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Modem brand advice?

16 years ago

My Aunt lives in another state and is getting an HP laptop to replace an older desktop PC. She will have it set up with a wireless connection and wanted to know if there was a particular brand of wireless modem that will be better than another. I said I'd post a note for her and see what the Computer Help Forum folks have to say. Is one as good as another? Thank you so much.

Pam

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Comments (6)

ravencajun Zone 8b TX
16 years ago
I am guessing you mean router and not modem?

I like linksys I got mine at walmart it is this one
Linksys WRT54GS2 Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster Technology

comes with a cd that has step by step directions and was a breeze to set up.
bpgreen
16 years ago
What kind of wireless connection is she going to set up? Usually, when somebody says they're going to set up a wireless connection, they mean 802.11 (aka wi-fi). She'd need a wireless network card for that (not a modem). Most laptops sold these days have wi-fi capability built in, so she may not need to get anything.
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I've used a variety of modems (Netgear, Linksys, Belkin) and have never had a problem setting them up, and having a reliable connection to DSL. Your ISP may be willing to only provide tech support for the model they sell...you should check. Also, what is the price for their modem? You can typically get a high quality unit online (e.g., Amazon) for $50, and phone tech support is pretty good for brand names. I remember you talking about upping your ISP speed tier earlier this month. How well is this higher speed working for your needs?
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I made an assumption about your setup which may be wrong. I have only one device connected between the wall and my computer, which is both a modem and a wireless router combined, so I have just one thing to turn off besides the computer. When you headed your post with the phrase "Router, modem" I thought you were talking about one piece of equipment. If what you are talking about is a modem connected to the wall, which runs to a router, which connects to your computer (wired or wirelessly), then just follow the order mike kaiser gave you. Shut them all down, then start the modem, then the router, then the computer. With some systems, the order may not make any difference, and you can't hurt anything regardless of the order, but Mike's advice is the most logical approach: turn on the first thing in the chain that gets the signal, then the second, then the third (the computer).
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I have a free Spectrum modem too, at a second house. Because it was free, I paid no attention to the brand but I'm happy to accept your saying it's an Arris. You can be sure that any business that buys a product in large volumes, the tens and hundreds of thousands in this case, gets bids from more than one provider and everything else being equal, is heavily swayed in such decisions by price. I would come to no quality or performance conclusion about Arris simply because Spectrum provides them. It only means they were the lowest or one of the lower bidders. I have no investment in the one I use for Spectrum either financially or emotionally, if it starts to act erratically, I'll replace it. My assessment of Arris is based on the performance of a 3 year old unit in my primary home that worked poorly that I was more than happy to replace and whose replacement (a well rated Netgear model) has significantly better performance. No matter what, there's really no such thing as any tech company consistently being considered "one of the best in the business" across multiple product lines. Some are always better than others and lemons can be found from all of them. PS - Orbi and other so-called "mesh" system have their place but are overkill in many situations. I recently bought a new router for the smaller second home I have which, at a price 70% cheaper than what I paid for one Orbi (and I have two, counting the satellite) is perfectly adequate. That was why I asked chisue to describe the physical layout she wants to cover.
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kudzu9
16 years ago
I've had good luck with Belkin and Linksys. A good thing to do is to go on Amazon, type "wireless router" in the search field, and see what the reviews say for various routers. There is no universally good router, but some are better than others.
pfmastin
Original Author
16 years ago
Shows you what I know. :) Since my modem is a combination of wireless and "wired", I thought a router was something else. I will have to go check out a computerese glossary to see what is the difference between a modem and a router!

Thank you all so much for helping me with the information.
Pam
zep516
16 years ago
A Modem modulates and demodulates a signal.

A Router routes the signal to the computer or in the air..for wireless. Those type wireless would have an antenna on them.

Some units are sold as one where there is a combination of the 2 units. The Router and the modem.. and the antenna...

Holy cow how we supposed to know all this. It gets worse don't worry.. LOL
kudzu9
16 years ago
A modem is a box you get typically from your Internet provider that gets its signal from your tv cable or your phone line; you can hook up one computer to it with an ethernet cable. If you want to hook up more computers via ethernet cable, or have one or more wireless devices (computer, video streaming device, etc.) you buy a wireless router which allows you to take the signal from your modem, run it to your router with a cable, and then distribute the signal to other computers and devices. Most routers you buy these days for home use have 4 ports for wired connections, and at least 4 wireless connections (my $60 Belkin supports 4 wired and 128 wireless connections, so that would probably take care of most home needs!).

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