WiFi routers: Use one from your telco, or buy your own?

We’ve just finished a gruelling stint in the lab below our office, thrashing two dozen WiFi routers to judge which are worthy of your living room. We made sure to test a mix of routers, including those you can loan from broadband providers and those you can get from a store.

You can see the full test results here, along with a comprehensive buying guide. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Consumer NZ member or not – thanks to support from the Commerce Commission, we’ve been able to make the results free for all New Zealanders.

Why a good router matters

If you’re getting slower speeds on your home WiFi network than those advertised for the broadband plan you pay for, your router is likely part of the problem.

The Commerce Commission’s 2024 RealSpeed report found that average internet speeds into consumers’ houses are far higher than the average speeds they actually experience. For example, on a Fibre 300 plan, about 40% of download speed is lost between when a connection enters the home and when it reaches computers and mobile devices. On faster plans, the lost bandwidth can be even greater.

Some loss of speed is inevitable over WiFi, but a better router will funnel more of the available bandwidth to the devices in your home, getting you closer to the speeds you’re paying for.

Getting a router from your telco

Broadband providers make life easy by supplying hardware that’s configured and optimised for their internet service.

A key question we wanted to answer through our testing was whether telcos hand out decent products to customers, or cheap junk that doesn’t work very well.

We’re pleased to report that broadband providers are, for the most part, supplying quality hardware. The telco routers we tested are competitive with the average third-party router.

With that said, some Sky Broadband and Contact customers might be able to get better router performance elsewhere.

Telcos tend to supply quality routers

While this performance is a positive sign, remember that all the telco-provided routers we tested are relatively new.

Router technology doesn’t exactly move quickly, but it does need to be refreshed every now and then. If you’re still using a router that you were “loaned” years ago (we’ve all done it), ask if you can trade in your archaic model for a new one. If your provider pushes back, remind them that an up-to-date router will keep you from switching to another company.

Paying for the privilege

The age of being sent a complimentary router on a 12-month contract appears to be winding down.

More telcos have begun charging monthly router rental fees. For example, One NZ and 2degrees both lend out fibre and DSL routers for $5 a month. 4G routers are lent for free.

Some telcos sell you a router instead, such as Spark, which charges $150 for both its fibre and 4G modems. You can often take advantage of interest-free repayments to pay the router off over time.

The broadband providers that do still offer complimentary or subsidised routers will only send them to customers who commit to 12 months on a plan. So, if you prefer a contract-free lifestyle, you’ll have fewer options.

To give the telcos some credit, the devices on offer are of higher quality than in the past, which does come at a greater cost. We think, on balance, it’s better for consumers to spend a few dollars to have quality equipment they can keep using for years to come.

Switching to a new provider

Not happy with the router options your telco has given you?

Hardware is another valid reason to shop around for a new provider. If your contract is up, it could be time to switch. Our test results can inform you which providers are worth looking into if you want to get a quality router as a part of your service.

Our research suggests that changing internet provider is simpler than you think. Of consumers who haven’t switched recently, less than half think it’ll be an easy process. Meanwhile, of those who have actually made a switch, four out of five found it easy.

However, if you’re still under contract and your telco isn’t willing to upgrade you to something better, we don’t recommend incurring a fee to break the contract. You’re better off either buying a third-party router or waiting for the clock to run down.

Don’t be afraid to buy your own router

Networking is a daunting task, and you’re not wrong to think that. It doesn’t help that telcos will generally refuse to give any tech support for a router they haven’t provided, so there’s pressure to figure things out yourself. But with a bit of help, setting up a router starts to look less scary.

A third-party router often won’t work straight out of the box. You’ll probably need to change some settings first. The steps you need to take will depend on the router, and also your telco, but we’ve tried to simplify them here.

1. Before you buy a router, make sure it’s compatible with the internet you have coming into the house. It needs a WAN port if you have fibre, or a DSL port if you have VDSL or ADSL internet.
2. Plug the power cord into the router and a power socket. Plug the data cable included with your router into:
   • the router’s WAN port and the fibre box on your wall, if you’re on a fibre connection
   • the router’s DSL port and the jack in your wall, if you’re on a DSL connection.
3. Log into the router’s WiFi using a phone or computer. The default login details will be printed somewhere on the router, often on the base.
4. Try using the internet.
5. If it doesn’t work, your router needs configuration. Look again where you found the WiFi login details. There should either be:
   • a URL labelled something like “router login” or “default access” – type this into the search bar of your web browser, then log in using the provided password.
     
   • a prompt to install an app – install the app on a mobile device (you’ll need mobile data or another internet source). Navigate to a “settings” page called something like “internet settings” or “router settings”.
6. Use another internet connection to search the web for the phrase “bring your own modem” followed by the name of your telco. You should find a page with configuration instructions.
7. In either the admin portal or the app, adjust your router settings to match those listed on the web page.
   • If you can’t find a setting, you might need to toggle to an “advanced” mode.
     
   • If you get stuck, referring to the router’s manual might help. If there isn’t a manual in the box, you can usually find one online.
   • A common problem is that the “VLAN tagging” option is off, so switch it on.

The incoming connection is still most important

In all this discussion of the network inside your home, don’t forget that the service you’re getting to your door is likely to have the greatest impact on the speed and reliability you get.

Fibre is the best internet technology we have in New Zealand, but it isn’t available everywhere in the country, and there are reasons why another technology might work better for you. Fibre plans also vary greatly in bandwidth, so don’t assume that your router is the weakest link. It might be worth upgrading your internet plan before replacing your router.

Other connection types

Our test is focused on fibre-ready routers, but we tested a few that are compatible with 4G broadband and copper-based DSL internet as well. We didn’t find a particular pattern in how 4G and DSL routers performed compared to fibre-only ones.

Crucially, we only tested the routers over fibre, not any of the other internet services they can connect to. For example, the TP-Link Deco X53 performed better than most routers in the test. However, while connected to an ADSL line, it’ll still be slower overall than any fibre setup (simply because ADSL is slower than fibre).

Routers compatible with DSL and 4G are as good as fibre only