cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
1

Ask

2

Reply

3

Solution

Want to use a 3rd party router - will a Zyxel Speedlink 5501 Work?

xiga
4: Newbie

Hi guys

So, long story short, i need to replace the Vodafone router with one that supports DDNS, as i want to use a Vpn. 

After doing some research, it looks like i will have to use the Live Chat to get my DSL username and password, and i may have to say i plan on using an Openreach approved modem. 

I'm looking for a cheap solution here, and it looks like you can pick up a Zyxel Speedlink 5501 off fleabay for under £30. This model is listed as being one that is supported by DynuDNS. 

So, i guess what i need to know is, will this work? Assuming i get the username and password, will i be able to use the 5501 on it's own, or will i need to put a modem (such as a HG612) before it?

TIA!

🙂

18 REPLIES 18

Jayach
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

It appears to be a VDSL2 router so no it won't need a separate modem, however which Vodafone router do you have as my THG3000 (Vox3) has support for 6 different DDNS services. (I haven't tried to use any of them though).

ddns.jpg

Wow, wasn't expecting a response so soon, thanks!

I only signed up back in March and the router settings state  Hardware Type of Vox3.0v so i guess it's the same as yours? 

I have an LG Smart TV and i use it to view IPTV through an App. I recently signed up to ExpressVPN and was going through the guide below, to get it setup with the TV. Everything goes fine up until the part where it says......'Next, follow this guide to set up the Dynu DDNS service on your router (note: not all router brands are supported).'

This part of the guide seems to show a list of supported routers along the right hand side, and the Vodafone router is not listed, but the Zyxel 5501 is.

Here is the link to the guide iv'e been following:

 

https://www.expressvpn.com/support/vpn-setup/lg-smart-tv-mediastreamer/

 

If i could use the Vodafone router that would be amazing, as it would save me the hassle and cost of sourcing a new router.

I'll try that again, i think my last post got deleted due to me including a couple of links. 

Basically, i am following ExpressVPN's guide for setting up their VPN on a Smart TV (an LG in my case). Their guide suggests using Dynu DNS as it's free, but it appears that it only supports certain routers, of which the Zyxel is one. 

 

I have since logged into the Vodafone router, and i can see that it does include a small list of DDNS providers. I might just try setting once up with changeip (i think it's free) and see if that works. Would certianly save me a lot of hassle if it does! 

Jayach
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

If you are using a VPN to connect to remote services there is no need to use DDNS, you would only need that if you are using a VPN to access your system externally and don't have a fixed IP address.

At least that is how I see it. I stand to be corrected if anyone knows better.

The VPN is just to try and improve the performance of my IPTV.  It buffers a lot, for no good reason as my connection speed (32MB) is fine, so I wanted to give a VPN a go to see if it helped. 

Anyways, i set up a free domain name with changeip and it seems like it has worked, so fingers crossed! 

Anonymous
Not applicable

@Jayach The reason for using a DDNS for the service is that it allows for quick dynamic account verification - It's not just some VPNs that use the technique but the IPv6 tunnelling service I use does the same too!

 

*With just a Raspberry Pi, you can also use multiple DDNS services (without using a DDNS broker) - I could probably run the software on the router too, but the earache if the router crashes is not worth it!

Didn't understand a single word of that Keith! 😅

Jayach
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

@Anonymous wrote:

@Jayach The reason for using a DDNS for the service is that it allows for quick dynamic account verification - It's not just some VPNs that use the technique but the IPv6 tunnelling service I use does the same too!


Thanks @KiethAlger. I just watched the Express VPN tutorial on YouTube and as far as I could tell the TV will still not be using a VPN. Still no worries as I use Nord.

@xiga, has your streaming improved?

With 2 kids now I don't get many opportunities to watch live sports these days, but any time I do sit down to watch a Utd game the buffering has been insufferable lately. 

I made a point of watching the 2nd half of the Burnley v Spurs match tonight and it didn't buffer once, so maybe just maybe.

The real test will be the CL game on Wed night. If it works then, then I'll know.

ExpressVPN has a 30 day money back guarantee anyway, so I have a while to really test it out, but early signs are positive.