Router below 1.5k & Configuration issues

Also, If I continue to face connection drops then I will change my ISP to ACT, but I am currently not willing to do that as I am running short on money.

Connection drop should not depend on 2.4/5GHz assuming good signal strength,most likely it is your router but to confirm it try playing online while connected to router via lan to rule out connection issue.

If it is indeed your router then get Archer C20,it has good performance for its price.Right now it is available for 1399 for next 11 hours & with 10% amazon pay cash back offer you can effectively get it for 1259 which is a very good price.

whitestar_999 said:

Get Archer C20 or Dlink Dir-816.These are the cheapest AC wifi routers.There is no point in buying the usual 1-1.5k 300mbps N wifi routers which will soon become obsolete in near future.

Click to expand...

What exactly is the difference between ADSL modems and these ac routers?

TheSloth said:

I have similar query.
Budget: 1.5k
Home : 800 sq feet 2bhk.
ISP : Airtel Plan : INR1099 130 GB 8Mbps
Download : 7.5 - 8 Mbps. Upload : 2.35 Mbps. source : speedtest dot net
Devices : 1x Samsung NP550P5C + 2x Moto G5+
Every device supports dual band
Usage : Online gaming(1st priority), Downloads, YouTube

I need a router+modem for home usage. I want to use 5GHz band as all the devices I have are supported.

Or I don't need to use 5Ghz band to use the full potential of my connection?? I have been experiencing lot of connection drops while playing online since I have got the connection. It happens every 5-6mins. Currently using Binatone DT910W which was included in the package.

I just want to make sure its not my router which is the source of the problem. That is why I am willing to switch to a better hardware. Please suggest some routers+modems

Click to expand...

Man shittel is also suggesting me to get that binatone router. Leaving online gaming aside how is the streaming, downloading? Any connection drops here?

billubakra said:

Man shittel is also suggesting me to get that binatone router. Leaving online gaming aside how is the streaming, downloading? Any connection drops here?

Click to expand...

Youtube and downloading is fine. If source is good, then I get 8Mbps doownloading speed. I didnt stream apart from Youtube.

@whitestar_999 I am yet to try to play game via lan wire. WIl try that tonight. Also, thanks for the Archer C20 suggestion, but I didnt buy it as I dont have money now. Will buy next month.

I will update here once I try the lan wire thing.

What do you say about DIR 816? How is it compare to Archer C20?

I have no experience with DIR-816 so can't say but Archer C20 works good.I personally prefer tplink in budget routers category(costing less than 3-4k).I also think tplink archer c20 firmware has more options than dlink dir-816.

billubakra said:

What exactly is the difference between ADSL modems and these ac routers?

Click to expand...

Adsl modem are must for telephone line internet connections.Router is used to distribute any connection(adsl or other).AC router is based on AC wifi standard & use 5GHz(it can also use N wifi standard on 2.4GHz).5GHz band has more bandwidth,lesser interference from neighboring wifi networks but less range than 2.4GHz band(principles of physics).

So I tried gaming on LAN wire and didn't even face connection drop which I usually suffer from. Whew! So changing to a better modem+router will fix my current issue. I will go with c20 archer.

Could anyone point me to some tutorial which teaches how to setup router with 5GHz on N standard. I am new to this and have never configured modem/router before.

AC routers have 2 SSID/wifi networks,one is at 2.4GHz & other is at 5GHz.If your device has AC wifi then it will see 2 wifi networks(e.g.tplink_abcd & tplink_abcd_5G).There is nothing to setup except setting password & encryption type(WPA2 personal,AES only) for each wifi network.

Ok I missed a very important point. I have Airtel connection which provides internet over telephone lines so I need a DSL port

After googling a bit I found out c20 archer doesn't have DSL port but a WAN port. Now I don't even know how if I can fit RJ45 connector in WAN port. I know that ACT provides RJ45 as we can connect their wires directly to laptop. But that's not important as I don't need RJ45. What I need is a router+modem which has DSL port. Am I missing something here?

Someone help me out in this

If you are using ADSL, try Dlink models. Even TP-Link has model with RJ11 input.

The cheapest dual band ADSL modem+router I could find is priced around 7k. Could anyone suggest any model??

I am not a fan of ac routers at all.

1. They are costly

2. May not work with your devices

3. Lesser range than b/g/n

The last user who bought a cheap ac router did mention about lack of satisfaction with 5 GHz band.

It's your choice in the end.

