Upgrade from Eircom ZyXEL F1000 or put it into bridge mode and buy a router?

Dramatik

I was wondering if anyone could help me here, living at home and my parents they have FTTC connection with Eir (I'm guessing 100Mb or 150Mb plan). I would like to avail of 5GHz network however I believe this is not possible with this model (F1000 only 2.4GHz ???) but I'm not 100% sure, I looked in the modem settings but I could only see the 2.4GHz network.

There is plenty of information on here about the F1000 modem, how to put it into bridge mode etc. however the posts are quite old at this stage, so I'm wondering if it's still relevant to use such an old model as I believe Eir are two models ahead of this modem (F3000 currently ???)

I was speaking with my dad about upgrading but he isn't too keen about getting on the phone to Eir (has had problems with them in the past) but he has no problem with me buying whatever is needed to upgrade myself.

Generally I like to start at the beginning when upgrading things, to avoid problems further down the line, this is why I was thinking of replacing the modem itself as it is quite old at this stage, however I'm not 100% sure if there is any benefit to doing this or whether I should just put it into bridge mode and buy a router, maybe someone could advise me?

If I was to go down the buying a new modem route, from what I have read in the past it is best to stick with the Broadcom chipset if you are with Eir, is this still true today? Also I gather that the new modem should support G.vector in order for it to be compatible with Eir, is there anything else that I should look out for if I am purchasing a new modem? (this question might be too broad to answer)

Apologies in advance as I don't know much about networking so I'm sorry that I might be asking questions that are impossible to answer, that's if my questions even make sense in the first place. I would however be happy to clarify things with further details if needed.

babelfish1990

Dramatik wrote: »

Generally I like to start at the beginning when upgrading things, to avoid problems further down the line, this is why I was thinking of replacing the modem itself as it is quite old at this stage, however I'm not 100% sure if there is any benefit to doing this or whether I should just put it into bridge mode and buy a router, maybe someone could advise me?

Don't replace your Eir modem with a 3rd party device or go bridge mode unless you have a high level of understanding of Network Security and Vectored VDSL settings. If you want to move to 5GHz WiFi (you haven't said why?), you will likely need multiple Access Points in your home, as 5GHz only works over short distances vs 2.4GHz. 5GHz is most useful for 4K TV streaming, and a rule of thumb would be to have an access point in each room where you have a 4K TV that isn't wired to Ethernet. Changing modem won't help this on its own, as you will still need to add additional APs. If you change to Eir's latest F3000, it supports Mesh devices, and you can add Eir Smart WiFi hubs to create your mesh. Alternatively, you could buy a 3rd party mesh such as TPLink Deco, and plug it into your F1000, making sure to run Deco n Access Point mode. Then you can switch off WiFi in the F1000, but leave it doing the important modem, routing and security stuff. If you go 3rd party, you will need to order an extra access point, to cover the zone currently covered by your modem.

My advice would be to call Eir first. They might give you a free upgrade to F3000, particularly if you contract for another year, or buy a couple of their Smart WiFi hubs (mesh access points).

Dramatik

Thanks for your input/advice on my situation, I use the cloud gaming service "G-Force Now" to play games in my spare time, this is why I want to make use of a 5 GHz connection as it is recommended by them to use this over the 2.4 GHz network.

I should probably have mentioned that I connect to the network currently through a powerline adapter which is connected to my computer via an ethernet cable. There is very little difference between connecting directly to the modem by ethernet cable in terms of the speed I get, the bottom two results are connected by ethernet cable directly to the modem and the top two are connected directly by ethernet cable to the powerline adapter.



Before you replied I was thinking I would stick with this method of connection (powerline adapter) as it seems to work in my case but purchase one that supports dual band as the one I am currently using is only 2.4 GHz. The thing I'm not really clear on is if powerline adapters are capable of creating the 5 GHz network themselves or if the modem needs to be dual band in order for them to transmit 5 GHz signal?

I agree with you on getting in touch with Eir as probably the best way forward, unfortunately the auld lad is stuck in his ways so there is no chance of this happening lol

babelfish1990

Dramatik wrote: »

Thanks for your input/advice on my situation, I use the cloud gaming service "G-Force Now" to play games in my spare time, this is why I want to make use of a 5 GHz connection as it is recommended by them to use this over the 2.4 GHz network.

I should probably have mentioned that I connect to the network currently through a powerline adapter which is connected to my computer via an ethernet cable. There is very little difference between connecting directly to the modem by ethernet cable in terms of the speed I get, the bottom two results are connected by ethernet cable directly to the modem and the top two are connected directly by ethernet cable to the powerline adapter.



Before you replied I was thinking I would stick with this method of connection (powerline adapter) as it seems to work in my case but purchase one that supports dual band as the one I am currently using is only 2.4 GHz. The thing I'm not really clear on is if powerline adapters are capable of creating the 5 GHz network themselves or if the modem needs to be dual band in order for them to transmit 5 GHz signal?

I agree with you on getting in touch with Eir as probably the best way forward, unfortunately the auld lad is stuck in his ways so there is no chance of this happening lol

I'm not a fan of powerline adapters - but if it's working for you, then you could probably replace it with a dual-band one. It is completely independent of which bands you are using on the modem. They can act up if you get noise or inductance on your mains wiring - which can happen for many reasons and can be hard to control.

I only ever have to call Eir support once a year, as I find their services rock solid. I call them to renegotiate my plan once a year. I always find them helpful, and they always renew my €9.99 mobile unlimited offer, and give a reasonable discount on the rest of the broadband/TV bundle. If you never ring them, you won't get these discounts, and they will bump up your bundle charge after the first year like all the other providers. They took a little longer to answer last year during the Covid lockdown - but so did any other service providers I called. Your father might have a different view, if you negotiate a €250 per year discount for him, and get a new modem as well! However, like other providers, they will only speak to the account holder or a authorised nominee.

ED E

Bit of a stretch bable, Zyxel have had some major security faux pas. Id place your 30e Netgear above a Zyxel device tbh.

Dramatik

babelfish1990 wrote: »

Your father might have a different view, if you negotiate a €250 per year discount for him, and get a new modem as well! However, like other providers, they will only speak to the account holder or a authorised nominee.

Yeah I think I might of rang them for him before at some stage for something and that was the case, they would only negotiate with the account holder, which is totally understandable.

I think I'll give the dual band powerline adapter a go and see if that does the job, if that doesn't work, I'll research the other methods that you suggested

Dramatik

ED E wrote: »

Bit of a stretch bable, Zyxel have had some major security faux pas. Id place your 30e Netgear above a Zyxel device tbh.

I do remember seeing something in the Irish news a few years back about some models having security issues. I think Eircom might of had to recall some models or update them or something, I forget now cause it was so long ago though.