Router upgrade

[ColWirral]

Hi all,

I have a query with regards to replacing my Sky Hub for a third party router. I currently have the sky boradband hub, which has the phone socket on the back and my landline plugs into that rather than a master socket on the wall. The wifi on the router is ok, but is very flaky with my ring doorbell with dropouts happening far too often. I would like to replace the router for a third party one, most likely either an asus rt-ac86u ac2900 or a tp-link ac2800. 

My questions really relate to how i would connect the landline, and whether the internet calling would still function effectively straight out of the box? I called sky's technical team before and they just tried to sell me a wi-fi booster, which i don't want. So:

1. Will these routers both be suitable, or do i need a modem router? I assume (and could be completely wrong) that the box on the wall that replaced the master socket acts as a modem and the sky hub is just a router. I appreciate that could be completely wrong though. 

2. Since neither router have a RJ11 socket on the back, will I need an adaptor such as the Grandstream HT-812 2FXS?

3. Will the internet calling work as a default? I assume it should since this is already in operation through sky, but want to check that I won't get stung for additional fees because they tell me I need a dedicated VOIP contract or something?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Col

[jamesn123]

@ColWirral 

Are you on FTTC or FTTP? E.g. Does your router plug into a BT/Openreach Telephone socket or Openreach ONT? 

If you are on FTTC then you'll need a separate modem to run those routers, if you are on FTTP then they will work fine on their own.

As for your phone you cannot use the landline with any other hub than Sky's. The connection to Sky's voip servers is baked into the hub and there is no known way to get it to work with any other router. 

[ColWirral]

Thanks for the reply. I have FTTP, however the inability to keep the landline without (i assume) paying to shift to a third party VOIP isn't a route I want to go down. Quite annoying that really. May well make me consider my options when my contract is due up and may go back to BT since the supplied hardware doesn't do what I need it to. 

Thanks again for the reply

[jamesn123]

@ColWirral 

Fair enough. 
There is nothing stopping you leaving the Sky hub in place, turning off WiFi & plugging in an Access point to improve your WiFi without losing the landline

[ColWirral]

Only place i can put a WAP is under the stairs due to the need to connect via ethernet etc, already tried it with a 400mb/s tp-link one and it wasn't powerful enough. The hope regarding the router was that by having antennas that I could modify the direction of them, I would be able to basically point one of them right at the doorbell. 

[jamesn123]

@ColWirral 

Most routers that have the 'Spider' antenna array can be put in AP mode so worth a try with something that has antennas.

[ColWirral]

Same issue unfortunately, only place I can realistically put it would be under the stairs, and there is no way to put a shelf or something under there to have a freestanding type of router in there (WAP was wall mounted with a cable running to a network switch). I will have to have a think, may just need to contact sky again and see how long I am tied in with them for which may sway some of the decision making too.

Thanks for the help, very much appreciate the suggestions

[jamesn123]

@ColWirral 

I am a little confused as to what would have changed if you'd gotten rid of the Sky hub and used the Asus RT-AC86u? Would it not still have been under the stairs?

[ColWirral]

The router itself sits in the living room, but I don't have anywhere I can add an additional box in our living room due to the room size and layout. I have a 16 port network switch under the stairs which serves the back of the house and upstairs for any wired devices in those areas, and that is the closest point where something like a WAP/AP etc could go that would assist the doorbell side of things. The asus has antennas which can be directed, so the intention would be to put that where the router currently is and point an antenna directly at the doorbell. 

[jamesn123]

@ColWirral 

Ah understood. Well if you could sit the current Sky router flat and put the new router ontop or tuck the Sky router away behind a unit I'm sure it would help the coverage issue with your doorbell but obviously its constrained to what you can fit in the area.