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

[146]

What are  (if any)  the connection speed benefits of replacing the VF unit ?

[Nabs]

@jay_uk1 I can't see any reason this wouldn't work. You'd just need to put the Vodafone supplied Username and Password into the configuration of the TPLink and it should connect from there.

@146 If you are using the Vodafone router that continuously drops connections then your speed may have been reduced to provide a more stable connection. If you replace your router with one that doesn't drop connections then, in theory, you'll get a better connection speed. You might need to get the line reset before the speed increases though.

[146]

Thanks to the post from florca (and others)  I am now using my old B.T.  "modem"  plugged into the WAN port of a TP-LINK Archer D2. 

I'll have to "hack it" to get any stats but at the moment any speedtests are showing no significant improvement (28Mbs) it was a solid 38+ when I was with Sky using the same "modem" which never disconnected.

I guess my line has been DLM'd down because of the at least daily disconnections since joining Vodafone.

[Nabs]

@146 give Vodafone a shout and ask them to reset your line that should help speed things along

[146]

I thought only a O.R. (B.T. as was) engineer could reset the line and then only relunctantly after fixing a line fault ?

My connection (not download) speed dipped into the teens at one point, that did feel sluggish and I had an engineer visit, he remade some connections outside of my property and reset the line and I enjoyed 38 Mbs again for a while. It has slowly dribbled down over 9 months, disconnection by disconnection, but to be honest in real world use there isn't a lot of difference in 28Mbs to 38Mbs,  I'll try and be patient as I'm curious to see if the line will recover. It may be crosstalk dragging it down, I have noticed the cabinet has had an extension bolted on the side and have since found out it is to increase capacity and not to accomodate G-FAST as I'd hoped, so there are more subscribers and that = more crosstalk.  If you are correct and nothing changes in a month I'll give it a try, but as I said at the start.............................. ?

[Aa1258]

Hi does anyone know how I can use a BT hub 6 on a Vodafone line? 

[MrWhite]

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@Aa1258 wrote:

Hi does anyone know how I can use a BT hub 6 on a Vodafone line? 

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Unfortunately you can't. BT hubs are locked down to BT (plus Talk Talk & Plusnet). 

[hh28360]

Dear All

I have a sky hub router from when i was with SKY. Does anyone know if i can use this router with Vodafine or sky locks down its routers to its own service.

Also can i use Orbi with vodafone? if yes then i would not need to buy a separate modem rite?

thanks for help

[Anonymous]

Unless there is a an open source firmware floating around for the Sky hub router, it'll be pretty much locked to sky.  Even if it wasn't it's almost as big a POS as the VF router!

You can set up the Orbi mesh just to replace the VF routers WiFi, or with a VDSL modem you can have the Orbi take on all the network service provision (probably a better bet as the VF router has multiple issues).  So you could start with the ORBI as a WiFi replacement and then add your own modem at a later date.

[hh28360]

Thank you Keith - as I am a novice at this, a couple of clarification re Orbi

So you are saying I have two options;
1. connect Orbi via the VF router so that VF acts as a modem but the wifi part is managed by Orbi - will this make my wifi experience much better? also does it mean that i cannot just connect the internet wire into Orbi as i do for VF router?

2. In additions to buying Orbi, i buy a VDSL modem and discard VF router altogether? you think this is much better than the internet cable from the BT socket run into VF router and then a ethernet cable going into VF router? If yes then could you suggest a VDSL modem i could go for?

3. Instead of Orbi is there another router that also has a modem built in so that i donot have to buy Orbi and VDSL modem separately?

many thanks for your help

regards

Haseeb