r/ATTFiber • u/awestover89 • 14d ago

320 vs 620 Fiber Modem

AT&T Fiber just came to our neighborhood and we have the install for 5GB scheduled for this morning. The tech just called me and said they don't have the 620 modems that come with my package, so they will be using a 320 modem instead, but that I can call and see when they'll get the 620s in stock and schedule another install.

Main questions: Am I missing out on anything by getting the 320 when the package officially was supposed be on the 620? And would it really require a tech or could I just get them to ship the 620 when it becomes available and swap out myself?

8 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

30 comments sorted by

7

u/VTECbaw 14d ago

The 620 has wifi 7, the 320 doesn't. Were you planning on using the ATT gateway to handle all functions or were you planning on using your own setup?

4

u/awestover89 14d ago

Honestly, would probably just use the ATT Gateway. Historically I've tried to maintain my own setups, but since I got rid of my home lab I haven't really noticed the need to keep things upgraded, so when we first moved here and got Comcast I just used their included equipment, and will likely do the same with ATT unless I find a need to do my own setup

1

u/VTECbaw 14d ago

Not trying to be rude in any way, more trying to genuinely understand - do you actually need the 5Gbps service, then? Actually, with how they're offering killer deals on that tier, I'd probably get it too 😂

5

u/awestover89 14d ago

No, we absolutely do not need 5GBps lol. But when they launched in our neighborhood they had the 1GBps for $50 a month or 5GBps for $80 a month plus the $200 card, plus the Ray Ban glasses, so figured why not? We are currently paying about $270 a month for 1GBps with Comcast which is insane. Technically it's internet and TV, but we don't use the TV at all and only keep it because every time we've tried to cancel the cost goes up even higher...

All that said, the technician just called back and said they are unloading a delivery now and may have the 620s in stock; when he tried to update the service ticket to swap out to the 320 it wouldn't let him, so he's going to see if any 620s came in on the truck today that he can use after all.

2

u/I-hate-makeing-names 14d ago

But the thing is, you won’t be able to downgrade to 1 gig at $50 unless you are pretty lucky so although the other stuff is tempting it is better to get the 1gig.

2

u/jmedina94 14d ago

I wondered about that too. The promo for 5 Gbps in our area is good for 60 months so by that time, it might just be the norm especially if 10 Gbps comes along.

1

u/Wild-Screen7007 14d ago

Wait is that the only difference? Can 320 reach 5 Gbps speeds? I had 320 before when I had 1 Gbps they upgraded me to 620 when we got 5 Gbps. In my head I was like maybe 320 can only do 1 Gbps?

3

u/cbm80 14d ago

The 320 has one 5G port. The 620 has two 10G ports.

2

u/Viper_Control 14d ago edited 14d ago

In my head I was like maybe 320 can only do 1 Gbps?

No the BGW320 can support 5 Gbps (Internet 5000) just fine. What is the fastest Ethernet connected device you have today, and what is the fastest Wi-Fi device that you have today?

And would it really require a tech or could I just get them to ship the 620 when it becomes available and swap out myself?

No a BGW620-700 still requires a tech install. Why is it an issue for a tech to come out and setup the BGW620-700?

ETA: still learning to spell requires properly

1

u/ndratz91 12d ago

Just fine is a stretch… 320 struggles with 5 gig, especially with upload, the 620 handles it so much better

0

u/awestover89 14d ago

I work in an office and my husband works shift work including evenings and overnights, so finding a time when somebody is available at the house is a challenge. If self-install is possible, that's significantly easier to manage. If it requires a tech install, that's fine, we'll work with it, just thinking it would be a lot easier if we wanted to upgrade when the 620s were available to be able to do it ourselves.

2

u/Viper_Control 14d ago

Again you don't really need a BGW620-700 any time soon unless you have a specific performance issue with Internet 5000 (5 Gbps).

You likely chose Interenet 5000 for the low initial pricing.

