I am running a old cisco e2500 which the range is 😞 Just as an AP.
With limited funding.. (a son going into scoccer, baseball, etc this summer)
I am looking at an ASUS RT-N66U. Yeah, i know, no AC, but even the N66u is mostly out of my price range, let alone the AC68U.
From what i have heard the range is pretty great on it too, likely similar to the AC68U.. and still way better than the CNG3 🙂
Thats just it.
I am only on the 30/5 package. So its well above what i need for that.
Currently the only dual band devices i do have, are my wifes and my phones and wifes tablet. Both our laptops are N only, same with other wireless devices (smart TV, etc).
MOST of the file transfer i do, is across WIRED connections anyways (which is all gigabit through switches.. no wired from my e2500 its only there as an AP).
My media server.. i have no issues streaming 1080p clear and fine across it with no lag, hickups, etc at the current N speed..
Really, just looking for RANGE, as there are pockets upstairs, which are not quite great at the fringes of the house (and this is with the AP on the main floor). CGN3 is in the basement.. wired ports serving all my wired stuff down there... NO WAY its wireless would be ok for upstairs.
Compared to a GOOD 3rd party router with external antennas, no the wireless is not much better on the CGN3.
Only major advantage is that you have the 5ghz anntenas as well, if you have devices that support it, so you can get a less congested channel if in an area with alot of 2.4 traffic.
To run the CGN3 in Bridge mode, after logging into the CGN3 select BASIC…..Gateway Function. Disable the Residential Gateway Function and save the changes. It should reboot automatically I believe, in Bridge mode, which will look and act as modem. Connect your Asus router, which will be responsible for all Firewall functions. Behind your Asus router will be your wired and wireless connections. If you need to return to the Gateway mode for any reason, press the reset button at the back of the CGN3 for more than 10 seconds. The CGN3 will reboot back into Gateway mode.
Note that the latest firmware version for the CGN3 is 4.2.4.3 If you have a new CGN3, it may or may not be at that version. If not, it will take about 3 to 4 days usually to upload and install that version. My usual advice at that point is to run a Factory Reset and then reset all of your own parameters.
Note: check your Asus router and ensure that it has 10/100/1000 Mb/s WAN and LAN ports. If it does, you will see normal data rates between the CGN3 and the Asus router. If the WAN port is only 10/100 Mb/s, once connected to the CGN3, you will see data rates somewhere in the vicinity of 30 to 40 Mb/s. This is due to bug in the CGN3 firmware which throttles down any connection that runs with at 10/100 Mb/s.
You are correct. Once the CGN3 is set to bridge mode thats it. It will act as a modem only. There are no other settings to be made. But, if you wanted to check the firmware version in 3 to 4 days, you would have to Factory Reset the CGN3 to return to Gateway mode, where you can actually log into the CGN3, check the version and then disable the Gateway function once again. So that disabling would be the only setting you would have to do, ie, your own parameter....
Once you get the unit... you will want to log into ITS web interface.
(connect a PC directly to it)
login with the defaults of
L: cusadmin
P: password
Once inside, go into the BASIC section, then Gateway function
Disable the Residential Gateway Function.
This will cause the unit to reboot. From there, it acts just like a regular modem, and you would set the router up as you would based on its instructions.
I run my CGN3 in Gateway mode, using the 5 Ghz wireless and run another router for 2.4 Ghz wireless at the other end of the house. I don't have any problems running the 250 Mb/s plan, either off the CGN3 or throughout the house. I think the vast majority of users who run the CGN3 in Bridge mode are much happier with their own router. There have been complaints where users need the functionality of a third party router to accomplish a specific connection type or forwarding. The CGN3 doesn't seem to do the job, but the combination of Bridge mode with a third party router seems to work fine.
Fwiw. If you run a higher data rate, ie 150 or 250 Mb/s for example, any connection issue within your own network will show up. For example, house connections wired for only 10/100 instead of gigabit rates, or issues with connectors themselves. These tended not to show up with lower data rates, but they do show up now.
It all depends on whether or not you would ever want to run higher data rates. The 3825 can handle higher data rates, but Rogers will not allow that as it only uses a small subset of the available data channels on the network. If everyone did that, those particualar data channels would be very congested. To run the 150 or 250 or higher plans, you would need the CGN3, which uses 20 channels out, and 3 or 4 down out of a universe of about 120 channels.
The 3825 is a reliable modem, but once again, it you want good wireless performance, you would need a good third party wireless router.
And if you are considering buyng one, keep an eye open for any sales at Best Buy or Future Shop. They do go on sale for $150, which shortens the break even point in time.
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