Router Upgrade

Six years ago I bought an Encore WiFi b/g router and made our house a wireless access point for Internet use. We could locate ourselves anywhere in the house and get online even with no physical or hardline cable crawling along the walls and floors. I even bought an aftermarket high gain antenna to boost the signal even further and let my cousin next door piggyback on our WiFi. For years it has worked with no hitch. The DSL MODEM and the router worked harmoniously day and night. In fact the only times they're off is when power was out.

A few weeks ago, the router experienced its first hiccup. Connections to the Internet would drop, slow down, or just freeze. Having done everything a user could (restart / reset / clean contact points) with the router, I was convinced it was the MODEM causing the problem. Sure enough, after calling PLDT to report the symptoms, they instructed me to ping the network and determined the MODEM was not answering back as fast as it should be doing. They asked for the MODEM's model and I told them it was a ZXCEL. The operator seemed surprised. I noticed and asked her why, and then she said PLDT has been using another brand of MODEM for over two years now. So it was not very often that an old MODEM was still in service.

Well, we've had no problem with our home network until now. But it was already due for an upgrade anyway. Even when the old router was still working I had already planned on getting a newer WiFi-n router after reading that this was the new standard in speed.  Now it turns out I wouldn't have to buy one. The phone company came and removed the old MODEM with a new one that has its own integrated WiFi-n router. I thought this was great. Not only was the modem getting replaced, the router was going to get upgraded too. Integrated means there's no separate device to maintain and plug in. So it would translate to less energy consumption. I would still have to pay for the device though. Good thing they allow staggered payments on the monthly bill.

The new MODEM/Router is installed, a new password for wireless access was set and upon connecting you would notice right away the Internet speeds jumped up. Pages were loading faster, particularly with YouTube videos. Streaming is faster than the actual viewing so there's no choppy or lagged videos whether embedded or not. The speeds reach and even exceed their advertised values now when benchmarked online. Making me feel the actual speeds I'm paying for each month.