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GaryTheSnail5
join:2014-11-23
Albuquerque, NM

GaryTheSnail5

Member

Looking to replace my old Qwest Motorola 3347

First post here.

I'm looking to replace my old Qwest Motorola 3347. I'm looking at the C1000, PK5001, or Q1000, both Actiontec and ZyXel brands.

I only have the 7Mb/s service and I really only need about 3Mb/s.

I may decide to use a separate wifi router as well so I'd want a modem that works well in bridge mode. And I'd prefer something on the Centurylink supported modem list.

Any recommendations? I could search through thousands of posts, but maybe you can help.

StuartMW
Premium Member
join:2000-08-06

StuartMW

Premium Member

When my 3347 died earlier this year CL gave me a C1000A. I have 12Mbps service and it seems to work fine. In fact it just got a firmware update

»C1000A New Firmware

I use my own router (in the DMZ) behind the C1000A.
coryw
join:2013-12-22
Flagstaff, AZ

coryw to GaryTheSnail5

Member

to GaryTheSnail5
Pretty much any of those should work fine. I have variants on all of those models/series (in particular: Q1000 (Actiontec), C1000a, and PK5001z) and they all work just fine.

If you are a heavy user of your locan LAN, Q1000 and C1000 families have gigabit Ethernet, but if you were just going to bridge it, any of the devices will work perfectly fine.

Another thing you could do is get a one-port, no wifi gateway such as the ZyXEL Q100, Actiontec M1000, or the Netgear DM111 and bridge that device.

The Netgear will be "new" and most widely available (Best Buy, most WalMarts, and most office supply stores carry them), the M1000 is cheap and widely available on eBay, and the Q100 is less widely available, but well liked because it has VDSL2, and so it has some amount of future-proofing.

(The C1000 and Q1000 are VDSL2, the PK series are all ADSL)

Another option if you're looking for a new router and you like one-device types of solutions are Netgear's higher end routers, such as the DGN D3700 & Co. I had good luck with them from the perspective of connecting to CL's network and LAN performance is good, but some of the firmware features (like the traffic monitor) worked poorly. The D3700, 4000, and 6200 also have both ADSL2+ and Ethernet WAN ports so if CL upgrades you and gives you a new modem, you can bridge it and hook it up to the same router, or take that router with you to a cableco or fiberco.
GaryTheSnail5
join:2014-11-23
Albuquerque, NM

GaryTheSnail5

Member

Two questions about Centurylink's Supported Devices list:
1 .Do you think Centurylink's Supported Devices List is up-to-date?
2. Should I care if my device is on the list or not?

I can buy a TP-Link TP-8616 and a TP-Link TL-WR841N cheap, brand new. I know people are running these on Centurylink.
GaryTheSnail5

GaryTheSnail5

Member

Also, if I pick up something on eBay do I need to get the install disk or can I download it, or can I just use my old QuickConnect 3.8 disk?
coryw
join:2013-12-22
Flagstaff, AZ

coryw to GaryTheSnail5

Member

to GaryTheSnail5
The supported devices lists are up to date. What they have on them is a list of modems CenturyLink sold for use in an area.

The main avantage of being on the list, and being a "Level 3" supported device is that it basically sets itself up. When you take a new ActionTec C1000a out of the box and hook it up to your DSL Line, you just try to go online and it signs in on its own.

If your device is not on the list, you need to call CenturyLink and ask for your PPPoE user name and password (at least in Qwest areas) and enter it into the device on your own, along with setting the dsl data path. Many DSL modems detect this on their own. The TP-Link devices should do just as well as one of the Netgear devices or an M1000/Q100 or a bridged C/Q1000-series.

In terms of the install disk: You can usually go to the IP address of the modem to configure it, and don't need to install anything unless you're using CenturyLink's other tools, such as the antivirus they provide and their particular online backup service.
azjerry
join:2002-12-04
Phoenix, AZ

azjerry to GaryTheSnail5

Member

to GaryTheSnail5
When my Motorola died, CL graciously told me it would be THREE days before they could come out. After getting their list of supported modems I headed down to Fry's to find that they didn't have any of the supported ones. They did have a Netgear and TP-Link TD-8817. The TP-Link has been working fine in bridge mode for me.

I don't remember any special problems setting it up but, then again, I do have my PPoE login information handy.
GaryTheSnail5
join:2014-11-23
Albuquerque, NM

GaryTheSnail5

Member

It sounds like most of you prefer the bridged setup?
coryw
join:2013-12-22
Flagstaff, AZ

coryw

Member

I am personally not using bridged mode with my ActionTec Q1000, but it's favored because you can use essentially any modem device and it doesn't matter what that device's capabilities are, because in bridged mode, whatever DSL device you get just turns into an Ethernet handoff and you can get a more powerful router.

