HOW TO: Use a third party router on Vodafone VDSL

[jonnywombat]

On Firday afternoon Vodafone UK sent a corporate email telling their support team that they can now give out Broadband username and passwords.

I have now set up my own router, and here's what i did.

Step 1 Ring VF on 08080034515 and get your username and password. The support team member then emailed me my Log in info.

Step 2 Swap your router. Keep your VF router in case you ever get an issue and need tech support as they will not support your 3rd party device

Step 3 In your routers web interface access the WAN settings. Set connection type to PPPoE, enter username and password and leave all settings as default EXCEPT enable 802.1Q and set Vlan tag to 101.

Step 4 Save settings and apply. Your router should now connect to VF. Mine took a couple of minutes to get a connection and another couple from the router showing it was connected to actually being able to access the net

Step 5 After a few minutes the connection dropped, and it would not connect again. After investigation I was told this is to do with VF registering your router on there network. Hard reset your router. Power it down remove the power cord for 30 seconds and power back on.

Step 6 Enjoy

This is just based on my experience of setting up my router ASUS DSL-AC68U, YMMV. However the ASUS is syncd at 73.6meg, when the VF router syncd at 72.1 and I have noticed a marked improvment in performance.

HTH someone

Jonny

[JTCPFC]

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@machare wrote:

@JTCFPC

In the meantime you can check that the DM200 is correctly configured by connecting the Vodafone router to it using an RJ45 ethernet cable.  The cable should be connected to the Vodafone router WAN port which is the covered up port between the power socket and the other RJ45 sockets.  Hopefully you will get a more reliable DSL connection.  If it does not work, I think it unlikely that anything else will.:-)

I hope you get your money back.

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Ok thanks machare. What would I look at to know if it’s configured correctly. I’m using my Vodafone router as usual now until I get a replacement so do you mean I just leave the Vodafone router plugged into the fibre wall socket as normal and then connect the dm200 to that? And leave the dm200 in modem only mode? Or do I plug the dm200 into fibre wall socket and then connect the Vodafone router to the dm200 ? 

Sorry if I’ve worded all that a bit weird 

[machare]

Connect the DM200 to the telephone line using the normal rj11 cable, and let it power up. Then connect the Vodafone's router WAN port to one of the RJ45 ports on the DM200 and then power it up.

I think it should connect to the Internet immediately but you may have to wait a couple of minutes.

There is an indictor light on the to of the Vodafone router that should turn green.

The Vodafone router whould not be directly connected to the phone line.  

I could only get this arrngement to work if priority was set to 2 in the modem.

(Initially it is best for the DM200 to be running before the Vodafone router tries to use but it may not matter.)  

[Anonymous]

If you have the DM200 setup correctly then you should be able to connect the Lan port on the DM200 to covered up WAN port on the VF (HHG2500) modem/router, and then connect the DM200 to the wall socket.  If everything is set up correctly, it should just work!  The only thing you'll not be able to see is the sync speed through the Vodafone modem/router menus.  

Once you have a working router to use with the modem, you should be able to set up a reverse connection so that you can see the DM200 on a webpage.

[JTCPFC]

Thanks guys, I’ll give it a go in a bit and report back 

[JTCPFC]

Little update. Got an actual brand new xr500 today and everything seems great, WiFi light on and everything. the problem I think is with the dm200. All 3 green lights are on but it will not accept my isp username and password. I know you said you don’t have to put it into the dm200 but the routerlogin.net asks for it (see attached pic) It does give me the option to configure manually but I don’t really know what I’m doing in the settings. I’ve reset the dm200 now so I could start a fresh but it will not accept that username and password. I also connected the Vodafone router to the dm200 exactly how you said but im getting the red internet light on it.am I right in thinking that maybe once that isp username and password is sorted out then the dm200 (in modem only mode) is connected to the Vodafone service and everything should work?

[machare]

From what you say, I think you have the DM200 configured as a router and not working in what might be described as bridge mode or modem only mode.  The Vodafone router should just work as previously described. 

[JTCPFC]

Hey machare,

Thanks for the reply.The other night I set it to modem only mode in the manual settings so when I got the new router today it was already in modem only mode but the router wouldnt let me connect to the internet still.

Im going to phone vodafone tomorrow again and get them to send me the username and password in an email just to make sure

[machare]

The DM200 should be configured like this

[JTCPFC]

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@machare wrote:

The DM200 should be configured like this

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Yep thats exactly how I done it from that exact page.

[machare]

If the DM200 is still asking for userid and password, maybe try again and then reboot. The Vodafone router should just work, when its WAN port is connected to the DM200.  No need for you to know the connection userid and password.