Recommendations for FTTP Router?

[Hatake]

I currently have Vodafone FTTC and their supplied router was awful, the connection would drop randomly all the time. So I swapped it to a TP-Link Archer VR900 and I've had no real issues since then.

I'm getting FTTP installed next week from Vodafone/Cityfibre (900Mbps) and from what I read, the supplied router has issues with poor wifi range. Will my VR900 still work? It has a LAN1/IPTV & LAN4/WAN ports on it.

I also have a Draytek Vigor 2860 from my office was throwing out but I've never tried setting it up. Seems complicated.

If neither of them are good, can someone recommend a decent one that doesn't break the bank?

 

[Hatake]

thanks for the reply. Do you see any speed limitations with the VR900 other than the line speed exceeding the 600Mbps limit of the 2.4Ghz band?

Been reading up on the Google Nest Wifi Pro 6E but I've only got one 6E device in the house so not sure if it's worth it. It's a streaming device, so the 6E band might be nice although I'm unsure any difference would be noticeable

 

[Hatake]

any suggestions on what would be a good upgrade for around £100 to £150?

 

[Hatake]

If WiFi range is the only issue with the supplied router, then why not just get an access point to place centrally (Vs wherever the router is likely located)

My router is located pretty central in my flat, the problem is the walls are thick and makes the signal a little patchy at times. Kinda why I was looking at the Google Nest Wifi Pro as it's an affordable mesh router. Just unsure about a Google router, there's a limit to how much data I'm willing to hand over to Google unchecked, my home's entire internet history might be a step too far. I know they claim they don't collect your data but I don't believe it, targeted advertising is their moneymaker after all.

My vodafone/city fibre package included a wifi 5 router and a wifi 6 mesh access point. The router was bad, but range was never a problem with the combo.

Good router & bad range or vice versa still has the same result, crappy internet connection. Vodafone are also unable to send stuff to me properly. For my FTTC contract, they had to send 4 routers before one actually arrived at my correct address. The Cityfibre guys got sent to the wrong building to check the place for the install. The FTTP contract gets installed on Monday, still haven't received anything. Need to call Vodafone to check they haven't botched it again. Good thing their service is decent for me once it's all working as their customer service is terrible.

Test your VR900 first, it's pointless throwing money away. If you do need a new router, have a look at the Flint 2.

Fair point, I just figured since the VR900 is a relatively old modem/router combo, I would need something newer to make the most of the 900 Mbps connection. Guess I'll test it first and see what speeds I'm getting.
The Flint 2 looks interesting but not that many reviews online about it. I've never used Open-WRT or heard of GL.iNet before although I admit I've been out of the tech loop for a number of years now.

 

[Hatake]

it's mainly the corner of one room that has the patchy signal. Annoyingly, it's where my TV is and I don't really have the space to move it and I'm trying to avoid running an ethernet cable around the house. I figure if I got a mesh AP, I could just put it next to the door and that should boost the signal enough for the main room.
However, I'll wait to see how the VR900 goes before I kick that can of worms. Upgrades rarely stop with one bit of kit if past experience is anything to go by and I could do with not spending more money

 

[Hatake]

for the life of me I cannot get the VR900 to work. Set it to WiFi only, plugged the ethernet into the WAN port, and put in the PPPoE details, but it will not connect. Contacted Vodafone for the login details twice to make sure they were correct and also re-flashed the firmware on the router just in case. It seems like the WAN function just doesn't want to work and not sure how else to test it. Had this router for a long time so maybe the WAN port is dead?

Debating getting the Archer AX55 as it's relatively cheap and giving that a shot (can always return it if it fails). Or is there a better alternative?

 

[Hatake]

Why did you set it to WiFi only? I’ve had substantial difficulty in the past with connecting to Vodafone using anything other than Vodafone equipment.

because it's a VDSL/ASDL modem/router combo and from what I read, you need to put it into wireless router mode and plug the ONS box into the WAN port. This router used to work for Vodafone FTTC but with this fibre FTTP, no dice at all.

Getting the correct username and password from Vodafone is a challenge since they constantly get it wrong but I've asked for it 3 times now, and the last two times were matching. So I assume they're correct but I'll probably check that again. Also keeping an eye out on eBay for a AX55 to give that a shot if I can get a cheap one.

 

[Hatake]

Before you spend more money, try disconnecting your old 3rd party router, factory reset that to clear any odd settings, then enter the PPPoE credentials into the 3rd party router and then plug the ONT into the WAN port on the router. It’s the only criticism I have of Vodafone really, they make it SO difficult to use your own equipment.

Factory reset and reflashed firmware already. Latest FW looks like a beta from TP-Link despite being from 2020 (ArcherVR900(EU)_V3_210322), it even has the "Confidential, for Test" watermark once you login to the settings page. Also tried the FW before that too. Neither works but only the "beta" looking firmware has an option to set the VLAN ID.

I'm on Cityfibre and the VLAN ID is 911 but I've read posts on the vodafone forums that say you can/should leave the VLAN blank for cityfibre. Not that it matters as neither one connects

 

[Hatake]

911 for many, but apparently it isn’t in certain locations.

@Hatake have you cloned the MAC from the supplied router or reset the ONT? You do need to set the correct VLAN and after that it’s just a PPoE connection iirc.

Reset the ONT multiple times to no effect. Cloning MAC addresses is a little beyond my networking knowledge.

Unbelievably, Vodafone have given me a completely different PPPoE username and password now. I asked them to confirm it and they insist this is the right one. The vodafone forums weren't kidding when they said customer service were notorious for giving out wrong details. Lets see if this gets me anywhere

 

[Hatake]

Finally got the VR900 working by complete accident.

The Vodafone router was acting up so I power cycled the router and ONT box and for some unknown reason, the router reset itself back to the default WiFi name for a few minutes before dropping out entirely. I called Vodafone and they said they had to configure the router manually from their side as it wasn't doing it automatically. After 90 minutes of hard resetting, power cycling, unplugging and waiting, flipping the LAN cable around (I suspect he was getting desperate by this point), etc, it still didn't work. His final suggestion was to unplug it for an hour and then try again.

I asked again for the PPPoE details as it was clear he was out of ideas and his shift was finishing. He gave me the dsl part and password, which matched the one I received on the 3rd April (which didn't work then), but it was missing the "@broadband.vodafone.co.uk" part. I plugged in the VR900 since it was still setup with those details (including the @broadband.... part, no cloning of MAC) and it connected immediately.

I'm guessing that's why the call was 90 minutes long with no result, he was using the wrong login. No wonder Vodafone get a bad rep, if you got weak computer skills, you're in for a bad time when things go wrong as their hardware is poor and tech support have minimal training.