Gigafast - How to Guide - setup a Netgear router to replace Vodafone

[JSteve303]

HEY ALL

I thought I would explain how I removed the Vodafone router and replaced with a Netgear NightHawk. I've gone through this pain so I hope this helps you as best as I can in an easy guide. 

What you need to start - ur username and password from Vodafone, a laptop or comp which you can connect directly to the router, a spare network cable - about 15 mins time. 

1. Contact Vodafone support - I did this online via chat and asked for my username and password to use my own router. After some back and forth. It should be something like dslXXXXXXX (AT) broadband.vodafone.co.uk and then password Xahrgrbs45 - something like that - both of these aren't my actual details. 

2. Turn off ur Vodafone router and remove the network cable plugged into WLAN port on the rear. This network cable should be connected to the small black box which was installed by Vodafone, this is providing your internet from the street. 

3. Turn on your new Netgear router - make sure this is reset, no details held on it. Plug in your WLAN cable from the Vodafone router into the Netgear port market "internet"

4. Using a laptop or computer, connect a network cable from ur laptop to the rear of the Netgear router into a free port marked 1, 2 or 3. This means ur laptop can now connect directly to the router. 

5. On the laptop - open a browser window and go to www.routerlogin.net  - you may need to create an account - I had to change the Admin login with a new password to sign in. 

6. Once you have signed in to the www.routerlogin.net   - click on internet in the left section - scroll down and select PPPoE from the "Internet Service Provider" drop down. In the login section enter the username and password provided from Vodafone support team.

7. Now make sure to click on advanced in the menu section - normally on the left of the screen - select "advanced setup" - scroll down to you can see VLAN / BRIDGE SETTINGS and click on this

8. Click on "enable VLAN & Bridge Mode

9. Click the small button to enable the line - click edit, now on the VLAN line - enter 911 - priority - 0

Now hit "APPLY"

10. Let the router reboot and connect - that should be it

You have now replaced the Vodafone router with your nighthawk. What's important is that you can't use the app to setup this router at the start because you can't include the VLAN number during setup without a direct connection - hence the laptop and network cable connection being required. Once this is complete and you have a network, now you can sign in on the app using ur admin / password which you created when first visiting the routerlogin page. 

VLAN - 911 - I only know this from the support pages here - I'm in Northampton and 911 works perfectly, I've seen others mention this on the page for many other areas - that's my only caution part. Everything else works great. I'm also don't this setup for a Linksys Velop - but the app allowed me to actual enter the VLAN at setup, on the app which was way easier than Netgear.

I hope this helps.

[Pinky1974]

Hi. Are you using a router with a built in modem as you make no mention of a modem being connected here?

[Ripshod]

This post is old, and probably long forgotten.

But the OP mentions a black box on the wall connecter to the WLAN (presume WAN) so it's fttp, no need for a modem. Also VLAN ID of 911 shows it's a Cityfibre service. 

[Pinky1974]

Thanks I have nighthawk R8000 and a separate netgear modem so just hoping I can get this to work.

[Ripshod]

I'm still using a D7000 cos I love it.

If you get stuck start a new thread and we'll help out😏

[Pinky1974]

Brilliant, thank you!!

[CrimsonLiar]

So long as the Netgear modem is not the DM200!  It's rare that I'll outright hate a device, but I make an exception for the DM200!

The Bridge mode on the DM200 doesn't work properly, when it does work you'll get buffer-bloat and its chipset doesn't support G.INP and a few other useful protocols.

*You can get the DM200 to work by using Open-WRT, but it's not for the faint-hearted!

[Pinky1974]

Thank you. Sadly the modem is the DM200 😞

I must be honest, I didn’t understand the rest of your message as i’m really not technical but if the DM200 is an issue then that’s definitely a step forward!! I really should have taken Computer Studies at school.

Do you have a recommendation for a different modem? It was fine when I used it to replace the SKY hub but I’ve had Vodafone for 9 months now and have failed every time I try to replace the THG3000 with the R8000. 

[CrimsonLiar]

To be fair, school computer science would probably not have helped you much!

I am stuck between a rock and a hard place though on recommendations!  My own (7yo) Draytek Vigor 130 became unstable during the first recent heatwave, and I have a flashed exBT Huawei HG612V3b but that's significantly older.  So for the last couple of months for a modem I've been using a freebie Zyxel VMG3925-B10C in true bridged mode.  It works fine, but the setup is definitely more convoluted that either the HG612 or the Vigor130 and probably not for the faint-hearted.

If you are definitely going to be on VDSL for a few years I might recommend the Draytek Vigor 167 or 166 - but they MUST be the UK spec 'K' model, and they're not cheap!

[Pinky1974]

Thanks a million, i’ll check out the Draytek.