A lot of people like it because you don't need to reconfigure each new modem you get, should something happen. (Like, if CL upgrades your line from ADSL or ADSL2 to VDSL2, you can just drop your new modem into bridge mode and keep using your existing router.)

I personally don't do it because I am comfortable re-configuring new gateways should anything happen (I keep my PK5001z, C1000a and Q1000 all configured and at the ready, just in case) and so as to reduce the number of things I have plugged in and running.

Another thing to mention is that the C1000a has had bad wifi performance for some people, to the point where using wifi at all can cause it to overheat. If you get one that has this issue, bridged mode is going to be a good way to use it.

Another option is to just disable wifi on the C1000a and use a wifi router with its DHCP server turned off, that's an aesthetic preference as much as anything.
GaryTheSnail5
join:2014-11-23
Albuquerque, NM

GaryTheSnail5

Member

Why do some modems have a USB port? What is it used for?

StuartMW
Premium Member
join:2000-08-06

2 edits

StuartMW

Premium Member

Firmware updates and/or configuration save/restore I'd guess. Some see that as a security feature (physical access is required).

FYI the C1000A tells you that new firmware is available but you still have to download it yourself (to a file on HD etc) and then upload it again to the unit. If you've changed the admin password (and I have) and have to log in to access the menu's this should stop the firmware from being updated without your authorization.
GaryTheSnail5
join:2014-11-23
Albuquerque, NM

GaryTheSnail5

Member

I only have 7MB/s service. Maybe I should just put the 3347 in bridge mode and use a separate WiFi router. Would that work?

StuartMW
Premium Member
join:2000-08-06

StuartMW

Premium Member

Sure. In fact I advise having a separate (non-ISP) router and wi-fi AP for security reasons (ISP's often have backdoors into their equipment).
GaryTheSnail5
join:2014-11-23
Albuquerque, NM

GaryTheSnail5

Member

Eh, right now I'm getting about 1Mbps from my 7Mbps service. Pathetic. Not sure if I should spend any money trying to fix it, or just switch to Comcast.
coryw
join:2013-12-22
Flagstaff, AZ

coryw

Member

Bridge mode and a separate router is fine. I suspect that the equipment isn't what's causing your slowdowns.

If you go to the modem's stats page (probably at »192.168.0.1/ ) you can see if it's a sync problem (i.e. only syncing at 1M) or a problem with, say, congestion.

Also, the USB ports on CL's modems aren't used for anything, except on some of the oldest ones (like the Actiontec M1000) where it's used as a USB Ethernet adapter.
GaryTheSnail5
join:2014-11-23
Albuquerque, NM

GaryTheSnail5

Member

Well, I called CL and got support in a few minutes. After a few tests, they offered me a free C1000Z, overnight shipment, with no strings attached. Apparently, even though the 3347 is on their supported devices list, maybe they don't want to troubleshoot with it installed. And, maybe they checked their records and saw that I was a customer at the same address for 6 years, so ...
coryw
join:2013-12-22
Flagstaff, AZ

coryw

Member

My PK5001z was a freebie in much the same manner.

Even though the 3347 is "supported" it's possible that your circuit was actually upgraded to VDSL2 (not sure why, at 7 megs, but that's another issue)_ or maybe (likely) there are security problems with the 3347.

Hopefully things improve with the C1000z, if not you'll have to start the process of troubleshooting with them on what issues there may be on the line.

I haven't read this specifically about the Moto 3347, but I wonder if it suffers from LAN activity the same way the 2wire 2700/2701 do. The thing I've read there is that those devices have such a weak CPU that even though they are capable of tossing packets up and down an ADSL2+ line at 24/3m, the CPU gets bogged down by LAN traffic.

If that's the issue, then bridged mode on the 3347 should help out a lot, and also fix that those old devices don't have 802.11N wireless and aren't up on recent security.
GaryTheSnail5
join:2014-11-23
Albuquerque, NM

GaryTheSnail5

Member

  
Click for full size
Well, that seemed to fix it. Thanks to everybody for your comments. Is there a way to check the C1000z to see if it's actually connecting with VDSL2?
Stunty
join:2013-09-16
Littleton, CO

Stunty to GaryTheSnail5

Member

to GaryTheSnail5
You should have a link in "Modem status" with DSL1 or DSL. There you can see what modulation it is using.

StuartMW
Premium Member
join:2000-08-06

StuartMW to GaryTheSnail5

Premium Member

to GaryTheSnail5
Click for full size
Broadband Mode Detected
said by GaryTheSnail5:

Is there a way to check the C1000z to see if it's actually connecting with VDSL2?