Better broadband/wifi equipment

[AntzOfTheGreys]

We have Sky Superfast broadband (fibre to cabinet/twisted pair to our house - 75Mb down, 17Mb up speeds). Our house is quite big, so I laid CAT5 cables to most rooms a while ago. However a lot of devices (phones/tablets) still need Wifi. We have Sky TV as well, so have a Sky Q set top box and a few Sky Min Q boxes that add to the Wifi signal to create a mesh. It's still not very good (and there is no way to tell if the mesh is working unless you have engineer tools), I'd like to get a better mesh system that would work with what we have now. I quite like the look of the new Synology routers, however, rather than purchase something and then find out that it isn't compatible,I thought I'd ask what systems other people here are using, and what/any improvements they have found.

Thanks in advance,

Ant

[mae-3 · Accepted solution]

@AntzOfTheGreys 

People have had success with Synology routers as they support DHCP Option 61 which is a requirement in most cases with Sky. You will need a VDSL2 modem in most cases in addition to the wireless router or for it to have a VDSL2 modem incorporated in the router.

The community usually recommends a 2-box solution, modem and separate wireless router because the UK is converting to full-fibre (FTTP) and then the modem can be sold on or dispensed and the router connected directly to an ONT that BT Openreach supply.

[Chrisee]

@AntzOfTheGreys if you decide to go down the third party wifi route it is sensible if you can use ethernet for all of your Sky Q boxes and disable their wifi networking.. Q minis cannot connect to third party wifi and if the wifi networking is left on you will get interference from their wifi hot spots. 

[AntzOfTheGreys]

Thanks for the answers chaps, and Merry Christmas! The Draytek Vigor 130 looks like a good modem to get. Are there documented settings to use for this for Sky Broadband? Also, is there a limit to the distance from the modem to the router? Ideally I'd like to position the router in a different room, I can do this via my entwork cabling I already have in place, but the cable run would be from the ground floor room up to the loft, and then down to another room. 

[mae-3]

@AntzOfTheGreys 

The Vigor 130 has been used by many on the forum, and the distance that ethernet can be run from the modem to the router is restricted to about 30 metres.