So the hub provided by my ISP is really old and bottlenecky at this point, they would charge as much to replace it as to buy my own so I figure better to own my own hardware than get some bare minnimum functionality piece of branded plastic right?
I’m in the UK so my connection setup is a single ethernet port in the wall with a splitter to connect the phone and talk talk hub via LAN cable.
A quick google tells me Asus is a good brand but I’m not sure if I just need a router or if I need to get a combi router/modem.
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By your description, it seems you are on DSL. Is that the case? Likely you will need a DSL modem.
Would something like this work?https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/dsl-modem-router/archer-vx1800v/#specifications
From what I’m able to discern it still supports wifi 5/.ac standard which is helpful since not all pcs in the house can handle wifi .ax standard and should be a damn side better than an ISP provided router.Nevermind despite having Modem in its name it cannot actually function as a modem according to their own tech support forum. Back to square one.
When you say your talk talk hub is bottlenecky, what does that mean? Are speeds slower that your service contract? Are those speedtests over wifi or LAN? Also which hub do you have? I ask because this site does have good things to say about the newer talk talk hub.
For your questions though:
The modem with authenticates with the ISP and then has ethernet ports to plug into. Some modems have built in wifi which will let you get away with just one device assuming your dwelling is within the wifi coverage. If a modem doesnt have built in wifi then you’d need a router for wireless access.
A separate modem + router will generally have better features on the router, but typically cost more money and may be overkill depending on what you need
I noticed in that article i linked it said that some talk talk hubs have a pass through mode. So if the issue is just the wifi access then you could get away with just getting a router (keeping your current hub).
Speeds are consistently slower than service contract though notably hub > pc speed is a good chunk slower than hub > net speeds (a good 30-40%) Looking at that site I have the legacy ADSL hub which is more than 10 years old at this point.
They actually tried to send me a replacement once upon a time but the one that arrived was a lemon (wouldn’t even power up) and customer support is less than fantastic.
