Actiontec 300 Mbps Wireless-N ADSL Modem Router (GT784WN)

My old DSL modem had poor wi-fi signal strength and would have to be reset periodically. It was time to retire it and this has been a great replacement.Overall impressions:The modem has been working great for several weeks. The wi-fi signal is much better now and reaches my whole moderate sized, two floor house. I am getting my full DSL speed. The unit has a vertical stand or can be placed horizontally. It is also much smaller than my old modem.Connections:It comes with a phone cord, network cable (great for initial setup), and the power supply with a fairly long cord. There are 4 10/100 LAN cable ports on the back which are great for a non-wifi printer, security hub, etc.There is one phone jack to connect to DSL, but no filtered pass-through jack for a phone, so I used this phone jack splitter plus my old DSL filter (not included with modem) for my phone. If you don't have a DSL filter and need to connect your phone to the same jack, this DSL/phone splitter would work well.Before buying:Call your DSL provider to confirm you have ADSL service, and ask what your username and password is to connect to DSL. Also ask what your DSL settings are, esp. VPI and VCI.CenturyLink/Qwest tips:Once CenturyLink tech support gave me some tips and confirmed my service is ADSL (like this modem) setup was pretty easy. I am on CenturyLink/formerly Qwest in Colorado, and this needed one single setting changed: VCI set to 32. (I think 35 was the default.) I also made sure the ISP Protocol was PPPOe and VPI was 0. You have to go into custom settings during setup to do this rather than just quick setup. The modem setup instructions were otherwise clear and all I needed to get the modem working. I also set my username and password, and the modem connected fine. I then upgraded the firmware; the setup showed where to download the new firmware update from the manufacturer's website and how to install it. Very easy. Be sure to do this or you may run in to problems later!Security:Next I found a guide to help choose more secure settings and browsed around inside the modem setup pages, being careful not to change things I didn't understand. I turned the firewall on and set the level to high (you can always drop it to medium or even low if something doesn't work for you). I set the wireless security to WPA2 only and AES only. Finally, I changed the DNS servers to 208.67.222.123 and 208.67.220.123 to help protect against bad websites.

My current DSL Speed is 6 Mbps Download, 768 Kbps Upload, with my Old "Pace" AT&T Modem, my speed was limited to 2.4 Mbps, so I was getting less than half the speed I was paying for, I didn't realize this till I received this new modem, the main reason I bought this Modem/Router was to replace my "Pace" which kept crashing and also to help save money on buying an extra router (About $80).Setup took maybe 5 minutes, it was a breeze, I didn't really need the manual, but it's very informative and laid out in step by step plain English. It has two external antenna's, which seem to provide a solid Wireless signal compared to my previous Belkin Router, the speeds are almost exact. The internet will go down on occasion, but I think it's mainly due to my actual line, but it will go down more frequently if it gets hot (which it will) so I keep a small fan on low speed, it stays nice and cool.When it does go down, it'll either fix it's self within 30 seconds or you can head to the isp address/homepage and reboot it, close off the tab your on and within two minutes, you'll be up and running. (About 2-3x faster than AT&T's Modems) - I stream Netflix, Hulu Plus and Crunchy Roll and a daily basis through my 360 and can always have 4 bars-HD while two computers are in use. Gaming, I experience no lag, except when a bad connection gets host, and if that happens, it's much more bearable then previously.Make sure you know your User Name and Password for AT&T, and it's not the Password to access the Modem Reboot settings, it's different. It's usually your email you use for your AT&T account and a randomly assigned password, that if you don't know you can find out easily from AT&T.My only complaint would be that it does seem to get hot a little too easily in 70 degree weather, but given it's not in an air-condition room I suppose it's to be expected. - Using the stand helps a lot, but if it's going to be in an air-conditioned room, the best way to have it, is sitting down, with antenna's up.It's been in 24/7 use since arriving on March 3rd. - I will update this in another month if anything changes.