Thoughts on the Netgear C7500 Modem/Router Combo + Synology RT2600AC?

[Poseidon]

https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/cable-modems-routers/C7500.aspx

Any insight on this modem/router combo? Couldn't find anything here via the search function. Reviews on BB seem pretty good.

Are modem/router combo units still frowned upon in 2018 or is the Netgear C7500 a solid choice?

Currently my setup is a Netgear CM600 modem + Synology RT2600AC router (which recently replaced the Asus 1900P).

Is this BETTER than the Netgear C7500 all-in-one???

BTW my internet service is 400down/20 up.

Thanks.

 

[Internet Man]

I wouldn't expect the C7500 to be any better than what you have. What's wrong with your current gear?

 

[Poseidon]

Nothing - just thinking of saving some shelf space with a modem/router combo unit. However I just found out that you can't manually update the firmware - since that's pushed from your ISP.

Not sure how big of a deal that is, especially it being a Netgear product.

I wish there were more reviews on this unit - but all I could find was Best Buy and the reviews were great from verified purchasers.

 

[umarmung]

Your are literally trying to go backwards in terms of updates, functionality, and performance.

There is no modem/router combination that could beat your setup in all these respects (for almost all modem/routers not ONE of these aspects) - not even a DOCSIS 3.1, non-Intel PUMA modem/router with 4x4 dual band WiFi radios.

You are just going backwards and with WPA3 major updates just around the corner.

You could use an Ethernet cable to split up the locations of the devices. That may even improve your wireless performance by having your router somewhere more central.

 

[Easy Rhino]

The Synology router's firmware is, by all reputation, excellent.

Netgear firmware managed by your ISP would have a default expectation of "hot garbage".

There's also the question of if your ISP even supports the C7500. they might not. That may not be a big deal for a dumb cable modem, but not a good idea for a router.