Recommend me a new network setup

1crb1

Hi looking for a little advice please chaps. Looking for some new kit, I currently have BT super fast fibre running on a huwaei modem into a billion 7800dxl. Wi-fi range in my property is currently fine but lately the Wi-fi itself is slow, slow to respond and has been disconnecting from devices.
I’ve wired the property with two cat6 in each room, and one to the loft on a gigabit system. All devices (tv’s,amps, etc) are all hardwired.

So what are my options: just a new router that supports upto date fast Wi-fi and continue with my modem?

A mesh router setup like google Wi-fi? ( I need 4 lan ports at the router)

Or something else?
Hit me!

psychopomp1

The Billion 7800DXL was the successor to the legendary 7800N and whilst both are/were very good 802.11n routers, wifi technology has moved on. 802.11ac is well established now, so yeah definitely worth upgrading to something better to make the most of your FTTC connection assuming most of your wifi clients support 801.ac wifi. If money isn't an issue & you're happy sticking with Billion, then consider Billion's flagship all-in-one router, the Billion 8900AX. It uses a newer Broadcom VDSL chipset (newer than your Huawei HG612) and high end 802.11ac radios (4x4) and you won't need your Huawei VDSL modem anymore. However if you prefer a 2 box solution (ie want to keep using your Huawei modem), then consider something like the Netgear R7800, as its arguably the best router for wifi though its not magic or anything.

A wifi mesh system is also an option but it might be overkill for you as you state your existing 7800DXL already gives you good range, just the speeds aren't very good.

Having said all this, if your wifi clients are mostly 802.11n then before splashing out on a new router, see if it makes any difference changing the wifi channels to a manual channel on the 7800DXL. Often the routers have 'auto' as channel no. setting which sometimes get stuck on the wrong (congested) channel, use something like Acrylic wifi to determine the least congested channels in your environment.

1crb1

Thank you much for a very in-depth answer. They were my thoughts too. Would there be any benefits of keeping the old Huawei and having a two box setup? All my devices apart from an old laptop have ‘C’ capability so it’s certainly will be an upgrade in Wi-fi speeds

psychopomp1

If you want a router with more features (standalone models are more powerful & feature rich) and the fact that you can reboot the router as often as you like without affecting your sync rate then yes it’s recommended to stick with a 2 boxsetup. The Huawei HG612 is still a rock solid vdsl modem despite its age.