet (FTTC) NOT Fibre To The Property (FTTP).  The Exchange describes it as LLU.

@rozel 

Like this or similar:

Or like one of these:

[cookiemonsteruk]

@Skull+Treaty 

Ah, welcome. fellowship of the superuser at last 😁

[Skull+Treaty]

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@cookiemonsteruk wrote:

@Skull+Treaty 

Ah, welcome. fellowship of the superuser at last 😁

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@cookiemonsteruk Just needed to click the link, how I missed I do not know 😉

[mae-3]

@Skull+Treaty & @cookiemonsteruk 

What link was that the NDA for superuser? Rather stay impartial! 😉

[rozel]

Please see pic : -

Hope you can determine what's what  here because it is buried.  The left hand cable is connected to the purple socket on the Router - this is the broadband cable, I think as I just pulled it and the internet suddenly dropped haha!  So no the telephone output from the socket goes somewhere else, I think, certainly not into the router

[cookiemonsteruk]

@mae-3 

Yesterday the community forum front page had a new superuser lounge section. I clicked it out of curiousity and it said i have reached the rank of 9 and presented me with nda . So i accepted

[mae-3]

@cookiemonsteruk 

I don't sign NDA's and I have power on my own board it's called the administrator! 😀

[rozel]

Because my thread has been sabotaged a bit, I'm now lost - please take conversations about Superusers elsewhere.

My last post has a pic of the box but hasn't yet been approved or something as it does not show.  But it is an Openreach box similar to one of those in the bottom sectiom and states "MK4" on it - 2 sockets as advised.

[mae-3]

@rozel 

If you are on ultrafast with an MK4 faceplate with 2 sockets then you are on G.fast and that needs a G.fast modem, unfortunately, and they are rare beasts to find and restrict your choice somewhat.

[add] If you are on superfast then it's VDSL2.

[cookiemonsteruk]

@mae-3 

has confirmed sr203 and 60Mbps. As its an llu exchange i was trying to determine if @rozel had internet calls.

[cookiemonsteruk]

@rozel 

You can buy an asus rt ax58u, rt ax68u , rt ax86u, rt ax88u, or zenwifi xt8 and cover 2200sq ft with just the router without losing your landline calls

You ideally need the tp link td w9970 as the modem

Instructions for setting up tp link td w9970 as modem bridge

select sky vdsl from isp list
https://www.tp-link.com/uk/support/faq/1332/

Or you could switch the wifi off on the sky hub and use the asus as access point.

My setup tp link td w9970 modem £35

and asus rt ax58u at £139 (i saw an amazon black friday at £104

[mae-3]

@rozel 

You won't lose the phone calls when replacing the router for a none SKy router immediately but that method of connecting the phone to the PTSN is being phased out in 2025. The line is VDSL2 and you need a router either with a VDSL2 modem incorporated or a separate VDSL2 modem with an ethernet wireless router. Suggest the latter option of separate modem and router is wise for future connections using FTTP in the coming years when throwing away or selling the modem will be neccessary.

[rozel]

All thank you for sticking with me.  @cookiemonsteruk has made some interesting suggestions for new kit which I've been researching.  But I am a bit confused, mainly because you all are at much higher level than I am.  Regarding Landline calls, we've wound down their usage, reverting to our Smartphones.  That said we still have a few incoming calls and make a few outgoing calls to people who don't have a mobile.  We don't do Internet Calls (is that VOIP? - I don't think our router allows us to make them) only calls on Whatsapp.  So may I ask a few questions to aid my further understanding please: -

1.   Can you explain simply why you suggest I need a separate modem?  Is it because a new Router on its own cannot take our telephone line because of the type of line/Open Reach box?  I don't understand much of the technical jargon you have mentioned  - VDSL/VDSL2 + PTSN + other such.  I can confirm that I have a "Superfast Contract with Sky and this doesn't end until Feb 2023.  Also we will not be receiving full fibre broadband (FFTP) for years yet IMHO.  Please try and be simplistic in your responses, this would be most helpful
2.  So if, as I suspect, a separate Router and Modem are required, to get good Wifi in all the rooms of our house (which I'd describe as standard brick, detached, medium to large) I guess I will need Mesh Nodes.  Can you point me to some please?
3. OK the new Kit:  ROUTER - I am toying between one of the ASUS models either the RT-AX88U or the ZenWifi AX (XT8).  I rather like the ZenWifi model as it is Tri-Band and is available at my local Currys for £172.99.  However the more expensive RT-AX88U albeit dual-band, is described as blisteringly fast.  Both support WiFi6 (as do our Smartphones).  The ZenWifi does come in a "twin pack" for £307.49 which can apparrently aid "Meshing". 
4. Modem - Assuming one is required, would the tp link td w9970 sort, given my circumstances?
5. Mesh Nodes - these do seem expensive and I'm looking for help here as in 2. above.  The few I see are expensive (+£200).  So I am wondering if linking 2 x ZenWifi AX (XT8) would be a better option?
6. Of course I need to be able to connect to Sky's Servers - that has to be a given

We have changed our Smartphones and Tablets over to the 5Ghz band but it hasn't made much difference to be honest so I'm determined to get much better WiFi coverage in our household, whilst preserving our 60mbps ethernet download speed and 20mbps upload speed and our limited landline calls.

Hope you can help and advise some more please?

[cookiemonsteruk]

@rozel 

"Can you explain simply why you suggest I need a separate modem"

A modem (MOdulator DEModulator takes the signal from the copper wire from the cabinet and converts it into a signal that the router can distribute to your devices

[cookiemonsteruk]

@rozel 

"I guess I will need Mesh Nodes"

The asus zenwifi can act as router and/or mesh mode. So depending on the size of your house you may get away with one zen wifi acting as router/primary mesh and one as the mesh node/satellite