First you need to find from Airtel if they have any plan of upgrading to VDSL in your area in next 1-2 years. @billubakra purchased TPLink ADSL modem which is not compatible with VDSL & Airtel has upgraded all connections in his area to VDSL.VDSL modems are costlier & lesser in number of models available so if ISP is providing one at cheap rates then it is better to get it from them.

A router is used to distribute connection,it is just that in case of ADSL/VDSL connection you will have to setup the modem in bridge mode & then connect the lan wire from modem lan port to router wan port where you will enter your airtel connection username/password using which router will make the net connection.You can use a modem+router combo device but combo devices are usually costlier(& dual band are very much so).

I am using Archer C20 & its range & performance(talking about N band performance) is a bit better than 841N I was earlier using.It was available for as low as 1100 during recent sales.Its 5GHz band performance is also fine for its price.Remember 5GHz is meant not for range but for bandwidth so you put your heavy bandwidth consuming devices like PC on 5GHz band while keep using mobiles/tablets etc on 2.4GHz band to avoid network congestion.

So in case I buy C20 then I will need to connect my current Binatone unit to C20 via LAN (?) Wire and then configure C20 according to my use. Is that the case?

Also, whole point of switching to a different modem+router is my connection drop during online play. I don't mind the current speed I am getting. If a D-Link with RJ-11 port , with 2.4GHz band will completely satisfy my needs then I would like avoid the hassle of configuring two routers.

I would have swtiched to ACT and everything would have been easier but that will take time.

I am sorry to make this more complex.

No problem!You can buy TPLink W8968 from @billubakra then.Ask him for the price he is willing to sell,it is 6 months old I think & he was also using it with Airtel connection like yours until Airtel decided to upgrade his connection from ADSL to VDSL.

TheSloth said:

If a D-Link with RJ-11 port , with 2.4GHz band will completely satisfy my needs

Click to expand...

Normally, it should. ADSL is capable of supporting upto 8 Mbps speed. If I remember correctly, the link speed will be upto 60 Mbps, provided your device adapter supports it.

meetdilip said:

Normally, it should. ADSL is capable of supporting upto 8 Mbps speed. If I remember correctly, the link speed will be upto 60 Mbps, provided your device adapter supports it.

Click to expand...

My Airtel connection provide 8Mbps speed.
I don't know what do you mean by "link speed". Could you explain a bit? Does it mean wired connection?

If you are using an application like ShareIT or Xender and transferring via WiFi, your speed can be as high as 60 Mbps. For LAN ( wired ), with a conventional LAN adapter, it is min 100 Mbps.

Update :
Thanks for all the suggestions and input. I have bought TP Link W8968.

But I couldn't connect to internet. The ADSL light kept on blinking was never solid.

I used Quick Setup to setup WAN and Wireless. Now my system can detect the SSID but after connecting it says "not connected" (to internet).

What am I doing wrong? In WAN setup, I gave random PPPe username and password. Is it something which Airtel provides??

I thought we need those kind of login credentials only for cable based Broadbands like ACT.

I did Google about it and went to few pages, they are just telling normal steps to setup. And using "Airtel username and password".

So now I need help from you people, please.

All ADSL/telephone line based broadband connections require username/password provided by ISP.Just see the username/password from your airtel modem settings page by logging into the modem at its IP(usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1,default username password for modem usually is admin/admin).Also I don't know how good W8968 auto setup is but it has to correctly select the VPI/VCI values of Airtel ADSL line for link led to become stable.Username password only comes into the picture once the ADSL link led is stable.

Don't use auto setup. It's a mess to set up w898 because of the weird UI. The VPI value is 1 and VCI is 32. Your username will be stdcode+yournumber_dsl@airtelbroadband.in password- call customer support, tell them to reset it and get a new one.
Have you downgraded from VDSL to ADSL?

Thank you @billubakra @whitestar_999.

I must have set wrong VCI and VPI values. I will check once I reach home in night.
Also, I don't know where to set this username and password, I mean in which field? Is it in the WAN settings??

No , I never had the VDSL connection. I have been provided with ADSL connection with a possibility to switch to VDSL connection (as per advertisment). I am just changing my modem/router as I was facing frequent drops in connection which was hurting my Rocket League rank. I have confirmed from Airtel if they are bringing VDSL to my area, they had no clue and I ran out of my patience. Hence the change.

TheSloth said:

Thank you @billubakra @whitestar_999.

I must have set wrong VCI and VPI values. I will check once I reach home in night.
Also, I don't know where to set this username and password, I mean in which field? Is it in the WAN settings??

No , I never had the VDSL connection. I have been provided with ADSL connection with a possibility to switch to VDSL connection (as per advertisment). I am just changing my modem/router as I was facing frequent drops in connection which was hurting my Rocket League rank. I have confirmed from Airtel if they are bringing VDSL to my area, they had no clue and I ran out of my patience. Hence the change.

