Do I need to set up both my modem and router for better speed?
Do I need to set up both my modem and router for better speed?
Hey everyone, hope you're all doing well. Is there any reason to set up a modem and a router so they work best together? I just switched from an old ADSL connection to a new fiber line (going from 80mbps to 200mbps) and everything is running super smooth right now. I had to make sure my router let internet go out but stopped the wall-mounted modem. My current setup uses an Asus DSL-N66U, which feels pretty old, so I'm thinking of buying a newer one soon. Thanks for the help! Ruben
Usually, if you don't have any special needs, just let everything stay on what the factory made them do. You really only need a router to share one internet address with all your little gadgets inside that house. This "NAT" thing happens right inside the router's circuit board and can handle gigabit speeds even on cheap units. People also use routers mainly to give you Wi-Fi, but Wi-Fi is a huge mess. It has way too many things that change how fast it works, like what kind of stuff your house is built with. In general, if you don't change the passwords, Wi-Fi will work best for most people. Any changes made to the wifi settings are pretty...
Generally speaking, you should just leave everything at what the factory made it be unless you have special needs. The main reason you need a router is usually just to share your internet address (IP) from the ISP with all your devices inside. This automatic process happens on hardware built into modern routers and works fast even if the router costs little money. People use routers mostly for two things: sharing that IP address and giving out Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is a huge mess because lots of things change how well it performs, many things you can't control like what kind of walls your house has made them up. Usually, just changing the passwords works best if you leave everything else at default settings. If you try to change any other settings, it's mostly guesswork because it depends on how each person's home is set up. You can never say for sure which one will be better without knowing all the specific factors that affect your Wi-Fi in your house.
I really appreciate how quick you are back, many thanks! As I said before, my internet worked perfectly after the upgrade, except for one thing: I needed to set up my old Asus N66U. I don't want to talk too much about this, but my old service used a phone jack made of RJ11 to go into my router; my new service uses a wall-mounted fiber modem called Quantum Fiber C6500Xk going into the same Asus N66U. It was smart to leave the modem in its factory settings because there were no problems like you mentioned. Thanks for your help, stay safe. Ruben