Can't connect Asus ZenWifi Mesh router after FTTP

[Toby1Kenobe]

Hi,

I recently upgraded to full fibre (FTTP) and now have the Openreach OTC box on the inside wall of my dining room next to the router. Works fine with my standard Vodafone route (for reference, this is a THG3000). At the same time as upgrading, I bought an Asus ZenWiFi mesh system with three boxes: one to act as a router (i.e. to replace the Vodafone one) and two others to act as nodes in other parts of the house. However, I cannot get it to work. When I plug it in and attach the ethernet cable from the OTC box to the WAN input on the Asus router, the route light flashes green for a few seconds (meaning it is configuring) then it goes solid blue for a second (meaning it's all good to go) but then it goes to a straight red (meaning there is no internet connection). When the Openreach engineer installed the fibre, I set everything up using the Asus app. My phone will find the router with a strong signal, 5GHz, strong security, etc but no actual internet connection. I tried upgrading the firmware. The Asus app told me there was a PPPoE authentication error. I checked the PPPoE username and password in the Asus app and this had been auto-filled as my standard Vodafone account username and password. So I replaced these with PPPoE credentials Vodafone sent me. Still not working and said I should connect the ethernet cable from the modem (in this case, the OTC box) to the (Asus) router. It was already connected and I know the cable is fine because it works fine with the Vodafone router. Unplugged the router, waited a bit, and tried again. Did this twice. Still the same issue. Any ideas? Feels like it's so close to being sorted but there's an issue between the OTC/modem and the Asus router. Any help would be gratefully received! Thanks

[Cynric]

@Toby1Kenobe  First thing, "PPPoE credentials Vodafone sent me", is that VF have a track record of getting the credentials wrong. Some customers have had to ask for their credentials multiple times before finally getting the correct details. 

[Toby1Kenobe]

Thanks, I will ask again and see if they match. Having reconnected the Vodafone router I am now getting much slower speed than before (still fast but nowhere near the 480-490 Mbps I had before) - hopefully it's bedding in again but overall, right now I wish I'd sent the Mesh system back and just left it all as it was!

[Toby1Kenobe]

Credential re-checked and they are the same.

[Ripshod]

You've confirmed the ethernet cable is fine?

Have you entered a VLANID? Leave it blank as openreach fttp doesn't use one. 

[Toby1Kenobe]

Hi, thanks. The ethernet cable is fine - it works no problem when connected between the OTC and the Vodafone router. I don't know what a VLANID is; I haven't entered this anywhere and cannot see anything about this in the various Asus app settings. One thing I guess I could try is switching off /unplugging the OTC box and then switching the socket back on.....Is this likely to cause any issues?

And either way, I hope my download speed gets back to where it was before. Strangely, my laptop was showing 480-490Mbps and my (cheap) smartphone only around 220-230 whereas now the phone is the same and the laptop shows only c.200 on speedtests. 

[Ripshod]

Power cycling the ONT won't do any harm af all. Likely wouldn't help either. Speedtests on wifi aren't valid, the WiFi on the router will struggle. 

[Toby1Kenobe]

Not quite sure what you mean by this. Do you mean I need to connect my laptop to the router using an ethernet cable and then do a speed test or that the standard Vodafone router is rubbish and therefore speedtest results are inaccurate? Sorry for not understanding this.

[Ripshod]

Too late to edit but your PPPoE login should be in the format dslXXXXXXXXX@broadband.vodafone.co.uk

[Toby1Kenobe]

Thank you again. That is the format Vodafone sent me so this at least is reassuring.

The Asus set-up instructions say to switch off the modem (in this case, OTC box) for 10 seconds first before then connecting the router. It seems to be working perfectly, with all relevant lights so as you say, prob won't help but in the absence of any other ideas (and Asus tech support just keep signposting me to standard setup videos etc so this is no help at all), it can't do any harm I guess.