good modem + router

Hello,

Can someone please suggest me some good modem + router combo ( 2 in 1).

I am currently using Motorola Surfboard wireless cable modem gateway - SBG901. I am not happy with the results. Wireless performance is very bad. YouTube videos stop loading in the middle. i get 25 Mbps on wired connection, but only 14 Mbps on wireless. Internet disconnects every 15-20 mins. I have decided to return this and get a different one. Your help is appreciated.

EDIT:

Budget: 150$ max

Motorola SBG901 features:

DOCSIS 2.0 modem
802.11 b/g wireless

 

Why not go for two separate devices, I have yet to find a combo that is as good as a separate modem + good router setup.

Giving us a budget might not be a bad idea either.

Oh and before I forget, was your combo Wireless G or wireless N?

 

Thanks Tijo,

I have added the modem features and budget now

I can work with separate devices also. What are the pros and cons of using separate devices?

 

Looks like the lack of wireless N is your bottleneck. If your computers have adapters that support wireless N, then even a decent combo will likely net you the speed you want. I don't have any recommendations for a combo though, but I'd look for at what Netgear and Asus may have to offer.

My ISP provided me with a modem/router combo that is supposedly high end (it isn't dual band though), but I just went ahead and hooked my Linksys E4200 to it and disabled wireless on the modem. That said, I do transfer a lot of files over the network and throughput of 160Mbps and even higher is important to me.


As for multiple devices
Pros: you can get much better networking functions from a high end router and you can keep the router should you change ISP.
Cons: one more device to manage and the setup can be more expensive.

downloads will likely have a few recommendations of his own.

 

Thanks tijo,

my ISP does not provide a free modem, that is the reason i opted for a 2 in 1 device. i can go for separate devices, but i am only concerned about the price and setup (i am not good at networking ) I got the SBG901 for 90$.

What abt my wireless adapter? i sometimes think the issue is with my adapter. I have a killer wireless-N 1202 adaptor. I made a wrong decision when buying my laptop, i should have opted for the new 1103.

 

Nah, the 1102 is a pretty good adapter, so that part is covered. You got a dual band adapter too, so you might want to look into 5GHz gear, but first take time to check what are the pros and cons of 5GHz vs 2.4Hz. Anyways, if your combo was really only wireless g, that is your problem right there, get something that does wireless N, it has more bandwidth.

5GHz signals fade faster and penetrate walls less easily, but the band is virtually unused. 2.4GHz has better range but is very much used and is more prone to interference as a result.

EDIT: Yup, the lack of wireless N capabilities is the first problem here. To give you a short rundown, wireless g has a link rate of 54Mbps, but in reality, in a clean environment, you'll get around 50% of that, add interference to the mix and it's no wonder that you're getting 14Mbps. Wireless N on the other hand has a link rate of 150Mbps per stream and most routers are two stream meaning a link rate of 300Mbps and actual throughput that should easily sit in the 50-75 Mbps range even factoring in some pretty harsh interference.

I usually go here for router reviews, maybe they have some combo reviews as well: http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/. They also have some pretty decent tutorials.

 

I agree with tijo- what you need is a good router not a new modem. There's no point paying for one since the one you're using seems to work fine.

If you add a new router to your current modem you can either bridge the modem in which case it will work only as a modem while both routing and wireless would be done by the new router or use the new device as an Access Point in which case it will do Wi-Fi but the routing will be done by modem.

Bridging is preferable since your new device would most likely be better hardware-wise.