The best router is one that works with your ISP.
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You’re thinking of a modem maybe, rather than a router?
A router would be what is now called a switch?
One can have too much inky black silence…
ISP routers are the networking equivalent of wall wart power supplies and freebie ear buds…they get the job done as cheaply as possible…the ghetto blasters of the networking world with features like ‘loudness control’ designed to impress the lay person
Depends on the ISP. In the UK for example ISPs such as BT create routers that can offer the advanced internet services that can’t be provided by many third party consumer router devices… and yes they are designed to be user friendly and limit consumer tampering that ultimately can screw things up… they are also optimised to work with the MSANs/DSLAMs to provide optimum throughput in the conditions it is given. This is often overlooked, and is possibly one of the most important considerations for FTTC.
I can’t speak high enough of the BT HH6, don’t need anything more, it just does the job, internet, audio, TV. Just K.I.S.S.
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Thats fine. But what about the rest of the equipment in your house?
And whilst I can almost get it from music streamed from the internet the routers bearing on LAN is going to be negligible at best.
There is so much more to concerns ones self with in the network environment how a router ‘sounds’ to your hifi is, sorry rather low down.
It amuses me the amount of people here so concerned by all this yet have a switch sat on their amp, or a router behind it or a NAS on the floor.
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Only if you’re using an analogue connection protocol (such as V42), the equivalent device for an ADSL, DSL or cable TV connection is a Terminal Adaptor (it sends digital data directly rather than modulating and demodulating tones, such as is done for trellis encoding).
In the UK the combined Terminal Adaptor / Router / Firewall / Switch / WAP device supplied by our ISPs as part of the package is generically referred to just as a ‘Router’
Xanthe, not clear to me, but you may be meaning this, however xDSL works in the analogue domain by modulating carriers across a wide bandwidth of discrete frequencies (bins) … not dissimilar to the method used by power line adapters over the mains, albeit DSL is far more efficient and less RF polluting as it is carried over twisted pair (often referred to as ‘copper lines’) using a similar approach that Ethernet cables use and indeed what they borrowed from telephony infrastructure wiring. Therefore DSL devices have modems that effectively convert the digital link data to analogue voltages/frequencies/phases and as you say is typically bundled into broadband routers. These broadband routers do many functions as you imply in addition to providing a TCP/IP layer 3 network gateway function.
With regard to V42… indeed that is a digital link control protocol, and in DSL it’s equivalent is incorporated for ADSL into G992.3 and for VDSL into G993.2
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I bet the OP is wishing he hadn’t asked now! 
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Ha ha, yes I’ve just read the last 3 posts and feel myself breaking out in a cold sweat! 
I never had that depth of knowledge but all things electronic/communication used to mean work to me - I don’t want my hobby to be confused with work!
Not really.
A router connects a network to other networks - such as your home network to the Internet. A switch is essentially your network, it’s the thing you plug all of your wired things into.
Routers and switches are often combined in one box. The box may also contain a Wireless Access Point.
I have ISP router in my home office which connects to a switch. I then have Cat 6a cables from this switch to other rooms in the cottage inside the walls. Each of these connects to an in-room switch, which provides network connections in each room. I only use WiFi for iPhone and iPads. The router plays very little part in my music replay.
My ISP provides a decent router and a rubbish TV set top box, which I have replaced with my own one (absolutely vital with the World Cup on, where I like to watch every over bowled). I bought the switches.
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My eyes glazed over again…
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Gotta love it, I’m a telecoms engineer by day and it had my attention reading through the thread, despite still not having answered the question!
It is true to say that most of the ISP provided kit for residential consumers is designed to very aggressive price points and I’ve certainly never been part of a design process for a gateway product where quality of audio playback came up in conversation, i’ll be sure and mention it on the Broadband Forum Working Groups of course.
I’d stick to my original reply here which would be to split out the functionality in to dedicated hardware and just use a basic modem for getting between the phone line and the local Ethernet network.
How about a Draytek Vigor 130 for starters.
I should stop now right?
That sounds an interesting test and, for me, an easy thing to try i.e. ‘borrow’ a couple of fibre media converters from work. However does this not open up another can(s) or worms? i.e. which brand media converter, 100meg or 1gig, which fibre module, single mode or multi mode, even which fibre patch lead!! Good grief!
My FTTC line was installed a long time ago when BT where still advocating a separate DSL modem. However my Zyxel router (business model) has a VDSL input. As a test a couple of weeks ago I tried using the modem vs. line direct to the router. Two things happened: With the BT model the speed was slightly lower than direct to the Zyxel. So the Zxyel was faster by about 5% (and, yes, I did the test more than once flipping back and forth). On the other hand the CPU usage on the Zyxel was something like 10% using the BT modem but direct CPU went up to 95%!! Under the circumstances I decided using the modem was better. However did I hear any difference streaming from my NAS to NDX? As I expected Nope!
My only concern with separating out all the functions is that I don’t think that many people here would be able to properly configure a hardware firewall or the traffic routing rules. So using the ISP supplied pre-configured ‘router’ to do the TA / Router / Firewall job (but using a separate switch and a separate WAP) is likely to be a safer and more reliable approach for most people.
Hi as far as speed, I guess you referring to sync speed and error rate throughput… here the modem chipset, your cab type (Huawei or ECI) and your distance/twisted pair quality start to become the main variables rather than consumer router type. Therefore measurements often become site/implementation specific.
I have found with a Huawei cabs, which have many of the features that support better bandwidths on lines >400 metres or in areas of high RF noise, (G.INP and Vectoring for example) then the best reliable performance is almost always usually achieved when using Huawei router modem chipsets.
I find ECI chipsets on Huawei chipsets in their cabinets over 400 metres non satisfactory in terms of throughput optimisation for a given SNR. Clearly ECI chipsets on ECI cabinets appears to work well.
Now this can be managed to some extent by appropriately low level configuring the modems to compensate, but this is one reason why I say for the vast majority if you want the best/reliable performance let your ISP manage the DTE/DCE link and use their modem/router.
Actually I meant the true data throughput. I’m going to guess using the BT supplied modem would be the best option since they (BT) would ensure this is 100% suitable for the cab end.
However my modem is old now and I do wonder if there’s a better option; hence trying the modem built into my VDSL router. You can’t seem the buy the modem as a separate anymore. So, if you want to go the separate modem route, what’s the best one to go for?
Doing some google stuff and the DrayTek Vigor 130 seems to get a few good mentions.