Click to expand...

Under PPPOE in lan/wan settings. I don't recall where exactly it is.
If you switch to VDSL then do not buy the modem from them. Also once you switch to VDSL you cannot downgrade for like 6 months, check the connection speed in your area before switching.

It is still not working. Steps I followed :
1. Selected Airtel as ISP and VCI/VPI values were set correctly as mentioned by billubakra in above post.
2. Entered correct PPPOe username and password
3. Changed DNS values provided by Airtel customer care.
4. Disconnected and reconnected.
Since I couldn't connect to internet,
5. Reset modem
6. Repeated Steps 1 to 4.

Ok so what shall I do now. The ADSL light just keep blinking, it is not able to connect to internet.

I can browse normally with that stupid Binatone modem/router.

This unit might be faulty? Or Shall I return this and get D-Link model?

Can you post screenshots of all the settings you made while configuring it?You can take screenshots at each step before & after doing the settings change & save it in PC,later with your binatone airtel connection upload those screenshots here.

The problem is, I have changed the default password of my Binatone modem/router (like a techie person) and now I have forgotten (like a non techie person). And if I do a hard reset the modem/router to a bring it to default password then I am afraid I will lose the current settings and will not be able to setup myself. Which will result in no internet at all till Sunday(if Airtel Technician is available on that day). Otherwise i will be waiting till next weekend. FML

The ADSL Line State keep switching between Activation and Down*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171228/6806d925815eb2d630c3906f250abcf9.jpg

Can you click on "click here to view all WAN interface's status" & post screenshot of that?

Is it visible?? Just now I am noticing, the IP address says 0.0.0.0 . Is it normal??*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171228/c83b00151525b64313796050705388cd.jpg

Ok so the Airtel Technician came. He saw everything and told me that this modem/router will not work as your connection type is VectorDSL. I explained him that I have talked to customer care about my connection speed and all. He told me you are getting ADSL speed as we don't have the facility in your street. Your connection type is VDSL and will work with any VDSL modem/router.

Now I am in situation of returning this product to Amazon and ask for refund. Amazon customer care has told me we can do refund for these kind of reasons "only once". In future no such requests Willbe expected. So I am thinking of saving this exceptional return & refund request for something better.

So my question is, is it possible for me to use this as router? The Airtel Technician seems to have no clue what I was talking about. So I will be on my own again if I want to connect Binatone modem to TP link router.

Yes,in fact one of the main advantage of W8968 is that it can be used as a router in combination with ADSL/VDSL modem & also as a router with cable modem/cable broadband connection.All you need to do is ask airtel technician to configure your VDSL modem in "bridge mode". In bridge mode everything is done by modem except entering username/password which can be done by either creating a shortcut in user's PC or a router which saves username/password & then dials the connection via modem.

TheSloth said:

So my question is, is it possible for me to use this as router?

Click to expand...

Does it have a blue input port ? They usually name it as WAN below the port. If yes, it should be doing the work of a wifi router.

There is no blue port. But below one of the port, it says WAN.

The technician didn't understand when I suggested him to connect modem and TP link router, he just said this(TP Link) model will not work as it doesn't support VDSL. So If I decide to keep this, I will have to configure this on my own. And I am up for it, just need a bit guidance. Only thing is, it must work, otherwise I will place a refund request for this in 2 days

It should work but it will be a lot easier if you can open settings page of airtel modem(you should have asked airtel technician to reset the modem & reconfigure it with default username password for modem settings).You don't need to return this as W8968 can be used as a router with cable broadband connections too.

I asked him the same thing. He told me he will switch that Binatone model with some Huawei model. Then I will have a new default username & password. Gonna try the bridge mode then if I still face the ping spikes

TheSloth said:

There is no blue port. But below one of the port, it says WAN.

Click to expand...

Some models have LAN/WAN combo ports. ie, it will look like yellow or white LAN port, but that will be named WAN. That will work too (if that is the case )

As for using as a WiFi router, all you have to do is get your modem working, take the output of the modem through a LAN cable and plugin to WAN input. These days, that and a few clicks on router interface is enough to get you going.

meetdilip said:

Some models have LAN/WAN combo ports. ie, it will look like yellow or white LAN port, but that will be named WAN. That will work too (if that is the case )

As for using as a WiFi router, all you have to do is get your modem working, take the output of the modem through a LAN cable and plugin to WAN input. These days, that and a few clicks on router interface is enough to get you going.

