Vox FTTH with Tp-link Archer D7 problem

[marsbeetle]

Hi Guys,

New to FTTH, not new to IT.

I have been using a tp-link archer d7 with a Vox ADSL account and now have just switched to fiber and want to use the same modem/router. It has a wan port.

I can connect no problem using supplied login details via wan using pppoe - gets ip, dns, gateway etc but that is as far as it goes. Feels like my router is being blocked and can’t connect anywhere other than Vox to login.

Router doesn’t have much in the way of troubleshooting tools unfortunately but doesn’t even appear to be able to connect to anything from the router itself. I tried forcing a date/time sync and it failed.

Anyone here used their own router to connect to Vox FTTH? Is there something special on Vox side that needs to happen ?

Advice appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[marsbeetle]

Never mind, figured it out. It appears Vox tie a MAC address to login details.

 

[marsbeetle]

In case someone else comes across this issue who wants to use their own router with Vox FTTH.

Vox doesn't actually restrict your login to a single MAC address - my post above is incorrect, apologies.

When you first plugin your device and login via PPPOE you may experience 0 bytes Rx but Tx works fine. There is something dodgy with the first connection to your device that causes this, perhaps someone knows ? Basically all you need to do is the following:

Connect your own router with WAN port or even free supplied router. If after login you notice 0 byte traffic incoming simply unplug ethernet cable for around 20 seconds and then plug it back in. It should then start to receive fine. No idea why it does this. Perhaps it needs to first register your MAC before it allows it to be used and works after 2nd connection attempt ?

When the guy who setup the free supplied router left I thought I would power it off and back on just to make sure it survived a reboot. Low and behold the damn thing had the same issue I had with my own router, zero traffic after login. Did the little trick above and it sorted itself out. Quite perplexing. I had to use this trick on both the free Vox supplied wifi router and my own each time I power it off/on. Thereafter no issues.

Will experiment some more and report back if I find anything new worth mentioning.

Cheers.

 

[Aharon]

How are you finding ftth compared to Adsl?

 

[marsbeetle]

How are you finding ftth compared to Adsl?

Great, thanks. I think just the mere fact that I no longer have to deal with Telkom is a huge bonus in itself. I'm on a 50/50 FTTH - coming from a 2Mbit ADSL line which I hung on to for ages(knowing I was getting FTTH) is a huge step up. At the same time I switched to UHD Netflix from DSTV so life is good.

By the way, the issue I mentioned above is still ongoing and is specific to Vox / Frogfoot. Until they fix the issue I have to occasionally call them to get them to flush the MAC address table on my fibre ONT. This hasn't happened for a while now and tends to only be necessary if they do maintenance specifically on my network. After this I can connect fine. Hopefully this will be resolved soon.

 

[Scooby_Doo]

Great, thanks. I think just the mere fact that I no longer have to deal with Telkom is a huge bonus in itself. I'm on a 50/50 FTTH - coming from a 2Mbit ADSL line which I hung on to for ages(knowing I was getting FTTH) is a huge step up. At the same time I switched to UHD Netflix from DSTV so life is good.

By the way, the issue I mentioned above is still ongoing and is specific to Vox / Frogfoot. Until they fix the issue I have to occasionally call them to get them to flush the MAC address table on my fibre ONT. This hasn't happened for a while now and tends to only be necessary if they do maintenance specifically on my network. After this I can connect fine. Hopefully this will be resolved soon.

Are you sure it is 50/50 and not 50/25?

 

[marsbeetle]

Are you sure it is 50/50 and not 50/25?

Well, I'm supposed to be on a 50/25 according to my deal but it is actually 50/50 and has been that way from the get go. I'm certainly not going to complain ;-)

 

[Scooby_Doo]

Well, I'm supposed to be on a 50/25 according to my deal but it is actually 50/50 and has been that way from the get go. I'm certainly not going to complain ;-)

Awesome, because I am also looking at a Frogfoot/Vox combo.

 

[marsbeetle]

Awesome, because I am also looking at a Frogfoot/Vox combo.

There is a lot of complaints about Vox's service but I have never had an issue besides the small one I mentioned above. Sometimes their junior support guys can be a little arrogant but it helps being an IT person and knowing what you're talking about. As far as bandwidth is concerned I have no complaints - I've been watching Netflix 4K each night with Dolby Vision and have never had a single buffer.

 

[Aharon]

Thanks mate. I bit the bullet yesterday to upgrade my 10MBps Adsl to fibre 50/5. Are you on vumatel?

Also - what modem does vox give "free" and can you use your own modem?

What defines a fibre router? I need one with decent wifi coverage and vox said the one they give you has 12m of coverage.

 

[Scooby_Doo]

Thanks mate. I bit the bullet yesterday to upgrade my 10MBps Adsl to fibre 50/5. Are you on vumatel?

Also - what modem does vox give "free" and can you use your own modem?

What defines a fibre router? I need one with decent wifi coverage and vox said the one they give you has 12m of coverage.

Fiber is a bit different from ADSL, typically with ADSL you have a router which has the ADSL modem combined with a WiFi/Ethernet hub in the same "box". With fiber, you get a CPE installed in your home which is actually the modem and then you get a standard wifi/Ethernet hub which you plug into the CPE point via an ethernet cable. So you should be able to get any old router which will meet your needs and plug it in whether it is the ISP provided one or one that you purchase separately.

 

[marsbeetle]

Thanks mate. I bit the bullet yesterday to upgrade my 10MBps Adsl to fibre 50/5. Are you on vumatel?

Also - what modem does vox give "free" and can you use your own modem?

What defines a fibre router? I need one with decent wifi coverage and vox said the one they give you has 12m of coverage.

Vox / Frogfoot - this is the free wifi router I was given by Vox which is more than capable for most people's needs - https://mikrotik.com/product/hap_ac2

I'm using my own router(Archer D7) currently but will switch to the above soon. I'm still busy reconfiguring it to suit my home network.

Basically, all you need for fibre is a router that has a WAN port and supports PPPOE.

 

[Aharon]

Great, thx for the explanation.

So would my current Adsl router and modem work if I just use the router functionality? Would the Asus "R" range work where they just have the router work?

Do you know what vox give?

 

[marsbeetle]

They finally resolved this issue I was experiencing when I first got fibre and created this thread...