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]

Hey guys. 

Ive just got a Netgear xr500 and Netgear dm200 (to use as a modem only). I’m going to be setting them up when I get home tonight so as in the original post do I have to follow those in instructions and settings on both modem and router or just one or the other? Thanks 

[machare]

They both have to be correctly configured.  The modem does not have any customer specific details. It does need priority=2 and Vlan=101.  It may work as supplied.  The HG612 3B I got from ebay did not need changing.

The router needs to be configured to use PPPoE and must have your connection userid and password.  Windows 10 can do this and should work if connected to the modem.

[JTCPFC]

---

@machare wrote:

They both have to be correctly configured.  The modem does not have any customer specific details. It does need priority=2 and Vlan=101.  It may work as supplied.  The HG612 3B I got from ebay did not need changing.

The router needs to be configured to use PPPoE and must have your connection userid and password.  Windows 10 can do this and should work if connected to the modem.

---

Thanks machare, 

I got my isp username and password today but the dm200 is having none of it, it’s driving me mad. It’s a dsl1234(at)broadband.vodafone.co.uk username. I’ve even tried just the dsl1234 without the last bit but I keep getting incorrect user and pass. Any ideas? 

[machare]

The username should be in the format dsl000123456atbroadband.vodafone.co.uk where at is an @ sign.

and should be entered into the PPPoE settings of the router not the DM200.    The DM200 must be configured as a bridge.  You would have to check the settings as it may also be able to function as a router where it would need the connection userid and password.

[Anonymous]

If they haven't done so already get them to email the username and password to an account you, and then copy and paste.

Do allow the modem a couple upto 10 mins to sync for the first time.

If VLAN=101 and Priority=2 doesn't work, try VLAN=101 and Priority=0

The DM200 can be set up in a number of different ways, the most important thing is to set it up as a modem and not as a router - this should mean that the username and password are entered into the WAN connection page on the ROUTER, not the DM200 modem.

[JTCPFC]

Thanks guys. I put the dm200 in modem only mode and then went to setup the router only to find the WiFi not working at all and the factory username and password had been changed. Listed on eBay as brand new and clearly not. I’ve tried every reset scenario I could find online but no good so it’s going back and a new one being ordered. In the mean time I’ll get my username and password e mailed to me as they only texted it. To be continued 😀

[Anonymous]

Okay, so before you return it just checking......

That you've used the factory reset button on the back.

That using an ethernet cable, you've then used the web address: http://www.routerlogin.net/BRS_index.htm

As far as it's possible to tell, that should work unless a previous owner has blown a custom firmware into it.

If it sounds like I'm trying to teach you to suck eggs, I appologize in advance!

[JTCPFC]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Okay, so before you return it just checking......

That you've used the factory reset button on the back.

That using an ethernet cable, you've then used the web address: http://www.routerlogin.net/BRS_index.htm

As far as it's possible to tell, that should work unless a previous owner has blown a custom firmware into it.

If it sounds like I'm trying to teach you to suck eggs, I appologize in advance!

---

Hey Keith, 

yep done all that. Used the reset button and that done nothing, tried the 30-30-30 reset and still the same.I also used the Ethernet cable from router to MacBook using the above address and then tried the same on my pc too. I figured it had been previously owned when it was asking for 2 security answers, one being my sisters first name, to access the router. I think I’ve tried everything but can’t access it and the WiFi light won’t come on.I even thought maybe the light might just not be working but I’ve checked my pc and MacBook network settings and the router was nowhere to be seen in the list of WiFi devices that my pc and Mac was picking up. 

[Anonymous]

Last resort might be to try to reset the proxies on your computer.  Failing that the only reason it's not going to work is if it's had it's firmware flashed with some custom code - obviously before you recieved it!

Good luck, and I hope it all goes better with the replacement!

[machare]

@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.