Click to expand...

I read some articles over how to connect modem and router. Seems simple Let's see. I will ask here when I run into problem while setting it up.

Sorry for threadjacking, but i had a similar query. Is archer c20 the best bet for router under 2krs?

Was about to order this

Yes,under 2k it is your best bet,only other ac router below 2k is from dlink(DIR-816) & as per reviews c20 seems better.

TheSloth said:

I asked him the same thing. He told me he will switch that Binatone model with some Huawei model. Then I will have a new default username & password. Gonna try the bridge mode then if I still face the ping spikes

Click to expand...

I am still facing the connection drops so I have finally decided to use(after procrastinating for months) the new router which I bought.

I am going to follow these steps .
*whirlpool.net.au/wiki/adsl_modem_router_bridge_mode

Is it ok? If anyone has link to better tutorials then please post here. Thank you

Just change connection type to bridge in modem,connect lan wire from any lan port(prefer 1st lan port) to WAN port of router.In router settings select connection type as pppoe & enter username/password of your adsl connection(not the username/password of adsl modem).I am assuming modem as ip address/settings page address 192.168.1.1 & router having address 192.168.0.1.

whitestar_999 said:

Just change connection type to bridge in modem,connect lan wire from any lan port(prefer 1st lan port) to WAN port of router.In router settings select connection type as pppoe & enter username/password of your adsl connection(not the username/password of adsl modem).I am assuming modem as ip address/settings page address 192.168.1.1 & router having address 192.168.0.1.

Click to expand...

Will try this and update here. Thanks for responding

I set the WAN as bridge mode in modem and have entered correct PPPoE username and password in router. But I am unable to access the internet.

Modem IP : 192.168.1.1
Router LAN IP : 192.168.0.1 (I changed it manually after the setup as router address was same as modem)

Also, I am not able to get modem GUI page when I am connected to router on 192.168.0.1.

What did I do wrong?

Am I not able to connect cause w8968 is not a pure router and connecting two modems doesn't work?

W8968 can act as a pure router(it has a EWAN port for that purpose only). Explain in more detail how are you connecting your modem(name model etc) with your W8968(don't call it router as it gets confusing). First post screenshots of settings of your modem(remove user id/password/mac id etc) when it is working correctly(aka net access) & then post screenshots of only those settings you are changing when connecting it with W8968.Also post screenshots of settings of W8968 that you changed for connecting it to your modem.

Thank you. I will update here with screenshot.

My Airtel VDSL modem is Huawei HG630a. I am trying yo set a bridge connection between HG630a and W8968. I have followed this tutorial
Setup Bridge Mode - Huawei HG630b | Spark NZ
and suggestions from this thread but couldn't get my internet work.
HG630a - 192.168.1.1
W8968 - 192.168.2.1

I have created the Bridge mode settings in HG630a to connect to W8968.
1. Now how do I enable it and get the internet access in W8968.
2. Do I need to disable WLAN in HG630a before setting it up in bridge mode?

Please help me setup the connection to 5GHz.

Only 1 connection can be activated at any time,as per screenshots TR069..vid100 is enabled but in 2nd screenshot connection type is shown as PPP which is not bridged.Also tutorial specifically mention to use a new connection not using tr069 as service list.

Select WAN connection as "disabled" for TR069 connection(the current connected one),select "internet" as service list for other_b_36 bridge connection type & then try.Unless it shows as connected the bridge connection you created is not working.

When I disabled the WAN on HG630a then the status from Connection changed to Pending and I was not able to use internet even with LAN wire. I am posting the screenshots of all the settings of HG630a. And also of the W8968 which shows no internet connection.

I have no clue what am I doing here.*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180909/8f6e899b35db63f6451c7b333f714b07.jpg*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180909/7cabd81fb09abd2149c1d0ecf379efb2.jpg*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180909/04996337a04e75ebf556d326db23ca36.jpg*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180909/7590fc04d442c654e5b18154c6229860.jpg*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180909/ba4afa2eac8b95a2b99d4bb54eb831b7.jpg

^^pics are not clear,probably because tapatalk or your capturing software reduced the quality.Use imgur & use highest quality(aka don't compress pics quality,use png which is a higher quality format than jpg).

Ah. I will post pics imgur links.

Edit : Imgur

Is this ok? The screenshots in PC format are from HG630a and the mobile one from W8968.

^^Now pics are fine.Check that wan connection enable is not selected for any connection except that internet_b_1_36 bridged connection.Also for that bridged connection uncheck any bind list connection.

