Worth bringing my own router?

[ChTTay]

I'm at home in the UK at the moment and there are a couple of BELKIN routers that aren't in use. Would it be worthwhile bringing one back with me to use in Beijing?

 

I had some problems getting a usable VPN connection in the past (still don't have one) and, through the help of one company, I found that the router the Chinese ISP gave us doesn't give you access to a number of settings. In this case, we were going to try tweak these to see if it would improve the VPN connection issues.

 

I'm wondering if the Chinese ISP will have a problem with me using my own router or if they'll be willing to give me all the information I need to 'plug in' to the router to get it working.

 

In the UK, often the ISP make you use their router and using a different one breaks the terms of service (e.g. SKY internet).

 

So, does anyone have any experience with this?

[gato]

It should not be a problem to connect your own router to the ISP's network.

If you get your internet connection through the university network, on the other hand, it might be trickier. I heard that the university network don't like to be fiddled with.

[ChTTay]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not a student. The Internet is one ive found for my apartment.

[abcdefg]

@ChTTay -- Yes, definitely bring the Belkin router back with you.

 

I investigated this at some length only a few months ago when I thought my problem was with the VPN service itself. I'll come back in a little while and give you the details of why. (Must look them up -- I'm not a technical guy.)

[abcdefg]

OK, here's what I was trying to find:

 

Wi-Fi router

"The use of very cheap Wi-Fi routers is widespread in China. Unfortunately the amount of memory in these routers is very little and fills up fast when you use the VPN.

When its memory fills up the router will slow down over time and sometimes even stop the VPN connection completely. The only remedy at that point is to reboot the router.

Many of these routers show some improvement when you disable memory consuming functions like "SPI firewall" and "QoS".

If possible we recommend you upgrade to a higher-end model of a premium brand. Recommended brands include Apple, Asus, Cisco (incl. Linksys) and Netgear. Try to purchase router models which are sold internationally and not produced specifically for the Chinese market."

 

TP-Link routers

"Many TP-Link routers (a very popular brand in China) have two functions called SPI Firewall and UDP-FLOOD Filtering. Having these function enabled will kill the VPN connection as soon as you start using it intensively. (E.g. stream video or download a file.) Please make sure these options are disabled. On most TP-Link routers the function is found under Security / Advanced Security / Enable UDP-FLOOD Filtering."

 

   

 

I don't know specifically about Belkin, especially not an old one. The point was a good router can help a lot.

 

Source: https://twelve.today/china-tips/

[ChTTay]

Thanks for the info!

 

It is an old one but I'm less willing to buy a new one so will take it back and see what happens. I think I could update the firmware on it if necessary. Also, it might be old but probably isn't far off what is being used in China today.

 

I'm fairly sure the settings you mention, that can kill VPN connections, are the settings my router didn't even have. The VPN company suggested this was deliberate.

 

Did you end up buying a new router or bringing one from abroad? any trouble getting the internet company to give you the info you needed?

[889]

The assumption here seems to be that you'll be someplace that offers both wifi and a wired lan connection. In that case, it is possible you'll do better creating your own wifi signal through the wired connection instead of using the one that comes with the room. The main advantage should be a stronger more stable signal. But be aware that some places don't like it when you create your own wifi connection, especially if it's not password protected.

So it's worth it to take the thing along, but you won't really discover if there are problems till you plug it in in China

[ChTTay]

It's my apartment so... Yes, I am someplace that has both wired/wifi connections available. It's my own wifi signal, my own password etc. I pay for my internet. It's not a dorm or something.

[j.k.j.D.D.]

Find a DD-WRT compatible router. I recently moved back to China and was unable to connect to my work VPN on several occasions, almost costing me my job as I was unable to respond to various requests in a timely manner. I recently setup Astrill VPN on the router as it requires a DD-WRT router, and when the VPN goes down I can at least try out other servers from the router and if they connect, typically my work VPN will also be able to connect properly. It's not a perfect solution in my case, as the ISP keeps throttling my connection, and I am often unable to do much of anything still, but I suspect with another ISP it may be an even more effective solution.

[abcdefg]

I still use a TP-Link router, but would like to buy another brand next time I go to a more developed, less restricted country. Plan to visit Taiwan next month, and will shop for one there. I'm willing to gamble on being able to use it here in Kunming. If it turns out I can't, it's not a big dollar loss.

 

Want to make it clear that this is not a subject I know a lot about. I'm only an end user; an individual consumer. But it seems that the internet is getting tighter and tighter. The last incremental restrictions followed the National People's Congress passing new National Security Laws on July 1st, part of which addressed Network Security.

 

And then there's Green Dam as well as some recent revisions that broaden its application profile. Will attach a couple of clipped articles, since their original location is password protected, requiring a subscription to access.

 

Russia and China Want More Control Over the Internet.docx In China network security.docx  Green Dam China Internet.docx 

[Johnny20270]

Not much to add to this but I bought a router in Beijing last Sunday, a Netgear one from a local shop 198kuai. I use VPN and all seems fine

 

Old router was fine with VPN's too, just kept dropping signal, so changed it. Maybe it could have been fiddled with

 

Given the limited amount of space you have in luggage I'd be tempted to leave it out. 

[ChTTay]

So I'm back in Beijing and completely forgot to pack that router.

 

I will probably buy a decent-ish one here and hope it's better.

 

Johnny20270 - Which netgear router did you buy?

[edd]

Hey ChTTay, not sure if it helps but there's a cnhroutes project to optimize the speed of your internet surfing in China. Basically, it will only use a VPN for foreign sites that would otherwise be blocked by censorship. All the domestic sites get requested outside of the VPN, so they end up loading a little faster.

 

I guess that still assumes that your router can make VPN connections though...

 

There's a Tor project too for bypassing censorship without a VPN, but you might end up in trouble with that and it's a bit of work .

[Saxondale]

I never noticed any differences with my VPN connection when i used my Apple router that i bought back in the UK compared to my cheap China bought TP Link router.  At work we only use hardware sent from the UK and the connection is still unreliable.

 

edit - I still have your Sudafed!