Best Cable Modem & Router Combination for Charter

Hi -

I'm switching from AT&T (DSL) to Charter for Internet/Phone service to save some money. I'm also hoping to get a faster/more reliable internet connection for my computers. I currently have Pro DSL (max downstream 3 Mbps/upstream 512 Kbps). I'll be getting Charter (12 Mbps up/1 Mbps down).

My current DSL set-up (since 2007) has been the 2Wire Gateway furnished by AT&T. Although the speed is decent, we have constant problems with both my MacBook and Toshiba getting dropped from the network. Sometimes the network is stable, other times I get constantly dropped. I suspect the DSL line is not the problem. Rather, the 2Wire Gateway simply blows. As I was researching purchasing a new modem and router, I found that I could get the same service from Charter for about $15 less per month

A few other tidbits -
1. My entire house is wired with Cat 5, drops everywhere (I built the house, so it was easy to do it!)
2. I have an older eMachines desktop that exists on the wired network
3. The new modem and router are located in the middle/front basement of my 3000 sq. ft. ranch. They'll both sit on a wire shelf near the phone blocks.
4. My budget allows me to purchase whatever modem/router combination is within reason.
5. I have a 500 GB USB HDD I can connect to the router (not a requirement)
6. I do not have a network printer, but might like to add that in the future.
7. We are also considering getting Hulu Plus/Netflix or other streaming service.
8. I want something that is reliable, stable, and will grow with our households needs. I don't need the fastes router available, but I want a good one.

At present, I've narrowed my selection of a cable modem to two possibilities:
A. Motorola SURFboard SB6121 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem
B. Zoom DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem 5341-?

As for routers, I'm having a really tough time reaching a consensus on what I should buy. Here are some possibilities:
A. Cisco E3000 (at around $70 this seems like a steal)
B. Cisco E3200 (is it worth the additional $50-$60 over the 3000?)
C. Asus RT-N56 (sounds great, but concerned about support and inability to support 3rd party firmware)
D. Netgear WNDR-3700 v2
E. Netgear WNDR-3800 (some nice features vs. the 3700?)

Other than the E3000, I can purchase all locally (i.e. I can return one if it doesn't work). As for the E3000, I would likely purchase from Amazon - return would cost me shipping charges.

I've spent a lot of time reading through the forums here, as well as reviews on CNET, and SmallNetBuilder. All of which made it pretty clear that all of the routers I listed above can do a pretty nice job for most, but can be utter failures for a minority (less than 20%).

My biggest concern about the ASUS is the user interface and lack of parental controls. Based on the data, it appears to be the fastest of all the routers (do I really need that???)

With all of the routers listed, I've read numerous horror stories about problems encountered by buyers. I'm hoping, with a little help from the wonderful people here, that I'll avoid being one of the horror stories.

Thank you for any help!

 

I would go with Motorola SURFBoard- it seems to be considered the best in business (Motorolla in general not the exact model).

As for the router- ASUS is not really the fastest. It has the highest throughput meaning routing speed between WAN and LAN port but that doesn't mean much unless you have a one Gigabit connection- and I can hazard a guess you don't.

Throughput used to be a way of measuring how fast the router's CPU is but some routers use special hardware-switching-like feature which allows them to excel here. Asus is one of those. Others include Linksys E4200 or Netgear WNDR4000.
Another thing is third party firmware- Asus is not supported by any.

Both WNDR3700 and 3800 are great- it all depends on a price although I'd be tempted to buy 3800.

Notably absent on your list is Linksys E4200- great range on 2.4GHz and 450mbps (3 stream radio) on 5GHz.
Probably the best all-rounder among high end routers.

 

Thanks for the help

I really wondered about the value of the Gigabit Ports given that I don't have a Gigabit connection.

I left off the E4200 due to the extra cost (about $25 more than the WNDR-3800). Based on my needs, I thought it might be overkill to go with the E4200.

Similarly, I'm still left debating the merits of spending an additional $30 to upgrade from the WNDR-3700 to the WNDR-3800. I definitely see the advantages of the UI on the 3800, but other than an additional 64K RAM, it's the same router, right? So, do the UI features make it worth the extra $?

And, if I decide it is worth the extra $30, then how does the 3800 stack up against the E4200?

 

Gigabit LAN ports are useful but in terms of WAN throughput it's probably an overkill.

As for E4200- its main advantage over WNDR3800 is three stream radio on 5GHz range (capable of 450mbps wireless connection if you have a three stream Wi-Fi card) and superb 2.4GHz range.

Quite frankly you can't go wrong with either.

Try to think about it in terms of future-proofing your setup and you needs in general. If you are likely to be needing fast LAN transfers or are planning to set up NAS than 450mbps will come in handy (it'll still be too slow but better than 300mbps).

If you have (or will have) no need for neither high WLAN throughput nor high 2.4GHz range than there's no point spending additional money on E4200.

 

I believe both laptops have 2x2 adapters - (Intel Centrino Advanced -N 6250 AGN & MacBook Pro).

I noticed that NetGear offers a Limited Lifetime Warranty on the WNDR3800. Any thoughts on the value of the warranty? NetGear Customer Service?

I'm more likely to set-up a network printer than an NAS - can I do both at the same time with only one USB port on the router?

I'm leaning towards the 3800

 

NAS will/would end up connected to a LAN port so it doesn't need USB port.
There's probably no advantage that E4200 hold over 3800 in your case then.

No idea about Netgear's support.

 

Charter connected my Motorola SurfBoard 6121 today, along with my NetGear WNDR3800. Ran inSSIDer and found that I'm the only 5 GHz network around

So far, everything is working smoothly. The new router was easy to install, even for someone with little experience with it. I still need to go through all of the options to tweak the set-up, but I'm very impressed with the ease of installation.

Thanks for the help!