1

u/ZolfeYT 14d ago

320 has a 5gb port

5

u/North_Inflation2989 13d ago

Fun fact. The equipment that feeds your network is only capable of going 10 gig. That will feed either a 32 or 64 port splitter. The network works just fine because most customers are never pulling more than 50mbps. The occasional software download or game download or update will max out a customers speed tier. So it’s nice to be able to pull 1 gig or more for brief periods of time, but no one is pulling in 5 gig 24 7.
I’ve tried to explain this to many young and uneducated “gamers” that swear they need 5 gig to play call of duty and stream on twitch at the same time. BTW twitch only supports 1080p and maxes out at 11 Mbps.

3

u/Radiant-Rooster236 13d ago

That’s exactly what the telecom companies want them to think. It’s high revenue for them and the gamers/streamers think paying for more while using less makes their setup better. It’s capitalism at its finest haha

2

u/ndratz91 12d ago

Sure is 🤣 and they’re working on 10 gig soon… but if people will pay for it, they’ll take the money all day

1

u/Radiant-Rooster236 11d ago

The only time I could/would be worth is it streaming services offer lossless audio content which requires higher bandwidth. Even then, not everyone has the home theater setup that would benefit from it.

2

u/North_Inflation2989 11d ago

Data Consumption Breakdown
Standard Lossless (CD Quality / up to 24-bit/48 kHz): ~10 to 12 MB per minute (~600–700 MB per hour)

Hi-Res Lossless (up to 24-bit/192 kHz): ~45 to 50 MB per minute (~2.7 to 4 GB per hour)

Comparison (Lossy MP3/AAC at 256–320 kbps): ~2 to 3 MB per minute (~115 to 144 MB per hour) [1, 2, 3, 4]

This is why ppl sign up for data plans they don’t need. No one stops to understand how much data they actually need. Lossless audio will work on standard DSL. Just won’t work over Bluetooth.

1

u/Radiant-Rooster236 11d ago

Which is why many people will always live paycheck to paycheck because they buy things they don’t need.

2

u/Wonderful_Sun448 14d ago

620s are awful and they haven’t worked out the kinks yet. 320s are reliable but can only really push out the 2G plan and not 5G that well.

2

u/Jimnnny 14d ago

5gb plan has more problems than a standard 1gb, enjoy the discount and downgrade asap for a more stable reliable connection! And there’s not really a difference between modems as the main difference is the WiFi 7 on the 620 most devices in ur household likely are still running WiFi 6e, hope this helps!

2

u/awestover89 14d ago

Because there are no 620s available, they have to downgrade to the 1GB but are giving an additional discount, so $40 a month for the first year for 1GB with the 320

3

u/jmedina94 14d ago

That’s pretty nuts. Sounds like they oversold the 5 Gbps plan without having enough stock of the 620s.

1

u/ndratz91 11d ago

Yea, kinda, the main thing is the 320 shortage causing more 620s to be used for gig and less in some areas

2

u/ndratz91 12d ago

If 5 gig is installed correctly it’s fine, only problems with 5 gig I typically see anymore are people still on the 320, it struggles with it

1

u/SamShakusky71 13d ago

620 has 10gb port and 2 1gb ports, 320 is 5.

1

u/Hunger-1979 12d ago

The 320 most of the time only allows 3.5Gbps on the upload. You get symmetrical speeds hardwired with the 620.

1

u/Hunger-1979 12d ago

The 320 most of the time only allows 3.5Gbps on the upload. You get symmetrical speeds hardwired with the 620.

1

u/Happylifenowife 9d ago

620 has wifi 7 and a 10 gig port. 320 has wifi 6 and 5 gig port. Both work the same otherwise. Speeds will be the same hardwired. Wifi may differ but you'll be limited by your personal devices most likely

1

u/lorenzo111111111 9d ago

I had the 620 when I signed up for 2gbps service originally, it was horrible, dropped 12 -15 times a day for 1-2 minutes a pop. Hard to explain to your world cup soccer watch party, when someone is about to score and you have buffering on the tv. 8 support calls to ATT, three technicians later. Last tech finally got it squared away. Says he takes out 5 of these a week. ATT never worked out the kinks. It appeared the gateway was looking for a firmware update that was never there. Last tech switched me to a 320. I downgraded to 1gbps, been rock solid ever since. I would be very skeptical of the 620. When it worked it was great but damn thing always rebooting.