I will try this tomorrow night and update here

Imgur

So this is the updated configuration. I have unchecked all the Enable checkbox from WAN settings except the bridge one. No bind list is selected as well. Then I did a Power Cycle off/on for modem and router. Still no luck.

If you see the WAN IP in the W8968, it says 0.0.0.0. is it normal?

Do I need to disable DHCP on router. If yes then how. Could subnet settings on both HG630a and W8968 be creating problems?

When using 2 networking devices then DHCP is to be enabled in one of them only.Since the modem will be in bridge mode there is no need for dhcp in modem.Check if this static routing is present in other connections properties too.Also try removing this static routing entry for this bridge connection(just to be safe make a note of this static routing entry so you can add it later if required).

I disabled the DHCP in HG630a and removed the static routing settings as well. Then I swtiched off both the modem and router. Started the router first and then the modem after a minute. This also did not work. It always says the disconnected in HG630a status page.

*i.imgur.com/FLY0vON.png

Ok,first thing to do is to test if bridge mode can even work with this huawei modem.Remove W8968 for now.Focus on getting huawei to work with bridge mode directly connected to pc.Setup the huawei for usual bridge connection setting & then directly connect it to pc via lan wire.Also enable DHCP in huawei for this test.Next use your windows new net connection wizard to create a pppoe connection with username & password(airtel connection login) which will create a shortcut on desktop.On double clicking this shortcut a windows will come up asking for username/password.After entering the info the connection should start with net connectivity showing.If this doesn't work then bridge mode is not working with huawei(in which case experimenting with W8968 is useless).

whitestar_999 said:

Ok,first thing to do is to test if bridge mode can even work with this huawei modem.Remove W8968 for now.Focus on getting huawei to work with bridge mode directly connected to pc.Setup the huawei for usual bridge connection setting & then directly connect it to pc via lan wire.Also enable DHCP in huawei for this test.Next use your windows new net connection wizard to create a pppoe connection with username & password(airtel connection login) which will create a shortcut on desktop.On double clicking this shortcut a windows will come up asking for username/password.After entering the info the connection should start with net connectivity showing.If this doesn't work then bridge mode is not working with huawei(in which case experimenting with W8968 is useless).

Click to expand...

I will try this and update here. Sorry for late updates.

No problem!Take your time,no hurry.

I tried this last weekend but couldn't update the post here. I was not able to connect to modem after setting up the PPPoE config on my PC and setting up HG630a on bridge mode. This is the error message I received.

Imgur

I give up, on setting up HG630a and W8968 in bridge mode.

I am planning on switching broadband to ACT now. Will this W8968 will work with ACT? If yes, what complications i might face to setup the WiFi connection as W8968 doesn't have a RJ45 connector like other models. It does have LAN/WAN port which supports cable broadband connection but I am asking about how difficult is the configuration part in this?

It seems like issue is with HG630a in bridge mode,if possible I would like to take a look at it personally but I don't know anyone with this modem among people I can visit.

ACT connection should be simple plug & play of its lan wire into WAN port of W8968.Only case where one needs to "configure a cable broadband connection" is when cable broadband use static IP but ACT use dynamic IP as far as I know.However do remember to check that under wifi security settings the password encryption is set to WPA2 only & not WPA2+TKIP because that will limit max wifi speed to 30-35mbps(found this out when helping a friend with his cable broadband connection & supplied wifi router).

whitestar_999 said:

It seems like issue is with HG630a in bridge mode,if possible I would like to take a look at it personally but I don't know anyone with this modem among people I can visit.

ACT connection should be simple plug & play of its lan wire into WAN port of W8968.Only case where one needs to "configure a cable broadband connection" is when cable broadband use static IP but ACT use dynamic IP as far as I know.However do remember to check that under wifi security settings the password encryption is set to WPA2 only & not WPA2+TKIP because that will limit max wifi speed to 30-35mbps(found this out when helping a friend with his cable broadband connection & supplied wifi router).

Click to expand...

You might be right, there is a problem and it's pointless to stick to it. I just lost all the patience to work on that Huawei modem.

So I will be switching to ACT most probably. 1298 with tax for the 100mbps plan and additional 500 for the router. If I could ask them for charging this 500 as I will be using my own router then I will definitely swtich to ACT for a month. Will decide by next month if I need to keep Airtel or switch to ACT on permanent basis. I talked to Airtel cc and they told me to keep this connection inactive at the charge of Rs.200/month. So I will be doing this nstead of paying Rs.1300 bill.

Does anyone have any idea about the downtime of ACT in Chennai? In Bangalore it was literally any time of the day or night for 1-2hrs, though only twice in a month I guess.