I want to stop renting from the local DSL vendor (Centurylink) and get a reasonably  priced modem of my own. My current modem right now is configured in simple transparent bridging mode so that my Asus N66TR router can handle app the DSL PPP authentication to the ISP. The modem is mostly just acting as a media converter. Are there any considerations I should have when selecting a DLS modem? I only care about throughput, all network features and capabilities are handled by my router (wireless, DHCP, firewall, VPN ect).

TIA

-LTC-

Sorry cannot help you much since I work for a Cable Company and we have speeds up to 1gbps. So I know about them and not really sure how the DSL side of it works. If they are similar I would say buy the one with the most channels you can get. For example you need 32 channels on a cable modem to get to 1gbps. Yet when I had U-Verse for the top speed I could get one channel which gives you 32mbps would have worked. Right now I have 200 down so my 16 channel modem fits perfectly even though an 8 channel would get me to 256mbps. Just know that the more channels you go up so does the price. Yet like I said not so sure if DLS modems work on the same concept.

We can get gigabit here (through fiber to the distribution pedestal) but its not really traditional DSL. I don't have gig because it costs a small fortune. I have a pretty basic 20mbps package right now which is getting the job done. I'm sure a cheapo could work for my relatively small connection however further down the road I'd like to get rid of my satellite TV package and switch to streamed TV or some equivalent. If I do that I would want a higher bandwidth connection so any modem I buy should have some room to grow.

The modem will not be your limiting factor. ADSL maxes out at about 24Mbs, 2000ft from the CO or DSLAM. Anything past 2000ft and speeds start to drop off, at 4km, might as well get dial up. There are new technologies out there for faster speeds, but you will still have the distance limitations. And they are not widely deployed yet, and probably never will be in rural areas.

Just make sure it can handle the standards they use(adsl2+ for instance).

In my area the isp's that do dsl give the modems away so I haven't had to mess with it much. I know the newer ones claim to auto configure better but it used to be a pain in the ass.

Last one I replaced was years ago. A lawyer client got hit by lightning and verizon was claiming it would be two or three days for a replacement modem. I found a zoom dsl modem router in town and bought it to do the swap. Verizon's people couldn't give me all of the dsl settings as they never configure the stuff(comes in preset). Took some fucking around with the settings to get it to work.

yeah you need the PPP credentials and password which usually are pre provisioned. They do not like giving them out around here usually because that means they are about to lose a modem rental fee.

No I mean like VPI and VCI settings. I can't remember if I had to change the MTU or MRU settings but I don't think I did. A few places list the common VPI and VCI settings now for dsl vendors. At the time I don't think I could find them or I just didn't have the internet to look it up and verizon was no help.

Verizon uses the PPPoE but they didn't care about handing that out at least in the past. I think now we can actually put in almost anything and it will work now(I don't have many places with DSL left).

My primary experience with DSL was at the end of the drop…500 kbps (and this was less than a year ago inside Fort Worth city limits). Migrated to a WISP that delivers a solid 12 Mbps on a 1.5 mile shot (not great as far as speed but the service is pretty reliable). I found QoS to be a real game changer on that one. My Xbox, Chromecast, etc got limited to 5M down and 2 M up to allow for some general browsing.

Moved back to the Austin area and TWC is currently suppling 75M (I pay for 50) so QoS is a lesser issue but I still play with it from time to time. The modem I bought was the next step up from the service I was quoted ($2 more when I bought).

I don't think CenturyLink requires any of this. I work for an internet provider. I've had customers want to use their old CenturyLInk modems on my company's DSL service and they worth with no config necessary. Maybe it's different for some areas than others.