2Wire upgrade, please could i have some advice?

[KinkyAffro]

I have an old router (about 5-6 years old, it says Intelligent Gateway 1800 on the bottom and 2Wire on the side).

It was supplied by BT when they came to set up my BT Business Broadband.

I'd like to replace it with one of these new and terrific Netgear routers i keep reading about.

Can anyone tell me if i can just unplug the old BT/2Wire one and plug everything into the new netgear and it'll work "out of the box" with my BT business broadband and my usual bt email address etc?

My current router is connected to the main home pc. I use it for wireless to xbox 360, wireless to one pc upstairs and wireless to one laptop.

Sorry for the noob questions. Is the netgear the one i should go for and which is the "best" model number?

Thanks in advance.

[welshy]

I don't know anything about the BT 2wire routers but their is no reason why any new router should not work with any ISP.

The new router (Netgear or other) will not know your ISP user account details straight out of the box so you will need these handy first of all. If you can logon to your current router (if possible) and jot down your account details username@something for example and password then you can use these in your new router. If you cannot logon to the router then your details are on your PC and you should see these when you logon to the internet. If in doubt ask BT for your account details.

Once you have your logon details for your ISP you can logon to the new router and enter your details there. You should then be able to plug in any device (easier if using DHCP) and be able to connect to the internet.

Try this and see how you get on. So long as you know your account details and there is nothing 'special' about your current router I can't see a problem connecting via a new one.

Netgear DG834 routers are very common and highly rated. I have one myself, but others are just as good I'm sure.

[beerhunter]

I do know about 2-wire routers, they seem to be perfectly good devices. Not sure why you would want to change. One of the advantages of using the 2-wire on the BT network is that the firmware in the router can be upgraded automatically.

[KinkyAffro]

Originally Posted by beerhunter

I do know about 2-wire routers, they seem to be perfectly good devices. Not sure why you would want to change. One of the advantages of using the 2-wire on the BT network is that the firmware in the router can be upgraded automatically.

Hi beerhunter

2 reasons for wanting to change and please bear in mind i know NOTHING about routers

I keep losing connection on it. There is a "broadband link" light on the front and a "local network" light on the front. They should be green but keep going red and losing connection. It's a pain and i keep having to switch it off at the mains and re-start it. I just assumed it was old and on the way out.

The second reason is because i just assumed one of these new "super fast, all singing all dancing" top of the range netgear routers would be faster and better than an old 2 Wire one!
My internet connection sometimes seems so slow (considering it's a quite expensive BT Business Broadband package) and when on the Xbox 360 on live i suffer lots of lag. Like i said, i'm assuming, but i thought maybe the "old" router may be playing a part in this

I read about these products and it says that 802.11G is current/old technology and that 802.11n is the newest, fastest technology and assume i need the n technology for a faster system. I also read about 54Mbps, 125Mbps and 240Mbps and bet i've currently got the slowest one!!

Thanks for your help so far fellas

[beerhunter]

It could be your router but it could also be your line or internal wiring. Try plugging it into your master socket. Second ensure that all of your phones go via microfilters.

A newer router won't necessarily be any faster because you may have wiring problems - see above.

54 Mb/s (802.11 g) is the fastest wireless speed that has been ratified by IEEE. 802.11n is still in draft and looks like being a year late. (March 2009) So I'd be inclined to wait a little longer for that. BTW you'd need to upgrade your Xbox to.

However should you wish to dive in now I'd recommend one of the Netgear DG834 family for example this one is at a good price from from Amazon. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Netgear-DG83...2012709&sr=8-1

Unlike BT Total Broadband, for Business Broadband you will need to extract your User Name and Password from the existing setup and install them in the new box.

[KinkyAffro]

Originally Posted by beerhunter

It could be your router but it could also be your line or internal wiring. Try plugging it into your master socket. Second ensure that all of your phones go via microfilters.

A newer router won't necessarily be any faster because you may have wiring problems - see above.

54 Mb/s (802.11 g) is the fastest wireless speed that has been ratified by IEEE. 802.11n is still in draft and looks like being a year late. (March 2009) So I'd be inclined to wait a little longer for that. BTW you'd need to upgrade your Xbox to.

However should you wish to dive in now I'd recommend one of the Netgear DG834 family for example this one is at a good price from from Amazon. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Netgear-DG83...2012709&sr=8-1

Unlike BT Total Broadband, for Business Broadband you will need to extract your User Name and Password from the existing setup and install them in the new box.

Many thanks beerhunter, that's very helpful.

The broadband adsl line is a completely seperate line from my home tel. line. It was installed when they changed me from ISDN to ADSL. It has its own seperate tel.no. So would i still need microfilters on the phones in that case?

I had a look at your recommendation for the netgear router. Is there a reason why you suggest the 54Mbps instead of the 108Mbps next to it?
Obviously i haven't a clue what i'm talking about but to me the 108Mbps is more expensive, has a higher Mbps so is "better" is it not

Are there any specific tests you can run to see how good your router is or are all the tests just for the line/connection itself?

Thnx.

[beerhunter]

If your Broadband is on a separate line with no phones then you won't need any filters. BTW is there a reason for two lines? One of the reasons for using ADSL is you can run both it and telephony down the same pair negating the need for two lines.

The problem with 108 Mb/s is that it is a proprietary extension to 802.11g and so not all wireless devices can use it. As soon as you have a regular 802.11g on it is will drop back to 54 Mb/s.

So you need to find out if the devoices that you are Planning to connect to the router can support the 108 Mb/s speed. Otherwise it won't work and be a waste of money.

[KinkyAffro]

Originally Posted by beerhunter

If your Broadband is on a separate line with no phones then you won't need any filters. BTW is there a reason for two lines? One of the reasons for using ADSL is you can run both it and telephony down the same pair negating the need for two lines.

The problem with 108 Mb/s is that it is a proprietary extension to 802.11g and so not all wireless devices can use it. As soon as you have a regular 802.11g on it is will drop back to 54 Mb/s.

So you need to find out if the devoices that you are Planning to connect to the router can support the 108 Mb/s speed. Otherwise it won't work and be a waste of money.

Why 2 lines?

Well my company paid to have an isdn line installed into my home quite a few years back so i could send digital images into the picture desk, at the time we couldn't get broadband here. When we found broadband was available in our area my company submitted a request to BT to have me upgraded from ISDN to adsl broadband. When the BT guy came he did something to the original isdn line and broadband runs through that.

It also means my personal home phone and bills are kept completely seperate from the broadband which the company pays for. Means i have unlimited personal use of the internet cos the company pay for it

Thanks for pointing out the reasons for the 54Mbps suggestion, makes sense now, sorry for what must sound like some pretty daft and basic questions.